Naim Uniti Atom vs Cambridge Evo

[Nicknick]

Hi everyone,

I'm relatively new to high quality audio and I was planning to buy a Naim Uniti Atom. Sound, Design and UI seemed perfect, they only thing that worried me was the fact that it was released in 2017, which seems "old" for a streaming device.

Now I saw that Cambridge Audio released the new EVO 75 and 150.

Does anyone have an opinion about Unity Atom vs. Evo? Which one is the better buy in 2021?

Many thanks

 

[Blake Klondike]

Unless I am mistaken, the Atom has a CD player, which the Evo doesn't.

 

[roffe]

Unless I am mistaken, the Atom has a CD player, which the Evo doesn't.

No, that would be the Naim Uniti Star.

 

[abdo123]

The Evo is using Hypex modules which makes it a very obvious choice.

 

[Nicknick]

Many thanks for feedback. Is Hypex something good? So the Evo is better?

 

[anTTony]

Many thanks for feedback. Is Hypex something good? So the Evo is better?

I have demo‘d the evo 75 and atom side by side. I much preferred the sound of the atom. Great screen on the evo, but the atom sounded better. Tried it with Oberon 7s, focal chora 806 and some monitor audio silvers I think they were.

 

[Blake Klondike]

I have demo‘d the evo 75 and atom side by side. I much preferred the sound of the atom. Great screen on the evo, but the atom sounded better. Tried it with Oberon 7s, focal chora 806 and some monitor audio silvers I think they were.

How did you like the Monitor Audio Silvers? Trying to get a sense re: how they stack up.

 

[Jbarry]

I’m interested in reviews of the EVO 150. I hope they emerge soon

 

[Nicknick]

I loved the sound of the Uniti Atom with a Klipsch Heresy IV - I’m just hesitant to buy as the Uniti is 5 years old and now Evo releasing a new streamer.

 

[anTTony]

How did you like the Monitor Audio Silvers? Trying to get a sense re: how they stack up.

I’ll be honest... the oberons were £1k and the silvers were £1.5k. Both my son and I preferred the oberons!

 

[anTTony]

I loved the sound of the Uniti Atom with a Klipsch Heresy IV - I’m just hesitant to buy as the Uniti is 5 years old and now Evo releasing a new streamer.

I wouldn’t get hung up on the age. They both have a great feature set and things have been added by firmware upgrades along the way. I would go on how nice it is to use and obviously how nice it sounds! For me personally, the atom won me over.

 

[Nicknick]

Thanks anTTony - I also really like the atom a lot.

Great design and sound plus fun to use. As this will be my first HIFI piece (coming from a Sonos), its so hard to compare and I don't know how a Hypex sounds compared to the AB ones in the Evo.

 

[anTTony]

Thanks anTTony - I also really like the atom a lot.

Great design and sound plus fun to use. As this will be my first HIFI piece (coming from a Sonos), its so hard to compare and I don't know how a Hypex sounds compared to the AB ones in the Evo.

I’m no expert, but I’d recommend going to richer sounds or equivalent and doing a side by side. I played some of my preferred music and also tried a few different speakers. Have a play with the machines (both felt and looked nice) and see what you think. There’s no right and wrong in my eye.. just go with what you prefer the sound of. I was impressed with how the atom drove the speakers I tested... considering on paper it’s not a powerhouse. More than enough for my needs... I don’t listen loud anyway, and it went well beyond my listening levels

 

[DSJR]

My take is that Naim's have a 'sound' to them, artfully contrived over forty odd years since their 'CB' range was introduced around 1980. The streamers I've heard still 'sound' a bit like this but maybe measure slightly better than their older traditional designs did/do. Got to say the 'feel' and finish of the Naim streamers is very B&O like these days (actually, the forward slightly assertive tones are similar to the better B&O's of old too - we're talking 1990's here by the way! Does the Cambridge have a 'sound style' to it? It shouldn't but I haven't heard any to confirm.

If the poster who's heard both is still able to compare, when playing different recordings and productions, do either of them sound the same from track to track, or does one or both actually show the differences in recordings and production? Again just my take, but Naims as a breed tend to dilute that a little (The mad money Statement amp is ok but so forward and explicit it can induce headaches if the speakers have that character as well - all this for nigh on £200k).

 

[VintageFlanker]

Is Hypex something good?

Is that a real question?! Long story short: Ncore are world-class amplifier modules. Period.

I have demo‘d the evo 75 and atom side by side.

Side by side, sure. But level-matched? You probably evaluated behaviours of each (volume control, gain etc) amps more than their "sound", IMHO. What I've said there stands.

I’m interested in reviews of the EVO 150. I hope they emerge soon

Soundwise, the EVO 150 will perform just like any NC252MP amp. Tho, reviews will be surely useful for features, DAC implementation and so on.

 

[DSJR]

But as we're inclined to listen with our eyes too much.....

 

[Nicknick]

Is that a real question?! Long story short: Ncore are world-class amplifier modules. Period.

Side by side, sure. But level-matched? You probably evaluated behaviours of each (volume control, gain etc) amps more than their "sound", IMHO.

Soundwise, the EVO 150 will perform just like any NC252MP amp. Tho, reviews will be surely useful for features, DAC implementation and so on.

So I understand your opinion is that the EVO is the better choice?

 

[VintageFlanker]

So I understand your opinion is that the EVO is the better choice?

No. You will discover this forum to not really be about "opinions" (Welcome, BTW ).

I just say that we cannot confirm audible preference between both amps based on non level-matched comparaison.

The better choice is the prettier, the more fonctionnal, the better finished, and ideally, the most powerful (depending on speaker's needs). In a perfect world, an amp should be audibly transparent, with any power needed on demand. The Evo 75 fits the first requirement, the later not so much.

I have no data to say about the Atom, but I know plenty about the NC122MP inside the Evo 75. So I can't draw a technical winner here.

 

[roffe]

So I understand your opinion is that the EVO is the better choice?

Both the Atom and the Evo are All-in-ones. You should not decide which one is for you based on the technical qualifications of the respective power amplifiers alone.

 

[ti33er]

I was at RicherSounds Wednesday and the EVO 75 had just come in.

Compared to the CA EDGE NQ (preAmp)/W (power amp) combination for about 5-10 mins on Monitor Audio Gold 200 speakers

I was hoping they would sound similar so I could swap out my EDGE-A which doesn’t fit in my BLOK STAX rack and sits on top (which annoys me)...however the EDGE had more weight to the sound and treble was smoother - the EVO is very ‘neutral’ and slightly anaemiac, treble a bit brasher by comparison

I am hoping they will get the EVO 150 in so can listen again; but the Manager suggested he didn’t want direct competition to the NAIM ATOM...they have to sell a certain amount of NAIM is my guess!