I use the schiit Valhalla 2 with the sennheiser 650. I’ve got a cable on order so I can hook it up to the 282.
I suspect they have been encouraged to not compete with Focal. No speakers. No headphone amps.
I’ve seen such directives from holding companies before in my jobs. It has never made a huge lot of sense to me because to the holding company or investors, they have 2 chances to win and make money instead of one.
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Right now, both Headline (2) and DAC-V1 are listed at Naim site, in the Classic Series as usual.
I have both. I’ve run the Headline 2 from that cheap power supply (i-Supply?) that you plug at the power outlet, from an NAPSC and now from a non-Naim power supply that stands between the Hi-Cap and the HiCap-DR in terms of sound quality, probably. I assume that the Hi-Cap DR would be the best option to power the Headline 2. Sincerely I understand the Supercap to be overkill due to the inherent limitations of the Headline. (To make myself clear: the Headline 2 is a good headphone amplifier. But is is not an NAP 250 DR.)
In any case, the Headline 2 drives both the Sennheiser HD 650 and the Audeze LCD-X much better than the DAC-V1 (a very nice DAC btw).
Naim amplifiers are great, audiophiles understand the need of a great headphone amplifier to drive a great headphone, and a great headphone is a truly wonderful musical experience (although I still prefer listening through speakers, it is more physical; anyway different, uncomparable experiences, as CD and LP). I’ve heard detail and correct timbre in the Audeze LCD-X that I had never heard before in music I have listened to in decades.
I waited long for Naim to sort this out and finally gave up. The LCD-X deserves at least a Pathos Aurium. Yes, the are better but quite more expensive options.
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No. Both are listed at Naim site as of today.
I understand that the Focal Arche is a not a pure headphone amplifier, it is a DAC/Headphone amp… I wonder if Focal’s DAC implementation is as good as the one in, say, an NDX 2. Focal-Naim would probably benefit from a world class Naim headphone amp.
A letter was sent to Naim dealers in March announcing the discontinuation of the 272, Headline and NAC100. The Naim website doesn’t seem to have caught up.
https://community.naimaudio.com/t/email-from-signals-end-of-nac-n-272
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Thanks for your post and the correction, Eoink.
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I’m with Kuma… would love to see a headphone amp with suspended electronics and Supercap power option. Just like the Superline.
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Very first and very quick impressions of the Violectric V200 amp - lush and gutsy dynamic sound; lovely placement of voices and instruments in the headstage; very easy to listen to for ages.
Headline - gutsy and dynamic, but not as lush, more tiring for long listens, sound is slightly ‘harder’…I’m useless at describing stuff like this, so apologies if none of that makes sense.
Both pretty much equal on detail, but in first listen I like the fuller, warmer presentation of the V200.
And the dual phone sockets are a blast for comparing.
Hmmm…knew this was going to be fun!
Edit/ I think the HL/SC2 combo is still very good, dynamic & lots of energy …but the V200 seems to have it all and a bit more, but in one box. Only the first day tho…don’t want to rush my decision, lol.
I’ll get the SC2 ready Sunday to connect to the SN3 for part 2…
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What headphone(s) are you using with the Violectric V200?
I moved from the HeadLine to the Niimbus HPA US 4+ headphone amp. It is also made by Lake People in Germany.
The Niimbus drives both the Focal Utopia headphone and the Hifiman HE1000se headphone wonderfully.
Cheers!
Audeze LCD3 & LCD XC.
my naim dealer said to me that’s possible a new naim headphone amplifier will arrive because it’s not possible to buy a headline
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Indeed - just like multiple brands of soap powder from a single manufacturer, as certainly happened a few years ago, on the basis that The greater the proportion of the total brands the greater the proportion of total sales - that of course with little read difference in performance, whether something was branded Persil or Daz or Omo or Surf or Fairy etc etc.
One of my local ish Naim dealers told me hasn’t sold anything from nain in two years. Do I believe him? He certainly does not actively push the brand. Perhaps that’s why. Whereas another local dealer certainly has made many sales of the brand. A couple of which were to me.
I don’t quite understand the dealer’s reasoning, to be honest.
If that was true, why is Naim still taking up floor space in his shop — unless of course space (which costs money) isn’t a concern…
To be fair, it doesn’t ( or didn’t ) prior to lockdown. I guess the relationship between him and Naim is not what it once was.
Suits me though. My most local dealer sells Naim and lots of other goodies. And the other not as local dealer does other stuff. This dealer has a better selection of turntables and headphones.
This is starting to make me wonder if the headphone amp in my Atom or for that matter any Naim product with a headphone Amp is up to scratch for driving my Audeze LC2’s and Mr Speakers Aeon’s or would I be getting better results for a seaperate H Amp say a Violectric HPA V200 AE that would fall into my top end budget or site on the fence for a while and see how the new Headline is
The V200 is some amp! Much as I loved the HL2/Supercap2, the V200 with my Audeze’s has been
a superb upgrade: everything just fell into place with V200. Lovely.
Wondering now what the 281 would bring…
Dangerous things, headphone amps!
Thanks Steve it’s now on a very short list!
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