Hi WHF team - I'm expecting that you'll review the new Naim Uniti as soon as you can, and when you do I'd like to request that at the same time you take the opportunity to cover some of the hot topics that frequently arise on the forums here.
I'm very interested in the UnitiServe, but at £2k it seems very expensive for what it is - essentially a rip-NAS with integrated streaming interface built and spdif output. The HDX is reputed to be a cracking machine, but it's an integrated player so assuming that it can take a perfect rip then the quality of it's DAC and analogue parts is going to define it's overall performance. The UnitiServe is a lot more exposed as it's going to bear direct comparison to any computer based solution feeding an external DAC.
Interesting questions to be answered:
1. Whether the rips taken by the UnitiServe are any more accurate than rips taken by a computer or any other rip-NAS (how can they be, a computer has to be able to rip a disc perfectly, or nothing would ever work?!)
2. Whether the sound quality of a file replayed on the UnitiServe is any better than an identical file replayed from a computer via spdif output (if the rip is perfect in both cases how could they possibly be any different - other than jitter introduced maybe?)
3. Whilst we're at it why don't we have some listening comparisons on uncompressed and lossless files for what's best when storage space is of no concern (always a lively debate between those who can hear a difference and those who believe a difference is impossible so would be useful to have the experts render a verdict)
I think that the UnitiServe is a nice (and convenient) looking product, but at £2k it's going to have to represent a significant improvement in performance to tempt me away from my MacBook playing Apple Lossless files, and on the face of it, I'm unconvinced as to how it can be any better.
Thanks.
I'm very interested in the UnitiServe, but at £2k it seems very expensive for what it is - essentially a rip-NAS with integrated streaming interface built and spdif output. The HDX is reputed to be a cracking machine, but it's an integrated player so assuming that it can take a perfect rip then the quality of it's DAC and analogue parts is going to define it's overall performance. The UnitiServe is a lot more exposed as it's going to bear direct comparison to any computer based solution feeding an external DAC.
Interesting questions to be answered:
1. Whether the rips taken by the UnitiServe are any more accurate than rips taken by a computer or any other rip-NAS (how can they be, a computer has to be able to rip a disc perfectly, or nothing would ever work?!)
2. Whether the sound quality of a file replayed on the UnitiServe is any better than an identical file replayed from a computer via spdif output (if the rip is perfect in both cases how could they possibly be any different - other than jitter introduced maybe?)
3. Whilst we're at it why don't we have some listening comparisons on uncompressed and lossless files for what's best when storage space is of no concern (always a lively debate between those who can hear a difference and those who believe a difference is impossible so would be useful to have the experts render a verdict)
I think that the UnitiServe is a nice (and convenient) looking product, but at £2k it's going to have to represent a significant improvement in performance to tempt me away from my MacBook playing Apple Lossless files, and on the face of it, I'm unconvinced as to how it can be any better.
Thanks.