Uniti Nova

Simon, I am also very interested in the Nova, however the issues with my uniti core are still with me . First indicated to Naim in January via the App and by forum, email etc. The response from Naim via my dealer,forum, direct e-mail has been to say the least disappointing.

I will wait a few months and monitor the responses on the forum, first.

I was talking to one of the Naim guys at Bristol while in the queue, told him I was interested in hearing a Nova as a second system, he said realistically expect my dealer to have a demo model in August. 

Eoink posted:

I was talking to one of the Naim guys at Bristol while in the queue, told him I was interested in hearing a Nova as a second system, he said realistically expect my dealer to have a demo model in August. 

Ditto from my dealer (Cornwall) - may stretch to September.

Damn - I was told July when I asked at Bristol.

Not bad for something announced last October. 

Pev posted:

Damn - I was told July when I asked at Bristol.

Probably the same target date, with a certain amount of contingency applied to the date I was givenafter the challenges they're having. And to HH's point, I'm a bit worried it'll drag out to the point where the Unitis will have gone through 2 annual price rises before they are available.

Simon-in-Suffolk posted:

Quick question to the forum, has anyone heard of a  firmer indication of the launch and availability date for the Uniti Nova?

Simon - heard NOVA at a demo day week ago, dealer and NAIM were saying first ones with dealers in June - but dealer had already had x3 orders - so looks like an orderly que is forming

Thanks Antony, that sounds hopeful. My dealer's been told to expect my NDX week after next, I'll ask them what date they've currently got for the Nova when I collect it.

Cheers all, fingers crossed for June

I have an Atom on order, and I was told in January that it was put back to May, I would expect Nova to follow a couple months after. Deciding if to cancel the order and go elsewhere. Bit of a shambles really, why announce something that was clearly some way off of being saleable!

"The Uniti Atom will be the first component to launch in November for £1600, the Uniti Star will be available from February 2017 for £3000 or £3150 with the DAB module and the Uniti Nova will also be launched in February for £3800 or £3995 with the DAB module"

jon honeyball posted:

"The Uniti Atom will be the first component to launch in November for £1600, the Uniti Star will be available from February 2017 for £3000 or £3150 with the DAB module and the Uniti Nova will also be launched in February for £3800 or £3995 with the DAB module"

Did they say which year?

Or should I say they got the year wrong?

Anyone heard any rumours as to what's caused the delay?  My uneducated guess would be the software/firmware complexity was greater than they estimated.

Possibly, although I heard a functioning Nova in December and it appeared to work and sound very good indeed.

Simon

Way back in summer 2002, Naim announced a complete change to their product line-up... and then they appeared in the shops.

Hmmm.

From informal conversations and beta testing experience, I believe it is down to software/firmware issues - the Nova itself seems to be the finished article as Simon has confirmed above.

Let speculation run riot - it may induce Naim to give us a long overdue update!

It cannot have been "a finished article". If it was, it would have shipped. QED.

OK. I meant that my understanding is that the hardware is apparently finalised - it works as a preamp/amp and sounds great but there are software/firmware issues to be sorted before control and streaming are glitch free. There is no soldering/component type work to be done AFAIK - clear now? 

If I have got this wrong hopefully Naim will correct me (and others) and give us that long overdue official update. At the moment the best we can do is share gossip and hearsay which was all I was trying to do.

"OK. I meant that my understanding is that the hardware is apparently finalised - it works as a preamp/amp and sounds great but there are software/firmware issues to be sorted before control and streaming are glitch free. There is no soldering/component type work to be done AFAIK - clear now? "

You might be right. Or you might not.

Either way, it doesnt matter -- it hasnt shipped yet. 

I suppose the one difference is that if they're totally happy with the hardware, they could build the physicals, then reload the firmware/software when finalised, which might enable them to build up a stock to meet the predicted demand. (Assuming that it's quicker to reapply  formware/software than to build the box.)

Well we cant assume the hardware is finalised yet - in December the Uniti Nova I heard sounded good but it was a prototype and still subject to 'tweaking'. We know with Naim this can mean final routing of internal wires and their spacing....

its almost infinitely quicker to apply firmware than to build a box. And it can be done by the dealer en route to the customer too

As for speculative fiction... my own two cents...

It is hard to believe that a Feb release for Nova would ever have been contemplated never mind announced with great challenges existing on both the hardware and software sides of the house. It's not their first rodeo...

Board layout, trace and cable routing, component specs and selection are all difficult but folks seem confident in the in-house skills at Naim to get this done on time and on budget. My guess is that the Dec prototype Simon mentions, and any and all units used in demos and shows making public appearances since, was as near production ready as you can imagine - with the remaining hardware steps lying more in the production and assembly cells at the factory rather than in physical re-work. Extra time may have led to minor revisions, but I doubt that this would be a show-stopping reason for a four to six month delay.

The final software development steps - including both firmware and app - are known to be problematic and have major elements outside Naim's sole control (eg inter-operability between old and new lines, licensing, and even authority to release on the Apple Store as very simple examples that are public info from Naim). The one giant lesson from releasing Core with (I assume) fully capable hardware and (I have read from customer experiences) not-so-fully functional software (OS maybe, app and capability certainly) must be at the top of mind for any company bringing new products to market: you only get one chance to make a great first impression.  

I wish the Naim teams all the best and I hope the initial orders are large enough to cover costs and ensure strong post-release development investment for even better performance and features. But a satisfying "box opening" experience is a must-have for the Atom, Star, and Nova if the new Uniti line is expecting to move to more "prosumer" sales levels at the attainable luxury price point (rather than crossing into the unobtainable-for-most territory of the Classics and Statements). They are fundamentally different in market placement than Core since they are "all you need, plus speakers" and this makes more sense to the majority of people shopping for a stereo than the ripper/server box which is an add-on to an already functional system. 

I have no inside info, I've never been to Salisbury (except on holiday as a boy), and I've never spoken to anyone at Naim live nor attended a demo or show with the new gear. I'm just on the list of those eager to enjoy the next big thing! I think that qualifies me perfectly for this thread  

Regards alan

Most of the current delay is due to certification with standards and third party solutions ( Google, Apple,...)

and while waiting, they still work on improving software...