NaimUniti 2 vs UnitiLite

ErwinC

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After listening to various Naim components (UnitiQute, Supernait 2, ..) last week i was very impressed by the Naim sound. Since i am also looking (for quite some time now) for an all-in-one solution i am planning to buy a Naim UnitiLite or NaimUniti 2 based on my experience with the UnitiQute.

Tomorrow i will be able to compare the UnitiLite and NaimUniti 2 side by side, but i wanted to ask if someone has experience with one of these or has compared the two? Is the NaimUniti 2 worth the £1100 price difference?

I will be using the Naim with a pair of compact speakers (for the moment Castle Knight 2) in a room of 5m x 8m.
 

calpark46

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I'll be interested to hear your thoughts on the comparison between the Unitilite and the Uniti 2. When I bought the Unitilite I demo'ed the Unitiqute first but felt the Lite was a sufficient step-up to justify the additional cost. Also, because it was my first venture into streaming I felt that I needed the security of the CD player of the Lite.

When Andrew Everard reviewed the Lite he felt it was sufficiently close to the Uniti to question the £1,100 price difference although others on this and other forums have said that there is a significant difference in quality.
 

AlbaBrown

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If you can stretch to the Uniti2 YES!!

As good as the little Lite is, it's amp lacks the grip and control of the Uniti2 and the CD mech (if you still want to play CDs as well as stream from a NAS) is notably better for detail retrieval.

The Castles may mask some of the differences due to their rather "safe" nature, but long term you'll be rewarded when you upgrade from them.

As a general rule I have found (using various bits of Naim - as well as other brands) that as long as you avoid using mains purifiers/conditioners (which rob Naim equipment of the ability to convey dynamics fully), and speakers that impart too much of their own character (B&W, some Dynaudio, most KEF, Monitor Audio) you'll notice the improvement more.

And before anybody leaps on me, I don't have anything against the speaker brands mentioned (I can fully understand why many people love them), but they do mask the differences between a number of Naim upgrades that makes you question whether the are worthwhile.
 

Juzzie Wuzzie

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I've posted my thoughts on a NUL here when I puchased mine. I couldn't justify the extra the the NU2 (although could have afforded either I guess). I would also take a look at the Linn Sneaky DSM at the same price point + = HDMI switching - = no CD player.
 

ErwinC

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AlbaBrown said:
The Castles may mask some of the differences due to their rather "safe" nature, but long term you'll be rewarded when you upgrade from them.

It is the intention to upgrade the speakers too. What speakers are a good match for the Naim Uniti2 or UnitiLite?
 

kev g

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Really enjoying my Uniti Lite which I have had for 9 months now. It`s an engaging, up tempo sound. A good all rounder with many different types of music. Bass is taunt & tuneful - just as I like it. Streaming does sound better than the cd player.

Never heard the Uniti 2 but that is perhaps an upgrade in a few years time.

Would like to upgrade my speakers this year & auditioned the Uniti Lite with the excellent Rega rs3 in a room size similar to my own. Although - my speakers would have to be close to the wall with furniture either side of them so the side drivers of the Rega`s would be partially blocked, perhaps stifling the sound.

Kef R500, 700, Tannoy DC6TSE, are speakers I would consider. Totem`s, excellent as they are I think need to be placed a good distance away from the walls.

We seem to be in a similar position.
 

calpark46

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kev g said:
Really enjoying my Uniti Lite which I have had for 9 months now. It`s an engaging, up tempo sound. A good all rounder with many different types of music. Bass is taunt & tuneful - just as I like it. Streaming does sound better than the cd player.

Never heard the Uniti 2 but that is perhaps an upgrade in a few years time.

Would like to upgrade my speakers this year & auditioned the Uniti Lite with the excellent Rega rs3 in a room size similar to my own. Although - my speakers would have to be close to the wall with furniture either side of them so the side drivers of the Rega`s would be partially blocked, perhaps stifling the sound.

Kef R500, 700, Tannoy DC6TSE, are speakers I would consider. Totem`s, excellent as they are I think need to be placed a good distance away from the walls.

We seem to be in a similar position.

I originally had Rega RS5s with my Unitilite and although they were a lovely match, provided I had the speakers in a particular part of the room, it wasn't really practical to keep them there and I had to position them either side of an armchair. You can imagine that, in this situation, the side drivers had to fire outwards (they sound better that way anyway IMO), but I also had wooden furniture close to the outside of one of the speakers so that the bass was at times uncontrolled. It's ironic that Rega market the side drivers as helping with positioning but, in my situation, they were part of the problem.

The RS3s and RS5 are very musical speakers but, given what you've said about your listening room, I would make sure of a good demo, preferably at home, before parting with your cash.
 

ErwinC

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kev g said:
Bass is taunt & tuneful - just as I like it. Streaming does sound better than the cd player.

That is what i read from time to time: the cd player in the Unitilite seems to be the weakest part.

Are you using the cd player a lot?
 

msboon

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Calpark46 - I see from your signature that you are using ls50s with the unitilite. How are you finding the combination? I have ls50s at the moment and am thinking about moving to a naim streaming system. Is the unitilite at 50w per channel powerful enough for the Ls50s? Are the ls50s a good match for naim in general?

Mike
 

calpark46

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Mike, I'm no expert and don't have experience of a wide range of gear. The Unitilite was, for example, my first serious hi-fi purchase for 20 years. The Unitilite is powerful enough for the LS50s in my 5m x 4m lounge and they combine to produce a sound that has given me a lot of enjoyment for the past 12 months. I get the impression though that the Lite might struggle to drive the LS50s hard in a large space.

My listening room is quite compromised and I sometimes wonder whether more powerful amplification might control the speakers' bass, which I've had to temper with KEF's own foam bungs. In the next few days or weeks I may get the chance to compare the Lite with the Uniti 2, Superuniti and Linn Majik although I'm a bit scared it might prove to be a costly experiment!!
 

ErwinC

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calpark46 said:
My listening room is quite compromised and I sometimes wonder whether more powerful amplification might control the speakers' bass, which I've had to temper with KEF's own foam bungs.

That is strange. I also owned the LS50 some time ago in combination with a Cyrus 6XP and although the speakers were placed close to the back wall (20cm), i never had a problem with the bass. It was controlled and tight.
 

Frank Harvey

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Not that long ago, I had a couple deciding between the UnitiLite and Uniti2 with their chosen speakers - the Sonus Faber Toys. They (and I) felt the Uniti2 was a good enough step up in performance over the Lite, maybe because the speakers were revealing enough. Great pairing.
 

ErwinC

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So yesterday i compared the NaimUniti 2 and UnitiLite in a new local shop. The speakers used were the very expensive (£10.000) and very transparant Devore Fidelity Orangutan O/96. Remark that these speakers have a sensitivity of 96dB and go down to 25Hz

After switching several times between the two all-in-ones and listening to the same tracks, the difference between the two was clear to me.

Imo the 2 units are very similar sounding with only minor differences. The biggest difference according to me is that the NaimUniti2 sounds a bit more controlled and slightly more relaxed and refined where the UnitiLite sounds a bit more energetic and has more fun playing the music. Detail retrieval and PRAT were very similar on both units. On some songs i preferred the more energetic UnitiLite while on other songs i preferred the NaimUniti2. But both were very good sounding and both sounded very similar.

I think the NaimUniti2 will be a better match with 'brighter' sounding speakers or in situations where more power is needed. The NaimUnitiLite is imo a better match for more 'relaxed' speakers.

Since the difference between the two was minor imo even when used with a set of very transparant speakers and some very good recordings, i bought the UnitlLite and could not be happier. :rockout:
 

tommie_boi

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I had four Unitilites, all of them had problem with cd playback, skipping, not reading cds, etc. The most primitive, unsophisticated and overpriced machine I've ever had. It feels like it was assembled in the shed, there was a dirt behind the front display in each of the four units i had. I would not pay £160 for it, let alone £1600, this price is a joke. Damn, i would not even take it for free. So, there you have it.
 

ErwinC

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tommie_boi said:
I had four Unitilites, all of them had problem with cd playback, skipping, not reading cds, etc. The most primitive, unsophisticated and overpriced machine I've ever had. It feels like it was assembled in the shed, there was a dirt behind the front display in each of the four units i had. I would not pay £160 for it, let alone £1600, this price is a joke. Damn, i would not even take it for free. So, there you have it.

Thanks for the added value of your post. :wall:
 

rod1429

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I'm really enjoying my Unitilite, In general it feels like a well put together quality piece of kit to me, I've also found i'm using it a lot more than my old Primare kit as have been able to accomodate it in our second sitting rm due to it being one box & therefore more wife friendly !

I've only had one issue with the CD not playing & the disc did have some slight scratches, so at the moment have put it down to that.

I have found myself streaming from a NAS rather than using the CD though & the latter tends to be convience when I buy a new album more than anything.
 

jjbomber

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tommie_boi said:
I had four Unitilites, all of them had problem with cd playback, skipping, not reading cds, etc.

I'm on my third and they have all had problems on CD playback. Some will work, some won't. Sometimes they will read the CD but not play it. The Uniti and the n-Vi will read them without any problem at all. The sound is still brilliant and everything else works fine. If you need an all-in-one for Cds, then the Cyrus 'printer' is the way to go.
 

ErwinC

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I have been using the Naim Unitilite for 3 days now and i have to say i am impressed. Sound quality is very good, usage very simple and intuitive and the build quality is first rate imo. I have been playing a lot of CD's without a problem ;) and played music from a USB stick and via the network. All worked without a problem and without having to read the manual. :dance:

My next action will be looking for a pair of speakers to replace my Castle Knight 2. Any advice from Naim users for a pair of good bookshelf speakers? I also listened to the NaimUniti 2 with a pair of Rega RS3 and thought it sounded really good. So i am considering a pair of Rega RS1.
 

shep1968

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ErwinC said:
I have been using the Naim Unitilite for 3 days now and i have to say i am impressed. Sound quality is very good, usage very simple and intuitive and the build quality is first rate imo. I have been playing a lot of CD's without a problem ;) and played music from a USB stick and via the network. All worked without a problem and without having to read the manual. :dance:

My next action will be looking for a pair of speakers to replace my Castle Knight 2. Any advice from Naim users for a pair of good bookshelf speakers? I also listened to the NaimUniti 2 with a pair of Rega RS3 and thought it sounded really good. So i am considering a pair of Rega RS1.
If you fancy a pair of small floorstanders i can recommend the Kudos X2. Sounds beautiful with the naim 5 combination although ive never heard them with the all in one. Neat Motive SX2 also v nice with them
 

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