Uniti upgrade?

Hi, I’ve got a gen 1 Uniti I use in the kitchen/breakfast room. Over the last few months the screen has almost died (very faint) and it doesn’t work with Spotify (this might be my limited understanding of how to upgrade the software). Anyone got any advice in terms of fixing the issues, or should I just EBay my old kit and start again? (I’d quite like a CD player, although I do use a server for my NDX) Merry Christmas all. Thanks, Nigel

Hi, If your Uniti is old, it may only have the original 26/96 streamer board, which Naim can upgrade to the 24/192 version. You will need this if you want to stream Spotify, Tidal, Multiroom etc. I would ask Naim for a price for this and the screen replacement, then you can decide if it’s worthwhile. You will also need to update the firmware if it’s on an old version.

Thanks, I suspect it does have the older board, it was an early model

IIRC, Naim do a fixed price service menu also getting everything done together (new screen - new upgraded board) might make much more sense than just getting it partly done.

I would contact your dealer for a quote. Note though that Naim’s Service dept. are closed over the Christmas holiday.

You can easily check which streamer board you have. Use the remote control to go to Setup > Factory Settings > System Status. 24bit/192kHz capable streamers are identified by displaying 3DXXXXX in the “BC SW” line of their System Status screen. 24/96 boards will be 2AXXXXX or 1AXXXXX.

Richard, is the 192 board included in the fixed price service? I had it in my mind that as an upgrade rather than a service, this might be charged extra, but maybe not.

Thanks all, will make enquiries. Nigel

I have no idea Chris. But it seems logical to try to get as much done at the same time to reduce any extraneous cost.

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When I had my Qute upgraded to 192 boards I got the dealer to mention the fading/failed screen on the job sheet. It was fixed as part of the upgrade (for no extra money)…

Indeed, I’m just thinking of whether the overall price makes it worth doing, as opposed to selling it on and getting something with more up-to-date features built in. Hard to sell with a dead screen, though.

Appreciate the comments. I called my dealer today and they are going to get me a price in the new year.

Interestingly they suggested trying a Chromecast… can’t obviously find out if this would work. Comments welcome!

A Chromecast Audio is a good way to add connectivity to older units. Sound quality may not be the best, but with some sources, and an optical cable, it can sound reasonable.
Now that they are discontinued, I notice used prices have gone up since new stock ran out. Still a relatively cheap thing to try, and you can easily stick it on ebay if you don’t want it.

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The Google Chromecast audio with an optical feed out is good for 24 bit 96kHz, so it’s pretty good sound quality if used properly.

Best

David

Like you, I have a first generation Uniti, 'Qute and 'Serve and have just had them serviced at Naim in Salisbury because, like you, the OLED screens had each gone. This has to be arranged via your dealer because they will not take items direct, requiring a RMA serial number first. That way the Service Dept can manage the throughput and not keep people waiting for ages for the item to be returned.

Naim have a standard charge of £275 + 20% VAT = £330 per item. It was also possible to have the 24/96 boards upgraded to 24/192 spec, for the firmware to be upgraded and for the 'Serve to be converted to the SSD version. The HDD version was unimpressive because the disk drive failed several times. These items are deployed as stand-alone’s as I have picked up the components for a Classic-level system and had all of this serviced, repaired and (in the case of my NAP250) upgraded to the DR standard too. These “extras” do cost additional sums (particularly the NAP250.2 upgrade to DR) but having my nearly ten year old kit substantially refreshed represents a considerable discount on buying anew.

I can throughly recommend my experience with the Service team in Salisbury: helpful and obliging. Thanks Henry.

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Hi Chris. I have a Unitiserve ssd but I don’t have remote. Is there another way that I can check this. Thanks.

Hi, this is an upgrade to the streamer board in the streamers, it does not apply to Naim servers. The only upgrade that might apply to your Unitiserve would be the firmware if you’re not on the latest version, which is 1.7c.

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