Hard though it may seem to believe, some 15 years have passed since British hi-fi company Naim Audio launched its NaimUniti ‘just add speakers’ streaming system, thus starting a whole new hi-fi species. Combining network audio, a CD player and amplification, and with the option of a radio tuner, too, the original Uniti model was a highly attractive alternative to a stack of conventional separates, and capable of very impressive performance.

True, it was seen at the time – at least by much of the company’s fanbase – as not being very Naim: after all, this was a brand seemingly built around the concept of building a system from discrete components, usually leading to a stack of similar-looking boxes filling up a rack (or sometimes several racks), the function of each part not being immediately obvious to the untrained eye.

Nonetheless, the Naim Uniti proved a success, both critically and in sales terms, and would go on to influence product launches from a number of rival companies. And it remains a mainstay of the company range, having gone through several generations to the current line-up of the Uniti Atom, Nova and Star models, plus the Uniti Core server, as well as providing the streaming platform behind Naim’s component network players and streaming preamplifiers. It’s also at the heart of the company’s Mu-so series of network speaker systems, developed in co-operation with partner company Focal. What’s more, over that time Naim has transitioned from being a company based in the playback of physical media to a leader in network and online streaming (though it should be noted that it launched a limited-edition turntable, the Solstice, some three years back).

Of late, Naim has expanded the appeal of its Uniti line with some additional versions of two of its models, just as it launched special editions of its Mu-so ‘Connected Speaker’ products – one in wood-finished casework, the other reflecting its role as audio supplier to the luxury vehicles of Bentley Motors. However, the latest Uniti models are more than just cosmetic upgrades of the products on which they’re based.

Early 2022 saw the arrival of the Uniti Atom HE (or Headphone Edition), the standard model’s onboard power amplification being replaced with a dedicated headphone amplifier stage with multiple output options, designed to drive even very demanding high-end headphone loads to an exceptionally high standard. Add in a preamp output able to be used straight into a power amp, and you have a product both for the ‘head-fi’ fanatic and those wanting to use it at the heart of a separates audio system.

The second addition to the range, launched this year, is the Uniti Nova PE, the suffix identifying it as the ‘Power Edition’. Look at this latest arrival alongside the ‘standard’ Nova and, apart from standing a couple of centimetres taller, the PE version looks identical: however, it differs in one specific specification, with a near-doubling of power output from 80W per channel into 8ohms to 150W a side, achieved via a switch from the Class AB amplification found in most of the company’s other product to Class D. This also brings about a useful reduction of power consumption in use, down from 140W to 120W, thanks to the greater efficiency of the amplification section used here.

On which subject, the technology Naim has chosen for its new power amp stages is from Danish company Purifi Audio, in the form of its Eigentakt modules, which have been acclaimed in other audio implementations. Like other high-end users of this technology Naim builds the modules itself, allowing them to be seamlessly integrated into the established Uniti Nova design, powered by a large conventional transformer, while a separate supply is used for the unit’s digital section.

At this point, it’s worth taking on board two considerations, the first being that, in past testing of the original Uniti Nova, I’ve never felt it to be lacking in power – indeed, it always seemed more than capable of driving a wide range of speakers in a convincing manner. This is a common Naim trait: while its paper power output specifications often seem modest, the amplifiers always sound bigger and more dynamic in use than the numbers alone may suggest.

Second, there’s the price of the Uniti Nova PE: at £8600, it’s almost double that of the ‘standard’ Nova, which is £4399. That pitches it not only at the top of the current Uniti range, but also in the upper echelons of the streaming amplifier sector, even though you can spend a lot more on a product of this kind.

PERFORMANCE

It doesn’t take long with the Nova PE to appreciate the benefits this new model brings. Yes, it has all the flexibility offered by the ‘standard’ version, including network playback of locally stored files at up to 384kHz/32bit and DSD128, as well as services including Qobuz, Spotify, Tidal Connect and internet radio, and can play music via Apple AirPlay 2, Bluetooth, Chromecast, all controlled by the included Zigbee radio-frequency handset or the excellent Focal & Naim app – all that’s a given.

But what sets it apart is the scale, power and confidence with which it delivers music: partnered with suitably revealing speakers, this is truly a high-end music system made completely user-friendly, and from a package no larger than a conventional integrated amplifier it delivers an entirely compelling performance.

Playing the recent Chandos complete recording of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel, with the Sinfonia of London under John Wilson, the Naim grabs the attention from the off with the richness and fine nuances of the opening ‘Carousel Waltz’, and then holds the attention as the drama unfolds, its easygoing, insightful sound eliciting every detail of the performance.

And that effortless delivery of the power of large orchestral forces serves well the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine with Joseph Swensen ‘Ring Odyssey’ release on Alpha, with superb depth to the soundstage and focus within it, and absolute confidence as the music swells and the Wagnerian brass is unleashed. The dynamic ability is remarkable, with not a hint of compression even at high playback levels and the sound so clean that all that power being delivered from near silence is truly thrilling, and fine detail readily apparent even when the system is delivering window-rattling bass.

Not that the abilities of the Naim are limited to big, room-shaking orchestral fireworks: even in much smaller-scale performances: with Quatuor Diatoma’s close-focused Pentatone recording of Bruckner and Klose string quartets it shows it’s convincing with micro-dynamics as it is with the hard-hitting stuff, while solo piano and accompanied voice show just what the new amplification installed here brings to the unit’s handling of timbre and texture.

At heart this is the familiar Uniti Nova shot through with more power, but the change here is transformative, making this a near-perfect solution for anyone wanting high-end performance without all the system clutter.

Technical Information

Type Network music player/amplifier

Price £8600

Power output 150Wpc into 8ohms, 250Wpc into 4ohms
Networking Ethernet, Wi-Fi

Digital inputs 2 x USB-A (front and rear), 2 x optical, 2 coaxial, BNC, HDMI ARC for TV

Analogue inputs 2 x RCA, 2 x DIN

Audio outputs One pair of speakers, RCA/DIN preamp outputs; 3.5mm headphone

Accessories supplied Remote handset

Dimensions (WxHxD) 43.2x11.6x 26.5cm

naimaudio.com