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Naim Uniti Atom Review (Streamer & Amp)

Rate this streamer:

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 277 68.7%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 92 22.8%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther

    Votes: 21 5.2%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 13 3.2%

  • Total voters
    403

Stokdoof

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Poor man’s luck, I guess, saved me from buying the naim products in the past. I do have to admit Naim did adapt the music server and streaming very early..
 

sarumbear

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Marc v E

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According to the web, the NAD M10 is Roon ready and Roon supports Chromecast. If this is true basically any Roon ready product supports chromecast too.
 

sarumbear

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According to the web, the NAD M10 is Roon ready and Roon supports Chromecast. If this is true basically any Roon ready product supports chromecast too.
From what I read it is the other way round.
 

NHL99

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Diverging from the topic, within the Brand though - For those never familiar with error-correcting codes there was the now discontinued UnitiServe. For a small fortune, it did what any other mass produced CD-player was capable of.

UnitiServe.png
 

lordhumungous

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I like my Uniti Atom but before these measurements came out I knew it was short on resolution through subjective listening . It’s certainly not an Benchmark amp
 

Uguccione

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The Naim Superuniti streamer, which I bought about 10 years ago, was by far the worst and most expensive "hi-fi" device I've ever owned:
• the first unit had a very noisy toroidal transformer. Replaced under warranty with a less noisy one, but still audible at low volume;
• the second unit, due to particular settings of the green "naim" light on the front, went by itself in mute every moment. They pretended to repair it under warranty but only changed the above setting;
• the wi-fi was not usable and I was forced to pair it with an Apple Airport unit;
• they promised an upgrade that would give compatibility with AirPlay, but never provided it;
• the firmware update procedure was extremely cumbersome;
• the green screen (oled) after a few years became invisible. This happened to all owners of the device and other models with the same type of display, but despite this, the company demanded around € 400 for the repair (I refused to repair it);
• finally, the remote control has also broken;

The first criterion I used when choosing a new streamer last year was "stay away from Naim".
True, I have had a Superuniti for several years and mine too has the toroidal buzzing and the display is running out. Fortunately, everything else works great; the sound then makes you fall in love: the best amplifier I've ever owned.
I am now waiting for a Uniti Atom HE for the headphone system. I am very confident; some friends have it and are thrilled with it. Hope it sounds as good as the Superuniti.
 

sarumbear

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Diverging from the topic, within the Brand though - For those never familiar with error-correcting codes there was the now discontinued UnitiServe. For a small fortune, it did what any other mass produced CD-player was capable of.

View attachment 214611
If only you knew how uneducated you looked…
 

DudleyDuoflush

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It was beautifully built, although covered in horrible DIN connectors, recessed and impossible to wire up terminals.

The two pin DIN (speaker terminals) is arguably the second most evil connector on the planet, behind the EU Scart. Oh and the SVHS connector. And the HDMI.... ;)

The internals were wonderful, although primitive in some areas and brilliant in others. I had a Beosystem series 5000 with all the components I picked up for not a lot of money at auction, including the wonderful tabletop 2 way master control panel remote, horizontal loading cassette deck and the 2nd generation CD player based on a Philips mech (CDM-1). The TT was a glorious piece of art and functionality, although the MMC cartridge was nothing to write home about, sound wise.
I still listen to a pair of 30 year old Beolab 6000 speakers. In my mind, the best looking speakers ever made and an absolute steal these days if the drivers have been refurbished. A solid metal body wouldn't come cheap these days.
 

Tangband

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Naim has historicaly been sold in stores were people can bring their amplifiers for comparison. Just like the turnable LP12. If it sounds better , it is better.

Pace, rythm and timing is three words that can be connected to the Naim sound. Maybe marketing, but it might be true that you could hear the music in a better way with certain combinations of loudspeakers ( Linn isobarik ) , amplifiers and sources ( LP12 )
I owned the first Naim integrated - Nait 1. It was very fun to listen to musik with that one. Some euphonic coloration as suggested by stereophile when they did measurements might be the case.
 
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AudioSceptic

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I'm blissful now, as I know my ears are variable and total crap without 'assistance' I'mnow thoroughly enjoying the music again without worrying any more, the system once again becoming the tool to help me enjoy the music recordings as well as 'the radio' speech broadcasts on BBC Radio 4. Hours listening in a store with little or no intention to buy is actually wasting the staff's time (I grew to realise almost too late that time is money and if the person having the dem is there to indulge himself and discuss the hobby only (almost always a him), then that's basically a no-sale and most of these enthusiast dealers failed many years ago by spending hours basically doing eff-all, sharing the love but not actually making a living - I speak with very hard earned memories here, believe me). In my older years, I now realise that digital sources and amplifiers should be a done deal with no 'sound quality' of their own to speak of (if my 50 year old Crowns can do it, then what came in between in the 'flat earth' fraternity was a major negative distraction in hobby-self-delusion as few of these systems ever really sounded much cop, especially on string tone or acoustic music). Some enthusiasts find these good performing amps boring because there's nothing to discuss (the 'Choice reviews of good measuring products gave Martin Colloms little to comment on and so many were passed over for recommendation), but then, they're talking about the gear all the time and it's usually artifice and which artifice you prefer using your ears as the guide with absolutely no objective backup. I think many here like me have been through the mill over many years and have come out this end perhaps rather jaded, looking at over-priced under-achievers for sale in the remaining audio 'salons' and now recognise the dealer ignorance and bullsh*t they spout after years of non-education (I hope I lifted out of this pool of ignorance and self-delusion, but it took a while).

The product reviewed here is a general purpose lifestyle item which helps keep remaining dealers alive in general cash-flow terms, along with the other streaming products they make. It also keeps the brand vibe going and less positive reviews like this one will probably not dent it's sales curve I suspect.
We may have had the "Flat Earth" in the UK, but didn't the USA have its own equivalent? In their case, it was the huge revival of valve (tube) amps, or at least that's how it seemed to me. Some of that happened here too, but to a much smaller extent: valves were always niche. A common theme of all this was a rejection of increasingly accurate ("boring", "clinical", "soulless") equipment in favour of character and "musicality". Is this worth pursuing in another thread?
 

DanielT

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OT:
There is a ..myth? About the nice British HIFi sound. There is of course good stuff from England, KEF for example. But what do the English themselves think?
Plus others who give their views on the matter. Relatively scattered thread so take it with a pinch of salt, but still::)


Edit:
I waffle a bit in that thred, I admit, but as I said, take it with a pinch of salt. :)
 

Theodore8

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Completely mystified why anyone would buy this at even one third its current price. The amp is low power, streamers are a commodity and can be cheaply had, and ditto dacs. And for it to have these kind of performance numbers and look so clunky to boot with no nifty color display to show the album cover, sample rate, etc. What the hell!

Just no excuse for any contemporary product to be so far off point, let alone one developed by an old, established high end house like Naim.
A year ago, I asked that exact question to the owner of my local HiFi store, which sells this exact product, and was featuring it very prominently in the showroom. He candidly explained that it sold quite well to professional couples in their late 30s/40s because (1) they know nothing about audio technology, (2) they are attracted to the simplicity of a single box solution, (3) it looks and is expensive and exclusive (it’s not available outside HiFi retailers), and (4) they can get what they perceive as a high-end system (with speakers) for $5-6k, with the price and exclusivity comforting them they are indeed getting a high-end system.

By the way, for a sub-$5k system along the same concept he offered Cambridge’s EVO150 with KEF Q750/950.
 
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