Aaaargh! Cold Feet!

ESP2009

New member
Feb 16, 2009
177
1
0
Visit site
Oh for heaven's sake! This is ridiculous!

This lunctime I returned the various boxes I'd had on home demo and had a chat about my findings. At the end of it all, a sum of money was not exchanged, but one was mentioned. In truth a touch more than I was expecting. After all, the new version is about to hit the shops! I am, of course, talking of the Naim Uniti and Uniti 2. I would love to hear what the latter has to offer, based on my recent experience with the former.

Never mind, having taken a few calming breaths I played it cool and announced I needed to give it some thought. OK, I wasn't so cool, but I did try. During the rest of the afternoon I kept thinking about that very tasty Uniti sitting in its box just a couple of miles or so down the road. I began making plans about putting my Primares on Fleabay and giving myself the option of maybe trying the Uniti 2 at the earliest opportunity.

This evening I began to put together the information about the Primares, including the specs and some reviews. Suddenly I became very much aware of the quality of the kit I am proposing to get rid of. I froze. I chickened out. I stopped planning a listing and now wonder whether it's right to consign them to the tender mercies of the auction site. I'm feeling quite the idiot as I prevaricate over the sale of my precious Primares in order to make way for something very different but arguably of equal calibre and sound quality. :oops:

I think I need to give this more thought. Need I rush in quite so fast? On the other hand, maybe England 3 - Sweden 2 was a sign. ;)

Like I say: ridiculous.
 

matthewpiano

Well-known member
ESP2009, about 3 years ago I bought a beautiful system of Denon DCD1500AE CD player and PMA1500AE amplifier which I used with my Quad 11L speakers. I was very proud of it and enjoyed listening to it. Then, something made me make a change. I went for some Arcam kit instead and lost quite a bit of money selling the Denons. During the process I had a similar feeling to you - the whole 'What am I doing?' question reared its head. I pushed my doubts aside and went ahead. Looking back I wish I'd stuck with the Denon kit. I never enjoyed the Arcam kit as much and then ended up on a constant cycle of chopping and changing thereafter. What I should have done is keep the Denons and upgrade the speakers to some Epos M12i or some ATC SCM11s.

Sometimes, pausing or even stopping is the best thing to do, particularly if you have a system you enjoy.
 

CnoEvil

New member
Aug 21, 2009
556
13
0
Visit site
I'm sorry if I sound like a broken record, but the Primare is so good, I think you should hear what a Sneaky sounds like through it......and now I promise not to mention it again. :roll:
 

ESP2009

New member
Feb 16, 2009
177
1
0
Visit site
Thanks folks - even Cno. ;)

I think I need to stop rushing into this. Yes, the Primares are great together, but I'm being lured by the Dark Side. I need to be strong.

Anyway, the Squeezebox Touch should be on its way shortly from Amazon. I think a breather is in order...and maybe I can arrange a listen to the new Uniti. :)
 

Oldenbroke

New member
Mar 11, 2008
25
0
0
Visit site
Having recently been to a demo of Naim kit, albeit their streaming

options and Ovator 400 speakers, I can understand the temptation.

Unfortunately I would have to sell more than my hifi + AV + car + wife

to be satisfied!!! It will sound better after a (brief) wait.
 

WishTree

Well-known member
May 18, 2010
107
1
18,595
Visit site
Cold feet is better than rushing in!

IMO, your primare stuff is great (Though I know the amp only and it was too bland for me - flip side of unable to audition at home, I might have really liked it if I had a week with it, on hindsight) especially when compared to the Naim you are talking about.

If DAC is the missing link get one of the affordable ones based on the functionality and house sound as I get to understand that you need to spend much north of 1000 pound mark to see a real difference in DAC

If not broken do not fix it :)
 

lindsayt

New member
Apr 8, 2011
16
2
0
Visit site
I think it would be totally illogical to sell your Primares before comparing them to a Naim Uniti with your ears, in your system, in your room, with your music at your normal listening volumes.
 

BenLaw

Well-known member
Nov 21, 2010
475
7
18,895
Visit site
I must have misunderstood your audition thread... I thought you'd concluded none of the components you'd listened to gave you a substantial improvement over the primares. At best, I would have thought the proposed change was a sideways move to a different sound, and in fact may well be a backwards step in terms of overall SQ.

So, if this is change for changes sake - don't do it! If the change is for improved convenience, then you have to ask if the financial and SQ changes / costs are worth it.
 

ESP2009

New member
Feb 16, 2009
177
1
0
Visit site
BenLaw said:
I must have misunderstood your audition thread... I thought you'd concluded none of the components you'd listened to gave you a substantial improvement over the primares. At best, I would have thought the proposed change was a sideways move to a different sound, and in fact may well be a backwards step in terms of overall SQ.

So, if this is change for changes sake - don't do it! If the change is for improved convenience, then you have to ask if the financial and SQ changes / costs are worth it.

Very valid observations, and part of the reason I have paused to draw breath. I see that several of you make sensible points on that score which cannot be ignored.

I know I was getting carried away, having tried the Uniti and enjoyed what it has to offer in terms of convenience and SQ, but it's time to step back and think a while.
 
ESP2009 said:
Oh for heaven's sake! This is ridiculous!

This lunctime I returned the various boxes I'd had on home demo and had a chat about my findings. At the end of it all, a sum of money was not exchanged, but one was mentioned. In truth a touch more than I was expecting. After all, the new version is about to hit the shops! I am, of course, talking of the Naim Uniti and Uniti 2. I would love to hear what the latter has to offer, based on my recent experience with the former.

Never mind, having taken a few calming breaths I played it cool and announced I needed to give it some thought. OK, I wasn't so cool, but I did try. During the rest of the afternoon I kept thinking about that very tasty Uniti sitting in its box just a couple of miles or so down the road. I began making plans about putting my Primares on Fleabay and giving myself the option of maybe trying the Uniti 2 at the earliest opportunity.

This evening I began to put together the information about the Primares, including the specs and some reviews. Suddenly I became very much aware of the quality of the kit I am proposing to get rid of. I froze. I chickened out. I stopped planning a listing and now wonder whether it's right to consign them to the tender mercies of the auction site. I'm feeling quite the idiot as I prevaricate over the sale of my precious Primares in order to make way for something very different but arguably of equal calibre and sound quality. :oops:

I think I need to give this more thought. Need I rush in quite so fast? On the other hand, maybe England 3 - Sweden 2 was a sign. ;)

Like I say: ridiculous.

[Very recently] been there, done it, obtained the t-shirt and the DVD is winging its way in my direction.

The old saying about the grass being greener... usually it's a different shade of green and, sometimes, there are some nasty weeds amongst the lush.

Sorry about the plethora of chiches: If in doubt... :twisted:
 

ESP2009

New member
Feb 16, 2009
177
1
0
Visit site
plastic penguin said:
[Very recently] been there, done it, obtained the t-shirt and the DVD is winging its way in my direction.

The old saying about the grass being greener... usually it's a different shade of green and, sometimes, there are some nasty weeds amongst the lush.

Sorry about the plethora of chiches: If in doubt... :twisted:

I think it's known as 'being bitten by the bug'. Once you start dabbling, you find it very difficult to stop...always wondering: "what if?" :?
 

ESP2009

New member
Feb 16, 2009
177
1
0
Visit site
...for instance, the other day, as I waiting for Barry to find the remote for the Naim Uniti, I found myself wandering round the shop and wondering: "what do all these objects of desire all sound like?" I'd love to find out!
 

chebby

Well-known member
Jun 2, 2008
1,253
26
19,220
Visit site
ESP2009 said:
...for instance, the other day, as I waiting for Barry to find the remote for the Naim Uniti, I found myself wandering round the shop and wondering: "what do all these objects of desire all sound like?" I'd love to find out!
Maybe I am 'cured' then. I can't stand the thought of looking around hi-fi shops any more. Even though our local one is very good and the staff friendly.

I haven't liked 'demos' in shops since before I bought this current system (ordered without listening first).

Luckily the M-CR603 was the only option that fulfilled my requirements and having no practical alternatives relieved me of the whole auditioning/demo process that - frankly - only gives me headaches and a desire to get out of the place as quickly as possible!
 

ESP2009

New member
Feb 16, 2009
177
1
0
Visit site
chebby said:
ESP2009 said:
...for instance, the other day, as I waiting for Barry to find the remote for the Naim Uniti, I found myself wandering round the shop and wondering: "what do all these objects of desire all sound like?" I'd love to find out!
Maybe I am 'cured' then. I can't stand the thought of looking around hi-fi shops any more. Even though our local one is very good and the staff friendly.

I haven't liked 'demos' in shops since before I bought this current system (ordered without listening first).

Luckily the M-CR603 was the only option that fulfilled my requirements and having no practical alternatives relieved me of the whole auditioning/demo process that - frankly - only gives me headaches and a desire to get out of the place as quickly as possible!

Congratulations! You can go forth into society with your head held high and confident that the uncontrollable urge to wander into hi-fi outlets without good reason is under control. ;)

What you say is very much in tune with my feelings about the thread about 'budget hi-fi': the downside of this so-called Golden Age is that there is a mind-boggling array of every-changing choice. :O
 

shooter

New member
May 4, 2008
210
0
0
Visit site
You know what this is probably the best thing to happen, it'll give you time to evaluate and appriciate your system, different doesn't always mean better.

Its nice to have the abillity to have everything at the touch of a remote of some kind, track switching, random play and album playing are great to do sat down. The thing is with this streamed music/one box solution faff is its hard to find anything that will get near to a good seperates system unless you spend silly money on something like a Sooloos. I'm not say the Uniti or T+A are no good, far from it but when i heard the Uniti at Audio T Oxon i thought it could be bettered by a similarly priced seperates set up, convenience over sound quality doesn't cut it for me and its a load of money to shell out for it.

There are other ways of streaming music which you may find work, a better DAC for instance and one with a pre will give you future options.
 

ESP2009

New member
Feb 16, 2009
177
1
0
Visit site
chebby said:
ESP2009 said:
Oops, too late! The deed is done. :doh: :grin:
And? What have you got?

As the Uniti was one of the last pre-Uniti 2 versions with the upgrade to full 24/192 and the full 5-yr warranty plus a further discount, I would take the plunge. I do like the sound - yes, it's different, but I like it. I am looking forward to finishing the set-up with Squeezebox Touch, arriving on Monday, which should give all the functionality we both require. ;)

Music Matters have been very helpful and supportive in my recent quests for hi-fi enlightenment, so I felt honour-bound to buy from them, rather than sneak onto Fleabay for a cheaper deal. My thanks to Barry and Robin - they are enthusiastic without being pushy. :cheers:
 

ESP2009

New member
Feb 16, 2009
177
1
0
Visit site
In truth, I think that when it comes down to it, the Uniti is a lifestyle choice. Based on the quality of the product, the flexibility it offers (with the other aspects of my evolving system) and the sound it gives, I think it is the way forward.

I have to make a compromise. I could spend so much time and effort seeking my ideal system and sound, but I am not young, free and single, smooth suave and sophisticated...or as rich as a bank president. Therefore I have to take into account the home environment and try to draw a line.

I enjoyed listening to my music on the Uniti and realise that as much as I would love to hear the Uniti 2 and other products, there is only so much time and effort available. With the SBT and the Synology DS212j over a hardwired network, I think that the whole will come together and give me a very satisfactort listening experience and make it reasonably easy for Mrs ESP to do likewise.

That is, of course, until the next time I get the itch... ;)
 

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts