NAC 272 vs Unity Atom HE

Hi-Fi Corner
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I see some people here wondering if a Unity Atom HE could replace the 272, but see no direct comparison. I have had both, at different times, and always compared to my reference DAC, everything else being the same. The thing to know is I am not in the Naim eco-system - cables, isolation e.t.c is very different to what most of you run, and my power amplifier is not a Naim, in fact the exact opposite, a very high bandwidth, neutral ‘audiophile’ amplifier.

Last year during the big A2A discount I got a Unity Atom Headphone Edition to try out as a DAC/Pre in place of my Teddy Pardo TeddyDAC-VC. I gave it 150 hours break in using the Tellurium Q burn in disc.

The short of it is apart from the headphone output, the 272 is superior to the Atom HE in every way, even with network streaming (but only local NAS files). The TeddyDAC and the 272 are quite far apart in their character of sound, but both were better than the Atom HE. The Atom HE was pleasant sounding, but flat and lifeless compared to either the 272 and TeddyDAC-VC.

The Atom HE has a fully discrete headphone output, but the line output is op-amps, as confirmed by Naim on this forum. So IMO it’s not suitable for a stereo system, its a lifestyle headphone product. I was using the RCA out not XLR, so perhaps that is an issue and maybe the XLR is better?

The network input on the Atom HE, whether wired or wireless, was IMO average. It had a digital sound. I have a separate Lindemann Limetree Bridge II streamer + Farad Super 3 LPS and it was noticeably better, such that I would not live with the Atom HE internal streamer.
But this was using local UPNP files streamed from a NAS running Minimserver. Perhaps with online streaming services the Atom HE would pull ahead. But it kind of defeats the purpose of the Atom HE, an all-in-one box, you don’t want to add another 2 boxes.

But the surprise was the 272 ethernet input. I did not have any expectations after hearing the Atom HE ethernet, but the 272 was better here. Remember in my use case I only use local files on NAS. Of course internet streaming services like Tidal/Spotify would be superior on Atom HE. The Lindemann/Farad combo was still a better streamer than the 272, but this time only by a hair, such that its close enough for me to continue using the 272 as a local file streamer and sell the Lindemann off.

I’m not a headphone guy but I did test them both using Mark Levinson no 5909 headphones. These are high end wireless bluetooth headphones which also have a wired passive mode. So i was able to compare the internal wireless mode vs Naim’s headphone socket. On the Atom HE, the Naim was better than wireless, but not by much. Not enough to justify the purchase price, a disappointment. I was using the 6.3mm single ended output, so perhaps with ‘proper’ cans that use balanced the Atom HE would be worthwhile. The 272 headphone output was ok but not even close to the Mark Levinson’s wireless mode. So everything else being equal the Atom HE headphone output kills the 272 headphone output.

The above seems a bit long and pedantic but I could have used such a comparison myself a few months ago.

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I’ve added 4. A hicap dr, a snaxo and two nap 200 power amplifiers into ovators. Sounds fabulous. I do use Qobuz.

I believe what you write, but I have very much the feeling that something was wrong with the Atom HE setup since I cannot relate to your findings.

What cable did you have between the HE and the power amplifier? Was there any downmixing done between the NAS and the HE?

I love my lifestyle. I only go for the looks, not the sound.

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I use High Fidelity Cables CT-1 Ultimate Reference ic’s, retail was 10k USD in their day. Have had over 20 different ic’s over the years and these are by far the most transparent and best ever. They sound spectacular on the 272, so I dont think its a cable issue. Also use CT-1 Ultimate Reference for the digital spdif cable when using the Lindemann streamer.

No downmixing from the NAS, native WAV output only. And I also used both the Naim and Jplay app. Jplay does have slightly better sound quality than Naim’s own app.

I’m also not saying the Atom HE is bad, it sounds good. It’s just the 272 sound better, and surprisingly so since its an older design. I’m glad I took a chance on it. In a revealing setup like I have, the op-amp based Atom HE is shown up (on RCA outputs anyway).

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There was a shed-load of discussion on the relative merits of the 272 and Atom HE when the HE came out. A search would be a good use of time here…

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Seems an extraordinarily unbalanced system. The Atom HE is an entry level Naim product. You have interconnects costing 3 x the price of the Atom, into an unnamed power amp.

I have an Atom HE is a second system, with a bespoke Chord cable into a pair of Naim 135s and B&W 800 Signature speakers, with an awesome sound. The Chord cable cost about £200, which is by far the most I’ve ever spent on an interconnect, sticking to Naim cables for the last 39 years.

Interested to hear more about your system.

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I’ve had all the DACs you mention and would summarise them in the following way in terms of SQ - 272 and Atom HE at a similar level but different character, the 272 being a bit softer and less agile, however with a PSU for local streaming could be extremely good, and then TP (mine also had the async module) - rather pleasant but not enough detail, slightly dull and foggy in comparison with the above two. Of course, all to my ears. The VC on the TP was disappointing but it’s convenient in a small system.

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I was lucky enough to work for the cable company in a small capacity and able to outfit my entire signal path with their reference line. Of course I would never spend that amount on cables. They are 10-20% better than any other cable. Does that justify the cost? I guess not, or only if you are an ultra rich audiophile looking for the final extra improvement.

How much better is the Chord Music over their 300 pound cables? I would like to know but not pay to find out.

Amplifier is the Luminance Audio KST-150 (NLA), speakers are Neat Petite Classics on Track Audio precision stands, all power cables Nordost Heimdall, Nordost Qkore grounding, and Nordost QB8 mk3 power distributor.
I am keen to try a Naim amp and hear what the synergy will do.

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I found the TP DAC to be have more resolution and more transparency than either of the Naim’s, via its spdif RCA input. But I have heard other users report it exactly as you describe, which possibly makes me think its USB implementation was not very good and a choke point in performance.

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It could be that the TP is working better for you in your system, I wouldn’t say there was a significant difference in performance through the different digital inputs (but this can vary indeed). I do remember I found the USB sensitive to the quality of the cable though (to a Melco so I guess a kind of computer environment which is often the case).

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