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Naim Uniti Atom vs Cambridge Evo

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Nicknick

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My local audio store was recommending the Evo 150 or as an alternative the NAD M10. The guy said that the Naim is also good BUT for larger rooms the power of only 40W could come to a limit with a larger speaker and the Evo 150 would have an advantage there.
 

ti33er

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I’d agree with that... also the XLR input is unmolested so you can put a different DAC through it if don’t like; or want a different signature for some recordings
 

ti33er

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At that price I can only think of the NAD M10...or an AV Receiver ;-)
 

quattr0

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which ones would you recommend to look into?

I don't own a fancy streamer, quite happy with Pi+symphonic-mpd, so I can' t recommend...Thought I would point out that they don't have room correction...with that said, folks seem to be happy with Lyngdorf 1120 based on users feedback, even right here from this forum if you will take a look/search.

Ideally tho, you should listen to it first and make your decision. Or, at least buy one from place that you could easily exchange. The reason I'm stating this because each person's hearing taste is different. I also read that some like the Naim better than NAD so....listening first shall be in place.
 

anTTony

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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. What I've said there stands.

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

no not level matched... could only go on what ‘did it for me’ and that was the atom. Sounded more detailed and spacious than the evo. Looks didn’t factor as they both look lovely units. Actually preferred the screen size on the evo, but I’m buying it to listen too, so not to fussed on that front!
 

davedave

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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.

First post, because I literally just packed up my Unity Atom 20 minutes ago :)

Personal experience with 42 year-old ears, but like @anTTony I got to demo the Atom and the Evo side-by-side in my environment (Evo 150, though), running high-efficiency Heresy IVs like @Nicknick . For me it came down to this, sound-wise - the Atom had more clarity, but the Evo had more depth. I had to choose one, and after hours of back and forth listening, the Evo won for me.

To be completely honest, though, the features helped make the decision. Tidal Connect with MQA support was huge (I found using Tidal on the Atom via Chromecast or Air Play to be an exercise in torture) so if you go Atom, you're probably going to want to look at Roon or something similar. Everything about using the Evo was a joy, and let me just use the apps I love (including Spotify for discovery, which Roon doesn't support, so I couldn't go Roon). I fought with the Atom, I danced with the Evo.

Sound-wise, I will miss the insane clarity of the Atom, but it was a bit thin in the end compared to the Evo, IMHO. Also had audible tweeter hiss, which the Evo did not.

Edit: Young family means all streaming all the time, and HDMI ARC was huge on my list, so I didn't really consider amps that weren't streaming-first and had ARC support.

Edit 2: Sorry, this entire post is an opinion on a science forum!
 
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Hanss

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I bought the EVO 150 instantly after launch via the Cambridge Audio website and have it since almost 2 weeks. Reason... it ticks all the boxes concerning in-and outputs compared to the competition ( Lyngdorf, NAD,..) in the same budget range, it is new and has a great app. I am listening to it as I write to Miles Davis (qobuz) with Dali Menuet’s and Monitor Audio silver sub and it sounds great, is easy to operate and is nice to look at.
 

AdamG

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I bought the EVO 150 instantly after launch via the Cambridge Audio website and have it since almost 2 weeks. Reason... it ticks all the boxes concerning in-and outputs compared to the competition ( Lyngdorf, NAD,..) in the same budget range, it is new and has a great app. I am listening to it as I write to Miles Davis (qobuz) with Dali Menuet’s and Monitor Audio silver sub and it sounds great, is easy to operate and is nice to look at.
Welcome Aboard @Hanss.
 

AdamG

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First post, because I literally just packed up my Unity Atom 20 minutes ago :)

Personal experience with 42 year-old ears, but like @anTTony I got to demo the Atom and the Evo side-by-side in my environment (Evo 150, though), running high-efficiency Heresy IVs like @Nicknick . For me it came down to this, sound-wise - the Atom had more clarity, but the Evo had more depth. I had to choose one, and after hours of back and forth listening, the Evo won for me.

To be completely honest, though, the features helped make the decision. Tidal Connect with MQA support was huge (I found using Tidal on the Atom via Chromecast or Air Play to be an exercise in torture) so if you go Atom, you're probably going to want to look at Roon or something similar. Everything about using the Evo was a joy, and let me just use the apps I love (including Spotify for discovery, which Roon doesn't support, so I couldn't go Roon). I fought with the Atom, I danced with the Evo.

Sound-wise, I will miss the insane clarity of the Atom, but it was a bit thin in the end compared to the Evo, IMHO. Also had audible tweeter hiss, which the Evo did not.

Edit: Young family means all streaming all the time, and HDMI ARC was huge on my list, so I didn't really consider amps that weren't streaming-first and had ARC support.

Edit 2: Sorry, this entire post is an opinion on a science forum!
Welcome Aboard @davedave.
 

bigLP

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Look for a used unitiqute 2 with an FM tuner. I owned one and regret selling it to this day. I now use ncore . It will not objectively compare well to other things, but It will put a ton of music at your convenience and has a pleasing, but decidedly not neutral sound. It helps to have speakers with average or better efficiency.
Naim is way overpriced new and I am suspicious of their quality control on newer models. A used UQ2 goes for about 6-800 bucks. Atoms are 3500 I think new.
 

VikasMG

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First post, because I literally just packed up my Unity Atom 20 minutes ago :)

Personal experience with 42 year-old ears, but like @anTTony I got to demo the Atom and the Evo side-by-side in my environment (Evo 150, though), running high-efficiency Heresy IVs like @Nicknick . For me it came down to this, sound-wise - the Atom had more clarity, but the Evo had more depth. I had to choose one, and after hours of back and forth listening, the Evo won for me.

To be completely honest, though, the features helped make the decision. Tidal Connect with MQA support was huge (I found using Tidal on the Atom via Chromecast or Air Play to be an exercise in torture) so if you go Atom, you're probably going to want to look at Roon or something similar. Everything about using the Evo was a joy, and let me just use the apps I love (including Spotify for discovery, which Roon doesn't support, so I couldn't go Roon). I fought with the Atom, I danced with the Evo.

Sound-wise, I will miss the insane clarity of the Atom, but it was a bit thin in the end compared to the Evo, IMHO. Also had audible tweeter hiss, which the Evo did not.

Edit: Young family means all streaming all the time, and HDMI ARC was huge on my list, so I didn't really consider amps that weren't streaming-first and had ARC support.

Edit 2: Sorry, this entire post is an opinion on a science forum!

Interesting. I’ve been a long time Naim user but a few weeks ago my Naim Uniti Nova died while doing a firmware upgrade - something I didn’t think was possible. I tried resetting it and it started giving me very off shrill tones. When I unplugged it and reconnected I got sounds as from inside the cabinet as if something was sparking. I unplugged it of course and contacted the dealer. They referred it to Naim and after a week or so of back and forth frustration Focal-Naim in the US asked me to ship it to them. It was under guarantee and I still he’d the original box and shipping packaging etc.

Now two weeks later it is on it’s way to Naim in UK (or Focal in France?) where they will examine it and get back to me. I’ve been a long time Naim user from well before the days of streaming but the experience of service in the US has left me completely frustrated in disbelief (We moved here from Singapore, where I still have a perfectly working Naim system). After over a month of staring at my silent Spendor A7 speakers I realized that Cambridge now has a unit that seems to tick all the boxes and do everything that the Nova did and I’m seriously thinking of abandoning Naim after all these years and looking seriously at the Evo 150.

Since it’s so new, there are no meaningful reviews I can find and so every bit I read on it is useful. In these COVID days I hesitate to go an listen to things in a showroom. Hence my hesitation - the Nova was a familiar friend with a good sound and I could buy it without a listen. But if Naim can’t resolve the problems soon I may just have to go and listen to the Evo 150.
 

AdamG

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Interesting. I’ve been a long time Naim user but a few weeks ago my Naim Uniti Nova died while doing a firmware upgrade - something I didn’t think was possible. I tried resetting it and it started giving me very off shrill tones. When I unplugged it and reconnected I got sounds as from inside the cabinet as if something was sparking. I unplugged it of course and contacted the dealer. They referred it to Naim and after a week or so of back and forth frustration Focal-Naim in the US asked me to ship it to them. It was under guarantee and I still he’d the original box and shipping packaging etc.

Now two weeks later it is on it’s way to Naim in UK (or Focal in France?) where they will examine it and get back to me. I’ve been a long time Naim user from well before the days of streaming but the experience of service in the US has left me completely frustrated in disbelief (We moved here from Singapore, where I still have a perfectly working Naim system). After over a month of staring at my silent Spendor A7 speakers I realized that Cambridge now has a unit that seems to tick all the boxes and do everything that the Nova did and I’m seriously thinking of abandoning Naim after all these years and looking seriously at the Evo 150.

Since it’s so new, there are no meaningful reviews I can find and so every bit I read on it is useful. In these COVID days I hesitate to go an listen to things in a showroom. Hence my hesitation - the Nova was a familiar friend with a good sound and I could buy it without a listen. But if Naim can’t resolve the problems soon I may just have to go and listen to the Evo 150.
Welcome Aboard @VikasMG.
 

DSJR

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Naim streamers are a different family I gather from the long established separates gear which has had decades to mature. Unlike the trad stuff, the streamers have to change regularly as oem parts become obsolete and needed facilities develop (I'm told as I have nothing to do with them now). Prices put me off frankly, but if there's nothing as elegant and cheaper, one has to make a personal choice. I would say 40WPC (probably hard clipping if like their trad amps) isn't really enough. Linn's equivalent is supposedly better, but I've not heard or used one.

Got to say - would B&O do something comparable these days and if so, how much? Back in simpler times, I was really hard on a lot of B&O gear, which by th e90's wasn't always fair - much water under the bridge though and prices have gone further through the roof.
 
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VikasMG

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... I would say 40WPC (probably hard clipping if like their trad amps) isn't really enough....

I’m not expert enough to say what it is but having heard both the Atom and the Nova soon after both were available I decided the Nova was worth the extra cost. I don’t think it was just a perception driven by the higher cost but if I could not have afforded the Nova I’m sure I would have been happy enough with an Atom. The Nova does have a lot more power.

I’ve been with Naim products a very long time and this is the first time I’ve needed to contact support for a problem. I’m discovering how problematic it is. I hope it never happens again and if another product offers the same functionality and sound quality I will seriously consider putting my unit on ebay - assuming they send it back to me one day :-(
 
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ti33er

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There is complete denial from Dealers that the NAIM ATOM and NOVA are bug ridden - I was being hoodwinked at RicherSounds the other day to buy a NAIM ATOM and offered a 6 year Warranty the were so certain; I know fully well that I’d likely be banging my head sending the unit back n forth for swaps and repairs and not get my money back... it’s unfortunate
 
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