Once the display starts to dim, it goes quite fast, whether it’s on or not.
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I bought a UQ1 with an already dim display. I ran it for a year, after which point it was pretty much unreadable in a reasonably lit room. I had the display set to off other than when interacting with it for all that time.
Mine was a 24/96 model and to be honest given its intended use I never really thought it lacking. After a year I decided to have it fully serviced and upgraded. New screen, new streaming board, plus quite a lot of other work required.
I paid £450 for it originally, and another c. £500 on the service and screen. No regrets whatsoever. It still sounds good, I know it should be good for years of use now. I’m not intending to sell mine any time soon.
Even a UQ2 is likely fairly old by now, and a service, vs. just a screen replacement, worthwhile. I was surprised at the job/part list for my service, it wasn’t just a once over. Long story short, I think there is merit in buying a cheap one now and having it serviced, particularly if you intend to keep it a while. I keep a reasonable look out on second hand UQs, and I don’t often see serviced examples for sale.
Edited: We run the TV through ours, feeding a pair of Neat Iotas. We also use it for listening/streaming. It’s a great little box and perfect in that role. A role I suspect that does not require 24/192 if you wanted to pick up an earlier UQ1 and allow for a simple service chunk of budget.
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Just to add that you need the 24/192 board if you want to use Spotify or Tidal.
I did not realise that, thanks for the information!
And don’t forget that the iPhone USB front panel connection from the first generation boxes offers the (now unique) ability to play CD quality streamed content from Apple Music, so you have quite a few online streaming services to choose from.
Hi
Thanks for posting. Still looking for a uq2.
Found 2 of them a ne a lot of atoms. Atom is more expensive, but this does not bother me so much.
It display off settings of the Atom do bother me.
Is there really no chance to use the dark mode with nothing on, but with screen info of setting or some kind of info on the title (pressing info button (if available) on remote).
Or is the atom on n dark mode = all of and no info at all?
Tempted to buy an atom as it offers more modern steaming - fine for bedroom system 
If the Atom display is set to “off during playback” it will light up in a few situations (change of input, change of volume).
You can look up what’s playing in the app, and the physical remote can wake the screen as well to see, what’s playing. Or approaching the Atom/display will wake it as well.
The lights on the buttons and Naim logo will always be on.
And I found, that the Ethernet port has the usual LEDs as well, which may be seen as a reflection on the back wall or so. 
(So: WiFi is darker than Ethernet, who would have thought…)
I upgraded my main system from SuperUniti to Nova and my bedroom / second system from UnitiQute 1 to Atom and both are better overall, not just from streaming convenience point of view. You can dim the lights, and can have screen off after a delay, but there is no total dark mode as @PhilippVH says. Not yet, at least… although it’s been requested a large number of times.
My earlier point was only to ease a decision to go with the older model, if at a “throwaway” price. They are not at all “throwaway” units, and still sound lovely. But the age / price considerations should be top of mind if you head in that direction, imho. I wouldn’t pay as much as half, say, for a UQ vs an Atom… Others will have different views. Since you say that the more expensive price of the Atom doesn’t bother you, I can say we’ve had fun with ours, both in our bedroom and now as the main system in our second residence.
Have fun whatever you choose!
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From a purely personal point of view, I’d say get a uq2.
Aesthetically its much better than the atom, personal opinion I know, if you are running a NAS then either will be an excellent player, I wish I’d bought mine much much sooner than I did.
My major issue with the atom is the screen, I fear its going to look very tired and low res quite quickly, plus I personally like as little bright lights as possible when listening. Like I said entirely personal points of view.
Not to my perhaps weird tastes. Personally I think the Atom is the best looking box since Chrome Bumper. But then you have a UQ and I have an Atom, so perhaps neither of us is really objective in our judgement.
Roger
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It is personal taste - I like the atom very much as well. But with naim it is all about the insides
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Need advice again… sorry.
Qute coming nearer.
I have an old pioneer kuro 5090 in the bedroom - heats the room in winter :o)
How should o connect it to the cute? Via optical output the Pio can only go 2.1. hopefully there is an option to send 2.0 via tos link. Like to keep the bass.
Or connect via analog output?
With analog there is no volume control over pio - do not know how it is with optical.
How do you connect tv and cute?
Most TVs have the option to select 2 channel PCM stereo output which you will need if you use optical out (or HDMI out if you were to use an Atom.)
Without that option you could have to use analogue out which should work fine but probably won’t sound as good. You would need a standard RCA stereo cable.
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Thanks a lot
The Pioneer can be set to pcm or Dolby digital. I set to pcm.
Hope it will be Send as Stereo Signal and not as 5.1 Signal.
Really would like to use the digital cable.
Tested my oled (Main System) - set to Auto is 5.1. when set to pcm, my AVR says it is prologic.
There is Hope, that the Pio will so the same.
Sorry, iPhone is permanently Auto correcting to german
If you have a suitable Toslink cable, give it a try. On TVs I have used you get standard 2.0 stereo if you use the PCM setting.
As a UQ2 owner I can say that if you can find one, buy one. It’s a wonderful basis for a small system.
If not, and you can find an Atom at a reasonable price, why not?!? It’ll have the latest streaming front-end and is Roon-ready, if you want to use Roon. (The UQ2 can connect to Roon via a small addition to your network; simple and inexpensive.)
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Found a cute 2 With bright display. Going to buy it. Would have bought an atom, if the Buttons ans Wheel can be Turned of.
Thought there is a dark Mode by now. Seems unfortunately it is not.
Sorry… I need help again.
I am a bit confused about the atom… Is there a dark mode or not. Can I deactivate all the lights?
Is this a one fits all solution - meaning all is off at all time. Even when I press the info button on the remote no cover art come us - and no sign of actual volume, when I change volume via remote?
Can get a Qute and Atoms are a lot in the net. Not all a real ones I assume - but I will be careful.
You can make the Atom display darker on the remote.
Using the Naim app on your phone go to cog - other settings- display to turn off the display of cover artwork during playback.
When you put the Atom into standby the on/off button glows, but the Naim logo doesn’t. I think the only way would be to cover the button with a black vinyl sticker. But this could make a sticky mark. I don’t find the glow obtrusive, but I don’t use my Atom in the bedroom. (Picture of standby)
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And as PhillipVH says above if you change the input or volume the screen will illuminate.
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