I am reporting a critical and dangerous malfunction with our Naim Atom Unity following the most recent firmware update. This is not a minor glitch — it is a severe safety issue that has caused my partner and me extreme stress, to the point where it feels like it has taken years off our lives.
The problem is simple to describe but extremely serious:
The volume suddenly jumps to 100% on its own
The Naim app shows the volume dial spinning upward automatically, without any user input
It happens on multiple Android phones, so it is not device‑specific
It continues after rebooting everything
It even happens with a headphone connected, which is extremely dangerous
The system becomes impossible to control, and the volume cannot be reduced once it spikes
This is unacceptable for any audio device, let alone one in this price range.
A firmware update should never introduce a bug that can damage speakers, hearing, or both.
At this moment, the Atom Unity is not safe to use in our home.
We had to immediately switch to headphones to avoid blowing our speakers — and even then, the sudden jump to maximum volume is frightening and potentially harmful.
We are absolutely not happy with this situation.
This is the kind of failure that destroys trust in a brand.
We urgently need answers:
Is Naim aware of this issue?
Is a fix being developed right now?
Is there a reliable temporary workaround that prevents the volume from spiking?
We expect a clear and immediate response, because this is not a cosmetic bug — this is a safety hazard.
Thanks for the pointers — I’m going through those threads now.
For the moment we’ve turned the radio/streaming completely off and we’re basically just waiting for the update to be released. But honestly, this whole situation is extremely stressful. We’re sitting here constantly watching the volume because it keeps jumping to 100% out of nowhere. That’s not something you expect — or should ever have to deal with — on a system like this.
Until the fixed app is actually available in the Play Store, we can’t safely use the Atom at all, and that’s really disappointing.
I wonder if a super expensive and high sensitive speaker will be damaged due to this if the volume shoot up fully at 100%. Can such thing happen. If the speakers is spoiled will Naim address it or it is down to owners bad luck. Kind of scary to think of it.
This does seem rather histrionic. Nobody is going to have years taken off their lives. Just don’t use the app or phone to change volume. Use the remote and all will be well. It’s an unfortunate glitch, but these things happen and a new app version is awaiting Play Store approval.
I completely agree with this concern. With highly sensitive and expensive speakers, a sudden jump to 100% volume can absolutely cause real damage. That’s not an exaggeration — it’s a very realistic risk.
We were extremely lucky that we were standing right next to the Atom when it happened. We managed to shut everything down immediately, but it really could have gone wrong. The idea of what might have happened if we hadn’t been there is honestly quite scary.
So yes, I share the same worry: if someone’s speakers do So yes, I share the same worry: if someone’s speakers do get damaged because of this bug, I really hope Naim will take responsibility and not treat it as “bad luck” for the owner. This situation is stressful enough already.
Absolutely nothing to do with speaker value, and can happen to speakers of low sensitivity as well as high. The risk to speakers arises primarily if when it happens a source is connected playing music with a high output level and as a consequence the amp is pushed into clipping overload, or even without the amplifier clipping if the speaker power handling capacity is very low relative to the amp’s maximum output. And whilst in extreme cases the damage can be immediate, the longer it goes on playing at such level before shut off the greater the risk.
Right up there with exposed speaker pins from the speaker sockets on the rear of the Naim power amps - metal ballpoint pen or screwdriver rolls off the back of the amp and flash, bang, wallop - no amp, no speakers .
Yes, I know it’s a constructed, low probability event, but you’ll only let it happen once!
IIUC Naim amps have short circuit protection on their outputs, while shorting the terminals would not harm speakers…
Also, once upon a time bare terminals were the norm on many amp brands. The 350 at least has insulated terminals. That said, I don’t know when Naim changed, or which older amps still have naked.
To be fair, the vast majority of terminals on the back of speakers these days use exposed conductive metal. All it takes is a child to lay a metal ruler across them or something and bye bye power amp.
I checked my NAP 140, NAP 250DR and NAIT 50. All have the same style insulated banana jacks. If the Naim supplied SA8 dual banana connectors are used as recommended, no bare metal is exposed, except for perhaps 1mm of the banana pins. You’d have to pull the SA8s at least halfway out before there would be any risk of an accidental short via a metal pen.
(I didn’t check my NAIT 2 as it’s packed away. It has recessed banana jacks, but I don’t recall if exposes more of the SA8 banana pins or not)
I’m using Naim’s SuperLumina, which is, of course, supplied factory terminated with special 4mm SL pins - which protrude from most recent Naim amps….. something about you get what you pay for comes to mind .
You have just confirmed that Naim has used insulated terminals for a long time. My post responding to Osiris’s implication otherwise had assumed that he/she was correct about some Naim amps as I don’t know myself whether some have had bare terminals.
I have seen various banana plugs with significant areas of exposed metal and/or with long pins, so the risk is common to other cables and not specific to Naim. I think it is a small risk, but its existence is why power amps commonly are ‘short circuit proof’ these days - not so decades ago, at least not with my first hifi amp!
I see. I didn’t think of SuperLumina speaker cables as I only have NAC A4/A5 speaker cables terminated on the amplifier side with SA8s myself.
If concerned, I suppose one could add short lengths of insulation to the exposed part of the banana pins. i.e. Appropriately sized bits of heat shrink tubing, o-rings or rubber washers.
Or avoid leaving metal pens or other thin, metal, rollable objects on your amplifiers
Or 101 other possible ways of averting such a suggested and unlikely disaster - and have accidental damage insurance just in case despite all measures some such incident occurs and shortcircuit protection fails…
But this attempted additional criticism of Naim having exposed metal on speaker connections is completely irrelevant to the actually very real potential for speaker damage arising from unpredictable uncontrolled increase in gain to maximum.
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