Naim Uniti Atom HE power amp suggestion + Apple Music

[Gaborm1]

I decided to buy the Naim Uniti Atom HE with a Focal Clear MG headphone. Since 90% of my listening will be on the headphones, I want to connect the Atom HE to an amplifier and speakers. Currently, I have a Yamaha R-N602. However, I can only use the RCA connection, not the balance XLR. Which power amp with balanced XLR would you suggest? The NAIM NAP 250 is around £6200 and would require to replace my Dali Zensor 3 (I guess). This would mean at least a £8k investment, which I want to avoid.

My other question is that even though I have Quboz, I want to listen to Apple Music on the Naim Uniti Atom HE, what is the best way to connect an iPhone/iPad to the unit?

 

[staticV3]

Which power amp with balanced XLR would you suggest?

Take a look at Nord's offerings: https://nordacoustics.co.uk/products/

what is the best way to connect an iPhone/iPad to the unit?

AirPlay for convenience

Lightning to Coax adapter for lossless transmission (e.g. Lightning to USB-C OTG cable + TC100-COA/TC100S)

 

[Willem]

I decided to buy the Naim Uniti Atom HE with a Focal Clear MG headphone. Since 90% of my listening will be on the headphones, I want to connect the Atom HE to an amplifier and speakers. Currently, I have a Yamaha R-N602. However, I can only use the RCA connection, not the balance XLR. Which power amp with balanced XLR would you suggest? The NAIM NAP 250 is around £6200 and would require to replace my Dali Zensor 3 (I guess). This would mean at least a £8k investment, which I want to avoid.

My other question is that even though I have Quboz, I want to listen to Apple Music on the Naim Uniti Atom HE, what is the best way to connect an iPhone/iPad to the unit?

The RME ADI-2 would be a far better preamp/headphone amp, and would save you a lot of money. As for power amp, I would suggest a Purifi or Hypex based one if you want the best of what money can buy - there is plenty of choice of those, and again for not that much money compared to the figures you are quoting. All this will save you a fair bit of cash to spend on speakers.

 

[Gaborm1]

Take a look at Nord's offerings: https://nordacoustics.co.uk/products/


AirPlay for convenience

Lightning to Coax adapter for lossless transmission (e.g. Lightning to USB-C OTG cable + TC100-COA/TC100S)

Thanks, will check the amplifiers.

I want a lossless transition. Do you have any particular brand you suggest?

The RME ADI-2 would be a far better preamp/headphone amp, and would save you a lot of money. As for power amp, I would suggest a Purifi or Hypex based one if you want the best of what money can buy - there is plenty of choice of those, and again for not that much money compared to the figures you are quoting. All this will save you a fair bit of cash to spend on speakers.

The RME ADI-2 would be a far better preamp/headphone amp, and would save you a lot of money. As for power amp, I would suggest a Purifi or Hypex based one if you want the best of what money can buy - there is plenty of choice of those, and again for not that much money compared to the figures you are quoting. All this will save you a fair bit of cash to spend on speakers.

Thanks for your input. Although I have not tested RME (I read many very positive reviews!), I was amazed at the Atom HE sound quality. On top, I like Atom's design, and if I want to add a CDT later, I would prefer to be part of one ecosystem. I checked the RME ADI-2 availability in the UK, and many sites are showing as not available/orderable at the moment.

 

[staticV3]

I want a lossless transition. Do you have any particular brand you suggest?

Not really.
There are a bunch of products which will all give you equally well lossless transmission of audio.

Here are a few:

Hifime S2 Digi -Optical SPDIF input and output to USB

The Hifime S2 Digi is an optical in/out device. It has an optical SPDIF input and also an output which can both be used at the same time.

hifimediy.com

Hifime USB to Optical converter

The UT23 connects to your computer via USB and sends out an optical SPDIF signal. There is no DAC involved, just the USB to optical feature.

hifimediy.com

PO100 Pro

Foshan ShuangMuSanLin electronics Co., LTD. founded in 2009 which located in Shenzhen, China. And our branch company VMV Technology(HK) Company Limited registered in HK in 2013. Our company is specialized in the audio DAC, stereo headphone amplifier, power amplifier, and with own R&D...

www.smsl-audio.com

USB C to SPDIF Transmitter

HIGHLIGHT [Convert USB Port to SPDIF Transmitter] – Cubilux S/PDIF Output Adapter lets you transmit the optical audio signal from the USB Type C port of computers to soundbars, home audio system, external DAC or amplifier to enjoy 5.1 surround sound. [For Output ONLY] – This converter cannot be...

www.cubilux.com

USB A to TOSLINK Optical Audio Adapter-Black

HIGHLIGHT [Instantly Connect your USB A Devices to S/PDIF Sound System] – Cubilux USB A to S/PDIF Optical Audio Converter lets you easily connect your USB Type A laptop, computer or gaming console with sound bar, home audio system, external DAC, amplifier, preamp or speaker to enjoy lossless...

www.cubilux.com

DD ddHiFi TC100S Portable Digital Interface & RC100C RCA OCC Coaxial Cable (Detachable Version of TC100-COA)

Buy DD ddHiFi TC100S Portable Digital Interface & RC100C RCA OCC Coaxial Cable (Detachable Version of TC100-COA) on HiFiGo, and you can enjoy a year warranty and the best after-sales service.

hifigo.com

DD ddHiFi TC100-COA USB-C Female to Digital RCA Coaxial Converter Audio Cable

Buy DD ddHiFi TC100-COA USB-C Female to Digital RCA Coaxial Converter Audio Cable on HiFiGo, and you can enjoy a year warranty and the best after-sales service.

hifigo.com

Douk Audio U2 XMOS XU208 USB to Coaxial/Optical Converter Digital Interface Audio Adapter DSD

U2 is a USB to Toslink optical and coaxial converter, suitable for PC computer, notebook, android phone(OTG), set-top box, rock 64, raspberry pi and so on, it can bring better listening experience than PC own sound card. Features Adopting the digital interface of XMOS XU208 chip solution, with...

doukaudio.com

Douk Audio U2 PRO XMOS XU208 USB to COAX/OPT/HDMI Converter Digital Interface DSD256

Features With USB input and TOSLINK optical / coaxial /HDMI 12S output(can output at the same time), can work well with DAC, preamp, amplifier or speaker. Adopting XMOS XU208 chip solution, with 1000MIPS random access memory much higher than U8 (500MIPS), and more stable than Italian Amanero...

doukaudio.com

One differentiating factor is that some converters will lock your iPhone's volume at 100%, while others will still allow you to control volume via your phone's volume rocker.

All of these can be connected to you iPhone/iPad.
How you connect them depends on which converter you choose and whether your iPhone/iPad uses Lightning or USB-C.

 

[Gaborm1]

Not really.
There are a bunch of products which will all give you equally well lossless transmission of audio.

Here are a few:

Hifime S2 Digi -Optical SPDIF input and output to USB

The Hifime S2 Digi is an optical in/out device. It has an optical SPDIF input and also an output which can both be used at the same time.

hifimediy.com

Hifime USB to Optical converter

The UT23 connects to your computer via USB and sends out an optical SPDIF signal. There is no DAC involved, just the USB to optical feature.

hifimediy.com

PO100 Pro

Foshan ShuangMuSanLin electronics Co., LTD. founded in 2009 which located in Shenzhen, China. And our branch company VMV Technology(HK) Company Limited registered in HK in 2013. Our company is specialized in the audio DAC, stereo headphone amplifier, power amplifier, and with own R&D...

www.smsl-audio.com

USB C to SPDIF Transmitter

HIGHLIGHT [Convert USB Port to SPDIF Transmitter] – Cubilux S/PDIF Output Adapter lets you transmit the optical audio signal from the USB Type C port of computers to soundbars, home audio system, external DAC or amplifier to enjoy 5.1 surround sound. [For Output ONLY] – This converter cannot be...

www.cubilux.com

USB A to TOSLINK Optical Audio Adapter-Black

HIGHLIGHT [Instantly Connect your USB A Devices to S/PDIF Sound System] – Cubilux USB A to S/PDIF Optical Audio Converter lets you easily connect your USB Type A laptop, computer or gaming console with sound bar, home audio system, external DAC, amplifier, preamp or speaker to enjoy lossless...

www.cubilux.com

DD ddHiFi TC100S Portable Digital Interface & RC100C RCA OCC Coaxial Cable (Detachable Version of TC100-COA)

Buy DD ddHiFi TC100S Portable Digital Interface & RC100C RCA OCC Coaxial Cable (Detachable Version of TC100-COA) on HiFiGo, and you can enjoy a year warranty and the best after-sales service.

hifigo.com

DD ddHiFi TC100-COA USB-C Female to Digital RCA Coaxial Converter Audio Cable

Buy DD ddHiFi TC100-COA USB-C Female to Digital RCA Coaxial Converter Audio Cable on HiFiGo, and you can enjoy a year warranty and the best after-sales service.

hifigo.com

Douk Audio U2 XMOS XU208 USB to Coaxial/Optical Converter Digital Interface Audio Adapter DSD

U2 is a USB to Toslink optical and coaxial converter, suitable for PC computer, notebook, android phone(OTG), set-top box, rock 64, raspberry pi and so on, it can bring better listening experience than PC own sound card. Features Adopting the digital interface of XMOS XU208 chip solution, with...

doukaudio.com

Douk Audio U2 PRO XMOS XU208 USB to COAX/OPT/HDMI Converter Digital Interface DSD256

Features With USB input and TOSLINK optical / coaxial /HDMI 12S output(can output at the same time), can work well with DAC, preamp, amplifier or speaker. Adopting XMOS XU208 chip solution, with 1000MIPS random access memory much higher than U8 (500MIPS), and more stable than Italian Amanero...

doukaudio.com

One differentiating factor is that some converters will lock your iPhone's volume at 100%, while others will still allow you to control volume via your phone's volume rocker.

All of these can be connected to you iPhone/iPad.
How you connect them depends on which converter you choose and whether your iPhone/iPad uses Lightning or USB-C.

Thanks this is very helpful!

 

[Willem]

Thanks, will check the amplifiers.

I want a lossless transition. Do you have any particular brand you suggest?


Thanks for your input. Although I have not tested RME (I read many very positive reviews!), I was amazed at the Atom HE sound quality. On top, I like Atom's design, and if I want to add a CDT later, I would prefer to be part of one ecosystem. I checked the RME ADI-2 availability in the UK, and many sites are showing as not available/orderable at the moment.

Good amplifiers do not have any sound quality - they are completely transparent. The Naim may well have a sound of its own - I don't know - , and that would be a bad sign. Many Naim units have not measured very well. In short, I think Naim is marketing story without much technical merit, and that at ridiculously elevated prices.
Conversely, the RME ADI-2 is viewed by many as the ultimate DAC/preamp/headphone amp because it measures extremely well, and much better than you could possibly hear (so don't even bother with a listening test), but also has numerous useful features such as adjustable tone controls, balance control, dynamic loudness, auto reference level, programmable filters, and more. All these things are extremely useful in real life. It is also very well made, and enjoys exceptional support, even after many years. Mind you, RME are primarily a pro audio company - your music may well have been recorded using some of their products. Add a power amplifier with auto on/off such as the BOXEM ones, and you only need to have the ADI-2 in sight.

 

[ilomaenkimi]

The RME ADI-2 would be a far better preamp/headphone amp, and would save you a lot of money. As for power amp, I would suggest a Purifi or Hypex based one if you want the best of what money can buy - there is plenty of choice of those, and again for not that much money compared to the figures you are quoting. All this will save you a fair bit of cash to spend on speakers.

No it wont. I have had RME and now i have Naim.
Have you own both? Apparently you have cause you can tell "facts" here?

Naim sounds much better than RME. RME is good, but it lacks warmth and musicality.
AND Naim is much, much more user friendly.

 

[Mr Swing King]

^This site relies on science. If you haven’t performed a proper blind listening test of the two, your opinion is coloured by all kinds of bias. As preposterous as it sounds, we really do hear what we see. When you see the gear you’re listening to, all bets are off. The imagination simply runs wild and conjurs up sound quality that only exists in your head.
I’m willing to bet a bag of beets on the fact that the Naim Unity and RME ADI-2 will be indistinguishable from one another in a blind setting. 95% of dac amp combos are today.
Musicality comes from the music - not the gear.

Also welcome to ASR

 

[ilomaenkimi]

^This site relies on science. If you haven’t performed a proper blind listening test of the two, your opinion is coloured by all kinds of bias. As preposterous as it sounds, we really do hear what we see. When you see the gear you’re listening to, all bets are off. The imagination simply runs wild and conjurs up sound quality that only exists in your head.
I’m willing to bet a bag of beets on the fact that the Naim Unity and RME ADI-2 will be indistinguishable from one another in a blind setting. 95% of dac amp combos are today.
Musicality comes from the music - not the gear.

Also welcome to ASR

Speechless.
I'm leaving.

 

[Mr Swing King]

Speechless.
I'm leaving.

I’m sorry if I was being blunt before, but it’s the truth. Take it from somebody who used to believe all this type of audiophile magic. Once you try listening to gear blind the hobby changes for the better. Perhaps not instantly as you may have to swallow a camel and some pride. I know I certainly had to.

 

[ilomaenkimi]

I’m sorry if I was being blunt before, but it’s the truth. Take it from somebody who used to believe all this type of audiophile magic. Once you try listening to gear blind the hobby changes for the better. Perhaps not instantly as you may have to swallow a camel and some pride. I know I certainly had to.

I had not. + 40 years now behind at this hobby.
When you learn to trust your own ears hobby changes for the better. That's when the pleasure starts.

You should try to learn that.

 

[NTK]

I had not. + 40 years now behind at this hobby.
When you learn to trust your own ears hobby changes for the better. That's when the pleasure starts.

You should try to learn that.

I wonder why people need to attend school if spending a few hours a week sitting on a couch in front of the stereo is all it takes to master psychoacoustics.

 

[Mr Swing King]

I had not. + 40 years now behind at this hobby.
When you learn to trust your own ears hobby changes for the better. That's when the pleasure starts.

You should try to learn that.

Like I said I used to be over on your side of the fence - probably for over a decade. Trusted my ears and bought multibuck dacs and amps, conditioners, cables and whatnot. Then a buddy of mine who produces music for a living asked me if I wanted to try my hand in a couple of blindtests - y’know just so I could actually verify where my money was going.
Long story short, I realised I was spending money on absolute nonsense that didn’t make a bit of difference. At first I got mad and frustrated - thought my buddy was pulling a fast on me…but he wasn’t. Science backed him up and still does to this day. I now spend my money on things that do matter - like transducers and better recorded music.
It is terrifying how much your head can trick you. None of us are above bias. None of us can remove ourselves from them in sighted testing.
Said another way; either you stay over on the magic side of the fence where nothing ever can be proved outside of subjective impressions and hyperboly..or you dive into the scientific part of it all and actually get to grasp how gear works and perhaps eradicate some of the misconceptions of the audiophile rabbithole.

 

[JeremyFife]

I decided to buy the Naim Uniti Atom HE with a Focal Clear MG headphone. Since 90% of my listening will be on the headphones, I want to connect the Atom HE to an amplifier and speakers. Currently, I have a Yamaha R-N602. However, I can only use the RCA connection, not the balance XLR. Which power amp with balanced XLR would you suggest? The NAIM NAP 250 is around £6200 and would require to replace my Dali Zensor 3 (I guess). This would mean at least a £8k investment, which I want to avoid.

My other question is that even though I have Quboz, I want to listen to Apple Music on the Naim Uniti Atom HE, what is the best way to connect an iPhone/iPad to the unit?

Hi,
Why not just use the RCA connectors to your Yamaha? Should be fine.
Alternately, amplifiers using Hypex or Purifi technology will be great - manufacturers like Apollon or BoXem are well thought of here, but there other good ones too.
Yamaha make some nice, bigger, amps too and receivers with AirPlay included so there are plenty of options if you just wanted to upgrade

Naim doesn't seem to offer good value these days

 

[ilomaenkimi]

Hi,
Why not just use the RCA connectors to your Yamaha? Should be fine.
Alternately, amplifiers using Hypex or Purifi technology will be great - manufacturers like Apollon or BoXem are well thought of here, but there other good ones too.
Yamaha make some nice, bigger, amps too and receivers with AirPlay included so there are plenty of options if you just wanted to upgrade

Naim doesn't seem to offer good value these days

It offers very good value;
Streamer that works like a charm, very good dac, and very capable headphone amp. All in one box.
Plus you get very, very good soundquality.
Plus app that's very easy and reliable to use.

 

[ilomaenkimi]

I wonder why people need to attend school if spending a few hours a week sitting on a couch in front of the stereo is all it takes to master psychoacoustics.

There's always that wiseguy. Good for you.

 

[voodooless]

It offers very good value;

I don’t know about that. Maybe because it’s a single device offering everything. If you compromise on that, you can get some for way less. A WiiM Ultra is an excellent streamer and offers EQ (the Naim doesn’t as far as I can see). Add one of the well tested headphone amps and you have a combo that will easily rival the Naim on functionality and performance for well below $600.

 

[ilomaenkimi]

I don’t know about that. Maybe because it’s a single device offering everything. If you compromise on that, you can get some for way less. A WiiM Ultra is an excellent streamer and offers EQ (the Naim doesn’t ad far as I can see). Add one of the well tested headphone amps and you have a combo that will easily rival the Naim on functionality and performance for well below $600.

At first; who needs eq? If you do you have made a bad choice with headphones.
I had Eversolo DPM-A6-Denafrips Ares II- Aune S17 pro before Naim.
Naim sounds better and functionality is way better.

This forum has that additude "if it costs more, it has to be rubbish".
That is so pathetic.

 

[voodooless]

At first; who needs eq? If you do you have made a bad choice with headphones.

That’s a choice. Neutral properly measuring headphones are very rare. Not focusing primarily on the frequency response gives you loads more options and applying EQ will in the end give you a better result even on the supposedly neutral headphones. In the end it’s probably cheaper, and gives you more options to customize the sound to your liking. Of course searching for neutral headphones is all good if you like that The Naim will suit you just fine in that case. It’s not a bad piece of kit at all, just a fairly expensive one.