I am completely redoing my system and starting over. I am looking at having a Naim Unity Core w/SSD and a NDX2 for the streamer and DAC. Where does the “Core” fit into this? Do I need an additional unit to house the Core, much like the Nucleus or a NUK or MacMini? The sales guy tells me that I don’t need the core, just the app on my ipad/iPhone???
Thanks for the help.
Mackie
The Naim Unity Core is not a Roon Core. To run Roon you need a PC or a Mac or a Nucleus or a Rock NUC. In the Roon environment, the Unity Core can act as an endpoint with Airplay or Chromecast and possible a storage location. However, I would not recommend that as music would need to go from the unity to the roon core and then back out again. Better to keep the music local to the Roon Core.
See this thread for more detailed discussions:
If you are just going to use the Naim app the uniti makes sense if you are going the roon way it’s a waste of money IMHO.
I agree that is how I see the data flow as well. The Unity Core and Streamer/DAC will be hardwired to one another and you hate to see the data make that roundtrip via wifi. Would there be any loss of data in the process? Does that increase the latency or buffering problems with moving data internally on a wifi network? Can Roon be configured so that that one endpoint have the data that is on the Uniti Core go directly to the Streamer/DAC and not pass through the Roon Core; just control it?
That is how it is looking to me now as well. Supposedly the Unity Core does a great job of reading your CDs and creating the absolute best file. This seems very hard to quantify. Seems like a good quality reader and good ripping software with error checking would be a better path. Any suggestions along those lines? i have been ripping CDs with dBpoweramp, and have been pleased so far, but no real detailed testing yet.
Thanks,
Mackie
You would be far better off buying one the Innuos servers than a Unity core. It can rip and it can run Roon well if your not planning multiple endpoints with DSP. Plenty others with Naim kit using them. The core is very overpriced for what it is and limited in what it can do.
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As an ND555 owner I’d recommend you forget the Naim Core and get a Nucleus or Nucleus+ with Samsung Evo 860 internal SSD. It sounds better in my system, has a smaller footprint and is more versatile.
Dbpoweramp is the weapon of choice for me too.
I agree it’s user friendly and on a par with for example DVL. Makes editing meta tags easy too.
No, the point of Roon is it’s server nature. That the server be large and the endpoints can be thinner and do less work. As other’s have said the point of the naim core is for interacting with Naim equipment and software. Its use in a Roon environment makes a lot of what it offers irrelevant, imho.
Mike-- thanks for the input on the Nucleus and Nucleus+ and how it sounds with your ND555. The responses so far had me leaning that way, but hearing that is works and sounds great with a Naim Streamer, solidifies it for me. With the ND555, does the Roon Core pick up the streamed files from the ND555 and then send them back for processing by the DAC side of the unit?
The nd555 is an output device only.
The nucleus is the server.
You then also need a control device, iPad, pc etc.
Read the knowledge base before spending such a lot of money.
https://kb.roonlabs.com/Architecture
The sales guy could do with reading the knowledge base documents too by the sound of it. 
The Nucleus serves the files from internal storage and fromQobuz/Tidal to the ND555 as endpoint. It can also do so to other endpoints/rooms (e.g.Muso II in bedroom/kitchen).
Where are you located? I’m in SE England if you want to pop round for a look and listen. I believe Signals in Ipswich can also demo and Audio Note Lounge just outside Brighton, who are happy to give home demos.
I had a Naim Core as my digital server, serving a TT2, electrostatic headphone amp and Naim Atom. I decided to look at Roon but I don’t own a computer, just iPad and iPhone.
I looked into the Roon Nucleus but as others have alluded to, it wouldn’t be straightforward to make it work with the Core. Also, I was loosing confidence somewhat in the Core.
I ended up with an Innuos Zenith and have been pleased with the utter simplicity of setting up, and it’s just working as advertised with Roon and Tidal.
You need to find another shop, sir. Once a plonker, always a plonker… and a plonker in your preferred audio equipment vendor’s establishment is a recipe for musical and financial disaster 
I think the sales guy is absolutely correct in the context of the Naim system. It is the OP who is confused between the Roon Core vs the Naim Unity Core.
Well, I believe I’m right in my understanding, and no wonder the OP is confused, if that’s the case.
The Roon app on my ipad/iphone talks to the Roon Core application program running on a computer or NAS drive (I started with Core running on my QNAP, but later moved it to a high-spec Intel NUC thingy I assembled.
The Naim app on my ipad/iphone talks to the Naim Uniti Core hardware server (or in my case a Naim NS01 - I sent the Naim Core back - tried it, didn’t like it).
So the sales guy is not being clear about which app the customer needs (Roon or Naim), or which Core he doesn’t need.
If the customer wants to use Roon, he needs both a Roon Core and the Roon app, but not necessarily a Naim Core.
If the customer isn’t precious about using Roon, then he doesn’t need either a Roon Core or the Roon app, just the Naim Core & Naim app.
OK, it’s not quite as simple as that, I know, but I still think the salesman is a plonker for leaving a potential customer so confused he needs to post on here, don’t you agree ?
(Of course I’m rather hoping that you are not the salesman in question, Quinn 
)
A 95 year old Vietnamese guy like myself being a Naim sales guy? Impossible. I am just a retired sewage repair worker in San Jose, CA.
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Yep-- that’s how I see the setup as well. I will be using it with Roon so I will pass on the Naim Core and buy something that can function as the Core for Roon and get on down the road with this. And no i ma not the salesperson in question, but hopefully he is reading this and will be more informed for his next customer…
Thanks everybody for the help on clarifying this for me.
Mackie