Thanks for your reply. I think this would be nice for my system that is transitioning from active to separates.
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I would also look into the LSA Warp 1 power amplifier. I have combined that with my Atom HE as well and actually preferred it over the Purifi as it has more PRaT than the Purifi designs. The combination with the Atom HE was excellent. I have kept the Warp even though I donāt actually need it anymore, just because I love it so much. And it is not that expensive either, comparable to the Purifi designs or even cheaper. I compared it to several Purifi designs and the Benchmark AHB2 and still preferred my Warp over these other amps.
BR,
Richard
I finally bought the HE, and am extremely happy with it
I have no speakers/amps , but I do run the HE line output to my Samsung Soundbar HW 950 with no issues.
One quirk to be aware of , I use my HD800 on a XLR balanced cable out of the back of the HE it actually suits my layout well. To use in preamp mode you need to turn off the back port to go to preamp mode and then back on to go headphones again. It a tiny button top left , bit messy but I donāt do it too often.
I suppose you could use the 4.4 Pentacon on the front that doesnāt have the limitation , but I think you need to unplug the phones in pre amp mode , but thatās common for most amps.
I could be wrong but think you can still leave the 4.4 headphones plugged in and manually select preamp with that switch if you want.
What the front plugs have is auto select. So if you did unplug them, it switches to prepamp and then back to headphones when plugged in.
Thanks for the info. Looking at the spec sheet it appears that the LSA amp does not supply minimum output current that my speakers would need.
Which speakers are those if I may ask? I find it hard to believe the Warp would not deliver enough current for a speaker. It is a very powerful amplifier, but I might be wrong of course.
Looks like Apogees? Thatās a different animal indeed. Not sure where you live, but I would definitely try before you buy.
The amps come with a thirty day trial period. I will also compare the Atom HE against my 861v4 as an preamp streamer.
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Hi, folks.
Iām considering a Naim Atom HE as a single-box desktop solution.
Iāve read this thread - it was a great starting point. Iām wondering if anyone here that bought or didnāt buy an Atom HE has anything to add to whatās already been said. Any additional reasons to consider buying or not buying one? Anything learned over the past year and a half? Any competitive products I should look at? Any imminent releases that should give me pause?
Thanks in advance for anything you can share. I appreciate it.
I like my Atom HE, but there a some points about which you can think:
- no USB DAC
- not really symmetrical
- no native DSD (you should use PCM)
- display is nice, but not really configurable
- pricey
- not ideal for IEMs
As Roon endpoint the Naim is very stable and smooth. But if you want to use it as standalone (USB HDD connected), then youāll have some limitations.
Iām using also streamers from Matrix Audio (Mini 3 pro and element i2), Lumin (U1 mini and T2) and Rose (RS250) and all of them have advantages and disadvantages.
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Whatās not symmetrical about it?
I think people donāt like it as rack unit but itās supposed to be a tabletop unit with the top exposed for volume control.
Pricey? I think for what you get streamer/dac/headphone amp/preamp itās very competitive considering itās build quality and sound quality. You can probably put together separate units for cheaper that may sound as good or better but youāre paying for convenience of an all in one.
But most ideal if going to use with roon and or Tidal for easiest convenience. Tidal has Connect feature so can just use their app. The Naim app works well but not the greatest. Qobuz can use the Chromecast feature but not gapless and doesnāt really work well unless plugged into ethernet. And then have Airplay option for other services but limited to Cd quality or lower currently with Apple Music. I use Qobuz thru roon.
I found sound quality excellent with the original Utopia and the Dan Clark Expanse. The Expanse can be hard to power and it has no issues with bass or control. I decided the Expanse not for me so have a ZMF Caldera on order. Iām sure it will do fine with that too. Easier to power. Iāll report back when it arrives.
Iāve had for over year and half and still think one of my best audio purchases. I got it at $3200 when released, so slightly better value at the time. But for most part, itās still a pleasure to use and havenāt seen any real competition in the all in one space.
I guess the only weird thing about it was having the XLR on the back and that it didnāt automatically switch from preamp to headphone mode with that connection. For the Caldera, I ordered with 4.4mm plug, which is on front and switches to headphones automatically.
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Thanks very much @Burkhardt_Petermann. Iām not looking for anything other than Roon + Tidal / Qobuz / local library.
You surprised me with the point about no USB. I assumed it supported USB input but, indeed, it doesnāt. If I go this route it will sit next to my Mac Studio. This got me curious about the 3.5mm jack on the back of the Studio. Appleās 3.5mm jacks used to be able to do optical/Mini-Tosliink - I had to go check to see if they still do. They donāt. Iām ok with this, actually - I donāt actually want or need this to be a computer audio solution.
Thank you, also, @Mike_Scheinkman.
Thatās my only use case. I have a pair of KEF LSX IIs on the same desk which are driven by my computer. I want a separate, dedicated headphone station.
The Calderas are the category of headphone Iām trying to set up for. Canāt pull the trigger on a pair until Iām confident I can drive them. I would love to hear your thoughts on them with the Uniti when they show up.
The balanced (undetected) port on the rear is strange but not a dealbreaker. Easy enough to either just it or go with 4.4mm.
Thanks for this.
Iād be shocked if it didnāt have more than enough power for the Caldera. The Expanse maxed out at 60% power and drove them beautifully. The Naim HE was actually a much better match than the $30k DCS Lina Stack. The amp on that isnāt great and sounded bass light and somewhat lifeless to me.
I also owned the Chord Dave/mscaler with the Utopia and found them more enjoyable on the Naim HE setup. The Naim just has this great weight and rhythm thatās missing on some other units.
The only reason I got rid of the Expanse was found them too closed sounding. Also didnāt care for the looks. I havenāt heard the Caldera yet, but it sounds like it might be more to my liking. Prefer fun over analytical. And thatās also how I feel the Naim HE performs. May not win for most technical but itās got heart and soul. The music moves you.
Iām close to sold 
I have a Mojo 2 + Poly that I use around the house. I was thinking about a Hugo 2 TT + streamer. Itās helpful that you have experience with the Dave vs. the Naim.
I just connected the dots and realized that it was you that posted about Calderas on the headphone thread. What a nice setup. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on your headphones when you get them! Thanks again for the info and opinions!
So I only heard the Hugo TT2/mscaler briefly at CanJam with Expanse. While itās great at what it does, itās kind of the opposite of what Naim does. It was very clean and precise but seemed to lack warmth. I preferred the Expanse in the Naim He because brought out the bass more and gave them a little bit of fun.
But in the end, itās sort of a preference. Do you prefer a clean, somewhat leaner sound that might bring out the details in the highs right away? Or do you want to have the music wash over you with more weight and rhythm. To be honest, the Naim sound took me a little while to get use to. Felt too congested at first. Either my brain adjusted or the unit opened up after a few weeks.
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Is that a trick question? The latter. Iām not a clinical listener. Iām an immersive listener. Iām analytical and pedantic to a fault in most other areas. Iām escapist with music. One consequence of that is that Iāll spend money on convenience, simplicity, ergonomics and not on separates, interconnects, etc. that increase some qauntitative measure by a marginal amount. Iād rather plop a thing down and just listen. Jazz, punk, rock, classical, musicals, alternative, soul/neo-soul - bring it on! I think this amp is probably a fit.
Roon is a great product. This community is also a huge asset.
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It actually wasnāt a trick question. I tend to lean in the side of fun but I do like some good science and technology behind that fun. I feel Chord tends to lean hard on the tech while forgetting most of the fun. The original Hugo was quite musical but the Hugo 2 was not. Brought out soundstage and layering but at the expense of weight. The Dave corrected most of these issues but even with the recommended HF, it was a little thin sounding. The mscaler is really overpriced for what it does, which adds a little more depth and separation. Donāt get me wrong, the Dave/mscaler sounds wonderful on great recordings but sure doesnāt add any fun to the rest of my collection. You start just searching out albums that sound great with it.
With the Naim HE, I put on those same bad recordings and find myself tapping my foot and listening to the whole album. So regardless of how technically proficient it is, itās a more enjoyable listen.
And with headphones themselves I ended up straddling that same line. The Stealth is technically an amazingly headphone but to me it sounded lifeless. I thought the Expanse would be the balance of tech and fun. While itās definitely more fun than the Stealth, over time I think I found it less fun than the Utopia. Everything sounded amazing and heard more resolution but found myself not as moved as I was with the Utopia. So now onto ZMF. They seem to voice with musicality in mind along with amazing looks. So hoping the Caldera is that perfect example of an amazing technical achievement while still having heart and soul. Seems Meze Elite might have achieved this but the looks of the Caldera won me out.
Has anyone tried the Focal Clear MGs with the Niam Atom HE? I have the Clear MGs and find them to be very similar to the sound that is described above quote. Could they be a great match or just turn out to be a case of too much fun? 
@Mike_Scheinkman - I hope you donāt mind if you get a private message or two from me in the future if I have an occasional question. Youāve been supremely helpful.
Same parent company and thereās even a section on the Uniti Atom HE page called āSuggested Systemā thatās just a picture of a handful of Focal headphones. So whether or not consumers think they pair well, theyāre certainly co-marketed as though they do.
Iām just getting back into wired headphones after a couple of decades of many, many bluetooth pairs. My first purchase was a set of Focal Clear MGs that Iām listening to at the moment [Time Outtakes based on a recommendation in another thread]. Thereās a good chance Iāll be able to share my impressions of the pairing with you next week, though Iāll have little to compare it to.
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