Hi All, new to forums but I would like your opinion on my dilemma.
I’m looking to replace my ageing Audiolab 8000 series pre + 4 mono block for a Naim uniti “all in one” I want to keep my project RPM9 turntable, Vertere phono 1 and B&W Nautilus 802 loudspeakers.
My question is how much of an improvement is the uniti nova over the uniti star? I have a few thousand cd’s but as this is an ageing source do I keep my Arcam 192 cd as a transport on the uniti nova or purchase a uniti Star and a NAP 200 or 250 to buy amp the loudspeakers. The best option is a uniti nova, NAP 250 and a uniti core but this would total 9-10k and not in my budget
With those speakers in not sure any of the Uniti range is up to the task. For a little more you could get a 272 and 250DR secondhand. The 250 is far more capable than the Uniti at driving more difficult spears though it’s still not ideal. I’m assuming you are wedded to the speakers.
There is no need to get a Core. You can rip your CDs to a NAS, which you can get for under £500 and the results will be just as good.
As well as driving more difficult spears, it will also drive more difficult speakers too!
I think HH’s suggestions are certainly a good alternative but if you are decided on the new Uniti then I can say that from my own opportunity to listen to them both in Naim’s own demo room, the Nova is a big lift up over the Star. So personally I would definitely go for the Nova if I could afford it. And rip my CDs using a PC, putting them on a NAS.
If you are already considering a 2 box system, I would look at either an NDX2 or ND5XS2 with a Supernait, or 272/250, as I suspect your speakers will really benefit from the best amplification you can give them.
Given the budget you are considering, I would not consider a Core to be a good use of funds. If you want a ripper/store/server that is ready to go out of the box, I would consider an Innuos Zen Mini at less than half the price of the Core, or a regular NAS which would be cheaper again if you don’t mind a little more effort setting it up. That would free up funds for the rest of the system.
I currently run two Novas but previously had a Star which I swapped over for the second Nova, the Nova is a better choice if you don’t need the CD element. I think some good advice on this thread so far, I don’t think a Nova plus a 250 is the way to go, as HH suggests a second hand 272 would be a better solution. I also think the Innuos Zen Mini is both better value and a more flexible solution if you don’t want to go down the NAS route.
I also have four TAGMcLaren (nee Audiolab) monoblocs, with the excellent Naim ND5 XS2, Chord HUGO TT2 DAC/pre, and a Melco music library in my main system. My second (linked) system is a TAGMcLaren AV32R DAC/pre with a 100p power amp - all recently serviced. Not a typical Naimite system, but the new Naim streamers are great, and the multiroom capability with my upstairs Muso Qb is a great feature.
My main speakers are ATC SCM 11 in a small lounge 5mx3.5m; ATC speakers are also said to be difficult to drive.
I looked at the Nova but felt it was underpowered for my speakers and inflexible as it doesn’t have a digital out - it is a great one-box solution though, which you should demo in your home environment to see if it can drive your B&Ws in your room.
The Audiolab 8000Ms can have a life-extension / recap from Kevin at Audiocellar to give them a real improvement, but if you do move them on there is a ready secondhand market for them.
If one of your considerations is compact living and a box-count reduction then a heretic non-Naim power amplifier option would be two monoblocs based on the Hypex NCore amp boards which can go up to 1200w. These can be found in small boxes 22x22x6cm which could be sited nearfield to each of your speakers. This is a future option I am considering myself for these space & aesthetic reasons, or I might go over to active speakers such as ATC40a or Dynaudio.
I agree with suggestions above regarding Zen Mini over the Uniti Core in terms of value for money as a ripper/library; neater in a living space than a PC, CD drive and NAS and less reliant on network quality due to direct connection.