Feedback on Naim Uniti Core - strength and issues

Got a Uniti Core from a local dealer 3 days back. Objective was to replace my MacMini+Mac Super Driver+ JRiver/Roon/Audirvana based Music Server solution.

Here are my initial findings after using it fore few days -

Strength -

1. Excellent ripper. Clearly a superior one compared to my Mac Mini based solution.

2. Great backup solution too. Can support multiple backup options in parallel - NAS based and local USB drive based. Could set it up and run very easily.

3. As player also extremely good compared to Jriver/Roon running on Mac. I tried it with two Dacs - Naim nadir and P S Audio Direct Stream. No doubt that the sound quality is much defined with better imaging and tighter bass. That's what I was probably always missing and kept on trying multiple Mac based music server but not with much satisfaction.

Now the low points/Issues -

(Mostly around the Usability. It is surely understandable that the product is just released and probably it would take another few months to get matured. (I am not mentioning the edit capability which is already mentioned in this forum as to be released in March/April.) As long as these points are addressed in future software versions this can be a killer Music Server solution in the market at this price point.

1. Firstly, the Naim App does not support discovery of non Naim uPnP streamer. The argument can be since it is from Naim why should it support something non Naim. But in my honest opinion it should as it is advertised to support any UPnP based system and apart from this App there is only way to make this server work with non Naim uPnP renderer is through 3rd party uPnP controller. I sincerely wish Naim App should support this feature in future just like any Streamer supports non-Naim UPnP servers. Without this feature this server is not a good independent Music server solution.

2. Though it is advertised that it supports DSD but with unit Core  one cannot  stream DSD  to a uPnP renderer. Also when it serves DSD to spdif looks like it converts the same to PCM. Question is why can't this server adopt the simple solution of sending the dad files over PCM (DoP) ? All servers I tried takes the DoP approach while serving DSD to SPDIF or uPnP and the sound quality is great. In case of Uniti Core one has to first convert DSD to DoP and then use that file. I tried the same and the output sound quality was great. So if Naim says it support DSD in Uniti Core it should do it for both uPnP and SPDIF and not by converting DSD to PCM.

3. Few glitches around the app. Hope these are easier things to take care. 

a) The Genre and Composer tabs in the Naim App does not looks to be working

b) The artist shows Album Artis instead of actual Artist. This one should be configurable

c) The connectivity (while scanning for music share and music store) is pretty unpredictable. I tried with both my Mac Mini and Qnap. Nap is some how predictable - Mac Mini sometimes appears and sometimes not without any rhymes or reasons. Still could not figure out what makes it to appear.

4. The only way to reboot this system is by unplugging the power chord. Why can't that be through the power switch ? The 3 second hold of the power switch does not completely restart the machine.

Regards,

Sourav