Today, I went to a shop and I tried the HD800s with Atom’s Uniti Headphone in and a dedicated amp (the Sony one). I can say that the Atom could at 100% of the volume but it sound thin and wasn’t good at all compared to a dedicated amp/dac. I don’t know if the Nova has the same output…
According to Richard in the other thread, the Nova’s is better, but certainly it can’t drive demanding headphones like the HD800S comparably to a dedicated amp. They have 300 Ohms! Get less demanding ones for the Nova. However, I auditioned the Vio V280 with the HD800S and it is what I would have bought even though I was willing to pay more. Just fabulous. But then I bought the 300DR instead 
Theoretically, you could run a headphone amp off the pre-amp output on the Nova, but you can’t disable output to the speakers, so you would have to unplug them. A bit annoying really.
1 Like
For anybody who is looking for the SBL/SL2 sound from headphones, I would recommend the Beyerdynamic dt48 200ohm. Stunning midrange and with an equally capable valve amplifier or a lush solid state variant, it sounds as good as I’ve heard from a headphone setup.
The Nova can certainly drive the HD800’s. Im sat here now listening to Tears for Fears using same and at 50% volume it is getting quite loud with plenty of headroom. Also the SQ whilst not quite in the same league as 252/Headline/HiCap in terms of laid back refined presentation, it’s not far short, and has its own discerning qualities in terms of punchy fun filled delivery.
3 Likes
Oh, didn’t know, I thought that only applies to Atom. Good to know and thx
I wrote “it can’t drive demanding headphones like the HD800S comparably to a dedicated amp”. And it’s not just about volume.
…and i’m agreeing with you whilst at the same time trying to give a more detailed explanation of the differences I hear. Apologies if my writing style is a little obtuse sometimes 
I see 
I’d still get the Vio
Edit: Again forgot about this Nova output off problem. Sad
2 Likes
Hi,
I am just wondering : is it possible to plug a headphone amp to the Nova from the Jack and getting headphone’s amplification without losing any sound quality ? Since it’s analogue signal, I guess it would be the Nova’s DAC that handles the conversion.
Is this option possible ?
No, don’t do that, it will be a crap. Check Sennheiser HDV820, that one has a really good DAC on board.
2 Likes
I did this test in a Star and it is exactly as you mention. The pre-amp output to a headphone amp works but the speakers are on as well as the headphones. Not really a use case for the pre-amp out.
1 Like
I’m not clear on whether this is a hardware or software limitation on the new Uniti’s. On the previous Uniti2, for example, you can disable the speakers through the remote menu and connect a headphone amp via either the line out or pre-amp output and it works great as a transport and DAC to a headphone amp.
It would be interesting to know whether a firmware update could enable the speakers to be turned off on the new Unitis @Naim.Marketing?
2 Likes
I have the AKG K701’s and they sound very fine on my Star’s headphone out.
2 Likes
So, I bought a Marantz Amp-dac and a Cowon L dap…The HD800s works fine with both of them (balanced 4.4 for the Cowon L). The Marantz signature is more rounded, more « tube » (not what I prefer, but it’s only a matter of taste).
Then, just for fun I had the most ridiculous idea ever : plug the HD800s on the Nova and…I was both happy and « furious » to haven’t tried this before : the Nova has a plenty power to drive it : at half power it’s the max what my ears could support. If you like the Nova’s Dac, you will love the combinaison !
In term of sound, I tend to prefer the Cowon L with the HD800s, the Marantz with the HD650 but i really didn’t need to invest in an Dac / amp combinaison as the Nova was better to my ears then lot of Dacs I tried. This combinaison is really sweet.
Conclusion : the headphone output of the Nova is very different from the one installed in the Atom and it can feed the HD800s without issue.
4 Likes
This topic was automatically closed 60 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.