Any opinion or feedback on the NAIM UnitiServe or UnitiCore?

some additional thoughts....
again I have a 2TB uniti and a Pardo linear PSU with ratger extensive HRS isolation / damping I also have a big RAID NAS for backups

i will caution that unfortunately you must have a PC or MAC in the network somewhere because the NAIM backup scheduler ( desktop client) does not run on an ipad or surface ( maybe things have changed ...?....

ripping is drop dead easy
but you must take caution when ripping in a large collection - duty cycle on ripper is low and tge tgermal loads are high ( one dead Uniti )

the SQ via SPdif is quite good but is quickly being eclipsed by Tidal MQA thru the PC i have to have to run the desktop client

support via the Canadian distributer has been excellent - tgey were able to remote in to my network and get backup working

local dealer support is competent - they even shipped me an ISO image file for a software upgrade....

but i am shopping
ROON and MQA are important to me

as is ease of use...

Dear Raindog

I am sorry to hear your saga concerning the Naim Core.

Naim is a company that does build excellent products but alas we have heard the comming to another platform saga before, with Aurlic. 

Yes there can be issues with being an early adopter. 

The server world can be frustrating. Sometimes with tagging meta data issues we bring the data through a tagging program on the hard drive first before importing a library sometimes that helps.

We are testing a new highly rated British server from Innious 

http://www.monoandstereo.com/2017/05/new-innuos-zenith-se-music-server.html

The word on the street is that this server beats even the mighty N10

Dave owner 
Audio Doctor NJ

Audiotroy first of all thanx you for your time to adress your opinion…but here is what i feel…

„The Core is excellent and Naim’s products routinely rock!“

-you sell Naim so i wouldn’t expect you to say anything other than that but guess what, i am working in store that sells Naim also (allthough not their high end products) and nevertheless i have objectivity to call things their real name.

„Naim’s service and support is routinely excellent but as with Naim and many other companies Kef is a good example, with their LS 50 wireless, products are realeased on the market with a rudimentary feature set or with software platforms missing with the expectation that the features or platforms which are missing will be addressed shortly after launch.“

-i will put the accent on shortly in your sentence and then once again repeat what i wroted in my post. Well respected manufacturer Naim advertised that their new product IS Apple and Android compatible. My distributor sold me Core and took my money but well respected Naim did not told to my dealer before ordering that they did not finish Android version AS ADVERTISED and they of course took money from him. He told me that two other Core Android customers of his gave him machines back after Naim postponed Android app for second time (they postponed it at least 5 times) so this is not a isolated case and believe me i am very patient customer as i waited 4 months to Naim finish app…which was far from over…more crippled app than finished…so when you say that those things are to be addresed shortly and today is 10 MONTHS after they released product, you dont need to be too smart to get that something is very wrong. I am really not interested why most companies write iOS or Android…i am interested in FACTS in advert…they just wrote iOS first cuz most of their customers use Apple…so they want to say all other customers are less meaningful second class citizens and it does not matter i payed same price for Core…proper companies take care for ALL users, not a lot or most users…so after 10 months of waiting your sentence that i „got slammed by being an early adopter“ does not have common sense…i repeat one more time…stupid simple options as reading tagged Genre is still not working (and lots of other stupid simple options does not working according to user experiences on different forums)…is it so much hard to make that work (if you have opportunity ask Naim service that question, i have no nerves for their excellent service anymore)…im still searching candid camera in my home to someone finally say it was all a joke…

„Most Core users are going to load their music and will be searching by Artist first then album and then possibly Genre. „

-based on which research you got that information?…never mind…when i am in a different mood i guess that i firstly choose Genre of music and then Artist in that Genre and then Album…maybe im weird or stupid…but that is just me…i guess that you have your free choice how to chose music on your 2K pounds server…but not to make simple command as Genre to work when you import your properly tagged music from HDD after 10 months (and counting)…that is just plain rude…no apologies accepted…bad leadership nothing more or less…

-I dont want to act like bashing of Naim is all i got to say…Core is really good sounding unit with great potential (that is why my frustration is much bigger) that you just cannot compare with Mac minis or similar toys…Naim has audiophile linear powersuply on much higher level than switch PS on PC or Mac…whole another level…all components are carefully chosen for their low noise properties in contrast to PC or Mac…in shortly all hardware and software is made only for music and sound is much better and healthier… ripper is just better than any PC based one…if you have CDs collection you wont have any problems but if you collected your music for years just on HDD but without any CDs run far away from this machine… i am really sorry i will be forced to sell it cheap at the end…

-I have few simple questions for you Audiotroy…i am interested in Aurender N10…so does Aurender N10 recognise manually tagged files when you import them thru external to internal HDD as Genre, Artist and Album so i can browse my music as a normal human being (to have possibility to browse music thru folders like on PC is also good)…and what are the key differences in sound quality between these two machines…and if you have any other machine on your mind that fits my pretentious needs just say it.

You made me to hijack thread but this is just my Naim Core experience...so if you find time to answer thank you.

Here is our reply as a Naim dealer in regards to Raindogs experience maybe this would be helpful.

Naim's service and support is routinely excellent but as with Naim and many other companies Kef is a good example, with their LS 50 wireless, products are realeased on the market with a rudimentary feature set or with software platforms missing with the expectation that the features or platforms which are missing will be addressed shortly after launch.

Most companies write their applications for IOS first, why the IOS world takes in to consideration the crazy amount of Apple I phone users, but what you may be missing, is the fact that most tech savy users, have an Ipad, and even if you are an Android user, I prefer my Samsung Note 8 over the Apple Phone world, most techies have an Ipad.

So if you write for IOS first you are going to take care of a lot of users

Most Core users are going to load their music and will be searching by Artist first then album and then possibly Genre. 

I can't tell you how many of our clients open the app and scroll through cover images first long before they do   any other types of searches on these kinds of devices.

Naim routinely updates both their software and firmware and usually if a feature is missing it will be added with the next software update. 

In the cases where uploading music misses tagging info sometimes that is the reason that you don't get an appropriate genre match.

The Core sounds amazing and for the gentleman who thinks a Mac mini can compare sonically it doesn't we have tested Aurender and many of our specialty servers vs tweeked up Mac Minis and sonically the servers are usually far better sounding. 

So unfortuantely for Raindog I think he got slammed by being an early adopter. The Core is excellent and Naim's products routinely rock!

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/naim-core?highlight=naim%2Bcore

dont want to hijack thread so you can look at the link on which is my experience with Naim Core...far form "reference" as they call it...half baked product...i left it only because it sounds good...but i am searching for good sounding alternative in which you can do simple things like import (not rip) your music from HDD and can read Genre tags...Naim "reference" Core cant do that :)...they practically force you to do Naim rips...read my whole true story and let someone convince me that Naim is professional company...i wanted to like it but...  

@ tomic601 and tdimler, thanks! In the interim I have also found out about Bluesound Vault 2 but I think I will still go with a NAIM solution. I will probably add one to my system later this year :-)

Thanks all.

I don't make money by selling audio components, and a mac mini can be made to sound just as good for a lot less money.  if you have a really complex setup the Naim items could be the way to go.  also big black boxes may look cool to you, so...

I can second the recommendation on NAIM servers, but he new Uniti-Core far surpasses their previous iterations in simplicity and usability and at half the cost.  Setup couldn't be easier.  I'm not aware of any bugs in the new NAIM app.

i have a Naim 2TB Uniti with a Pardo linear PSU. it is hyper easy to use when everthing goes well. I would suggest selecting a dealer who can get it up and running on your network including the backup to NAS. 
the SQ via SPDIf is fantastic and Radio Paradise at 320 kb is excellent.
i stream more and more thru Tidal now via usb but the Uniti is an excellent server with a bit perfect ripper.

We are a Naim dealer, a Lumin dealer, a Naim Masters dealer, and an Aurender dealer.

A Macmini doesn't sound anywhere nearly as good, we tested one with pure music vs most of these dedicated devices, and there was actually a rather large difference sonically. 

If we can be of assistance please reach out. 

Troy
Audio Doctor
www.audiodoctor.com
877 428 2873 

you may want to post your question on computersaudiophile.com

it's right up their alley and there are many cheaper ways to do what you want than the Naim units (which are for more complex multi-room systems)

jcatral14,

I had a Naim UnitiServe for a few years and I thought it was very good.  It was my first server after ditching my CD player.   It rips to .wav format which worked great, and I also liked the user interface.   The outputs are S/PDIF only (optical or 75ohm BNC) and that may be a bit limiting.  Naim has a feature in the user interface that allows you to stream internet radio, which I miss now that I'm using an Aurender.  I'd recommend the UnitiServe, but it is a bit expensive for what it does.

dpetr

@randy, thanks, iTunes is always an option but a last one.

@4425, thanks for your input. How is the interface? Is it buggy? I’m leaning towards the NAIM but still unsure as I have never had a NAS based system.

TIA

I own both units and they are the epitome of simplicity. They changed the entire way I listen to music. Rip your cd's on the machine then make playlists or not. Was a life changer for this less than satisfactory computer user. The Naim is easy and sounds absolutely flawless through a good dac. Operating software great too.,

iTunes on a mac has about as much ease and convenience as you can get

- set it up to auto eject when done; I use Apple Lossless

I ripped 1,500 CDs that way

you will have a bit perfect set of digital files with very good search, filtering, and retrieval 

send it to your $200 DAC, or your $37,000 DAC - whatever you want

Thanks randy-11. sfall is right, I just want something uncomplicated where I drop or slide CDs in and it rips them automatically. No muss no fuss. I just dont want to deal with PCs/MACs /ripping software although yes, it is a far less expensive route. I don't mind paying for the ease and convenience (within reason ;-) ).

" why not just rip them onto a PC or mac and put the $$ into a better DAC?"

If you don't want something complicated, that's a much better way to go. The interface options are better as well. You can use a cell phone or tablet as a remote/interface for whatever playback software you have.

why not just rip them onto a PC or mac and put the $$ into a better DAC?

or better speakers, room treatments....