That’s a most important point. I’d trade 10% sq in for the usability it gives any day of the week. Whatever app, whatever streaming service, whatever headphone or loudspeaker is connected to it: it will be good.
We bought one because we were fed up with the chord offerings. After a few hours battery empty, a need to switch it on, all the volatile cables, pre amp on right input all that stuff is history now.
Amp 10, headphone 1 ratio here.
I have an atom as well, but for my seconds system I’m going for an HE with stellia plus 250 DR. The He has an outstanding headphone amp~.
@Theo not sure where you are located, but if it is in The Netherlands, you are very welcome for an HE demo at my place. BR, Richard
I kind of felt that way when I first got the Atom HE. Willing to trade a hint of sound quality for usability. But the surprising thing is the Atom HE has the best synergy with the Focal Utopia, even over the Chord Dave/mscaler. It’s not quite as detailed in the highs as the Dave but it’s got better overall balance and weight, great texture and Prat. I’ve heard more detail in the low end than I remember on the Dave. There were also many albums on the Dave that sounded like bad recording but I’ve enjoyed the whole way thru on the Atom HE. Only on the albums with not a lot going on will you notice the Dave has better precision.
There is of course no fixed or best ratio - headphones contribute a character to the sound, and you need something that truly suits, and sounding good to you is all that matters, whether the ratio is 10:1 or 1:10. And unless you also use speakers the demands on an amp are a lot less, the majority of headphones not presenting anything like the challenging load not uncommon with speakers - indeed you don’t necessarily need a separate amp at all (pre or power) as some DACs, for instance, can drive headphones very happily.
As for headphone cost, I think a lot depends on whether you want/need closed back (to isolate from external noises and also to prevent disturbance of other people), or open back. My understanding is
that for similar sound quality closed back headphones cost a lot more than open back, so the ratio between headphone cost and cost of amp if used might change by a factor of 2 or 3.
Oh and cost to ratio I guess depends on the headphones and amp. I originally thought the Hugo 2 should have been more than enough for the Focal Utopia but felt they were too detailed without enough weight. I ended up climbing Chord ladder with the Chord Dave/mscaler which added warmth and weight. But something didn’t sit right with me spending that much on a setup and downgraded to the Focal Arche. While a fun setup, I did eventually feel it was slightly lacking compared to the Dave but much better than the Hugo 2 even though it was $1000 less. I ended up with the Naim Atom HE, which seems reasonably priced for dac/amp/streamer and amazing synergy.
So retail price the Focal Utopia $4000 and Naim Atom HE currently $3700. I got my Utopia open box at $2700 and the Atom HE at $3200 before price increase.
Thank you Richard. I’m in the US and unfortunately cannot take you up on your kind offer.
Looks like the general consensus here is that the Atom HE is a must audition piece. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and comparisons–with Chord gear in particular.
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