Naimuniti Power amp advice.

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Firstly thanks for all the help given on this forum, I'm totally green so your advice was invaluable!

Upon various advice here I bought a Naimuniti and Accoustic Energy Radience 3 speakers yesterday, they sounded okay to me, think that was a good combination, don't know what you think?

My room is 8.8m x 6m and I play a mix of music from jazz to dance, I've been advised to add a power amp, stupid question but what difference will that make and is it worth the extra £1,000 plus for the Naim Power amp?

Am I best sticking with Naim or should I be looking at another make?

your help is as ever greatly appreciated.

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chebby

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Barry Chuckle said:
Upon various advice here I bought a Naimuniti and Accoustic Energy Radience 3 speakers yesterday, they sounded okay to me, think that was a good combination, don't know what you think?

It really is what you think that matters. (I have only ever heard the NaimUniti with PMC DB1i and GB1i speakers so can't comment on the AE Radience 3s.)

After that sort of outlay I would have expected more than... "sounded okay" though. (Unless you are a reticent type and your 'okay' is anyone else's 'wow!')

Barry Chuckle said:
I've been advised to add a power amp, stupid question but what difference will that make and is it worth the extra £1,000 plus for the Naim Power amp?

Who gave you that advice? (Hopefully it wasn't your dealer!)

Radiance 3s (@90db efficiency and 8ohms) should be fine being driven by a NaimUniti.
 
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Anonymous

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As I've never owned a high end system before, I've nothing to compare them to, but yes okay is probably very good!!!

Yes the dealer suggested a power amp would give the sound more clarity. In general opinion, will this make a significant difference and would it give any other benefits.

thanks
 

CnoEvil

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The Naim Uniti is a great and versitile bit of kit.

My advice would be to just enjoy your purchase for a while. After a good settling in period, if you feel there are any weaknesses, then borrow a power amp and see if the difference is worth the money.

If you enjoy the Naim, then it is right for you - what else did you listen to?

Once you've made the purchase, dissecting the decision often leads to doubt.
 
Barry Chuckle said:
As I've never owned a high end system before, I've nothing to compare them to, but yes okay is probably very good!!!

Yes the dealer suggested a power amp would give the sound more clarity. In general opinion, will this make a significant difference and would it give any other benefits.

thanks

Just out of interest, what other speakers did you try the Uniti with?
 

Singslinger

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When you decide to add a power amp, there are a few things to consider.

First, do you want to stick to Naim or are you prepared to try another brand? Naim recommends adding the NAP 200 which is rated at 70 watts per channel and this will surely give you better grip over your speakers. However, it is expensive and you'll have to ask yourself after an audition if the incremental improvement is worth the cost.

Second, if you decide to try another brand, I would recommend the NAD C275BEE rated at 150W and costs much less than the Naim. I found it offered a vast improvement over the Uniti by itself and so went with the NAD. However, I didn't listen to the Uniti-NAP200 combo. My speakers are the PMC DB1i and I occasionally use the Harbeth P3ESR.

Third, does your Uniti have the latest firmware? When adding a power amp, it's possible to switch off the Uniti's power amp section, otherwise it will be left on, adding to the considerable heat the Uniti already produces. This is done by opening the Uniti's Speaker menu and selecting "none'' (other options are "large'+sub'', "small+sub'' and "large''). Only the latest versions of the Uniti have this option; others have to be sent back to the dealer for upgrade and some older models even have to be sent back to Naim's HQ to get the necessary upgrade.

Fourth, you needn't confine yourself to a power amp as the only upgrade option. I know Naim recommends this and most others will say this is best but you can always consider adding a good integrated instead and using the Uniti simply as a source. This can be done by using the "Line Out'' jacks at the back of the Uniti. Critics will say it wastes the Uniti's amp section but ultimately if you can get better sound for a small outlay, then why not?

There are Uniti users who have added a Naim SuperNait with satisfactory results. I even found adding the much cheaper 80W NAD C356BEE to be an improvement.

Hope this helps. Good luck!
 
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Anonymous

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Gven the size of your listening room, my thoughts are that the Uniti will do an excellent job as it is, without any additional enhancements. My NaimUniti is absolutely jaw-dropping in the way it communicates musically with the listener. My advice is to concentrate on the basics first:

1. Is the equipment properly supported in a proper rack? That will make a big difference.

2. Do you have a mains filtering block for your system, like the Atacama Equinox for example to plug your equipment into? I was stunned at the amount of difference this change made to the sound of my system.

3. Good quality mains cables and interconnects, as well as speaker cables, make a lot of difference.

Then I would enjoy what you've got, and see how it goes.

Hope this helps

David
 

CnoEvil

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psycoschnauzer said:
Gven the size of your listening room, my thoughts are that the Uniti will do an excellent job as it is, without any additional enhancements. My NaimUniti is absolutely jaw-dropping in the way it communicates musically with the listener. My advice is to concentrate on the basics first:

1. Is the equipment properly supported in a proper rack? That will make a big difference.

2. Do you have a mains filtering block for your system, like the Atacama Equinox for example to plug your equipment into? I was stunned at the amount of difference this change made to the sound of my system.

3. Good quality mains cables and interconnects, as well as speaker cables, make a lot of difference.

Then I would enjoy what you've got, and see how it goes.

Hope this helps

David

Some good advise in there but......Atacama Equinox is a rack (slip of the pen, I think).

Cheap filtering/conditioning (Tacima) can work on sources, but often sucks the life out of amps.
 

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