If my dealer offers this then an old Unitiserve will be “exchanged” for a Core. SWMBO offered half the upgrade cost unprompted (despite not having played a CD since we got our new system she still, for some reason, wants a CD player).
Would love to get a lightweight unix build onto the Unitiserve providing a modern transport and ripper for the office. It is after all just a micro ATX PC!
I must admit I do agree with HH here, the more so given I initially misread it and briefly wondered what the Jewish population of Salisbury had done to incur such ire and indeed what they were being exchanged for?
A Core can’t just play CDs, in case that’s what she’s expecting. As you have the Synology, do you really need a Core?
We know it’s rip only then playback via app. SWMBO said “a couple of minutes” delay would be acceptable. It’s a pity the Core can’t function as a transport like the Unitiserve could.
Core is an indulgence. I’m not aware she’s played a CD for at least 12 months. AirPlay from phone has replaced physical media with the NDX2. However she might have a box of CD somewhere which will make an appearance if she can rip them.
I do still have about 1000 CD to rip so it might come in useful. It’s trivial to run any rip through AccurateRip, and all our digital files are fully tagged via MusicBrainz so all the “limitations” of the Core will be circumvented. Any rips will be pulled off, processed in bulk, then dumped back to Downloads (at least that’s how I think it will have to work).
Our NAS will continue as local backup with cloud backup too. A sync script can be setup in munutes on our RaspberryPi (used with SU) to keep everything synced up and ensure new rips hit NAS/cloud.
We’ll be able to compare Core via DC1 vs ethernet into NDX2 SQ!
I think this is a great promotion. But I hope it doesn’t signal a complete sunsetting of basic support for the legacy streamers.
It’s no different to Apple offering a trade in value on your old mobile phone in the case that you upgrade to a new one. It’s easy and simple. Obviously you can sell on the second hand market but it takes a bit more effort and time.
It’s not a “trade-in/part-ex” in the traditional sense, it’s a discount, as stated above. Neither your dealer, nor name are interested in your old unit. Naim is offering 350 to their dealers who may offer an additional discount. Or, get the new equipment with the 350 discount, based upon your existing model serial number, and then sell your existing unit for an additional 350. Voila, 700 “trade-in”.
Interesting, I wonder why Naim are doing this.
No company gives away a few hundred quid without a good commercial imperative.
My guess is that the new products like the Eversolo DMP A6 and even the Wiim Pro are likely to be disrupters in the streaming arena so it makes sense for Naim to entice current customers to upgrade to the Uniti platform while it still has its sheen.
.sjb
Naim have had problems sourcing spares for 1st gen streamers, and over time there will inevitably be more streaming services that they cannot support, including HiRes streams offered by Qobuz, and soon Tidal too. The fewer of these older units there are, the fewer disappointed customers Naim support will have to deal with.
Perhaps but giving away money so not as to upset customers in the future does not sound like an obvious private equity group move to me.
I don’t think a SWOT analysis would consider disappointed legacy customers a huge threat, I think the threat lies somewhere else.
We’ll never know of course but I can’t but help be interested in why a private equity company would spend money to push items that by all accounts are selling well.
.sjb
I would suggest that private equity owners rarely get involved in operational tactical sales programmes.
They probably see it as an opportunity to transfer old customers to new stuff before they buy something else. If this were offered in Sweden (unlikely, I know) I have an old lcd-handicapped uniti and would have a chat with my dealer.
I suspect that the sales forecast for the next 12 months is lower than they would like, I guess due to the current financial squeeze and the spiralling price of new kit. Unlocking another source of revenue for a relatively modest sacrifice would seem like a good move.
Several reason I guess.
Attempt to increase turnover and profit to shareholders.
Or at least keep on track.
As others point out, other branches do this method with their products as well.
They can only do it because their basic retail prices are very high, this vote for Naim but there are brands with much higher price levels(presumably profit too) - making room for a “modest” discount.
I’m surprised nobody mention level of Naim retail prices, next generation Nova might very well increase as much as 272 to 222 or 250DR to 250.3 did.
If a potential customer can afford a 6K item, 3-5% discount is not the dealbreaker or vice-versa.
I think the answer is fairly straightforward. Naim as UK distributor have traditionally tried to help stimulate sales for their dealers during the slower summer period by doing summer promotions. This promotion makes a good deal of sense as the legacy Uniti range is getting on in years now, certain parts are getting harder to replace, and the new streaming platform is quite a big advance over the old, so why not give extra support and incentive for any existing legacy Uniti customers who might wish to upgrade to the current range.
Naim have done promotions like this before - many will recall similar some years ago for older CD players, where Naim wished to support their customers after stocks of the older mechs were running dry.
Yes, it’s UK only.
I’m waiting patiently for the 2023 software updates for gen1 streamers as posted by @Stevesky a few months ago. I hope this is still in the pipeline
Naim should also do this on other countries.
Naim do this as distributor. It would be up to the respective distributors of other countries as to whether they would do something similar.
Are Naim uk the Irish distributor as well?