I have put a similar question in the past on the forum but now we are considering also upgrading our Naimsystem/hifiset in the kitchen and in the study.
Now I have:
Kitchen:
Currently we have a Nait 5Si with a Qute as streamer, Dali Zensor 1 speakers and Odyssey Chord install speakercables. RCA-Din is Chord Chorus.
The speakers are situated on the upper shelf inside a Ikea wallcabinet and are just a few centimeters away from the wall. They are +/- 2,5 meters apart from each other.
We are are thinking for an upgrade:
Changing Qute and Nait to a Uniti Atom or Star.
Changing to Dali Menuet SE speakers and Chord Shawline or Epic X cables
Study:
Nait XS2 with a Qute streamer, Phonar speakers Veritas M3.5 EdMa (80-135W, 4-8 Ohm, 40-29000 Hz, 92DB/1W/1meter) and Chord Sarum T 2 meter speakercables with Chord Sarum SA DIN-RCA.
Possible upgrade:
Changing Qute and Nait XS2 to a Uniti Star or Nova.
Because of frequent drop outs of the Iradio we would like a DAB+ module integrated.
Of course we will only upgrade if it gives a better sound/result.
So far as radio is concerned forget DAB+ and change to streaming over the net. Far bigger choice and quality sound with no reception issues.
I’ve used FM & DAB with various tuners over the years but have now settled with Cambridge Audio MXN-10……excellent value at £499 fed into my Naim NVi and it sounds fine……
My first thought re the kitchen is to try different speakers as your first step because the way they are installed in a cabinet and close to the wall is going to be a bit of a limiting factor. Having gone from a Qute to an Atom in my office system I can vouch for the significant benefit, but I wouldn’t invest in the source etc without testing it in situ either with your speakers or an alternative your dealer might lend you. Unlike the normal Naim mantra I’d say ‘speaker first’ here! I don’t think upgrading cables would be a priority for my money.
The Nova seems an obvious all-in-one choice for the study. The Star gives you a CD player but do you need that? It also doesn’t have a DAB module option.
I see your comments about DAB+ and iRadio, is that because you are connecting via WiFi or because of the technical vTuner issues that we had a while ago? If your WiFi is unreliable then do your best to get a wired connection perhaps. If you can do without DAB you might find an Atom is ‘enough’ for the study too?
My network is all wired with Audioquest Pearl cat.7 S/FTP.
I use only wifi for my ipad and the regulator solarpanels/batterystorage.
The issue is that if I play iradio the NDX stops on irregular times in the middle of an song, the news,… and will start again a few seconds or after 10 minutes or half an hour. If the NDX starts again after a few seconds it plays the song further where it stopped. If it is a longer then usually it starts with advertising or the song that is actually playing on the radio. I have this with my Qute and NDX.
No issues with uPnP (Unitiserve).
No issues if I play radio over my TV-box in the NDX by toslink. Issues are with Iradio from Naim.
Internetspeed: Download 125 Mbps upload 14 Mbps. Ping 11 ms. Jitter 3 ms lost 0%
My dealer says he has other clients with the same issues.
Appreciate you may be having issues, but these need to be sorted foremost, before changing kit.
Below is a very general statement and not one most of us recognise.
When probs have occurred, it has been iRadio unavailable!
Hopefully if your dealers knows of others with issue, they have notified Naim?
When you ask for, as you have, ideas/suggestions, if your profile doesn’t have the details, starting point is where you are located and isp.
Specific examples of iRadio stuttering, would include some of the stations you listen.
Try Radio Paradise, several different feeds all in Naim’s choice on app.
Also try one of the BBC radio feeds.
I use 1 gen streamers w/o issue and on a slow connection, not fibre.
