Got Kef R100 would a Naim UnitiQute be a good match?

[stuartayling]

Got some Kef R100 would a Naim UnitiQute be a good match and an upgrade from my Arcam Solo Movie for stereo? Yes, yes, yes, I know I need to demo but the dealer is far away so just want some style info to see if its worth a tripo? I don't like bright sound I prefer warm with good bass. Listen to pop and acoustic. Many thanks, Stuart

 

[Frank Harvey]

The Naim products go very well with the KEF R Series, so from what you've said, you should love the sound

 

[stuartayling]

I've got the afternoon off. So I'm off on a road trip to check out the Unitiqute

 

[chebby]

Buy it before the end of March. It goes up in price by another £150 after that.

 

[stuartayling]

Got it, sounded great in show room - but how will it sound at home. Will be setting it up hopefully tomorrow

 

[stuartayling]

Stayed up late to set it up, first test on quiet volumes is fantastic. I have to wait until the morning before and normal and loud testing starts. I have selected the loudness option which is good at the low volumes but surprised that Naim allows you to change the sound at all !

 

[nopiano]

Well, I never knew Naim did 'loudness' buttons. But I guess it makes sense for folks with tiny speakers and background listening.

Yours deserve pure Naim, unvarnished!

Looking forward to your update. Hope you will enjoy!

 

[stuartayling]

Had a great couple of hours listening to all types of music at all sorts of volumes. This is my first Naim and I'm loving the detail and width and it is bringing the best out of the Kef R100 which must be nearly fully run in now. The Naim UnitiQute is really neat size wise but reassuringly weights far more that it looks like it would. I've got my Sony TV and Apple TV going into the optical ports and my Sky HD and Sony Blu-ray going into the optical ports. However, it is the iPod plugged into the USB port with hi res music that's the best sounding (the UnitiQute draws out a raw digital signal and then uses its own DAC) and using an iPhone or iPad using the n-Stream app to control is great (apart from lack of album art unless you hit the i button which then looks for the info and artwork off the net which slows things down). I wonder why there is no apple airplay? Would it be too low quality for naim to consider or did they just not want to pay apple for the licence? Living in an area where freeview and dab signals are poor means TV has to come through Sky and I was using Sky for a radio source too but the internet radio feature not so imaginately called iRadio on the UnitiQute is great and while takes about 10 seconds to buffer when first selecting a station it then plays with no glitches at all (I'm lucky to have a good strength broadband signal) and I'm not even needing to use an ethernet cabel as the wifi aerial is working perfectly. I'd like the internet radio song info to be a larger font on the screen as from only 3 meters away its hard to read (the station name is bigger so easy to read) and I have good eyesight. The whole no standby button is strange to get used to and now it's in the rack it's not easy to turn off completely (and the on off switch is on the rear) so it will probably just get left on which is what naim seem to want - I've yet to research how much electricity it's using in such a state and will consider both the green arguments and the theory of the equipment having a longer life by not being subjected to being switch on and off with regularity. Still loving it so far

 

[chebby]

II wonder why there is no apple airplay?

Surely that comes via the Apple TV you have got connected.

 

[chebby]

I've got my Sony TV and Apple TV going into the optical ports and my Sky HD and Sony Blu-ray going into the optical ports.

Blu-ray and Sky HD are connected to the TV with HDMI yes? Why not disconnect them and just use the optical digital connection to the TV for sound from all of them? (That's what I do with my TV and Humax and Sony BD player.)

It'll get rid of two cables and save you switching between as many inputs.

 

[chebby]

... I was using Sky for a radio source too but the internet radio feature not so imaginately called iRadio on the UnitiQute is great and while takes about 10 seconds to buffer when first selecting a station it then plays with no glitches at all (I'm lucky to have a good strength broadband signal) and I'm not even needing to use an ethernet cabel as the wifi aerial is working perfectly. I'd like the internet radio song info to be a larger font on the screen as from only 3 meters away its hard to read (the station name is bigger so easy to read) and I have good eyesight.

I use the TuneIn Radio Pro app on my iPhone (via AirPlay) for internet radio. Excellent user interface and great quality (and far more convenient than peering across a room at a display). If you used AirPlay (from your ATV) then you could also stream BBC iPlayer radio from your iPhone/iPad.

If I were you, I'd try using the the ethernet connection to your router (if it is practical to do so).

 

[stuartayling]

Yes I can use airplay through my Apple TV but I just think its strange to to have it built into the Naim UnitiQute. I have thought about just hooking everything up to the TV then just using using the optical out on the TV straight to the UnitiQute but would there be any drawbacks of this apart from the need for longer leads to the TV ?

 

[stuartayling]

Above is missing the word not as is strange that airplay is not built into the Naim UnitiQute

 

[chebby]

Yes I can use airplay through my Apple TV but I just think its strange to to have it built into the Naim UnitiQute. I have thought about just hooking everything up to the TV then just using using the optical out on the TV straight to the UnitiQute but would there be any drawbacks of this apart from the need for longer leads to the TV ?

No drawbacks in my experience. (If anything it eliminates the possibility of 'lip sync' problems because picture and sound all emanate from the same place - the TV - rather than different boxes.)

There is no drop in quality because it's all still unconverted digital - until it hits your UnitiQute's DAC - whatever route it takes.

 

[stuartayling]

One downside is that TV always needs to be turned on when using airplay or iTunes Match via Apple TV if connected that way. Whereas at the moment because I'm sending the audio from the Apple TV simulatioudly via Hdmi to TV (then optical again from tv to UnitiQute) and also optical straight to UnitiQute I don't need to have the TV on if I don't want to as I can airplay music to the Apple TV from an i device or use the i device running the apple remote app to control the iTunes Match on the Apple TV without the need for the tv to be on. Need a bit more thinking and tinkering to get the best set up route. I do miss my Arcam CR102 remote as that could control none Arcam sources whereas naim's remite (while being fantastically weightly) doesn't seem to have that philosophy to playing with others.

 

[JohnKK]

I am also using ATV and airplay on it to stream music from iTunes (Bacbook Air) and best solution I have found is ATV via optical to external DAC and than to amp.

Not sure with which part you have problem here? that should work for you fine plus you have onboard DAC.

The problem that I have is that DAC (MyDac) has only one optical input (ATV) and PS3 superslim has only optical audio out and TV has no analogue audio out also.... And I would like to get sound from PS3 to my R100.

The issue that I see is that external DACs tend to have one optical, one coax and one USB inputs and more and more new devices (PS3, TVs, ATV,...) come only with optical out and how to connect it all? And I dont want to use AVR any more, had it for years and came back to stereo amp.

 

[stuartayling]

I don't have a problem with airplay via Apple TV to Naim UnitiQute but just wish that naim had it built in and then could control the whole process with their remote or n-Stream app rather than juggling multiple remotes or multiple apps.