UnitiQute not so cute after all

You buy new or secondhand?  You buy from a dealer? If so what does he/she have to say? If from someone else then yeah I would file under lesson learned. 

Oh that's a sad tirade. My Qute 1 and then Qute 2 behaved as stipulated. Always. Doesn't explain the lack of Naim communication though. Agreed the display is cutely archaic but that's not what you listen to ... 

And the point being?

One concusion I drew is that your network is rather poorly implemented, ceteris paribus notwithstanding.

how much tech savvy does it take to hook up a nas to ur router and run an ethernet cable fron the router to the qute? 

the qute is the only naim kit i really took to.

vtpcnk posted:

how much tech savvy does it take to hook up a nas to ur router and run an ethernet cable fron the router to the qute? 

the qute is the only naim kit i really took to.

Not much at all actually - reading a manual and some basic instructions is generally sufficient.

Oh I can read a manual and I am tech savvy. But I don’t want to have to have the availability or not of cat6 cable and wall sockets across my 4 Floor house dictate where I put the qutes. In the lower ground where I run one there is no Ethernet so I expect to be able to rely on the WiFi. All, really all, my other devices work seamlessly there and across the house.

This ‘qute’ defence along with the ‘archaic screen’ comment above are typical of what I came to expect reading this forum. And explains why Naim can offer such overpriced, qute machines and get away with it. 

I applaud your masochism and blind brand warship but can’t partake. 

And yes I bought from dealer when new. Of course they don’t touch them now. They refer to Naim who I expect would charge something over 500 apiece to replace screen etc. How qute

Are you saying that your dealer is not interested in providing support?

You say Naim were silent when you asked for help. How did you contact Naim?

Adam Zielinski posted:

vtpcnk posted:

how much tech savvy does it take to hook up a nas to ur router and run an ethernet cable fron the router to the qute? 

Not much at all actually - reading a manual and some basic instructions is generally sufficient.

I agree to a point,  its OK if you have a some basic network knowledge,   & i,t,r, it appears that this is (needs to be) a 'given' to be a happy Naim streamer user.   I believe Naim could do a lot better in instructions & simple diagrams of how its should be done & include the do/don't pitfalls.   Linn do an excellent job with their LinnDocs,  Naim users needing network help will do well to go take a look.

To avoid any misunderstandings, I have tried everything to resolve the WiFi issue. Not just what a manual would suggest but reconfiguring my router (not an isp provided one for those who will near the easy smart comment but a top of the line beast from Asus), using a bridge etc.  My Nas is connected at the router and so on. The main point is that cheaper, ‘lesser’ kit worked like a dream at the same location. No WiFi blind spot there, no buffering issues w those. Surprisingly you can find similar issues at the forum so don’t think I am being difficult. 

Nitwithstanding that, my main issue that prompted to write this up, naively expecting some help other than smartss comments, was the screen. Once again, not an issue w me alone as one can find browsing. Do you think it is acceptable? 

I did contact Naim. A chap called Steven Hopkins came back and took down the serial back in October. That was the last I heard from Naim. I chased a couple of times and gave up. 

I have the email trail and I am no troll. After the helpful and insightful comments from most of the aficionados above I realised I made a mistake turning to the forum. Just wanted to provide full background w the second post. Over and out. 

I think your derogatory term ‘smartass’ is completely unjustified and calls for an apology.

I have seen far too many cases of ‘my network is perfect, NAIM makes a bad streamer’ when they all (bar one case when the unit was broken) turned out to be completely opposite.

So with arrogant comments and lack of basic informaiton on network infrastructure, modems etc no wonder you didn’t get much help.

OK thanks.  Re. the fading screen issue, Steve Hopkins is your man and is usually very helpful and gets back to you quickly.  Obviously something has gone wrong here so I would suggest contacting him again. 

Adam Zielinski posted:

I think your derogatory term ‘smartass’ is completely unjustified and calls for an apology.

I have seen far too many cases of ‘my network is perfect, NAIM makes a bad streamer’ when they all (bar one case when the unit was broken) turned out to be completely opposite.

So with arrogant comments and lack of basic informaiton on network infrastructure, modems etc no wonder you didn’t get much help.

This sort of response doesn't really help either. I suspect most people buying a device like this would expect it to just work. I think I'd be pretty pissed off too if that wasn't the case, particularly if upgrading from one of the lower end multiroom solutions that do manage to do exactly what they say on the tin.

Mike makes a very good point about more info being made available on the site to help people out with network setup - Linn do excel here.

To the OP, follow Richards advice and contact Steve again - I hope you get it sorted.

James

Adam Zielinski posted:

I have seen far too many cases of ‘my network is perfect, NAIM makes a bad streamer’ when they all (bar one case when the unit was broken) turned out to be completely opposite.

Maybe there is an issue with some Uniti and networking...

When I got my UnitiQute (an original with the upgraded 24/192 streaming bought second hand); I connected it to my network and it just worked.  The network was nothing particularly planned out or high end - a Sky Hub plus a couple of Belkin / Netgear switches but I was using a good "NAS" - a Vortexbox installed on an old Dell Optiplex to which I added Minimserver.  I also use iPad / iPhone rather than Android which (it appears) has far more problems.

Happy with the UnitiQute I later upgraded and added a NAC-N 272 and both have been happy for the most part.

I did at one point have issues with a new Sky Q Hub where the 272 would "fall off" the network when not playing; requiring front panel press to connect it to iRadio before it would be seen on the iOS App.  I found that using a Belkin 8 port switch connected to the NAC-N 272 caused the problem; while swapping the Belkin for the Netgear which connected to the UnitiQute cured the problem and the Belkin gave no problem with the UnitiQute.  

All quite mysterious why one switch works and the other doesn't.

What I would say though is that no networking is perfect: even now I sometimes have problems - not with the Naim gear but with what you would consider the mainstay of networking, SSH connection.  If my wireless devices (iPad or Laptop) are connected to the Sky Q Hub, they can't connect to wired Linux servers - no problems if they connect to the AirPort Extreme.

I just noted the OP has a 4 floor house & suspect wi-fi might be a bit more difficult than normal.    I would be tempted to have a look at the new mesh WMN wireless systems as a possible solution.    I also note in the Cyrus help pages they say "....  don’t recommend using Wi-Fi ..... and Ethernet-over-mains systems should be considered as an alternative where possible."   .....  thats a bit controversial in these parts,  but as it does seem to be the norm for a lot of installers these days,  BT TV for e.g.,   its another maybe idea  .......... 

N1ikosgi,

Sorry to hear you are having connection issues with the UnitiQute2. Likewise with my Qute2, I had initial problems - no rooms found, continually losing connection via the app and the dreaded buffering. Agree. It is frustrating and in an ideal world it should work straight out of the box. I almost gave up on the Qute2 and streaming (the aim of the Qute for me) but decided to review the network set up. There are some very helpful bods on the forum who graciously (and patiently) share their expertise - and following their advice and scouring the forum I managed to make significant progress. In my case the following helped…

Cisco 8 port network switch placed in between the BT5 Home-Hub router and the rest of the house network. A few Cisco 4 port switches then placed in key high use areas. Finally, most internet dependent items connected via CAT5e to these Cisco switches, including a cable from the music server (Mac Mini) via a Cisco 4 port switch to the UnitiQute2. As a result, all connection issues were more or less solved, I only get the odd very occasional drop out or no rooms found etc (prior, it was happening almost continually). Glad I took the time to revamp the network as it not only has it helped with the Naim kit, the rest of the house network is now far more stable with fewer Wi-Fi issues than before. 

As far as Uniti screen life (similarly, the LED green logo badge) is concerned it seems like it could be a bit of lottery as to how long they last, my dealer commented - “most last for years without issue, but we do get the odd failure”. Longevity can be increased by turning the screen to auto off after a few seconds.

I do hope you resolve the connection issues (its worth persevering with) as when working correctly the UnitiQute2 a cracking little thing. I hope you manage to gain some traction with the screen replacement too. Good luck.

Just wondering why buy the second machine if you dislike the first one?

N,  I asked Steve to check the server for status of your query from October but he couldn't find any correspondence, so the best course of action is for you to get in touch with him (I've told him to expect your email or phone call) about the display issue on your Qute.

Thank you for the helpful comments and suggestions. I use an Asus RT-AC87 and have fiddled w channels, QoS settings, etc to improved the (wireless to the Qute) connection, with relatively average and inconsistent results. The lower-ground Qute is one floor down from router, positioned directly under it as it happens. I will of course agree that a wired connection is optimal, but it is not always feasible; in my case, the kitchen Qute is not the main system and I do not plan to run wires downstairs just for that. I will give Yetizone's config some consideration and will also research mesh wifi solutions. I have to say that I would still expect to be able to at least listen to >128k iRadio without resorting to exotic solutions. Still,  I appreciate all the pointers above re network optimisation. I have experimented w powerline but I have found that the massive drop in speed and the noise it introduces in the house-wide system discounts it from being a realistic solution -apart from the most extreme of cases.

My main gripe is the screen. The logo is bright, as new; it's the screen that it's so dim that it has become unusable. I always used the auto off which is rather ironic. I now use my iphone to control the device, but frankly that feels extremely cheap and a compromise too far.

I sent another support request to Naim yesterday and awaiting for their response. I will update you.

Thanks Richard! Will do asap.

Claus, I bought a couple at the same time, to use as secondary units, one for the kitchen, the other for the study. The sound has been great as expected and that's not what I complained about. It has been the lack of it being produced consistently.

Since your dealer is not helpful with this matter I would be upset by that as well. My understanding is dealer support is part of the price. Maybe I've misunderstood that. If I haven't then please name him/her so there is no chance of ever giving him my business. As far as Wifi issues with your Qute2 I would agree it is poor. At least with my own experience. To solve my issue I used a wifi extender, Airport Express, and hard wired mine. That solved the issue for me. Not great I know but it worked. 

For what it's worth, Qute screen replacement is not as costly as you fear.  I had this done recently  in the US by Audio Plus, the official Naim repair service, and the net cost was less than $200 USD (can't find the exact figure).

The similar screen on my NDX was replaced during warranty at a cost of $50 shipping.  Seems to be a weak spot.  My Qute2 has been fine for two years, so far.

I know many people swear cheaper pieces do Wi-Fi better than Naim.  I would not go that far.  I find Wi-Fi 85-95% successful, for most devices, which is not good enough for me.  I see signal variations throughout the day, and a move six inches one direction or another makes a difference, sometimes.  Devices like phones and tablets do OK under these conditions; Hi-Fi shows these issues off more because a steady, strong signal is required.

Nick

Looks like you are getting sorted out. I think the wifi issue may be the networking standard used on the Qute. I am not sure, but I thought that the Qute 1 was only Wireless G, not N or AC. I may be wrong about that. 

I use a wireless bridge in at my system and then wired into my Qute 1. 

My Qute 1 has its screen go bad in its 10th year of life. I purchased it in its 8th year as a dealer Demo. Initially I had the screen on all the time because I didn't know about this issue. 

We'll see how long it lasts this time. I certainly wish you good luck in getting the screen resolved. 

Many thanks for your help and suggestions.

Steven did get in touch v promptly earlier today. The cost is GBP245 + postage in the Uk, for your future reference. 

All I can say is, it’s a good job you didn’t buy a Nova!