How long till Naim embraces immersive surround sound... again

Sitting in front of my stereo (so 1940s) speakers listening to Roger Waters excellent Us+Them on Qobuz it strikes me I’m missing something. It’s available to stream in 4K UHD and on blu ray is recorded with 3 sound options uncompressed 2.0 LPCM, Dolby Atmos and Dolby TrueHD 5.1. I’d love to feel more engaged with the live concert without doubling up on my system to introduce rear speakers!

Naim’s Uniti series seems to be a tentative step in that direction but how long till Naim
fully embraces immersive surround sound.

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ummmm Naim have done AV processors and a DVD player in the past. It’s not like they’ve never given it a serious attemp.

The Naim AV2

About 20 years old, time for an update!

And about as many surround sound formats as well. I have had to bin two systems already due to being deprecated to the degree of being worthless. Dunno how I would feel about doing that with something in this price bracket.

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About as popular as 3D TV at this point.

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Agreed, things move on, formats change and improve. The AV2 cost £2,200 in 2002 which is around £3,600 in today’s money or about the price of a Uniti Star. I’d certainly be considering an updated version extremely good value at that price point.

You still can get one s/h. This is my topic from some time ago:

It is currently used in a different system, but it will ultimately go back to the telly, that is clearly its sweet spot.

I suppose if it could be upgradable with firmware to cater for newer standards for a longer time it could be a very attractive offering. Don’t think there will be a new HDMI format every two weeks anymore.

Also if it can do stereo sound as good as well. Was a weak point in everything I owned with more than two channels.

Hi @Ardbeg10y, I did read through your post and it’s great to see the AV2 still has a following.

I believe the AV2 was an add on to an existing stereo system.

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Maybe we need some insider knowledge…
Ahem… @Naim.Marketing

I cant see it happening.
Clare wont/cant answer.

We compared Star Wars in surround vs 2.0 setup. And surround won by quite a margin. The AV2 was defo the star gelling the stuff together.

I enjoy amazing surround sound from my system. I just use the AV throughput on my Naim amplification, so Naim is still powering the front left/right speakers and my [brand redacted] AV receiver is driving the centre, surrounds and rears. Simple.

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And if you want to build a reference-class system:

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This made it for us the ideal compromise. We all love watching movies of course, but personally I also love to watch the Berliner Philharmoniker via the digital concert hall on the rare moments of silence. Somehow it is a very nice experience.

The AV2 also has the typical naim quirks / idiosyncrasies which makes me loving it. Almost the entire AV2 can be configured with 2 buttons and a volume dial. Hats of to that.

The din connections ensures that no nasty ground loops occur.

But I can. And have :slight_smile:

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That kind of flexibility does make it a lot more attractive indeed!

Hi @Naim.Marketing, thank you for your input.
I’d really love to keep my system all Naim, what’s the chance? Just the A side not too bothered with the V.

At £20k I guess Naim are supplying the amplification. :smirk: