Naim UnitiQute - opinions?

This thread has made my mind up and early next year restore some fun and purchase a UQ for the caravan just need to find one for £599 like Bob's fine example.

Enjoy it Bob one lucky find.

One thing to watch is that if you want Bluetooth, it has to be a very recent UQ2 because they only built them with Bluetooth in the last 12 months or so of production. Of course you may not want Bluetooth and those potentially are a little cheaper.

best

David

I understand and appreciate that for some the Bluetooth facility is unnecessary, and if only UPnP / subscription streaming then I wholly agree.. 

But I find Bluetooth works well for streaming podcasts from a phone or tablet, and as I prefer to use the iOS Podcasts App (so I can continue listening in the car etc) this facility is perfect for me as podcast SQ is not that important. And I’ve never had a BT connection failure either - unlike UPnP! 

Also think that in time the UQ2 has the potential to become another Naim collectible.

I have a UQ - had it converted to 192 when it had to go back to the factory when it stopped working a couple of years ago. Bought as an ex demo years ago and used nearly every day - currently driving SBLs with the help of a 250dr (tho sadly that might be going to help fund pre amp update). Cracking product

THANKS FOR THE GREAT FEEDBACK!I

I don't want to belabour the point but, I have to commend both the "community" here as well as Naim Leadership for the commitment to support this forum.

Thanks 

Alan 

I love my Qute. Its a great product. I'll be setting it up in my office after Christmas and can't wait to give it a go there. 

I never had the right speakets for it in my main listening location. 

Sorry to be negative. Nice product but from a recent thread turning  the display off is no guarantee of avoiding a failure. I spoke with Naim about my disappointment on the failing display and they said if they were to do them at cost it would still be £200, my thinking is why not charge £200  rather than £350 then, it’s a known issue, sort it out..

bobbyrab1 posted:

Sorry to be negative. Nice product but from a recent thread turning  the display off is no guarantee of avoiding a failure. I spoke with Naim about my disappointment on the failing display and they said if they were to do them at cost it would still be £200, my thinking is why not charge £200  rather than £350 then, it’s a known issue, sort it out..

With your thinking I don’t think they would stay in business very long. lol

We were recommended to attach the Blumenstein Audio Thrasher (via Crimson Electronics speaker cables) which is almost full range and designed for low power tube rigs.   Made to order in Seattle.   Now it is the Triton model and upgraded to a higher price point.   It has a big sound in a simple box with minimal crossover, and absolutely rocks with the 30 watt UQ2b.

I have always wanted a try a pair of Blumenstein as I have a fascination with ponit source, single driver designs. I used to have a beautiful pair of Omega Super Alnico but I stupidly sold them. Maybe's I will have a get ahold of blumenstein and try a pair.

bobbyrab1 posted:

Sorry to be negative. Nice product but from a recent thread turning  the display off is no guarantee of avoiding a failure. I spoke with Naim about my disappointment on the failing display and they said if they were to do them at cost it would still be £200, my thinking is why not charge £200  rather than £350 then, it’s a known issue, sort it out..

?? But they have. The part costs nothing if it fails inside the warranty period which is pretty good at 5 years. 2 years in the US which. Are you suggesting they replace it at cost even outside of warranty? 

The little Qute arrived safe and sound and is now connected to the 2Qute connected to the 82/SC and compared to the Raspberry Pi it replaced sonically there isn't very much in it to be honest but ease of use and streaming service integration is far, far better with the Naim app which keeps my better half happy she wouldn't even attempt the volumio app, connect via bubble upnp and minimserver open the in app Tidal extension, search, add to favourites, go back to home screen, open my music, my favourites and on and on.

Obviously I wouldn't pay over £500 for a better app the Qute will eventually be used as it was intended as a standalone player but in the coming weeks whilst I'm not working I will try it as a source using it's own DAC connected to the 82 , as a streaming preamp connected to a power amp and finally connected directly to the big Dynaudios.

I would say these little boxes represent the best vfm Naim product on the used market today and as there is a finite number I would grab one if the price is a good one.

"Are you suggesting they replace it at cost even outside of warranty? "

Yes I am. I've never had a display fail on the cheapest of items going back years, and it seems to be a common problem with the Qute, so I would say something has gone wrong in the manufacturing and it is an issue known to Naim.

Leica replaced sensors on the M9 at far greater cost to them than this, free of charge and well out of warranty. As did Apple and VW on my phone and car, again at no cost, if it's a known manufacturing fault then it's the right thing to do, at the very least don't add a mark up on it.

As it goes my main gripe is having a £3500 272 that I can't look up to see what's playing on the radio as I have to set it to go off after 10 seconds to try and prolong the life of the crap display, and quite frankly going via the app is a pain in the arse. It shouldn't be this way. 

???? Bobbyrab1,....You are quite right in what you write,..we can be loyal to Naim.
But Naim is a commercial company,and then there are some rules that apply..as you take up examples on in your post.

I agree with what you write above.

/Peder ????

My Unitiqute display is set to off after 10 seconds

Even then its fading, don't get me started..

I'll need to pay 350+ to get it fixed 

I better set that display too because mine seems nice and bright at the moment but by all accounts they have a a shortish life span. 

If this is a manufacuring fault and not just normal wear and tear then the least Naim could do is offer to do it at cost. 

I’d like to see the reaction if the screens on ND555s start going after 5 years and  Naim want £500 to fix them. 

5 years is no time at all really and for Naim this is an ideal opportunity to show the buying public what an upstanding company they are. Offer a no quibble fix to this problem and we would all be posting what a fantastic company Naim Audio is and anyway wouldn’t the cost be tax deductible. 

Bob the Builder posted:

Naim this is an ideal opportunity to show the buying public what an upstanding company they are. 

Dream on, its all 'bout profit nowadays

Given that this is a known fault, a fix at cost should be the minimum expected level of service.  I wonder how this fairs with regard to the Sale of Goods Act, where any item should be fit for purpose and as Naim are supposed to be a quality product, to start failing after a few years does not seem reasonable.

I had a 9 year old table-top Roberts radio go back for a repair, where they quoted and charged £65 for a service and repair, regardless of the fault, which included postage, during which they replaced the front panel.

My Qute has an intermittent Radio fault (Fault 10) but I will think twice about paying such an amount to get a repair, particularly if my display starts to go.

Generally love my Qute 1 - it drives a pair of B&W floorstanders to good effect. However, my display has gone too, annoyingly, months outside of warranty and it's taken a bit of shine off it, especially considering the repair cost. I have to admit that its causing my gaze to start to wander toward more modern  solutions such as the KEF LSX. 

Poggy posted:

Generally love my Qute 1 - it drives a pair of B&W floorstanders to good effect. However, my display has gone too, annoyingly, months outside of warranty and it's taken a bit of shine off it, especially considering the repair cost. I have to admit that its causing my gaze to start to wander toward more modern  solutions such as the KEF LSX. 

Get it upgraded to the 192 boards - the display will be repaired as part of that (if mentioned on order) - and it’s quite a bit cheaper.

Thanks for the tip - unfortunately already a 192 version ????