A friend of a friend has taken an unusual approach to adding streaming to his listening options: before installing a network connection to his listening room he has bought both a Naim Uniti and a non-Naim (Simaudio perhaps) streamer, intending to use the ripping and storage capabilities of the Uniti but not its streaming capabilities.
In my terms, he appears to want to use it as I would a NAS. I’d rather try to help than open with “well, I wouldn’t start from here…” and questioning his purchasing decisions.
He’s asked me a couple of network questions which I’m perfectly capable of answering but I’m not familiar with the Uniti so…
Must he connect his streamer direct to the Uniti (TOSlink or coax, I believe)? Or
is it sufficient to have them both connected to the same network?
I am pleased to now (previously when I asked I got the serial number not the model) that it is a Unitiserve.
If I understand correctly, it therefore should be able, as @IainO (thanks) says, to connect anywhere on the same network and be visible as a UPnP source.
Yes, you can just connect it to the network. You’ve said that you didn’t want to say to your friend that you wouldn’t start from here, but if it were me and I had the chance I’d advise them not to get it. The main bit of advice is to set it to rip to flac. If set to wav, rips won’t be easily usable on other servers. To set it to flac the desktop client will be needed, which is loaded onto a PC. Alternatively there is a Mac version, though I’ve not used it. The Serve really should be set to backup to a NAS, which is a bit of a challenge in itself. I’m not sure whether there is anyone at Naim who can advise on the Serve these days. If (when?) your friend encounters problems it’s best they register on here and ask directly; there are several members who own or have used a UnitiServe previously.
I had imagined that the device being purchased was a Uniti Core!
We had a UnitiServe, but it didn’t last too long before the hard disk died. If your friend has bought one with a spinny disk tell them to be very careful with it, they are fragile. Once the disk dies they are basically scrap, as cost of repair (if still possible) is completely uneconomic.
Software to control the UnitiServe can also be an issue, as I recall it used flash which is no longer supported on modern desktop OS. I think we had to use a downloaded standalone flash player app, rather than browser interface.
naim ran a promotion a few years back where UnitiServe owners received a discount on a Core. I suspect this removed a good number of the UnitiServe which were still out there, although there are still a few forum members using these devices.
Our UnitiServe was converted to a Linux based media server, more for fun than necessity. We no longer use it.
The Unitiserve runs a UPnP music server. Any streamer that is compatible with UPnP will automatically find it over a network connection.
It would be possible to use a direct SPDIF connection instead, but there is no need for this as, in any case, both devices will use a network connection in order to function.
Be aware that the Unitiserve is an old device now, and using it may require some patience. It’s best to control it using Apple devices - use the N-Serve app on an iPhone and a Mac to control it.
Once the Unitiserve is working and the server has scanned music files you can just leave it alone and control everything from the streamer.
Big thanks for everyone’s input. We’re getting there! I hadn’t realised the Unitiserve had been sitting completely unused in its original box for quite so long… UPnP solves a good few challenges.
If the Unitiserve has been sitting unused it may need a firmware update. The latest version is 1.7c - talk to Naim support or a dealer who should be able to provide it on a CD if required.
Big thanks @ChrisSU. I will pass this on and am sure it will be appreciated.
As you can imagine, I am keen to steer personally clear of the wider listening room setup because I am unfamiliar with the individual components, never mind how they might work together!
Living and learning and all that.
