Arcam Neo Vs Naim UnitiQute

[Beegrich]

I'm looking at replacing my aged surround system with either one of the systems mentioned in the subject title.

I plan on adding a sub later for movies but initially the system will drive the new B&W CM8 speakers. I've heard a demo of both systems, the Naim being crisp, punchy, fast and clinical in its delivery compared to the Arcam's softer, warmer and more gentle room filling sound.

The issue I have is that I wish to connect Sky box, TV, Wii, Apple TV, Blue Ray DVD player and stream itunes to the new system so its a "all in one system"

Does anyone have any recommendations as to which path I should follow with the Arcam unit as there is only one digital out and no digital inputs on the Solo Neo system. The Naim appears to have 4 digital inputs but my preference is for the Arcam sound.

Welcome any thoughts or recommendations

Thanks in advance

Rich

 

[manicm]

There's a trade-off with both:

For a bigger room the Arcam is the way to go with its 50w amp.

However the Qute is more future-proof - it plays hi-res audio which the Arcam cannot, and as you say has the convenience of additional digital inputs + digital iPod connection. And I'm sure you can get the sound you want by auditioning additional speakers with the Qute.

I don't think the Qute will drive the CM8s though. But you can add a power amp and sub to it later, which makes it quite versatile.

 

[Needajobby]

Rich,

I'm considering exactly the same setup but also considering looking at the Uniti as 50W. The sound may compete better with the Neo. The CM8's appeal because I have to keep my wife sweet and she likes the look of them in white. You can't really go wrong with B & W though I haven't seen any reviews of the CM8s yet. I can't audition anything for a couple of months yet as my additional room isn't yet built (still going through planning permission). I'd love to hear how you get on both with the arcam, CM8 and the Unitiqute. Please post your findings.

Maybe a little off topic but how would the Uniti stack up against a unitiqute with NAS? 30 watts may well be enough as the room I will be using will only be 3.5 x 4.5M. Anyone else compared the two? Running a network cable into my extension isn't attractive so I'll need to stream or run off the internal 1TB of the niti.

Good luck Rich as I'm keen to see how you get on.

 

[Frank Harvey]

I don't think the UnitiQute will gave a problem driving the CM8's unless you have a particularly large room, but I do think they will suit the Arcam better overall.

 

[manicm]

Won't the KEF Q500 be a better match for the Qute instead of the CM8?

 

[Beegrich]

Well here are my findings:

Naim UnitiQute for me while a great system and sounded great with the CM8's for me was a little too fast and clinical sound wise, the Arcam however provided rich warm sound to the room and an impressing sound/ speaker combination.

However, the lack of digital inputs on the Arcam left me wondering what if....... I could find a different speaker combination with the Qute or the Uniti. I booked in a number of other demo's and one combination that worked well with the Naim was the PMC DB1's speakers, not much to look at but very good speakers and started to put the Arcam in further doubt.

What finally killed the Arcam for me was two things. Learning that streaming music to the Arcam from Apple products was not as well suited as the Naim and the Arcam could not see play lists - bit of a killer in my book as a high % of my requirements were for streaming capabilities.

However not to be put off in my pursuit of a warmer sound from the Naim I tried some further combination's of speakers. First up was the Uniti with Dynaudio RX32's, which provided a superb sound but too heavy on the bass but very dynamic speakers. The second set of speakers were Spendor A6's and these provided the sound I was looking for. The range and depth of the A6's was amazing and provided a warm rich and slightly slower pace that the RX32's without compromising quality of music with sweet treble, warm rich bass and mid range to die for. The speaker cable (Black Rodium Jive) may have had a small part to play in that its not the high end grade that most are used to but as a combination it worked perfectly for my liking.

The final combination for me is the NaimUniti and Spendor A6 speakers and to add further benefit I got discount on the NaimUniti unit £2100.00 down to £1889.95 and the Spendors for a bargain price of £1781.00 down from £2250.00 free speaker cable (12 Me of Rodium Jive) and 2 optical cables of my choice.

The Uniti is worth the extra money in my book, had not intended on spending the extra but its worth it in my book and the added CD player will be an additional benefit for that extra quality sounding music.

What I thought the CM8's would deliver with the Uniti was miles from where I ended up but I am pleased with the results. If you like a fast, punchy clinical sound then the combination may work for you but its not my idea of the sound i was looking for. Whatever you do book a demo and book a few, you will be surprised by the different sound combination's that you can achieve/

Should be here this Friday, I will be a happy chappy when its all plugged in and rocking the joint.

 

[BenLaw]

Sounds like a good choice

At the Manchester Show Spendor had their A9's hooked up to either a Uniti or UnitiQute and it sounded very sweet.