Atom HDMI plus NP 100?

Hi-Fi Corner
1

I’m kind of drawn to the NAP 100, which - if I paired it with the Atom pre-amp - would give me another 10w per channel into the Kanta No.1s. Would it provide any tangible advantage in terms of quality over the Atom’s power amp, or are the advances over the intervening years such that I’d be better off sticking with the Atom alone?

It wouldn’t require a significant outlay and would also allow me to keep my eyes peeled for a bargain Atom HE as and when. The 100 form factor would mach the Atoms, of course, so I wouldn’t want to opt for the 200 (before anyone suggest it :smiling_face:)

Just a recurring thought, so wondered what the Naim hive mind made of it.

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When I had a Unitiqute 2, which was my first Naim amp, I tried a NP 100 for a week at home.

I gave it back, to me the UQ2? lost some of it’s magic with the 100 connected. Try a home demo before purchasing if possible.

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Thanks, but I doubt that would be possible given the dearth of NAP 100s.

4

Same here. Tried on both a UQ1 and UQ2 and it wasn’t the same. Maybe it’s the extra cable, maybe it’s the fact that the box is engineered to be all-in-one. Who knows.

Guessing that result would be the same with an Atom.

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I think it was designed originally to go with the DacV1, plus you are not using the on board amp of the UQ2, Atom or whatever you add it to.

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With those speakers, I’d be looking at an Atom HE and a New Classic NAP250. The NAP100 would be pointless.

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A NAP 250 looks about right for those speakers. Though an old classic 250DR should do the job and there’s a fair few about at decent prices. You’d need a suitable and probably expensive cable to connect it to preamp.

Roger

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Those Focal need much more than Atom and, or Nap 100.

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If I went full width I’d more likely just get a Nova. Which I might end up doing at some point.

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Not necessarily. I play at low to medium volumes most of the time and nothing particularly heavy, so the Atom is under no stress whatsoever. Further, the speakers are quite easily driven and Focal specify 25-150w as the preferred input.

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One of the great benefits of better power amps is that they sound better and more coherent at low volumes :slight_smile: An Atom / Nap 100 may not sweat at low or high volumes but you’ll notice that at higher volumes the bass / treble gets more balanced.

I recommend the recommendation already given above: get the Atom HE and a Nap 250, that’s the level of your speakers.

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As been said, the existing Atom has a pretty competent power amp section. Adding a NAP 100 is very unlikely to improve it, and may actually be a backward step. The Atom punches above its value in many ways but fundamentally it was designed as a one box system.

I agree if you are just adding a power amp you probably need a 250 to feel the benefit. I did this with an Atom, then an HE. Don’t let numbers on spec sheets guide your decisions. Better power amps give better control, and not just at high volume.

Just because the speakers say they ‘only need x watts’ doesn’t mean anything really. Demo the difference.

Bruce

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