C 102 Absolute Sound review

[frenchrooster]

Naim CI-Uniti 102 Power Streaming Amplifier Review

[Blacknote]

I watched this video last night @frenchrooster. Having tested it myself with gear I already now, I would agree with what the reviewer said. The CI-102 has a lot of PRaT and does convey the Naim character, it’s a great product for the price in my opinion.

Yes, it’s not as refined as a SN3 and yes it’s class D, but that’s not the point. Certainly I would consider it in a small setup, it has a lot to offer in my opinion. It can be a great solution for simple setups, for a second system (eg. in the kitchen or elsewhere) and even for beginner audiophiles.

I tested it with Totem speakers which tend to be power hungry and honestly I was surprised how well it performed.

[Sloop_John_B]

@Blacknote

even for beginner audiophiles.

…who have just read the Ladybird book of British Hifi and wish to specialise.

.sjb

[JamieMcC]

I see Mike’s brother have one for £899

[frenchrooster]

Could be something interesting to have in a holidays home. You add some small active speakers and you are done. All can be quite handled in a big suitcase.

[Blacknote]

I’d be perfectly happy with such a system on holidays! However why active speakers? You’d only use half of the CI-102. In that case you could save money by buying only a streamer to match the active speakers.

[frenchrooster]

Ah yes, of course, it’s an integrated. So passive speakers. Still better, lighter to carry, and cheaper!

[Maury_Finkle]

I think I saw Mike’s brother selling it as a package deal with a pair of passive speakers?

Interesting proposition.

Think @Edmund-of-Essex has one - let’s see if his review is consistent with the AS.

[Blacknote]

Exactly it should be cheaper, even though it depends on the speakers and cables you are going to use. I tried it with some floorstanders, but one can certainly go for bookshelf speakers (there are some excellent s/h ones). I also sense the CI-102 deserves a good powercord without exaggerating of course.

[Edmund-of-Essex]

Hi Maury,

FR may remember he was already on the thread where I made multiple postings for the assesment of the Naim CI-102 that I undertook (~one month ago).

Two convienient links to jump in are here (The Introduction):

The Dearth of Naim

Hi All, Apologies for the painful tedium being felt. First a bit of background… The 5 (five) reasons I am practicing with a loan CI-102. I may want to put a system in the study where there is presently no music (I have been loaned some ‘small’ loudspeakers as well). Some people (OP and others) seem to be flocking towards other brands for one box streaming source/pre or even one box everything - I want to help correct some of the drift by providing some ‘early adopter’ observations of thi…

and (after some feeble ‘Spot the Difference’ competetion) here (The Detailed Report(s)):

The Dearth of Naim

Hi Ian, My apologies for taking nearly a week to reply to your question - I have had quite a lot of things I wanted to try in my system setup with the Naim CI-102 and it was only last night that I finished. This post (which may turn into more than one) will later drift into highly technical graphs and possibly a question for Naim staff? But I guess you want the quick answer? My thoughts are that this product offers incredible value for the capabilities it has within. The ‘sound’ it produces ca…

Not covered by the above are the three other situations I tried - two at dealers & one in my home.
Covering three separate assessments using the Class D amplifier loudspeaker outputs:-

1. One paired with (ported) Neat Petite Classic on metal stands.
2. One paired with (infinite baffle) wall mounted PerListen AV speakers.
3. One paired with (infinite baffle) wall mounted Artcoustic SL Evolve 2-1 speakers (partnered with and without REL sub).

The best result was with the ported Neat Petite Classic on metal stands (system 1 above).
The others were inferior (to my ears) because of the limitations of the room (system 3 above) or loudspeaker/amp drive available (system 2 above).

Note: Loudspeaker cables were TQ (either Blue or Silver depending on length of run required).

Hope the above helps.

[frenchrooster]

On holidays, I don’t think I would bother with expensive cables. Maybe just not the stock ones.

[Blacknote]

You know one can always have expensive holidays Jokes apart, one shouldn’t spend more than few hundred euros in my view.

[frenchrooster]

Second hand? New ? Vintage?
Few hundred seem a bit low. Maybe 2k, with vintage gear from 20 years ago.

[Blacknote]

In the depends on your pocket @frenchrooster, but I would say you can spend up to 2-3k € for speakers if it’s worth the stretch for such a compact system. I might mention Totem bookshelf speakers (as I know them well) such as the Rainmaker, Sky, Bison or Loon. The Rainmakers are compact and sound sweet, they should be pretty cheap now in the s/h market, I think under 1k €. Or for a bit more you could get the Sky monitors, always s/h. As a reference, I tried the CI-102 with the Sky, they sounded energetic and lively to my ears.

About cables, one could get a Nordost Red Dawn power cord (if you like the sound of course), you can find it s/h too. I reckon you wouldn’t want to spend more than 200-400€ for a single cable in a system like this one.

So all in all you can get a good compact system for around 3k € if you choose wisely. Then it’s a personal choice, you can always spend less if you wanted.