Home Demo: SuperUniti

improved bass quality and control for starters

Before buying my SuperUniti, I tried the Lite, the Uniti2 and the SU. The latter was just so much better in every way. Dealers vary in how long you can keep the boxes, depending on their stock and all sorts of factors. It will be interesting to see what you think of it at home. One thing I really like about the SU is its excellent volume knob, much better than silly push buttons on the Uniti.

my home demo was for only 24 hours...but it took only a few hours to confirm I wanted a SU (replaced an LFD NSCE integrated + Linn Akurate DS/0). I was using a pair of Kudos X2, which I think are similar to the Neats. Been about a year since I made the move and do not regret it. Did upgrade the speakers to a pair of C2's earlier this year. The SU can easily drive these larger floor standers. 

Interesting - I had the Kudos C2 and specifically bought the SuperUniti because I thought they would be a good match. Sadly, I had to sell both of them on. They had a treble and midrange to die for, the bass was all over the place. Just didn't work in my room...

Just out of interest, how long did you give them to settle? My SU/PMC set-up had one-note bass for a while (days), then played notes slooowly, now it's caught up with the midrange/treble and is now getting faster and more agile than anything I have heard before. The 'snap' is so new that I'm hooked on Pan Sonic recordings which were merely 'meh' before.

The SU I collected this morning is well run in so hopefully shouldn't take too long to warm up and settle down.

I would be interested to know if it is possible to browse by folders a device connected to the USB front port of the SU using n-Serve (with the front panel controls it works fine) when the SU is wirelessly connected to a router but there is no NAS in the local network. Thanks !

The rationale: I have tested a SU in a shop with a 250 GB SSD connected to the USB front port and I was very pleased. I only need folder browsing and I'm not interested in streaming to the SU from a NAS. I just want to play the music stored on a SSD attached to the USB port.

It works on my UnitiLite.

Thanks Kevin ! Too bad Naim is not adding a rear USB port to their streamers but what can one do ? I' ll check the Lite against the Cambridge Stream Magic 6 (this has a rear USB port but does not display the current track number) and the SU against the Uniti2. Best, Nicola

The end of the weekend draws to a close, and I reflect on what I have been listening to as I pack the demo SuperUniti back into its box to take back to my dealer tomorrow morning.

Took me 10 mins to swap the SuperUniti back out and put my Uniti 1 back into place. 

The moment I switched the SU on, connected up to the network and started to stream from my UnitiServe I was just struck by the increase in power I was hearing.

Im not too sure of the right wording to use, but everything sounded a lot cleaner, better separation maybe, and a hell of a lot more 'umph'!

I found myself getting 'sucked in' to listening for long periods, not really aware of time drifting away, and for sure not thinking at all about analysing what I could or couldn't hear.

So now I'm back wth my Uniti, it still sounds great, but I am feeling I'm lacking something, and the upgrade to a SU seems to be quite a substantial one, which I wasn't sure I was really expecting to notice.

Do I need a SuperUniti? probably not. Compared to the system I came from, the Uniti is amazing.

Will I buy one though? Yep! Just need to save a little more, sell my Uniti and then my order will go in.

Guess the dealer's faith in giving me a home demo will pay off!

I got mine exdem for £2,700, which made it easier. Have you thought about that option?

Good option HH.

Interesting. Was it for the better in terms of sound as well as convenience brought about by this "one box" solution ? Would you share how does the LFD NCSE do compared to the SU ?

Mine was £100 off as the dealer had put the wrong price on the website ad. (which I kindly pointed out!) He's since corrected it 

It was convenience that I was really after. I really wanted digital inputs for an Apple TV, large screen and cable box as well as a one box solution. Although I think that the LFD had more muscle and perhaps more authority, the SU was very competent and held its own. The SU presented music in a manner I could enjoy. Not that the Akurate DS/0 / NSCE combo was lacking but the Naim presentation offered a more enjoyable listening experience.

So, I traded in the LFD and Linn streamer for a SU + Powerline. 

Allen, I think when this question did the rounds earlier this year the consensus was that there were indeed no rumours, and if there were to be a SU2, it wouldn't be until mid/end 2014 if timelines from launch to 2nd iterations of previous products (eg. Uniti and UQ) could be relied on.