UQ and macbook / itunes

Posted by: living in lancs yearning for yorks on 11 November 2012

I have today, a few weeks after getting the UQ, finally got it out of the box and connected up with my old MIssion 70 MkII speakers (27 years old) in my loft study - sounding pretty nice, actually, even though the speakers are just sitting on a desk, which is of course not ideal...  Might be best to get some wall brackets to put them on the wall?

 

Working OK on radio (FM and DAB) and a bit flakily on iradio (internet speed only 0.6 mega wotsits down - I haven't really tried to see if I can get to work yet) but no idea where to start on accessing the music on my macbook hard drive in itunes

 

The UQ is connected via ethernet with airport extreme that is working as router for my home wireless network

 

Now, to be fair, it might be best not to bother with streaming from the MBA as I am planning to get a NAS shortly, put my CDs on that and get it all working before I work out how long I need to save up to add an NDS to the main system downstairs, but I would like (if it is possible to do easily) to get streaming up and running - so that when/if I get an NDS it should be plug and play!  There's no telling when I will pluck up the courage to buy a NAS and get it all set up... (I have a rather unhappy relationship with techy stuff)

 

In the short term I could also dig out my old Meridian 206 cd player and plug that in to the UQ, but I am trying to stop having big piles of CDs around the place...

Posted on: 11 November 2012 by Simon Everest

If you want to control music with iTunes, until Naim sort out AirPlay natively with the Uniti products, you'll need an Airport Express connected to the UQ (probably optical cable).

 

Simon

Posted on: 11 November 2012 by NickSeattle

+1. AirPort Express gets the job done with minimal trouble and expense. The free alternative is install open source DLNA server software on the Mac (e.g. "PlayBack"); but these are not as easy, whether or not one is self-admitted tech-challenged, in my experience.  Te reward for going the DLNA route is that you can use the on-board streaming capability of the Qute as intended, which is cleaner than adding another streamer to your streamer.

 

The AE has many other possible uses if you re-purpose it after you get the NAS.  I never travel without one.

 

Best of luck.

 

Nick

Posted on: 12 November 2012 by living in lancs yearning for yorks

Hmm, so that's a "no" then! There doesn't seem any point in getting an airport express to add to my airport extreme just so I can get itunes to talk to my UQ, nor can I really understand why it should be necessary... but I will just accept it's no and get on with choosing a NAS, perhaps a bit sooner

 

Thanks anyway

Posted on: 12 November 2012 by james n

If you#ve got music in an iTunes library already then Playback is quick and easy to get working.

 

Just install it, tick a couple of check boxes and install n-Stream on your favourite iDevice - job done.