There are a lot of threads at the moment about software issues with the newer streamers.
Does Naim need to improve this aspect of their products?
- Yes, software performance needs improving
- No, software performance is adequate
0 voters
Naim are a hifi company just starting in streaming, and this clearly shows in their software capabilities.
Need major commitment to software engineers / designers if they are staying in this sector
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Theyāve been just starting for quite a while then!
Iād say they were a hi-fi company far removed from their origins but doing okay. There appear to be significant concerns with the software and increasingly customer support but thereās much worse elsewhere.
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A tricky question to answer. My experience is I had a couple of screen freezes on my Nova, but other than that it has been fine. The ND555 and Qbs have been rock solid, and te app does everything I want it to do, Iām a pretty basic user who mainly looks for an album and plays it. Yet I see other people with issues posting which makes me think there is work to do, I decided to go with my experience rather than second hand.
I love the naim app on my ipad - especially the ability to browse the booklet provided when I stream from my own ripped albums. What Iād love is for that experience to be replicated when I play a Tidal album.
Apart from the odd glitch I really am enjoying the Naim streaming experience.
J
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Should be the only way to respond. Thereās way too much of the āsecond handā permeating through this forum. People just love to moan, I guess (I know, I know, Iām moaning about moaners!!).
Iām not sure answering such a broad question really helps to pinpoint specific issues that need to be addressed. If Naim are to fix things they need to know precisely what is perceived to need fixing.
That said, there do seem to be a good few things on the (now not so) new platform that should have been resolved by now. The Uniti launch was rushed and botched and the products had far too many glitches, and failed to do some things that should have been there from launch. Even basics like being able to turn off the display. My 272 and UQ2 operate like a dream day in, day out, so Iām quite happy with them operationally. Yet some of the new platform stuff seems problematic, and stories of people needing three 555 streamers before they got one that worked properly just shouldnāt happen. Imagine having to try three Audis before getting one that worked!
If a 372 ever appears I wouldnāt consider buying one for a good year, or until all issues were ironed out.
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100% agree with that. But will it ever appear is another question.
I canāt talk about the newer streamers other than observe a lot of ānot right first timeā issues.
Apps are OK, I use iOS 99% of the time, but apps are the same as with the product firm/software, it takes a few turns to get it fixed.
1 Like
And this is sort of where the poll came from. A discussion about the NDX2 and software and my realisation that I would hesitate to recommend the product. It sounds superb, but the software is disappointing.
That makes sense. These things should ājust workā. I suppose having owned Naim since 1983 I have a lot of brand loyalty and perhaps am too willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. If a non functioning box was my first encounter with the brand it would certainly give me pause and make me consider whether it was worth investing further. I suspect that management took its eye off the ball - slightly different to software issues, which can happen so easily, things like ND555 screens with gaps around them, amplifiers sent out without burndies etc simply shouldnāt happen with proper processes in place. Software is not easy - I know this as part of the beta group - but the new platform does seem rather temperamental.
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For me, the OP question would be answered yes - app is sluggish to initiate and often laggy in use (with my ND555) so much so that I avoid using it and use Roon instead (which opens instantaneously, has no lag in use and is a pleasure to operate). My home Wifi network is fine - a high-end Synology mesh system. There is something about Naim apps / hardware and the way they operate on a network: the nServe app for my HDX was exactly the same: sluggish to initiate and laggy in use. And that was in a different house, with entirely different WiFi network equipment. I really donāt understand why Naim continue to struggle with something so fundamental.
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Mike, agreed, but Naim should not be taking the view āthereās much worse out thereā, rather they should be aspiring to statement standard of software and support.
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All software needs improving and good companies keep doing so.
Naimās apps are competing with the big major companies for user experience and for a relatively small company like Naim it will always be an uphill battle to get an app that works smoothly on every bit of kit, particularly on andriod phone/tablets.
The streamer and amp software likewise not perfect but getting better and probably as good as any other specialist hi-fi company.
Encouragingly though, Naim now seem very aware of the failings in their software and are working hard to improve it which all we can expect from them.
So, I think they are doing well and if they keep working at it will continue improving over time.
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Iām not going to vote because I think the question is too simplistic. Pretty well all new software released for commercial kit needs improving and even immensely wealthy companies like Apple cannot get it remotely right first time. Look at IOS 13 for example. I think Naim does about as well as could be expected for a small company.
Best
David
6 Likes
These things should have been resolved AGES ago. When was the Uniti launch? 2016? Three years ago?! And yet three years later an owner of an ND555 cannot have a āStop Streamā button when listening to an internet radio station? Nor can they expect basic functionality from the Naim app.
Sometimes I think we are too forgiving a lot because we hold the brand dear. But there really are no good excuses here. Weāve waited three years for basic functionality and instead weāve had new releases which only serve to introduce more bugs (displays not working anyone) when presumably the companyās focus was on releasing new Mu-so products.
Itās disappointing when the best answer is āuse Roonā. Come on Naim, step up to the plate. You entered this arenaā¦start playing the game.
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Totally agree with EastEnder.
I voted yes but somehow my vote ended up in the No section.
I am with you on this. It is shame that the software and usability is so basic and buggy. Itās like Windows Vista for Microsoft was.
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I voted yes however as I donāt use my Atom that often I havenāt noticed a lot of issues that others have. Iāve always thought that the software needs some tweaking but to be fair I could raise the same complaint with just every program I deal with.
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I havenāt voted, Naim are a success seeking HiFi business. They have probably engaged IT contractors given a spec of what to do by someone who does not know a lot of what software can do.
Mine works with my Muso QB if I donāt expect miracles. It has got better from my earliest experience. Followers in the field not leaders.
Naim are not slowly going to become customer satisfiers. I will gladly be wrong for their sake.
1 Like
I voted noā¦ I think the software on the whole is good and effective with unnecessary bling or complexity.
The new streamers have been well designed without too many launch issues, unlike the legacy streamers when they first appearedā¦ I guess that is maturity. I owned a very early NDX from new and also now own an early NDX2
The one product I felt did miss the mark was the Uniti Coreā¦ that seems to have had a troubled entry into the world.
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