Naim Uniti Star power upgrade

Hello! My system is made up of Kef R11 and Naim Uniti Star, and i think i need it more power for my Kef , how can i make upgrade for my Naim Uniti star and if you have some suggestions for power amp, Thank You

Get a 300DR? That’s my guess but I’m a newbie here. From what I’ve gathered that’s what I’d do to upgrade my Nova.

Welcome to the Forum. One way is to add a power amp such as a 250DR to your Star. The problem there is that the Star becomes a limiting factor and the 250 is really too good for it as a long term proposition. The Unitis are really designed as all in ones and you’d probably get better sound from say an NDX2 and Supernait 3, but that depends on whether you need the CD playing and ripping abilities of the Star. Another way, which avoids more boxes and expense, is to swap to smaller and easier to drive speakers that better match the Star.

Adding a 250 could make sense if you plan on changing the Uniti Star by a Naim NAC 272-2 when it becomes available :wink:

A 300DR would cost more than twice what a UnitiStar costs, so I wouldn’t have thought many people would think this was the best value for money system that the budget could buy.

if I use a power amplifier and make the connection with naim united star I also need another DAC or use the dac of the naim?

You’ll be using the DAC and pre-amp of the Star so need need for another DAC.

Are you really sure that you need more power? What makes you think that? The R11 is rated at 90dB so should represent a not too demanding load. I had the R3 once with the Star (R3 is rated at 87dB).
I even heard this combination at a pretty high volume at a dealer’s and compared it to the Supernait3/NDX2 and while i heard the improvement, in my opinion it was not due to the fact the Star had not enough power. If you have the possibility to hear both combinations at a dealer’s i would recommend doing that and judge for yourself if the Star is enough.

It is also worth asking yourself if you do need the CD Player / Ripper in the Uniti Star? If not i would go straight to the Nova and call it a day.

The combination with the 250DR is only a good solution if it is a temporary step, as you will be wasting half of the Star and its internal power amp. Also i think that they look a bit odd together visually, but that is a matter of taste.

Last but not least, if you plan to go to separates you want to ask yourself if upgrading is something you want to consider in the future. The NDX2 is upgradable with a power supply, the ND5XS2 is not.

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