Bought a Uniti Core; love it, love it. Ripped my CD collection, then began experimenting with purchasing and downloading high-rez audio files. I downloaded the files into my C drive, then transferred from C-drive into the Naim download folder (via my home network).
This was where I encountered problems.
Upon the files reaching the Naim downloads folder, Uniti Core could ‘see’ the album name and the tracks contained within the album. But tracks larger than 2 Gb in file size cannot be played - these tracks are indicated with 0:00 play time. Other tracks smaller than 2 Gb can be played.
Example: Beethoven Symphony No6
track 1 (2.8 Gb)… 0:00
track 2 (3.5 Gb)… 0:00
track 3 (1.6 Gb)… 3:08 (playable)
track 4 (1.8 Gb)… 3:23 (playable)
track 5 (3.1 Gb)… 0:00
I came to the conclusion that files above 2 Gb gave me problems when I noticed other downloaded albums also exhibited the same pattern. Only tracks larger than 2 Gb were indicated as 0:00 and hence unplayed. Tracks smaller than 2 Gb could be played just fine.
So now I have a series of downloaded albums, containing a patchwork of playable and unplayable tracks.
What has been confounding was that all tracks can be played on my PC, inc those above 2 Gb.
Has anyone else encountered such a problem, and what has been the workaround?
I’m afraid that I haven’t met this before, but then I don’t have track sizes anything like that large myself. However also I have not heard of this restriction being reported here before. Presumably these are DSD files? Can you confirm what firmware your Core is running please?
Also when you say you can play the tracks that show 0.00 length, are you saying that you can play them from the Core’s downloads folder over your network, or is it that you can play a copy that resides on your PC? I think you are saying that you can play them from the Core’s downloads folder, which is interesting. I’m wondering whether this is an app issue or a Core firmware issue…
Affirmative - those were DSD 512fs files. The file size gets unwieldy as the track gets longer in duration - a real problem when it comes to symphonic pieces.
Uniti Core firmware version is APP-2.5.5.4007.
For the tracks that were larger than 2 Gb:-
(i) the copies residing within my C-drive were playable from my PC. They were indicated with their proper run lengths, not as 0:00.
(ii) the copies residing within the Naim download folder were playable when they were accessed/played from my PC. They were indicated with their proper run lengths, not as 0:00. The tracks were playable.
(iii) the copies residing within the Naim download folder were displayed as 0:00 when accessed from the Focal/Naim app. The tracks were not playable from Uniti Core. Other tracks lower than 2 Gb were playable.
I contacted NativeDSD (from whom I purchased those DSD files). They suggested that the Naim hard disk was possibly formatted to FAT16 format, which presented a max cap of 2 Gb per file.
They suggested I format the hard disk to NTFS format. But on my PC when I right-clicked the NAIMUNITICORE icon, I don’t see any menu item for me to format the hard disk residing within Uniti Core, let alone choose whether to format said hard disk to FAT16 or NTFS.
However, observation (ii) above contradicts NativeDSD’s hypothesis. That there are tracks sitting within the Uniti Core larger than 2 Gb AND playable over the network on my PC means the Naim hard disk is capable of storing tracks larger than 2 Gb each.
Agree when you can play them to the end (and not only the start), they show with a size larger than 2 Gb and they still have that size when copied back to the PC.
This looks more like the Core has a problem properly “decoding” the files - but I know too little about DSD formats.
(2Gb is a “natural” border in IT for 32-signed-integers being used as index or length counter.)
Best to contact Naim support, if they know of limitations (or can ask engineering about it)?
I think you are going to have to ask Naim support for help. Unfortunately I haven’t ever heard of this issue, although I do mostly get asked in the Forum about any issue involving the Core. Nor do I know anything about DSD.
Answering your question above, you get invited to choose the format type when you define a new Music Store. So if you were to put a spare HDD into the Core and then define it as the active music store, you could choose a different format type. And then try your files.
But having said that, I’m pretty certain that Naim use NTFS and not FAT 16.
@davidhendon sorry to jump in on this thread and maybe you could point me elsewhere but I am considering buying a Core next week together with e8 switch and ssd drive.
This is to rip my 2000 cd collection to a built in ssd drive 2tb and play back through my ndx2.
Plan to use one Ethernet cable to ndx2 and another to the core from a switch. Not sure what other connections I need.
Any advice appreciated before I bite the bullet. Thanks
Indeed, and 2 GB file size limit is therefore affecting 32-bit operating systems and hardware. Modern Linux-based OSes can break the barrier if the hardware allows, and Windows has a manual option. I have no idea about the Core’s hardware, but it would not be a total surprise if this was its limit.
The only thing you actually need is for your NAS/server, whether that’s a Core or anything else, to be wired to your router. It doesn’t need to be physically close to your streamer, remembering that the likes of Tidal and Qobuz have streamers dotted all over the globe which seem to work perfectly well.
If it helps you can add a switch, either to provide an Ethernet port in a suitable location, or to dive down the rabbit hole of audiophile networking.
What you describe is all you need except for the mains power of course! You will find the Core will show up as a room in the Naim app and you can access the Core’s settings abd see the progress on rips from there.
But to play music from the Core you use the Servers icon in the NDX2 home page. Tap on that and then on the UnitiCore icon and go from there.
Edit: just to say that I agree with Chris’s points about switches. Personally I wouldn’t waste money buying an e8 switch. If you need a switch for convenience of cabling then more or less anything will work well.