I’ve been trying out my little UnitiQute 2 with my SL2s, in place of the 272, 555DR and 300DR. It lacks some of the drive and sophistication of the bigger boxes but nonetheless makes for a thoroughly enjoyable listen and sounds remarkably balanced. Given that the Qute cost £1,300 when new and the 272 etc £19,000, I’m amazed how good this little box is.
Thanks to @popeye for the ‘ultimate mullet’ description, which I’m not claiming as my own!
Yes, I miss my old Unitiqute2. It is that product that started me on this crazy but very enjoyable journey.
Same here, and regret trading it in.
Have demoted mine to the office driving a pair on NSats and musically I am sure would give some bigger competition a run for their money…
I had the same more or less when some kit needed servicing. UQ1, chrome bumper 250 and passive SL2. Surprisingly enjoyable.
Swap out SL2 for SBL and that is actually my ‘office’ system
This is actually part of an experiment. You’ll recall my ear trouble earlier in the year when my left ear more or less ceased functioning. I saw the ENT consultant last week. It wasn’t ETD or blocked ears but nerve damage and according to him it will never get better. I’m having an MRI too see if it’s a benign rumour growing and pressing on the nerve. Even if it is it’s still not going to get better. Of course, as a doctor you know all about this. Anyway, I am vaguely investigating whether the system is wasted on me. The strange thing is that I can still differentiate between marginal differences from stuff like switches, let alone whole sets of electronics. I was listening to a live duo of Richard and Danny Thompson earlier and it was almost like a solo album, with the double bass virtually absent. Yet other albums sound ok. My forum friend David Hendon, who will be guiding me about hearing aids has banned me from downsizing. So I’ll get the aids sorted out and then take stock. For a ‘main’ system I don’t thing the UQ2 would work for me. Though something like ND5XS2 and SN3 with the SL2s may well do. But that’s a possible experiment for a few months ahead when things trickle down. My yoga teacher also practises the Bowen technique and reckons she can fix me. I think I’ll wait for the MRI first.
@anon4489532. Nigel, Good luck with all of that but I wouldn’t change anything just yet.
Regards,
Lindsay
That’s a right buqqer! Is it resulting from your accident?
I don’t know, and it’s something that crossed my mind. The strange thing is that I saw the consultant four years to the day after the accident. When I fractured my skull I lost the hearing in my right ear (one of the fractures was by my right ear) and it gradually came back. Now it’s the left. It may be linked but I’ll never know. Sudden hearing loss can be caused by a few things, injury, ear infection and other things. While I don’t expect the hearing to return I try to remain hopeful, though the last few days have been hard and I’ll admit to having a little sob. Still, others have a lot worse and so far it’s only one ear.
Sorry to hear that Nigel.
What’s it like with headphones out of interest, have you given that a go?
Really sorry to hear that Nigel, but hey keep your hopes up and personally I would not recommend selling anything just yet.
Good luck with it ATB Peter
I haven’t tried that but it would just be music in one ear. If someone is on my left and speaks, I look to the right. Rather comical really. I’ve taken to sitting sideways on the the speaker or totally off axis. It still sounds pretty good like that, but if I sit between the speakers and face forward it’s so unbalanced that the sound is firmly located in one speaker. It’s all rather frustrating. Retire early after accident, have loads of time to enjoy listening to music, use some of the compensation to buy a brilliant system and now my bloody ear stops working. Bummer.
Hi Nigel,
Has your consultant looked into your ears to see if they need syringing?
Of course. No blockage. It’s a nerve issue.
So sorry for your diminished hearing, Nigel. It must be incredibly frustrating.
My hearing has never been the best, many ear infections as a child. I do however suspect that my hearing has ‘adapted’ over the decades, and although I have to ask my wife to repeat herself on occasion, I don’t ‘feel’ I am missing out.
So I am just accustomed to not having the best hearing in the world and enjoy my system and listening to music.
As others have said, don’t sell your system yet, you may just get ‘accustomed’ to the hearing reduction. The body is incredibly resilient and adaptable.
Anyway, I hope the scan goes well, and the docs can at least give you an explanation.
All the best.
Dissapointing news. Fairly sudden ‘nerve’ related hearing loss is not especially rare, and the cause may never be known. Equally, recovery (usually slow and partial) is not (ahem) unheard of.
I can see that headphones would be worse. How about something like Shahinian speakers that are less directional ie more ‘room filling’ than the conventional left and right set up? I am sure you can tell that is just a suggestion without a great deal of technical knowledge behind it! I am sure someone might be able to expand/reject the idea with more expertise.
Bruce
Hope it works out Nigel, take care, keep us all posted, a wider network might have some ideas going forward…enjoy Scotland its wonderful.
Hi Nigel.
Exactly that seems to be a problem here also… 
ATB Peter
Nigel, best wishes for positive news with the result from your MRI.
Loss of vision, hearing, agility and balance are some of the gifts that the majority us receive as we age. Right up there with death and taxes, if we live long enough we will experience them.
It is wonderful that you share your experiences with life struggles as well as hi-fi adventures. It certainly puts the proper perspective on it all.
Enjoy your travels and vacation up north…
Just try to do like me, I use a very unconventional listening position 90% of my listening time. I sit in a corner of the living room, right next to the system. So the left speaker is right(pun intended) next to me, and the right speaker about one and a half meter away on the same wall. So you see Stereo imaging is a non-issue, enjoyment is immense nevertheless (and balance set slightly to right)
Another bonus is that low-volume listening makes it less disrupting to rest of family.
Oh and I guess this works best with monitor-style speakers like I have