Naim NaimUniti 2 Review

NaimUniti 2 review – intro 

The NaimUniti 2 will stream almost any music format, has a built-in DAC, a DAB/FM radio tuner and even a CD player – remember them? And though at £2795 it's comfortably the most expensive streamer we've tested in a while, it's also one of the best specced. Will its sound quality reach the same heights? 

NaimUniti2 review – worth the upgrade? 

Like the Cyrus Streamline v2, the Naim is an upgrade upon an existing and already highly respected design, its revised specification including more power (70W, up from 50W), an improved CD player and a new DAC, plus support for resolutions as high as 24-bit/192kHz.

NaimUniti 2 review – sound quality 

What hasn’t changed is the Uniti 2’s outstanding sound quality. Although by far the priciest system here, it’s also the best-sounding: it effortlessly combines detail with drive, ensuring that even modest MP3 and FLAC files sound good. Feed it 24-bit/192kHz tunes and you’ll be in audio heaven. 

NaimUniti 2 review – AV Fixed Volume 

This option means you can use the Uniti 2 to power the front two speakers of a surround system while controlling the volume on your AV amp. 

NaimUniti 2 review – iOS control app 

The Naim's n-Stream control app is great, slickly bringing in album art and enabling easy lag-free operation. It'll work as a volume controller too – shame it's iOS only then. 

NaimUniti 2 review – build and streaming 

The Uniti 2 is also great to live with. True, its swing-out, clamp-type CD mechanism is a novelty, but every aspect of its design screams quality, from its slick iOS app to its impeccable build. Even the fascia-mounted display is superb, making this one of the few streamers you could use without a control app.

NaimUniti 2 review – verdict 

That said, it lacks the streaming options found in some of the cheaper set-ups, and that’s why we'd plump for the cheaper Cambridge Audio Stream Magic 6 instead. Still, if we were choosing a system based on sound quality alone, this is what we’d buy.