British brands Naim Audio and Princess Yachts have partnered together to deliver a new audio solution, described as a massive step forward in sound quality for the luxury marine sector.
Naim, with a history of designing and hand-building its audio systems for over 44 years in Salisbury in Wiltshire, has set out on a new partnership with the well-known luxury marine brand in an attempt to align the companies’ shared values of expert engineering, craftsmanship, elegant design and the best in British manufacturing to deliver a high-quality on-board audio experience.
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At the heart of the custom-integrated Naim for Princess audio system is the company’s range of Uniti all-in-one players. Featuring for the first time on the all-new flagship Princess S78, a yacht that is described as distinctly cool, sophisticated and capable of travelling at an exhilarating 39 knots, the compact Uniti Atom is fitted as standard in the yacht’s sportbridge, saloon, cockpit and master stateroom. It provides a synchronised multi-zone music experience, and there is also a Premium upgrade encompassing a Uniti Star in the saloon, uprated speakers and additional zones in the foredeck, guest and crew accommodation areas. Those on board the S78 can control the music and multi-room functionality on a smartphone or tablet using Naim Audio’s dedicated iOS and Android app.
“Achieving seaworthy audiophile-grade music playback presented new challenges to both teams; new benchmarks in acoustic engineering, craftsmanship and expert in-house testing have resulted in a sonic performance befitting a Princess yacht, while matching the high standards set by both companies,” says Trevor Wilson, managing director, Naim Audio
Launched this year and drawing on all the company’s years of heritage and expertise in audio engineering, Naim says the Uniti range boasts a comprehensive feature-set and rich acoustics, delivering a powerful sound full of detail, clarity and musicality.
Designed to connect to a Wi-Fi network, the listener can enjoy music from any source, wirelessly stream downloaded music in high-resolution from a PC, Mac, NAS drive via UPnP (Universal Plug ’n’ Play) or browse and play millions of songs through popular streaming services Spotify Connect and TIDAL.
Support for Apple AirPlay allows streaming of music from Apple iOS devices such as iPhone and iPad, similarly built-in Google Chromecast plays music directly from compatible Android devices and more than 300 audio apps. Internet Radio provides access to thousands of stations, while support for Bluetooth aptX HD enables high-quality and wireless streaming from compatible devices such as a smartphone or tablet.
The new partnership will be first showcased at the Düsseldorf Boat Show.