I am very happy with my Uniti Star, but there’s one thing I don’t understand. Maybe every seasoned audiophile out there will know, shrug shoulders etc… (I am just starting out), but… is it normal that an A/B amplifier system like this stays really warm while in standby? I figured I would not bother Naim support with it, the FAQ says that the stanby consumption is >15W with a USB storage, ‘depending on the size’. Well, mine is quite large, 256GB, and the Star reaches 31 degrees Celcius in standby… Really that sounds like a LOT more than 15W. Don’t get me wrong, I would pay any electricity bill smiling for this great system, I am just wondering what circuits keep running to make it this warm (room temp at measurement was 22 degrees celcius) Any experts out there that could shed some light on this?
Does it make any difference if it’s in “server mode”? I have mine as a server for access from a Revo radio and I’ve noticed the Star is warm. Not compared it with having the server off.
Thanks. I hadn’t thought of that one yet. I had unplugged the USB stick once, but that didn’t make much difference. Just switched off server mode, will check next morning.
I don’t think you have anything to worry about. There’s an awful lot of electronics crammed into that box, and Naim design the whole case to act as a heatsink, assisted by the fins on the sides, of course. The amp will warm up if you work it hard, but it’s the digital electronics that tend to run hottest, so that is probably where the heat is coming from, especially in standby. In my own separates system, the DAC is the hottest box, followed by the streamer, then the power amp.
My Nova can run pretty hot and will still be quite warm in standby with that room temperature. I think you can relax and enjoy the music 
As Chris says above, it can be the boards running chipsets and processors that can run warmest - these are positioned so the casework acts as a heatsink. During summer months the boxes are warmer to the touch.
If you turn off the Server mode (settings > Other settings > Server mode) it will be cool when off. I have found if a memory card was inserted even if the Server mode was set to off in the App it was still warm in standby (and I could see the drive shared on my network), so maybe there is a bug in the Naim Uniti software that ignore the Server setting if memory is connected to the Uniti?
My Atom also keeps warm with USB device connected and server mode off.
(There were a couple of threads on that earlier.)
I assume, the USB power draw is “too much” for the small standby supply, hence the big one stays active.
Seems USB stays powered all the time.
I usually turn the unit to deep sleep for “long breaks”, hear some relay clicking, and then it cools down.
(Same relay I hear, when there’s no device attached when going to normal (network connected) standby and then cooling down.)
A UPnP server has to remain powered in order to be discoverable if another streamer wants to use it. USB drives need the 5V bus power supply to keep them running. So in both cases, the device will chew more power, even if it’s in standby mode, as the little SPMS cannot power anything apart from the network connection and the relay that turns on the main PSU.
After a good nights sleep in ‘Server Mode Off’ it had cooled down 5 degrees, and the general warm area had shrunk to the back part directly behind the ethernet port. Room temp had only dropped by 1 degrees. So I figured toggling that setting did help.
@ChrisSU Rest assured, I do not worry. It was just new to me. Thanks for your info! By coincidence I found a review somewhere on internet today of someone whose cat actually was a Naim fan too - just for sleeping on the gear. 
So yes, pleasantly warm is the minimum to be expected.
Glad to hear that things are under control. I think the Star would have to get quite a lot warmer before you have problems, say if it’s working hard, and your cat has gone to sleep on it! There is an automatic shutdown that will protect it if it overheats by putting it into a standby mode until it cools down again, but that only happens if the internal temperature reaches 70 degrees.
just a word of warning, I just reached behind my Star to feel just how warm it was, and yes, it was playing and yes I touched the volume wheel… my ears should stop bleeding soon!! and No, it was not very hot, but it was really loud… It’s been on standby all day and in server mode, a little over ambient I’d say. She should be up here momentarily to shout at me…
Can I make a suggestion here. In the settings on the app, I have set the maximum volume at 50% for both normal and headphone outputs in case of accidental volume increase or mobile devices playing at max volume when connected. This is plenty loud enough for the vast majority of occasions(for me) and gives some piece of mind that my kids or cat won’t accidentally blow my speakers with full volume.
Great call adeypoos, I had set them all to 80%, but you’re right, that would have prevented them maxing out… Cheers for the heads up.
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