Naim had several products on static display, one of them looking like a small preamp but with an antenna sticking out in the back. I asked Terry Richardson of Audio Plus, North American distributor of Naim products, what this product was; he explained that it was called the Unity QUTE, and said that "it did everything except what a speaker does." Add a pair of speakers and you've got a sound system.

Upon closer questioning, Terry allowed that the Unity QUTE does need a source, which can be a computer or a CD transport. The Unity QUTE connects with the computer wirelessly through WiFi, with an Ethernet cable, or USB. It then works as a DAC, a preamp, and a 25Wpc amplifier. In the photo Terry (on the right) is showing the Unity QUTE's array of inputs to Rick Nickel of www.audiophilia.com.