the Naim UC runs right at $2450 US, retail.
it does not come with storage
does allow some sort of proprietary CD ripping though
does have more than USB output
is a box needing rack space
otherwise it doesn’t do much more than the sonar Micro Rendu thingy, which if ROOn is in the mix makes setup way simpler.
is the S MR plus a NAS device the end of the line?
Dunno. but it do seem an option for dipping a toe in the water without going in over one’s head.
bought new with the $150 PS as reported in the Digital Trends review, or the Commp Audiophile account, you sit at $800. add your own USB and maybe a likewise upscale E Net wire @ $100 each, a bit of browser configuration, and at $1K, you are streamingh HD files beyond 24/192 and arguably riding in Business/first class in terms of SQ.
naturally, if bought preowned? less.
unless you want to use something like an OPPO MFD or some other upper end DLNA player, I’m wondering what other options are there for less than a grand that supports as many file types or formats as the micro rendu.
so far they all appear to be controlled by their own apps or browser interfaces via phone or tablets.
I’ve no horse in this race, merely interested.
with ‘bucks’ in hand I’m gonna opt for a less hands on, hopefully higher sQ one box solution, but those avenues appear to be libving in the 5 to 10K side of town.
also, depending on options from a recent audio show I could not properly distinguish significant sQ diffs from the Aurenders, Wolfs, or Lumen likewise gizmos.
therefore without further scrutiny, as said, they are in the ‘pick em’ category for the moment. albeit, wolf’s on shore advantage of support is pretty attractive. good luck.
