How is the Uniti Atom as a PreAmp compared to the 272? I don‘t want to wait any longer for an updated 272. So I might go for an Atom or Atom H.E.
Very curious about this as well!
The Atom HE has a totally re-engineered preamp stage to either the Atom or the NAC-N272, FYI. Have a listen, if your dealer has got their demo unit.
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In all honesty, I thought the price would escalate compared with the normal version.
Guess I was wrong. Difference is 5%. I would buy the HE, over the normal one
( but I must maintain the focal point: collect all the pennies for the Nova)
I guess it will only be a matter of time before we see these comparisons arriving 
Impressive brand loyalty although I doubt an Atom HE was what 272 owners had in mind!
As noted on multiple occasions, Atom HE is an alternative, rather than a replacement…
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And a revision of the HE that can be powered by one or two 555DR!!
I was commenting on the fact that the poster said they didn’t want to wait any longer for an updated 272 and was showing “brand loyalty” by considering an Atom H.E. instead (when it is not really intended as a replacement).
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It’s interesting that the 272s poor relative the NAC-n172 XS is still listed in Hi Fi World World Standards. It’s been gone for at least 3 years.
An underrated piece of kit - heard the 172 fronting a NAP200 and thought it really very good for the price.
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Would anyone buy a replacement for the 272, that did not have XLR outputs or the capability to be powered from a external power supply ?
Since I have a NAP250 DR already, the possible lack of balanced outputs would not be a dealbreaker for me …
Not in my case - need to connect it via XLRs directly to my ATC SCM50ASLTs and I already have an XPS, but the PS upgrade possibility can be optional depending on unit functionality etc
Balanced outputs whilst useful for users of active speakers seems to have become a market trend in domestic kit, with the feature appearing frequently in very modestly priced gear.
There are sensibly priced RCA cables too, it’s just that unlike the pro market, hifi buffs feel good about spending lots of money on fancy looking cables.
I understand that balanced has some advantages where long cable runs are concerned and does offer improved noise immunity, but that this is not especially relevant in the domestic setting.
Plus, creating a truly balanced circuit is much more complex, so at a given price point there will necessarily be trade-offs elsewhere. And if it’s not balanced throughout the device, any gain is limited to long cable runs in a noisy environment, as you wrote
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Mogami 2534, 2549 - amazing cables at very good price.
Use only them for XLR-XLR, DIN-XLR
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Naim products ship with decent sounding cables so I don’t think XLR is in any way a prerequisite for a 272 replacement. Nice to have of course 
I suspect active speakers will be a popular choice for using with a 272.2. These might be ATC or Dutch and Dutch and both strongly recommend balanced operation with D&D even saying they cannot guarantee proper functioning with respect to hum and noise otherwise. Acoustic Energy offer balanced xlr as well as rca, recommending the latter for long cable runs. So perhaps more than just “nice to have” when used that way.
Roger
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