Naim UnitiQute or Linn Sneaky DS??

[admin_exported]

Hi All,

Having sold my old-school Naim set up I am currently listening to all of my tunes wirelessly using a B&W Zeppelin connected to Apple Airport Express. I love listening to my music wirelessly and having direct access to all of my music at the touch of a button, but I really want to get back into proper hi-fi.

With this in mind I really fancy getting a Naim UnitiQute. As soon as my local dealer starts receiving them I'm going to give one an audition. However, I've recently found out about the Linn Sneaky DS and having read about it, it seems like quite an attractive alternative.

If I get a UnitiQute I'll only have approx £300-£400 to spend on speakers (I was think of pairing it with Quad 11L2s, B&W 685s or Monitor Audio BR5s), but if I were to plump for the Sneaky DS I'll have approx £900-£1000 to spend on speakers and/or a power amp. I've even seen an offer online for the Linn Sneaky DS, a pair of Monitor Audio BR1s and a £320GB USB drive all for £899, which seems like great value compared to the UnitiQute.[class="Apple-style-span"] [/class]

I'd love to hear your opinions, especially if you currently own a Sneaky DS.

Cheers,

Sam

 

[ear]

Myryad Mi?

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the suggestion ear - I've never heard of Myryad, so I just checked the What Hi-Fi review out and it got a pretty cracking write up. I may have to give this a listen too! Has anyone out there listened to the Mi?

 

[ear]

I havent.but id sure give it a listen if i could

 

[Anonymous]

I've had a bit of a better look at the Mi on Myryad's site and it seems that it isn't wireless which is essential for me. I need to be able to listen to my music via my wireless network. Pity, as it looks like a good proposition, especially with 100w per channel!

 

[mitch65]

I may be wrong but isn't the sneaky a wired streamer?

I have a NaimUniti and up until now I have been streaming wirelessly from my computer and listening to internet radio but now I am starting to listen to 24 bit downloads which do not suit my wireless network (major dropouts) so I am just going to extend my phone line to where my streamer sits and put my router there. For me this means no more drop outs which, for me, are the achilles heel of wireless. I guess it depends on how big a part of your life streaming is going to be and whether HD music (for want of a better phrase) is going to a part of that plan.

I agree with your idea of the sneaky, by the way, as it gives you a bit more choice on the speaker front. It's easy to say that just because the Naim is more expensive it's better (might be more flexible, has a display, etc) Sounds like a good audition to me.

 

[Anonymous]

Havent heard the Naim Unitiqute, but, pair the Linn Sneaky DS with Kinn Majik 109 loudspeakers and you will be amazed at what they can do. They both have a retail price around 995 GBP, but you will easily find deals for around 1600-1700 GBP. It is wired but if you plug in your modem and a NAS device, it will fulfil all wireless needs. Make sure you test it with good quality FLAC/Lossless files. Linn can also be controlled with your iphone or ipod touch, not sure about the Naim though.

I heard them at Number One Audio in Leamington last weekend, and was very impressed. Great staff, Nathan was particularly helpful.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks a lot for the responses guys - very helpful indeed. I have a really strong wireless network, so hopefully I shouldn't experience and drop-out problems. Sounds like you've got a great solution for that by hard wiring the Uniti though Mitch. What speakers are you using with it?

I'm excited by your opionion of the Sneaky, duff. The fact that I'd have to hard wire it and attach a NAS is kinda putting me off, along with the fact that I don't know what the interface is like. I think I'm going to need to audition it to see exactly what it can do. If it sounds amazing then it may be worth going for. I'm also a bit worried about the power too - 20w per channel sounds a little weak, and I don't have the funds to get a power amp to go with it. Again I guess I'm going to have to have a listen for myself.

I must admit, its the UnitiQute that excites me most. I've had Naim gear in the past and I love the sound, as well as the bulletproof build quality. It pretty much ticks all the boxes for me too - wireless streaming, DAB and internet radio. Can't wait to give it a listen. I wonder if it'll sound much different to the Uniti as it only has 30wpc compared to the Uniti's 50. What does anyone think to my speaker options for the UnitiQute - Quad 11L2, B&W 685, Monitor Audio BR5 or KEF IQ5SE (there are some great bargains on the KEFs at the mo as they're discontinued).

 

[manicm]

You might also want to investigate the new Squeezebox Touch, and the Arcam Solo Neo - should be out soon.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Solo Neo's now available

 

[mitch65]

PlasticinePorter:
Thanks a lot for the responses guys - very helpful indeed. I have a really strong wireless network, so hopefully I shouldn't experience and drop-out problems. Sounds like you've got a great solution for that by hard wiring the Uniti though Mitch. What speakers are you using with it?

I'm using Spendor S3e's which I really like. By the way, just finished hard wiring my setup and it took a couple of hours but well worth the effort

 

[Anonymous]

Glad the hard wiring went well mitch - no more drop outs now! Mmmmm, Spendors - bet that sounds awesome! Beyond my budget, but maybe one day...

 

[mitch65]

PlasticinePorter:Glad the hard wiring went well mitch - no more drop outs now! Mmmmm, Spendors - bet that sounds awesome! Beyond my budget, but maybe one day...

I was very lucky, Spendor had a new range coming out so got these (relatively) cheaply.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100007305498512]

Listened to both yesterday and was shocked how poor the Naim unitiqute was

I was basically turning up at the shop to buy the Unitiqute....

Went to a decent listening room with some £700 BW speakers linked to a Sneaky DS

it sounded wonderful, detailed big sound -sounded just right and worth its asking price of £1015

Switched to the Naim and it sounded flat and dull and I started to play with the app on the ipad, and thinking about jobs I had to do in the garden, I was bored by it.

Changed to some Majik 109 speakers, again the Linn sounded great - I wanted to buy it and have it in my house. The Naim was very disappointing.

I was fed up as I loved the look of the Naim and its extra features and inputs, but it was not in the same league as the Sneaky for sound quality. The dealer then switched to a Linn Majik DSM (£3000), this has more power, weight and control than the Sneaky, but the Sneaky didnt not sound £2000 worse. I would maybe pay £500 more for the improvement the Majik DSM gave, but not 2k. The sneaky is a superb bit of kit.

Just one other thing, the Linn software controlling the music was also much better than the Naim app, which was not very responsive or well designed. The Linn Majik 109s were also excellent and worth the money

 

[nopiano]

Interesting update, Phil, and welcome to the forum. It may be an old thread but both are still available so your insights are very helpful.

You may have seen a regular contributor, CnoEvil, is a big fan of the Sneaky, and your findings perhaps explain why it has continued without much change for some time.

 

[CnoEvil]

@PJ

As NP has rightly said, I have been extolling the virtues of the Sneaky and the Majik DSM for some time on here and much prefer them to what Naim has to offer...but this is personal. I particularly like the way they sound with the Kef R Series / LS50.

 

[chebby]

Just a shame there aren't any inputs (digital or analogue) except for ethernet.

I couldn't play anything on it.

The Sneaky DSM has inputs (and 33wpc) but costs £1750.