Hi All!
So, the Unitiqute 2 is in Salisbury getting its new screen, a rush of blood to the head resulted in me buying an Atom HE yesterday 
What is the best way to connect to my NAP 100? Looks like a few options? XLR, DIN, RCA … but I am a bit bamboozled.
It was a real ‘spur of the moment’, I don’t own any headphones … 
Thanks for any insights in getting the best out of it.
Steve
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You can use either RCA to DIN or RCA to RCA to connect the HE to your 100. RCA to DIN is a little obscure so you may need to get a cable made up, whereas RCA to RCA is widely available.
Forget XLR, it’s a balanced connection which you should not use into an unbalanced input like the 100.
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Great, thanks very much.
I suppose the big question I should have thought about is, ‘will it sound better than the UQ2 pre-amp’? Got my fingers crossed on that one!
It will.
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Undoubtedly
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It will definitely sound better , you have a nice combination there - I would have like a NAP 100 myself
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The UQ2 was rca to din on the nap100 … is rca to rca better or no difference?
Thanks for the replies so far, it should land on tuesday.
Assuming you already have 2x rca to 4 pin din, then use that. If you don’t, or can’t procure or make one, then your only option is 2x rca both ends. Technically, using the 4 pin din input on the nap100 is better than rca, though you might not be able to hear it.
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Ok thanks, yes i’ve got one, but it was cheap off ebay.
Atom HE is a fabulous piece of kit and the preamp section will be well above a UQ, as is general user experience with the new streaming platform. I use it with a Nap 200 with RCA - 4 pin din but doubt rca-rca will be much different from HE to the Nap100. I specifically asked a dealer yesterday if it’s worth getting the xlr to 4din cable, answer not unless you have a 250 or above with the xlr connections on the power amp.
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Yes, the same cable will be fine. It’s generally better to use DIN where available with Naim.
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As with almost all interfaces, it’s a cable level which has more impact than interface itself. Use the best available.
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Good to know, thanks.
The UQ has served me really well for the past eight years but looking forward to seeing how the Atom shapes up.
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I’m not so sure about that. The 250 and higher amps have unbalanced inputs, so not a match for a balanced output using the same plug but in a different configuration. The exception being the New Classic 250, but that’s a twin XLR input which would require a special cable.
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Which is fine as a concept, but knowing what of those available/affordable is best is not necessarily easy, requiring time and effort to audition as cost not a meaningful indicator.
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True in general but easier for interconnects than others, they’re more linear in terms of price/performance ratio.
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I may be able to pick the HE up later, it feels like christmas morning as a young lad!
Perhaps even bigger news is the plan to swap my RP3 for a new P6 … but i certainly won’t mention that on this thread
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You can throw anything against the HE and it sounds good. Congrats with your purchase.
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