Have this on order together with a Chord Etude power amp, after demoing it along side a few one box solutions like Naim Uniti Nova and NAD M33. I can’t tell if it was the chord or Naim (probably both) that made up the SQ improvement over the Nova/M33 but a fantastic combo nonetheless. Very impressed with the HE edition. Such a versatile piece of hifi-gear. It really can be the center of a hifi_setup. I have a vinyl player plus considering a music server, all which are easily integrated. Gf is happy with the remote for TV-usage. The headphone amp is really just a bonus for me, I would have purchased it without one. As a streamer/dac/headphone amp I feel this unit is really underrated so glad you brought that part up in the video :)
It's a fantastic sounding headphone amp, it's just a shame that Naim have been pretty dishonest about the balanced outputs. This unit is not truly balanced so the XLR outputs are essentially the same as single ended and appear to be mostly for decoration. Also be aware (though it doesn't bother me) The analogue in is digitised and sent to the dac before being converted back to analogue. I repeat though, sounds fantastic with good headphones.
Thanks for the heads up as I was concerned about these two points. I have owned and loved the sound of both the Star and Nova but ended up moving on because I didn’t like the fact that everything I plugged into the analog inputs ended up getting reprocessed through the internal dac. (Although sounded good)
I have the atom he edition which I use with focal clear mg headphones.I am not an audiophile,whatever that is, but listen to music approx.an hour or two most days.Are you able to recommend any particular active speakers that would be suitable to extend its capabilities.Thanks for the review which confirms I have made a wise choice.👍
The Focal Shape series works well with the Naim. There are 4", 5", 6.5" versions and a dual 5' version (Shape Twin). I heard the Atom HE with the Shape 65 and Shape Twin versions in a room of about 170 square feet and thought it sounded great sitting about 6 feet from the front of the speakers. I think the 4" or 5" version would be good for a desktop setup. My local Naim / Focal dealer uses the Shape 4 with an iMac to make TH-cam videos.
It has so many options for streaming and as a pre-amp but it's Achilles heel is the DAC. They say it's good but not in "dCS Vivaldi territory". It's not even close to being in Chord Hugo mark I territory.
Would this be considered above or beyond the Naim NAC-N 272 (full width) streaming pre amp in the Naim range. And how about vs the new NSC-222 which also looks to have similar functionality?
Hello, thanks a lot for this very good video. I’m thinking of buying a Naim HE to replace my streaming set up (a Bluesound Node 2i and Chord Qutest DAC) and my headphone amp (Lehmann Audio Linear). I want to use the Naim both as a stand alone component but also as part of my current system (which includes a Rega Elicit amp, Rega Apollo CD player, Rega Planar 3 turntable and Spica TC 60 speakers). Do you think the Naim would be an upgrade to my current streaming and headphone set up? Kind regards, Ignacio
@@Hi-FiRiff Thanks a lot, Mike. I intend to use the Naim as a headphone amp and a streamer. It would replace my current Lehmann Audio Linear headphone amp and my Node 2i/Qutest DAC. My P3 is connected to my Rega Elicit amp. I don’t see a connection between the Naim and the P3 turntable or the need for it. Regards, Ignacio
Thanks a lot for the feedback, Mike. Going back to your question on connecting the P3 to the Naim, I understand that by plugging the Naim to my amplifier (Rega Elicit), it acts as a regular headphone amp and that through it I can listen to other sources such as CD player and turntable. Regards, Ignacio
PRESENT NAIM IN 3 WORDS OR LESS: Low build quality. Must be left on constantly drawing massive electric current. Expensive recapping REQUIRED every 10 years. Use of overpriced DIN cables. Always an option to buy a new PSU for "better sound". Proprietary star-grounding mess equals incompatibility with other equipment without hum. Loudly humming toroid transformers. Famous Naim speaker hiss can be heard from 3 meters away with 87db speakers. Zero soundstage, only pounding exaggerated mid-bass. Naim "PRaT" is a marketing gimmick. Cold, steely, metallic and abrasive sound equals immediate listening fatigue. Naim repair service requires several months of unit immobilization. Naim has lost 3 CEOs, 2 Marketing Directors and countless technical engineers in the last 2 years. Naim INSISTS on using ALPS blue velvet potentiometers for balance and volume control which are ALWAYS imbalanced and SKEWED either left or right. It impossible to have a centered musical image for stereo listening with Naim equipment. Naim STILL will not update the omerta on using non-Naim speaker cables as they threaten this will "blow up" your amplifier because of inductance, resistance and capacitance values. Naim is now obligated to demo with Focal speakers, and vice-versa, due to the unnatural and illogical marriage of two brands managed by Vervent Audio Group. This entity is managed by Cedric Boutonnet from Saint Etienne, France and who doesn't give a SHIT about Customers in general and the Naim brand in particular. It is a well-known and well-documented fact that Naim and Focal do not work together and should never be in the same system. Imagine associating Naim with beryllium tweeters = instant ear bleed. Shall I continue? There's lots more to be said.
Thanks for the review, been considering this unit.
Have this on order together with a Chord Etude power amp, after demoing it along side a few one box solutions like Naim Uniti Nova and NAD M33. I can’t tell if it was the chord or Naim (probably both) that made up the SQ improvement over the Nova/M33 but a fantastic combo nonetheless. Very impressed with the HE edition. Such a versatile piece of hifi-gear. It really can be the center of a hifi_setup. I have a vinyl player plus considering a music server, all which are easily integrated. Gf is happy with the remote for TV-usage. The headphone amp is really just a bonus for me, I would have purchased it without one. As a streamer/dac/headphone amp I feel this unit is really underrated so glad you brought that part up in the video :)
It's a fantastic sounding headphone amp, it's just a shame that Naim have been pretty dishonest about the balanced outputs. This unit is not truly balanced so the XLR outputs are essentially the same as single ended and appear to be mostly for decoration. Also be aware (though it doesn't bother me) The analogue in is digitised and sent to the dac before being converted back to analogue. I repeat though, sounds fantastic with good headphones.
Thanks for the heads up as I was concerned about these two points. I have owned and loved the sound of both the Star and Nova but ended up moving on because I didn’t like the fact that everything I plugged into the analog inputs ended up getting reprocessed through the internal dac. (Although sounded good)
Real nice piece. Did not know it could be used as a preamp. Can you connect to a better external dac? Thanks!
I have the atom he edition which I use with focal clear mg headphones.I am not an audiophile,whatever that is, but listen to music approx.an hour or two most days.Are you able to recommend any particular active speakers that would be suitable to extend its capabilities.Thanks for the review which confirms I have made a wise choice.👍
Sure - what's your budget and how big is your room?
The Focal Shape series works well with the Naim. There are 4", 5", 6.5" versions and a dual 5' version (Shape Twin). I heard the Atom HE with the Shape 65 and Shape Twin versions in a room of about 170 square feet and thought it sounded great sitting about 6 feet from the front of the speakers. I think the 4" or 5" version would be good for a desktop setup. My local Naim / Focal dealer uses the Shape 4 with an iMac to make TH-cam videos.
Martin Logan Neolith Speakers
KEF LS50 Wireless
It has so many options for streaming and as a pre-amp but it's Achilles heel is the DAC. They say it's good but not in "dCS Vivaldi territory". It's not even close to being in Chord Hugo mark I territory.
Would this be considered above or beyond the Naim NAC-N 272 (full width) streaming pre amp in the Naim range. And how about vs the new NSC-222 which also looks to have similar functionality?
Hello, thanks a lot for this very good video. I’m thinking of buying a Naim HE to replace my streaming set up (a Bluesound Node 2i and Chord Qutest DAC) and my headphone amp (Lehmann Audio Linear). I want to use the Naim both as a stand alone component but also as part of my current system (which includes a Rega Elicit amp, Rega Apollo CD player, Rega Planar 3 turntable and Spica TC 60 speakers). Do you think the Naim would be an upgrade to my current streaming and headphone set up? Kind regards, Ignacio
One quick question first... how will you connect the P3 to the Naim? Mike
@@Hi-FiRiff Thanks a lot, Mike. I intend to use the Naim as a headphone amp and a streamer. It would replace my current Lehmann Audio Linear headphone amp and my Node 2i/Qutest DAC. My P3 is connected to my Rega Elicit amp. I don’t see a connection between the Naim and the P3 turntable or the need for it. Regards, Ignacio
Thanks a lot for the feedback, Mike. Going back to your question on connecting the P3 to the Naim, I understand that by plugging the Naim to my amplifier (Rega Elicit), it acts as a regular headphone amp and that through it I can listen to other sources such as CD player and turntable. Regards, Ignacio
Hi guys, thanks for great review, do you know if the analog-out is possible to set to fixed line-out? to connet to integrated amp... not power amp..
You could use this as a steamer only if you have a dedicated amp/dac? Or use another dac with built in hp amp?
🍄
Hi my focal utopia headphones are not sounding right with this amp. 🤷🏻♂️
Are you streaming directly from the uniti?
Do you have another input plugged in?
What is your streaming service?
Mike
@@Hi-FiRiff hi yes streaming directly from the atom he.
No only a Ethernet cable.
I’m using tidal with the naim app.
👍
Have you plugged the headphones into a different piece of equipment to see whether it’s the headphones or atom at issue?
PRESENT NAIM IN 3 WORDS OR LESS: Low build quality. Must be left on constantly drawing massive electric current. Expensive recapping REQUIRED every 10 years. Use of overpriced DIN cables. Always an option to buy a new PSU for "better sound". Proprietary star-grounding mess equals incompatibility with other equipment without hum. Loudly humming toroid transformers. Famous Naim speaker hiss can be heard from 3 meters away with 87db speakers. Zero soundstage, only pounding exaggerated mid-bass. Naim "PRaT" is a marketing gimmick. Cold, steely, metallic and abrasive sound equals immediate listening fatigue. Naim repair service requires several months of unit immobilization. Naim has lost 3 CEOs, 2 Marketing Directors and countless technical engineers in the last 2 years. Naim INSISTS on using ALPS blue velvet potentiometers for balance and volume control which are ALWAYS imbalanced and SKEWED either left or right. It impossible to have a centered musical image for stereo listening with Naim equipment. Naim STILL will not update the omerta on using non-Naim speaker cables as they threaten this will "blow up" your amplifier because of inductance, resistance and capacitance values. Naim is now obligated to demo with Focal speakers, and vice-versa, due to the unnatural and illogical marriage of two brands managed by Vervent Audio Group. This entity is managed by Cedric Boutonnet from Saint Etienne, France and who doesn't give a SHIT about Customers in general and the Naim brand in particular. It is a well-known and well-documented fact that Naim and Focal do not work together and should never be in the same system. Imagine associating Naim with beryllium tweeters = instant ear bleed. Shall I continue? There's lots more to be said.
ouch - I love Focal headphones - and was convinced that this would be the perfect DAC / Amp to pair with Focal - now I'm back to square one.
Thanks for bringing awareness. What do you recommend instead?
Who cares. Relax.
Freak