New Uniti : price list in Europe

A 14% drop in the value of the £ might have something to do with it. 

Anto68 posted:

These list prices here in Italy:

Uniti Atom € 2.199 -  ( Uniti Qute2  € 2.290)

Uniti Core € 2.299 - ( Uniti Serve € 3.900)

Uniti Star € 3.900 - (Uniti2 € 5.350) 

Uniti Nova € 5.390 - (Superuniti € 6.450)

 

but it will be really a step forward compared to the classic series having a lower cost? Naim is saving on the quality of components or what?

perhaps the brexit are showing favorable for us out of the British borders

Well, if the Uniti 2 -> Uniti Star has any indication, I would say they have gone cheaper on the inside. As the Star is using a cheap TEAC CD drive and the 2 used Naim's own. 

One needs to add FM/DAB module cost to new units when really comparing new and old series' prices. Even then there still remains a big gap..

I do not think they have gone for cheapo solutions in the inside. Though it is now slot loading CD mech against good old Naim drawer we have to listen to Uniti Star in its CD playback function to form an opinion about performance.

I heard U2 CD playing many times both at dealer's and friends' a couple of years ago and it was rather consistently good as its mech is very similar to or same with CD5si. 

Btw, there might be a bump in those quoted prices of new Uniti series. There was a thread about that if I am not mistaken.

As a reference point, the Uniti Core was announced at launch as going to be £2650, which is quite a bit less than the Unitiserve, even allowing that you have to factor in a hard disc too.

best

David

There's a typo there, David. The Core is £1,650 I believe. 

From a dealers website:

“Like many UK manufacturers at present, Naim has been hit hard by the 17% drop in the Pound against the $ and Euro following the referendum to decide if we remain or leave the EU. The resultant impact to our parts costs has become unsustainable and although we have made every effort to absorb the impact of fluctuations in currency, we are no longer in a position to do so on the new Uniti range due to the high component parts sourced from suppliers who invoice in $ or €.

Consequently, we plan to increase the recommended retail price on our Uniti range to those listed below on 1st January 2017. We believe these prices remain very competitive against the existing Uniti range considering the huge feature set and industry leading sound achieved.”

As an example an Atom has gone up from £1600 to £1749. 

Hal posted:

I do not think they have gone for cheapo solutions in the inside. Though it is now slot loading CD mech against good old Naim drawer we have to listen to Uniti Star in its CD playback function to form an opinion about performance.

I think you have to take into account that the Uniti Star (probably) plays CDs using a different method to the old Uniti2. (I'm slightly guessing here) but I suspect Naim get away with a cheap computer style Teac mechanism in the Uniti Star because it isn't playing CDs directly.  I suspect that in essence when you play a CD the Uniti Star will actually rip the CDs.  This happens in faster than real time allowing any mechanism to extract the data fully (yes some people argue this but let's just assume any CD ROM drive can read a CD fully accurately and so the result is the same regardless of the mechanism) and it's then a file which is played back from memory and converted to analogue.  This is vs. real time reading, error correction and conversion to analoge which typically happens in a CD player.

Hungryhalibut posted:

There's a typo there, David. The Core is £1,650 I believe. 

Thanks. Yes sorry, a typo. I thought I had written £1650. Fat fingers....

best

David

Got Hi-Fi? posted:

Well, if the Uniti 2 -> Uniti Star has any indication, I would say they have gone cheaper on the inside. As the Star is using a cheap TEAC CD drive and the 2 used Naim's own. 

Naim make/made their own CD drive?

Not on my planet.

Eloise posted:

Hal posted:

I do not think they have gone for cheapo solutions in the inside. Though it is now slot loading CD mech against good old Naim drawer we have to listen to Uniti Star in its CD playback function to form an opinion about performance.

I think you have to take into account that the Uniti Star (probably) plays CDs using a different method to the old Uniti2. (I'm slightly guessing here) but I suspect Naim get away with a cheap computer style Teac mechanism in the Uniti Star because it isn't playing CDs directly.  I suspect that in essence when you play a CD the Uniti Star will actually rip the CDs.  This happens in faster than real time allowing any mechanism to extract the data fully (yes some people argue this but let's just assume any CD ROM drive can read a CD fully accurately and so the result is the same regardless of the mechanism) and it's then a file which is played back from memory and converted to analogue.  This is vs. real time reading, error correction and conversion to analoge which typically happens in a CD player.

Interesting points. I did not know that Uniti Star has computer like CD reading.

Adam Meredith posted:

Got Hi-Fi? posted:

Well, if the Uniti 2 -> Uniti Star has any indication, I would say they have gone cheaper on the inside. As the Star is using a cheap TEAC CD drive and the 2 used Naim's own. 

Naim make/made their own CD drive?

Not on my planet.

Always one smartass in the bunch. 

Got Hi-Fi? posted:

Always one smartass in the bunch. 

Thank you but I feel even a dumbass might have noticed this.

Adam Meredith posted:

Got Hi-Fi? posted:

Always one smartass in the bunch. 

Thank you but I feel even a dumbass might have noticed this.

Noticed what? If you had any common sense you would have realised that by "their own", i was referring to what they use in their regular CD players.

Got Hi-Fi? posted:

Adam Meredith posted:

Got Hi-Fi? posted:

Always one smartass in the bunch. 

Thank you but I feel even a dumbass might have noticed this.

Noticed what? If you had any common sense you would have realised that by "their own", i was referring to what they use in their regular CD players.

Keep digging!!

Cdb posted:

Got Hi-Fi? posted:

Adam Meredith posted:

Got Hi-Fi? posted:

Always one smartass in the bunch. 

Thank you but I feel even a dumbass might have noticed this.

Noticed what? If you had any common sense you would have realised that by "their own", i was referring to what they use in their regular CD players.

Keep digging!!

Here come the SHEEP!

Got Hi-Fi? posted:

 i was referring to what they use in their regular CD players.

Those drives would be limited to 4x read speed + their output would "need a bit of mangling to get to wav for storage".

Standard SATA laptop style units are more suitable for this purpose - and are what are, and have been, used in ripping products.

Adam Meredith posted:

Got Hi-Fi? posted:

 i was referring to what they use in their regular CD players.

Those drives would be limited to 4x read speed + their output would "need a bit of mangling to get to wav for storage".

Standard SATA laptop style units are more suitable for this purpose - and are what are, and have been, used in ripping products.

I agree 100%, and if it was soley used for ripping would make more sense, but it is also a playback drive. I would certainly think the TEAC drive is much cheaper than having to incorporate their usual drive into the new Uniti and I would also think it to perform less for standard CD playback. But back to the point of the original post .... its all about the cost. 

I'm pretty sure naim has never made its own CD drive. Ever. Period. Even CDS had a modified philips transport (the mods were the suspension and the super black paint, and the magnetic puck, if i remember right)

jon honeyball posted:

I'm pretty sure naim has never made its own CD drive. Ever. Period. Even CDS had a modified philips transport (the mods were the suspension and the super black paint, and the magnetic puck, if i remember right)

Exactly, and it is this modified Philips design and naim designed pull open drawer system that has been eliminated from the new Uniti ..... and replaced with a $100 TEAC slot loading CD ROM drive. 

Got Hi-Fi? posted:

jon honeyball posted:

I'm pretty sure naim has never made its own CD drive. Ever. Period. Even CDS had a modified philips transport (the mods were the suspension and the super black paint, and the magnetic puck, if i remember right)

Exactly, and it is this modified Philips design and naim designed pull open drawer system that has been eliminated from the new Uniti ..... and replaced with a $100 TEAC slot loading CD ROM drive. 

I suspect it's a lot less than $100, but anyway what does that matter? As long as it sounds ok and rips ok too?

best

David

David Hendon posted:

Got Hi-Fi? posted:

jon honeyball posted:

I'm pretty sure naim has never made its own CD drive. Ever. Period. Even CDS had a modified philips transport (the mods were the suspension and the super black paint, and the magnetic puck, if i remember right)

Exactly, and it is this modified Philips design and naim designed pull open drawer system that has been eliminated from the new Uniti ..... and replaced with a $100 TEAC slot loading CD ROM drive. 

I suspect it's a lot less than $100, but anyway what does that matter? As long as it sounds ok and rips ok too?

best

David

Actually I was surprised to learn it is as expensive as it is. They certainly didn't cheap out on that one considering what these types of drives can cost. As for what it matters .... Try reading the OP. 

Got Hi-Fi? posted:

jon honeyball posted:

I'm pretty sure naim has never made its own CD drive. Ever. Period. Even CDS had a modified philips transport (the mods were the suspension and the super black paint, and the magnetic puck, if i remember right)

Exactly, and it is this modified Philips design and naim designed pull open drawer system that has been eliminated from the new Uniti ..... and replaced with a $100 TEAC slot loading CD ROM drive. 

$100, you say.... 

Got Hi-Fi? posted:

Adam Meredith posted:

Got Hi-Fi? posted:

 i was referring to what they use in their regular CD players.

Those drives would be limited to 4x read speed + their output would "need a bit of mangling to get to wav for storage".

Standard SATA laptop style units are more suitable for this purpose - and are what are, and have been, used in ripping products.

I agree 100%, and if it was soley used for ripping would make more sense, but it is also a playback drive. I would certainly think the TEAC drive is much cheaper than having to incorporate their usual drive into the new Uniti and I would also think it to perform less for standard CD playback. But back to the point of the original post .... its all about the cost. 

I don't think anyone (from Naim) have confirmed or denied this ... but I suspect that even if you are playing a CD, then the Uniti Star will still in effect be ripping the CD first.  It won't store the rip long term, but a rip will be made into RAM; the "music" played from that then the rip deleted.

Eloise posted:

Got Hi-Fi? posted:

Adam Meredith posted:

Got Hi-Fi? posted:

 i was referring to what they use in their regular CD players.

Those drives would be limited to 4x read speed + their output would "need a bit of mangling to get to wav for storage".

Standard SATA laptop style units are more suitable for this purpose - and are what are, and have been, used in ripping products.

I agree 100%, and if it was soley used for ripping would make more sense, but it is also a playback drive. I would certainly think the TEAC drive is much cheaper than having to incorporate their usual drive into the new Uniti and I would also think it to perform less for standard CD playback. But back to the point of the original post .... its all about the cost. 

I don't think anyone (from Naim) have confirmed or denied this ... but I suspect that even if you are playing a CD, then the Uniti Star will still in effect be ripping the CD first.  It won't store the rip long term, but a rip will be made into RAM; the "music" played from that then the rip deleted.

Yeah, it wasn't on Naim's site I read that, it was on one of the many others introducing this new line. But agreed, if it is to be a player, that it would more than likely rip first. 

So........ people are upset because the new Naim products are LESS expensive to buy   Therefore more consumers might be able to afford them.

Looks more like sour grapes to me.

If it is true due to the 14% drop in the value of the £ , does that mean Naim will refund the difference to current owners of their kit, who have purchased items at the old price since the drop in value, and why hasn't Naim adjusted their prices on the  current products?

If not, then there are some pretty unethical dealers out there keeping soo much profit for themselves. Oh wait, these are the same dealers selling SL cables at the suggested retail to the fold, and laughing all the way to the bank.