Hard working out how to do something that seems simple? With the UnitiQute?

[admin_exported]

For reasons of space and simplicity, I've looked into an all-in-one and would buy the Naim Uniti if it wasn't so expensive. My local Naim dealer suggested a cheaper UnitiQute instead, and its compact size appeals to me -- but I'm not sure what the best solution is for listening to my music if I lose the CD player. Any advice from those who already own a UnitiQute, or who know what to do, would be greatly appreciated!

My aim is to have a simple set-up that'll allow me to listen to high quality internet radio (which I listen to a lot) and my music, which is pretty much all on CDs (but which I could rip losslessly). Having streaming capability would be good, simply in terms of it seeming to be where things might be headed. I don't listen at a particularly high volume. The Naim dealer was a little enigmatic about what to do. (I've also considered the Arcam Solo Neo and the Marantz MCR-603 but although both have a CD player neither is as appealing as the Naims.)

With the UnitiQute, but without a CD player, would the best solution be for me to rip my CDs onto my computer losslessly and then -- somehow, I don't know what would be best musically and practically -- convey it to the UnitiQute? Would a NAS be necessary as part of some kind of streaming or wired set-up? I guess I'm confused as to how to store my music and add to it, and play it (!), if I lose the use of a CD player. And I'm hesitant about having any kind of super-technical set-up.

 

[amcluesent]

TBH, I's be changing dealer after they done such a poor job of explaining music streaming.

Re. CD playback, the UnitiQute has several S/PDIF digital inputs, so you could connect your existing CD player while you are ripping your CD collection.

You could buy a NAS as music library, then rip CDs on the PC and just copy the rips over. The NAS will appear another drive on your PC. Alternatively you could get a Vortexbox which has it's own CD-ROM and just feed it CD as it rips to it's own disk.

The UnitiQute will need a music server on either the NAS or your PC in order to index the libary and stream selected musoc to the player. Most folks use Twonky for this.

Regardless, you'll need a second disc in a USB caddy to backup all your rips.

 

[Anonymous]

You could buy a NAS as music library, then rip CDs on the PC and just copy the rips over. The NAS will appear another drive on your PC. Alternatively you could get a Vortexbox which has it's own CD-ROM and just feed it CD as it rips to it's own disk.

The UnitiQute will need a music server on either the NAS or your PC in order to index the libary and stream selected musoc to the player. Most folks use Twonky for this.

Thank you amcluesent! When using either a NAS or a Vortexbox, would the best way to connect it to the UnitiQute be via an ethernet cable? I imagine a wireless connection to the UnitiQute from either of them would be neater but might require further devices.

I also wondered how the internet radio is accessed by the UnitiQute. Could that simply be wirelessly via my Linksys wireless internet router?

 

[Crocodile]

You connect your server to the router, preferably by ethernet & your streamer of choice accesses it via the router also. How well that works over wifi depends on a number & factors & will essentially be a suck it & see operation.

Internet radio works via your router also but doesn't need a server, as it will be pulled from a portal on t'Interweb.

Amc is correct in that your dealer should have explained all this to you, especially if he's expecting you to put £1,500 or so in his pocket.

Look into whether it can do gapless playback as well if that's likely to be important to you.

 

[amcluesent]

OP, have a read of the guides to streaming published by Gramophone magazine - http://www.gramophone.co.uk/features/focus/listening-wirelessly

 

[mitch65]

You could buy a NAS as music library, then rip CDs on the PC and just copy the rips over. The NAS will appear another drive on your PC. Alternatively you could get a Vortexbox which has it's own CD-ROM and just feed it CD as it rips to it's own disk.

The UnitiQute will need a music server on either the NAS or your PC in order to index the libary and stream selected musoc to the player. Most folks use Twonky for this.

Thank you amcluesent! When using either a NAS or a Vortexbox, would the best way to connect it to the UnitiQute be via an ethernet cable? I imagine a wireless connection to the UnitiQute from either of them would be neater but might require further devices.

I also wondered how the internet radio is accessed by the UnitiQute. Could that simply be wirelessly via my Linksys wireless internet router?

I use a Western Digital Worldbook NAS drive with my UnitiQute which is cheap, reliable and ready to go. I would not go down the wireless route TBH as you will more than likely get dropouts, if hardwiring is difficult then try ethernet plugs as a solution

 

[mitch65]

Look into whether it can do gapless playback as well if that's likely to be important to you.

Thankfully the Naim does do gapless playback.

 

[John Duncan]

To be honest I'd be looking for another dealer as well; he seems to want to sell you a Qute without really understanding why...

Do you still want to be able to play CDs?

 

[tino]

OP, have a read of the guides to streaming published by Gramophone magazine - http://www.gramophone.co.uk/features/focus/listening-wirelessly

I can't help thinking that it would benefit some forumers if this site had such a guide. There are a number of recurring themes / questions on this forum that could easily be resolved by "have a read of this first". And there are a number of very informative and informed forum members that could contribute to writing such a guide. Topics that spring to mind are ... Network players, DACs, amplifier types, buying used equipment, auditioning, turntable setup. etc. :?

 

[Anonymous]

Amc is correct in that your dealer should have explained all this to you, especially if he's expecting you to put £1,500 or so in his pocket.

I agree! The dealer seemed keener on connecting a computer directly to the UnitiQute, which didn't make so much sense to me.

 

[Anonymous]

OP, have a read of the guides to streaming published by Gramophone magazine - http://www.gramophone.co.uk/features/focus/listening-wirelessly

I'd stumbled across those earlier today, although they could be a little more comprehensive. A good start, though.

 

[Anonymous]

OP, have a read of the guides to streaming published by Gramophone magazine - http://www.gramophone.co.uk/features/focus/listening-wirelessly

I can't help thinking that it would benefit some forumers if this site had such a guide. There are a number of recurring themes / questions on this forum that could easily be resolved by "have a read of this first". And there are a number of very informative and informed forum members that could contribute to writing such a guide. Topics that spring to mind are ... Network players, DACs, amplifier types, buying used equipment, auditioning, turntable setup. etc. :?

Yes this site could do with such a guide, one that's maybe a little more thorough! The trouble is that there seem to be so many ways of roughly achieving similar ends, e.g. my conundrum of listening to your CDs in some form, streaming, and internet radio in a standalone.

 

[Anonymous]

To be honest I'd be looking for another dealer as well; he seems to want to sell you a Qute without really understanding why... Do you still want to be able to play CDs?

Yes, I would like to be able to play CDs. Maybe the Naims are beyond my needs and budget anyhow. The dealer seemed to think that speakers-wise, anything less than the Dynaudio Focus 110 speakers would be wasting the UnitiQute's potential. I don't know if this is the case exactly, or not.

I'm going to explore whether I wouldn't do better having a different, more economical set-up. If you have any suggestions do say!

 

[tino]

Yes this site could do with such a guide, one that's maybe a little more thorough! The trouble is that there seem to be so many ways of roughly achieving similar ends, e.g. my conundrum of listening to your CDs in some form, streaming, and internet radio in a standalone.

You're right ... there are so many different ways to crack a hifi nut. And it's amazing some of the different combinations that people have on this site. I think a guide would be useful to understand technologies and options that are available to at least make some informed choices. To help you on your way, it might be useful to explain what equipment you currently have and your reasons for wanting a UnitiQute or similar e.g. upgrading, downsizing, convenience. And importantly what kind of money do you want to spend. Once this is established, I'm sure there will be no shortage of product recommendations from forumers and a lot of it based from first hand experience.

 

[Anonymous]

Yes this site could do with such a guide, one that's maybe a little more thorough! The trouble is that there seem to be so many ways of roughly achieving similar ends, e.g. my conundrum of listening to your CDs in some form, streaming, and internet radio in a standalone.

To help you on your way, it might be useful to explain what equipment you currently have and your reasons for wanting a UnitiQute or similar e.g. upgrading, downsizing, convenience. And importantly what kind of money do you want to spend. Once this is established, I'm sure there will be no shortage of product recommendations from forumers and a lot of it based from first hand experience.

I've actually moved to New York and have no equipment here. I'm starting from nothing! My reasons for wanting the UnitiQute are that I'd prefer a long-term investment standalone and the UnitiQute's small and supposedly user-friendly and the brand seems to have an excellent reputation for longevity. However, I'd rather spend not much more than £2,500 all-in, which seems like a push with the UnitiQute, given that its pricing is higher here.

I'd like to be able to listen to internet radio and stream. A CD player, too, would be good. (The Naim Uniti would fulfil all my needs if cost didn't matter.) Maybe I don't need internet radio functionality to be built into the standalone device but I'm not entirely au fait with how I'd get internet radio in high enough quality musically without it being built in. I listen primarily to CDs (which I've brought over and continue to buy) but would be happy to rip them -- but to do so, I'd have to buy a NAS, for example.

 

[Crocodile]

How important is gapless playback to you? It's surprising (to me at least) how many of these streaming devices can't do this. You won't find it listed in spec sheets, you won't find it mentioned in reviews & even the glossary in that Gramphone article completely neglects it. :?

If it's not important then there are numerous devices that will do the job. The Marantz M-CR603 seems to be well regarded & capable of driving decent speakers. If you want to go for separates then again there are streamers from Marantz, Yamaha, Rotel & NAD that will stream your own music from a NAS or other server as well as Internet radio.

If gapless is important then you're much more restricted.

 

[tino]

Some useful snippets of information in your post. For example, since you are or will be in the US, then this opens up a far greater selection of products that you could buy Stateside rather than buying here and shipping across. There are some great US/Canadian brands and your buck may go further in the US, although I'm sure the British HiFi industry would appreciate it if you bought a Made in England product.

Some useful snippets of information in your post. For example, since you are or will be in the US, then this opens up a far greater selection of products that you could buy Stateside rather than buying here and shipping across. There are some great US/Canadian brands and your buck may go further in the US, although I'm sure the British HiFi industry would appreciate it if you bought a Made in England product.

 

[Anonymous]

How important is gapless playback to you?

I listen to a lot of Keith Jarrett and gapless is unquestionably important to me! However, am I right in thinking that if I rip my CDs losslessly the results would be gapless?

 

[tino]

Why not take a look at a Bel Canto C5i which you could use with a Squeezbox Touch? That would make a very neat, compact and great sounding system. I think that should cost <$2000.

 

[Crocodile]

I listen to a lot of Keith Jarrett and gapless is unquestionably important to me! However, am I right in thinking that if I rip my CDs losslessly the results would be gapless?

Yes & no!

The files would be gapless but the vast majority of streamers that rely on DLNA/UPnP can't play a group of files (an album) without splitting them into individual files. That's what introduces the gaps.

I only know of one all-in-one that has CD & can do gapless & that's the Uniti. I believe that Linn's DS range can also do it but they don't have one with a CDP.

At the other extreme, Logitech's Squeezebox Touch can do it but requires proprietary software to be installed on the server. Not all NAS boxes can run it but there are plenty that can. Their high-end Transporter may still be available over there as an alernative.

 

[Anonymous]

Some useful snippets of information in your post. For example, since you are or will be in the US, then this opens up a far greater selection of products that you could buy Stateside rather than buying here and shipping across. There are some great US/Canadian brands and your buck may go further in the US, although I'm sure the British HiFi industry would appreciate it if you bought a Made in England product.

Some useful snippets of information in your post. For example, since you are or will be in the US, then this opens up a far greater selection of products that you could buy Stateside rather than buying here and shipping across. There are some great US/Canadian brands and your buck may go further in the US, although I'm sure the British HiFi industry would appreciate it if you bought a Made in England product.

I would love to find out about the US/Canadian brands if you have any pointers about them! It does seem a bit perverse paying more for a British brand in the U.S., although they do seem to have a (well-founded) cachet even here. The only US brand I've come across so far is Peachtree, which I'm not sure about but a little intrigued by.

 

[Anonymous]

Why not take a look at a Bel Canto C5i which you could use with a Squeezbox Touch? That would make a very neat, compact and great sounding system. I think that should cost <$2000.

tino, the Bel Canto C5i seems like a fantastic recommendation. Thank you so much! How would you ideally connect a Squeezebox Touch to the C5i, and what is the best way for the Squeezebox to access music and internet radio?

If you have any further U.S. brand ideas, as well as speaker recommendations, I would love to hear them! Incidentally, you are probably familiar with this article (linked on the Bel Canto website) but in case you are not here it is:

http://www.ultraaudio.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=103

 

[tino]

PS I think Rega are reasonably priced in the US, so another alternative system might be the Squeezebox Touch + Rega Brio R amplifier + Rega Apollo R CD player.

 

[tino]

The Squeezebox Touch can connect directly to the C5i via one of the digital inputs.You can use either an optical cable or a coaxial SPDIF cable.If you have a computer you can the use the C5i USB input as well.

The Squeezebox Touch can connect directly to the C5i via one of the digital inputs. You can use either an optical (TOSLINK) cable or a coaxial SPDIF cable. If you have a computer you can the use the C5i USB input as well. The Squeezebox uses your internet connection (wired or wireless as you prefer) and can stream internet radio via the mysqueezebox.com service (http://mysqueezebox.com/index/Home). You can play music from either a USB hard drive plugged into the Squeezebox, a computer with Logitech media player software, or a NAS device.

(a note of caution about using hard drives directly ... not all drives work, and this option also requires using the onboard Squeezebox server which is OK for small music collections, but if you have a large collection, use a computer or NAS).

The C5i should work well with British speakers if you want some Englishman in New York cachet

(I don't know what UK speakers sell for reasonables prices in the US)

 

[oldric_naubhoff]

this one might interest you as well if you don't mind building your system around your computer. no need for any NAS or networking proficiency as well if that puts you off. Dynaudio XEO 3 package. you just connect the transmitter to your computer via USB input and the transmitter sends the signal wirelessly to the active speakers. so, the computer is the player. whatever you play is played on your computer will be played through the Dynaudio speakers. you could also connect a CDP to the transmitter via a set analog RCA inputs or via digital optical (toslink). the good part is that the whole system, active speakers + transmitter + remote control for the speakers, will set you back at 2300 USD in the USA. not to mention this is an active system so it should give you more insight than any passive system around this price point.

http://www.dynaudio.com/int/home_loudspeaker_systems/xeo/xeo3.php

Peachtree Audio has very good press in the US. if you decided for a more conservative set up; amp + passive speakers, Peachtree Nova should definitely be OK.