what next

Posted by: grahambateman on 15 February 2017

Guys.

Find myself with itchy fingers again , never good for the wallet.

ok I'm using Naim 150 122x DAC Flatcap and cd player into Bowers and Wilkins floor stander. This is fed by the Sonsos  WITH DEEZER ELITE . The cd player is very seldom used , but I do have about 300 CDs. Should I rip and store ? Thing is the Naim Unitiserve was so super expensive , and I'm not sure why Now with the advent of the new core, AtoU etc. will the earlier Unitiserve drop down much in price. I know Naim gear is good but I need to be very sure on the Unitiserv. and I mostly always stream  Thing is my hi fi unit has one space left , not sure what to put in there ?

So over to you ...

Thanks

Graham

 

Posted on: 15 February 2017 by ChrisSU

The Unitiserve has been replaced by the Core, which is, in fact, cheaper, although some might not regard it as cheap. Used Unitiserve prices can only be headed one way as a result.

Posted on: 15 February 2017 by Innocent Bystander

It's not quite clear what DAC it is you have? Is it an nDAC or something else? If not, then changing it to nDAC or Mojo/Hugo,  or something higher, might be one option, depending what it is, which building on Chrissu's suggestion of Core could be fed direct from that for streaming your own stored music.

If you don't have any analogue sources, some of these DACs have built in volume control  /preamp, enabling you to take your preamp out of the equation entirely. Some people prefer that direct sound with less electronics on the path, while others prefer the sound of the preamp - you would need to listen for yourself. 

Posted on: 15 February 2017 by hungryhalibut

If the CDs are hardly used, what's the point of ripping them to something else that you will presumably hardly use at all? The only motivation to change seems to be because you want something to fill a space. How about a book? Placemats? Tins of tomatoes? A cauliflower?

Posted on: 15 February 2017 by Innocent Bystander

A cauliflower would look great on a rack!

But remember to change it regularly.

Posted on: 15 February 2017 by Karl

Tomatoes again, great!

Karl

Posted on: 15 February 2017 by Mike-B

If you want to rip CD's,  dBpoweramp software on your PC/Mac is all you need.  OK - yes you will need a NAS or similar to store the rips,  but to buy a US or Core just to fill a space is not sensible,  its £47 vs £1799 ..........  or £0.50 for cauliflower 

If you use Sonos & I have to agree Deezer Elite is a super streaming service, I've only played with it on my son & daughter systems,  but to me it beats the pants off Tidal & its a pity Naim don't look at this as a possible better & alternative service.  

But getting back to your question:  have you considered a network player.  ND5 with a NAS will open up a great way to play your ripped CD's & also give you the ability to play 24-bit high-res material & thats a step up over the Sonos 16-bit limitations.    If a network player is tempting,  then also think about replacing your 122 with a 272 network-preamp,  its pre-amp is so much better than the 122 & you get a damn good network player to boot,  & you can plug your Sonos into a 272 digital input & get a lift in Sonos sound quality as well.