Best value upgrade? uniti, supernait, or ovator s-400?

The Uniti 1 has only a 50 watt amplifier.  Try for the Uniti 2 or Super Nait 2.  A well known dealer in the U.S. told me the Super Nait 1 was "junk".

I can vouch for the Super Nait 2.

Bud

I'd get the Ovators. Not sure how you would finance them by selling the Epos speakers though.

Qute > NAP140 > Ovator S-400

Once the Ovators are phased out you can sit back and listen to them appreciating in value as well as looking/sounding good.

I'm not sure what sources you have, plus I'm not a 72 owner so can't give you a definitive response, but my Qute2's analogue input sounds great and the digitals are fine (plus uPnP) so my thoughts are to keep the NAP as a boost for the Ovators (4ohm z so 70 W per side should have them happy!)

Ha!  The SuperNAIT in its original form was a very successful product in the US during its lifespan, and worked very well in many non-traditional system settings. True Believer syndrome on the part of the retailer, perhaps?

The SuperNAIT 2 is also a good choice.

I'd rather stay away from that dealer! 

If your music choice is conventional -> SN 2

If your music choice is dynamic, alternative of boogie -> SN 1

Bobby

He sold me my Harbeth's but not my Naim gear.  He did recommend Naim for them but not the SN 1.

Bud

?

I'm a conventional kind of guy, so I use my SN2 to listen to things like Desert Blues, Son, Dark Ambient, Dubstep, Psychedelic Folk, Spanish Reggae, Scandinavian Electro-Jazz, Northern Soul, Industrial Metal, Sufi Rock, not to mention Early Florentine Baroque and Zarzuela, but I draw the line at Avant-Garde Elizabethan Post Acid-Grunge.

He's into "Swiss Groove" which I think is what they put into Gruyere cheese.

Do you need to play CDs? The fact that your source is a Qute suggests not. If that's the case, have a listen to the SuperUnit, which is much better than the Uniti2.

I thought of the Ovators, but was advised by a dealer that the PMC twenty.23 was better, despite it being a lot cheaper. Why do you think the dealer is keen to sell the Ovators at half price......

If it's the uniti2 you are thinking of, there is no point in the 140, so it could go. Have you thought of the SU and adding an old Meridian or Linn transport for CDs? Even with the Uniti2, you'll get better sound from the streamer, so you are almost bound to move in that direction.

Sticking with your speakers is a good plan. Get whichever Uniti and get used to it, and see how it goes. I got my PMCs exdem at 25% off and they are like new, under a year old, so no need to pay full price.

Were you able to compare the SU2 with the Uniti 2?  My dealer prefers the Uniti 2 and a former owner of an SU2 told me not to buy one.

I've not heard either one and couldn't demo them if I wanted to. 

Bud

I tried the SuperUniti against the uniti2 and thought that the former was miles better. I have not heard the Supernait 2. I was hoping that the U2 would be good enough, as it would have made the transition to streaming easier, but it was not the case. So I got a UnitiServe and could only listen to my 2,000 CDs once they were ripped, a process that took three months. But now that the horrid plastic items are consigned to the roof, a year on I couldn't be more pleased with the system.

Well I'm glad you got to listen to them, they can be a bit finicky to set up (allegedly!) but I'm as amazed as you are. Were they just dull sounding? Shut-in? Where are the Ovator owners to explain this aberration? Anyway just ignore me! 

+1

I compared the Uniti2 and SuperUniti recently and found the latter appreciably better, particularly with speakers that are more 'laid back'.  I found that the SU has a more forward and more forceful presentation.  To play CDs (at least until you've finished ripping your collection), just use a CD player as a transport for the Uniti.

The other possibility is an ND5 XS + Nait XS or XS-2 (this is what I actually bought), again, temporarily use a CD player as a transport so you don't miss out on CD replay before all your CDs are ripped.

Once you have all your CDs ripped you won't miss them.  As the ripping process can cope with CD errors better than real-time replay then (unless you have an exceptional CD player) the SQ is actually better.

Did you thought about the NAC 172? I think it is worth a try. You get a preamp with streamer and you don't pay for a poweramp you don't want to use. For the saved money you can easaly buy a CD 5 whitch you can sale if you don't needed anymore.

A serviced NAP 250 could be a nice upgrade and a better match with Epos ES14.

How about a DAC in between the Qute and the pre (or just amp)? I know the V1 totally transformed my Qute as streaming source into a NAP 110. Hugo would do even more I'm sure.

My dealer considers current Naim speakers terrible sounding btw. 

Ovator sneed to be "gripped" anything less than a 250.2 is simply not enough for s400 s (personal experience)

i used a 172 xs and was disappointed... But then is was for a second system after the NDS... So that was to be expected I suppose.