Naim adds Spotify Connect to digital music players

Naim Spotify Connect

Naim has announced that Spotify Connect is coming to its digital music players, with a free firmware update set to be released in May 2014.

The update "is only suitable for Naim's 24bit/192kHz capable players" and will go live on the Naim website later this year.

Naim made its range of streaming products, such as the NDX, Uniti 2 and UnitiQute 2, high-res capable from September 2011, so provided you bought a machine after this date you should be able to enjoy the Spotify Connect update.

Spotify Connect allows you to stream music directly from Spotify's servers to your device, turning your smartphone or tablet in to a remote rather than the source of your music.

This frees-up your mobile device for other tasks and ensures you're not draining its battery life.

Announced back in September last year, Spotify Connect is available across a range of wireless speakers and other devices, including products from B&O, Denon, Marantz, Pioneer and Yamaha.

Spotify Connect is available on iOS and Android tablets and mobile phones, and also allows you to control playback on one tablet or phone by using another – handy if you use Spotify as a wired source.

To use Spotify Connect you need to be a Spotify Premium subscriber, which costs £9.99/month but removes ads, brings offline playback and, crucially, allows you to choose the best-quality 320kbps playback.

MORE: See all our Naim news and reviews

by Joe Cox

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Joe Cox
Content Director

Joe is the Content Director for What Hi-Fi? and Future’s Product Testing, having previously been the Global Editor-in-Chief of What Hi-Fi?. He has worked on What Hi-Fi? across the print magazine and website for almost 20 years, writing news, reviews and features on everything from turntables to TVs, headphones to hi-fi separates. He has covered product launch events across the world, from Apple to Technics, Sony and Samsung; reported from CES, the Bristol Show, and Munich High End for many years; and written for sites such as the BBC, Stuff and The Guardian. In his spare time, he enjoys expanding his vinyl collection and cycling (not at the same time).

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