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Naim Uniti Atom Review (Streamer & Amp)

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cavedriver

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So this is great that someone is selling an all-digital stream all-in-one box, except that they seem to have missed the full potential by not including a multi-channel amp for each side to eliminate crossovers. Does such a thing exist by anyone yet or are we still having to assemble it from components?
 

PeteL

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So this is great that someone is selling an all-digital stream all-in-one box, except that they seem to have missed the full potential by not including a multi-channel amp for each side to eliminate crossovers. Does such a thing exist by anyone yet or are we still having to assemble it from components?
Wow that's a very specific request. A do it all integrated device specially made for the pool of people that DIY speakers and that don't like analog crossovers. How many of those realistically do you think they will sell?
 

Roland

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I had always wanted a Naim amplifier, so when the Supernait 2 was discontinued I bought a new one at 40% discount. It replaced a Yamaha R-N602 that had a front panel that gave you an electric shock if you touched it whilst it was switched on. The Yamaha was never going to be worth repairing, given its cost, and like most consumer electrics at that price, was essentially disposable.

I was looking for an amp that just amplified, nothing more, no dac, no display, no streaming, no firmware updates, just an amplifier with a remote. I also vowed that this time I would get something that hopefully lasted but could be repaired cost effectively in the event that it failed. The Naim simply works. It barely gets warm. It copes better with low gain tv digital optical out through my Topping D50s dac than the Yamaha did (which needed almost maximum volume), but that must be the Naim’s volume pot gain, because the Yamaha had the same “watts”.

Since reading ASR, I have always thought that one of the “cheap amps that measure well” would have been a much better value proposition, especially when I realised that you can’t even turn on the Naim with the remote, but have to switch it on at the back of the case….. However, I rationalise that there is a quality of ownership to a Naim (even if it measures no better than a Behringer A800, as a Breitling measures no better than a Casio), and the cost of ownership may well be relatively low given the strong second hand values of Naim kit. Being manufactured down the road in Salisbury also appealed, even if the French now own the brand!

I’m still surprised at how badly the Atom measures, though! Does it sound as bad as it measures, I wonder?
 

cavedriver

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Wow that's a very specific request. A do it all integrated device specially made for the pool of people that DIY speakers and that don't like analog crossovers. How many of those realistically do you think they will sell?
I don't think it's all that difficult to make and market considering the broad spectrum of electronic devices available around the world atm, including all sorts of niche products. But more to the point, the all-digital stream is the logical progression of what each of these digital components has enabled. I would expect that everyone at this point sees this is the future so why would it remain niche? Yes, powered speakers with on-board digital equalization and amplification and digital input channels might make the most commercial sense, with separate outboard playback management, which is I believe the most common way people are currently achieving this, but then you are locked into the physical limitations and capabilities of that speaker. Genelec's aren't cheap at $10k a pair if you decide they aren't right for you and they only represent one very specific solution to the speaker design solution. An integrated digital processing stream would allow many other speaker designs and technologies to be more thoroughly exploited.
 

DWI

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So you are saying when a device like the Uniti Atom comes along the test parameters should be eased up because it is special? Everything gets tested at the same settings and tests.
No, I'm saying you need a completely different objective assessment.

I have only used all-in-one units for the last six years and I've used others for many years before that. They are about features and you can do an objective list of features for these products, e.g.:

Roon Roady, uPnP, AirPlay, Voice - Google, Voice - Siri, Voice - Alexa, Spotify, Quboz, Tidal. ... the list goes on and on.

That is how these products are assessed and you can tick off what they do, and don't do. That's what happens in real life. It is more important that measured performance. For example, the UnitiQute 2 that preceded the Atom was released in 2011 and the software was upgraded for Tidal. As I subscribed to Qobuz in 2014, it was no longer fit for purpose, so I sold it and bought a unit that had Qobuz (an Auralic Aries Mini, which my son now uses).

So, I'm saying the objective criteria are completely different for these products because I am absolutely sure no one who buys it is in the least interested in its SINAD because there is no audible distortion, and my unit could drive a pair of Harbeth P3ESR with ease.

The obvious observation is that ASR's objective criteria leads Amir not to recommend it, whereas it the product is hugely popular because assessed by the relevant criteria, it is hugely capable. Every other review I've looked at is primarily concerned with functionality.

In my personal experience these criteria are far more relevant than ± 5 SINAD. My son has a Naim MuSo Qb2. He loves it. He uses it 100% with Spotify Connect. If it did not have Spotify Connect he wouldn't use it. So objective assessment of the software specification really is make-or-break with this class of products.
 

DWI

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Wow that's a very specific request. A do it all integrated device specially made for the pool of people that DIY speakers and that don't like analog crossovers. How many of those realistically do you think they will sell?
3, maybe 4. Probably none.
 

Doodski

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No, I'm saying you need a completely different objective assessment.

I have only used all-in-one units for the last six years and I've used others for many years before that. They are about features and you can do an objective list of features for these products, e.g.:

Roon Roady, uPnP, AirPlay, Voice - Google, Voice - Siri, Voice - Alexa, Spotify, Quboz, Tidal. ... the list goes on and on.

That is how these products are assessed and you can tick off what they do, and don't do. That's what happens in real life. It is more important that measured performance. For example, the UnitiQute 2 that preceded the Atom was released in 2011 and the software was upgraded for Tidal. As I subscribed to Qobuz in 2014, it was no longer fit for purpose, so I sold it and bought a unit that had Qobuz (an Auralic Aries Mini, which my son now uses).

So, I'm saying the objective criteria are completely different for these products because I am absolutely sure no one who buys it is in the least interested in its SINAD because there is no audible distortion, and my unit could drive a pair of Harbeth P3ESR with ease.

The obvious observation is that ASR's objective criteria leads Amir not to recommend it, whereas it the product is hugely popular because assessed by the relevant criteria, it is hugely capable. Every other review I've looked at is primarily concerned with functionality.

In my personal experience these criteria are far more relevant than ± 5 SINAD. My son has a Naim MuSo Qb2. He loves it. He uses it 100% with Spotify Connect. If it did not have Spotify Connect he wouldn't use it. So objective assessment of the software specification really is make-or-break with this class of products.
So Naim can release any incompetent electronics and should not be accountable for the capability of them? People buy Naim thinking that they are getting great British sound and quality when in fact in this case they are buying substandard electronics with lots of features.
 

Ashfyre

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The obvious observation is that ASR's objective criteria leads Amir not to recommend it, whereas it the product is hugely popular because assessed by the relevant criteria, it is hugely capable.

I'm of the opinion, and I suspect that I'm not alone in it, that the reviews conducted here would more accurately described as, "engineering evaluations" focused exclusively on the electronics, in the case of components likes amplifiers, DACs, and whatever else, is appropriate for the category

Would you like the site to include a software category as well? An industrial design category, too? Because that would be the only way to perform what you're espousing, if the job is to be done "right."

However, that would require a team of industry specialists, from those fields, if it were to maintain the standard presented here for us by Amir, which I'm sure both he and his supporters would insist upon.
 

Garrincha

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No, I'm saying you need a completely different objective assessment.

I have only used all-in-one units for the last six years and I've used others for many years before that. They are about features and you can do an objective list of features for these products, e.g.:

Roon Roady, uPnP, AirPlay, Voice - Google, Voice - Siri, Voice - Alexa, Spotify, Quboz, Tidal. ... the list goes on and on.
If they would be selling a software package, all these features would be nice, but they are selling electronic gear, so it must be judged by what it is, electronic gear.
 

Labjr

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Aurelic makes similar streaming products which are expensive and generally measure very well. I wonder how well their products sell compared to this? Especially since Aurelic has the stigma of being a Chinese company.
 

Mart68

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The obvious observation is that ASR's objective criteria leads Amir not to recommend it, whereas it the product is hugely popular because assessed by the relevant criteria, it is hugely capable. Every other review I've looked at is primarily concerned with functionality.
Whilst I broadly agree with what you are saying there are reviews of this unit on Darko and What*Hi-Fi that ramble on for several paragraphs about the sound quality.

Both so full of gems it was hard to pick the best:

''It’s as if Naim freed the Uniti Atom’s presentation from the usual audiophile airs and graces, from private school education and deportment to give it a weekend in Berghain followed by a few days at the test match.

Partnered with the KEF LS50, the Naim can’t quite match the AURALiC on freshwater transparency or the Peachtree on macro-dynamic bombast but it one-inch punches micro-dynamics better than both. I’d also peg the Naim as the most midrange transparent of the three. On image specificity: AURALiC first, Naim second, Peachtree third.'' -
Darko



''Timing was a forte of the last generation of Naim’s all-in-ones, so we’re pleased to find none of it sacrificed this time around.

Return to Blinded By The Lights and that steady kick- and snare rhythm is so precise you could set your watch by it. It's juxtaposed by but simultaneously entwined with those off-kilter tremolo synth chops.

Meanwhile, accomplished dynamics act as midwife for the subtle inflections of Skinner’s vocal – there's a level of detailed expression here that rivals can easily miss, mistaking his nonchalantly casual delivery for pedestrian boredom.'' -
What*Hi-Fi
 

Doodski

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Whilst I broadly agree with what you are saying there are reviews of this unit on Darko and What*Hi-Fi that ramble on for several paragraphs about the sound quality.

Both so full of gems it was hard to pick the best:

''It’s as if Naim freed the Uniti Atom’s presentation from the usual audiophile airs and graces, from private school education and deportment to give it a weekend in Berghain followed by a few days at the test match.

Partnered with the KEF LS50, the Naim can’t quite match the AURALiC on freshwater transparency or the Peachtree on macro-dynamic bombast but it one-inch punches micro-dynamics better than both. I’d also peg the Naim as the most midrange transparent of the three. On image specificity: AURALiC first, Naim second, Peachtree third.'' -
Darko



''Timing was a forte of the last generation of Naim’s all-in-ones, so we’re pleased to find none of it sacrificed this time around.

Return to Blinded By The Lights and that steady kick- and snare rhythm is so precise you could set your watch by it. It's juxtaposed by but simultaneously entwined with those off-kilter tremolo synth chops.

Meanwhile, accomplished dynamics act as midwife for the subtle inflections of Skinner’s vocal – there's a level of detailed expression here that rivals can easily miss, mistaking his nonchalantly casual delivery for pedestrian boredom.'' -
What*Hi-Fi
Gag me with a spoon! Those reviews are babbling nonsense. :facepalm:
 
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As an owner of an Atom, I have a few points: I don’t challenge any of Amir’s findings or measurements, but at the outset of the review he clearly dislikes the ‘sharp edges’ every time he moves it as he says. But… once you have it in place it doesn’t get moved at all by the user. The aesthetics of the device are surely one of the strong points; the wifi antenna is hidden, the blue tooth antenna is hidden, so well in fact that I believe there is a patent on this. Some of the comments talk about how this could be replaced with a PC connected to an outboard DAC, connected to something else… Each to their own of course, but I don’t want my living room looking like an electronics workshop. YVMV.

I wish the Atom had tested better, but I do get excellent results in use with mine. It is in use every day, for radio, streaming from Tidal or my NAS (a Uniti Core). It is very intuitive to use, and works reliably every time, every day. I like the integrated functionality, and it does everything I need just right. If Apple were into hi-fi this is what they would make (I probably need to run for cover about now :)). It is hooked up to B&W bookshelf speakers – CM1, and a B&W subwoofer. The speakers are only about 83db sensitivity, but in my medium sized room (about 14ft x 25ft) I get very good volume with no trouble, and that includes the transients. I listen to jazz and classical mostly, and at moderately high levels. It actually sounds very good indeed, and better than anything I have had in the past using more powerful amps.

Like everyone here, I am always looking for an upgrade, and I will no doubt replace my speakers in the coming months. (There are lots of good reviews of speakers right here for me to go on.) However, my user experience being somewhat counter to the test results leaves me wondering a little, just how much credence to place in testing; If I can’t actually hear the distortion or noise, but do hear good music, are the tests perhaps too onerous?
 

Ken1951

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Whilst I broadly agree with what you are saying there are reviews of this unit on Darko and What*Hi-Fi that ramble on for several paragraphs about the sound quality.

Both so full of gems it was hard to pick the best:

''It’s as if Naim freed the Uniti Atom’s presentation from the usual audiophile airs and graces, from private school education and deportment to give it a weekend in Berghain followed by a few days at the test match.

Partnered with the KEF LS50, the Naim can’t quite match the AURALiC on freshwater transparency or the Peachtree on macro-dynamic bombast but it one-inch punches micro-dynamics better than both. I’d also peg the Naim as the most midrange transparent of the three. On image specificity: AURALiC first, Naim second, Peachtree third.'' -
Darko



''Timing was a forte of the last generation of Naim’s all-in-ones, so we’re pleased to find none of it sacrificed this time around.

Return to Blinded By The Lights and that steady kick- and snare rhythm is so precise you could set your watch by it. It's juxtaposed by but simultaneously entwined with those off-kilter tremolo synth chops.

Meanwhile, accomplished dynamics act as midwife for the subtle inflections of Skinner’s vocal – there's a level of detailed expression here that rivals can easily miss, mistaking his nonchalantly casual delivery for pedestrian boredom.'' -
What*Hi-Fi
O.M.F.G. - I want to know what kind of drugs these writers are on, or conversely, who programmed the AI that spitout these word salads.
 

Doodski

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However, my user experience being somewhat counter to the test results leaves me wondering a little, just how much credence to place in testing; If I can’t actually hear the distortion or noise, but do hear good music, are the tests perhaps too onerous?
The tests are designed to cut out the wheat from the chaff. When a component does not even make it to CD quality in this day and age then there is something wrong. Nobody is claiming that the difference is night and day but we are claiming that is it subpar for what is expected from Naim and for the expense of purchasing this product.
 

PeteL

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As an owner of an Atom, I have a few points: I don’t challenge any of Amir’s findings or measurements, but at the outset of the review he clearly dislikes the ‘sharp edges’ every time he moves it as he says. But… once you have it in place it doesn’t get moved at all by the user. The aesthetics of the device are surely one of the strong points; the wifi antenna is hidden, the blue tooth antenna is hidden, so well in fact that I believe there is a patent on this. Some of the comments talk about how this could be replaced with a PC connected to an outboard DAC, connected to something else… Each to their own of course, but I don’t want my living room looking like an electronics workshop. YVMV.

I wish the Atom had tested better, but I do get excellent results in use with mine. It is in use every day, for radio, streaming from Tidal or my NAS (a Uniti Core). It is very intuitive to use, and works reliably every time, every day. I like the integrated functionality, and it does everything I need just right. If Apple were into hi-fi this is what they would make (I probably need to run for cover about now :)). It is hooked up to B&W bookshelf speakers – CM1, and a B&W subwoofer. The speakers are only about 83db sensitivity, but in my medium sized room (about 14ft x 25ft) I get very good volume with no trouble, and that includes the transients. I listen to jazz and classical mostly, and at moderately high levels. It actually sounds very good indeed, and better than anything I have had in the past using more powerful amps.

Like everyone here, I am always looking for an upgrade, and I will no doubt replace my speakers in the coming months. (There are lots of good reviews of speakers right here for me to go on.) However, my user experience being somewhat counter to the test results leaves me wondering a little, just how much credence to place in testing; If I can’t actually hear the distortion or noise, but do hear good music, are the tests perhaps too onerous?
No need for a patent to hide an antenna. Just use plexiglass instead of metal for part of your enclosure.
 

Mart68

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O.M.F.G. - I want to know what kind of drugs these writers are on, or conversely, who programmed the AI that spitout these word salads.
If I was getting paid for that I'd just cut and paste subjective waffle stuff from very old editions of TAS and Stereophile, no-one will recognise it and you're done in ten minutes or less. After all, there's no wrong answers.

Maybe that's actually what they do?
 
OP
amirm

amirm

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Aurelic makes similar streaming products which are expensive and generally measure very well. I wonder how well their products sell compared to this? Especially since Aurelic has the stigma of being a Chinese company.
Aurelic owned the market for streaming products at audio shows. I don't think most people even knew they were from China until they went to their own booth. I am pretty sure they have a much larger share of high-end streaming products than Naim.
 
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