Naim NDX 2 Vs Naim Unity Atom HD

Hi-Fi Corner
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Naim NDX 2 Vs Naim Unity Atom HD. I’m presuming the NDX is the better streamer? Do they share the same headphone amp. Does the NDX have a Balanced connection?

Thank you for all your help and advice. You have been most helpful.

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The NDX2 is a far better streamer. It has no headphone amp, it’s just a line level source with unbalanced DIN output.

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He’s right.

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And a pair of RCA phonos! All of which is, of course, on the Naim website, ready to be discovered.

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Yes, there’s RCA too. I was just towing the company line.

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@Tyendra325 can I ask what you’re trying to achieve here? IIRC you have a Naim pre&power (282/250), a TT and CD player. Are you trying to add both streaming and headphone capability to your current system?

Asking cos you’ve started a few threads on various topics, TT upgrades, CD additions and headphone amp choices, and perhaps if you’re trying to do a few things at once, if you describe what you’re trying to achieve overall, the great and the good from here might have a holistic upgrade path, or five, in mind :slight_smile:

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… e.g. swapping out your 282 for a NSC222 gives you streaming and an equivalent or better than Atom HE headphone amp, inbuilt MM phono stage plus a power option for the rebadged Solstice (MM & MC) phono stage coming sometime. Then just plug your CD player into the remaining phono sockets, and done bar whatever new TT you choose.

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At the moment I am reserching my options, having so many to consider is daunting. Thank you.

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Thanks, for the heads up re the NSC222.

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Does the NSC222 headphone amp have a Balanced connection?

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It doesn’t

1 x 6.35mm headphone jack (Headphone 1.5W into 16)

There is a bit of information in the thread on New Classic about the headphone output of the NSC222, it doesn’t have the physical output flexibility of the Atom HE. I’ll have a go at finding the posts later if it would be useful

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Thanks, that would be useful. If it doesn’t have a balanced conection, I may be better of going for the the NDX2 with a deicated seperate headphone amp. Am I correct in thinking the NDX2 is the better streamer?

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That’s a great question :smiley:

I don’t think there’s a clear answer, particularly if you add in the headphone amp complexity. Best to try and listen to a few things. Which can be a fun exercise if you have access to a good dealer.

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Thank you.

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The NDX2 is way ahead of the Atom as a streamer/DAC. How well it works as part of a headphone listening system obviously depends on your choice of headphone amp and headphones. Of course you have a wider choice of compatible headphones with an Atom HE than you do with a 222, but with an NDX2 you are free to choose the headphone amp of your choice and ensure that it’s a perfect match for your headphones. Balanced vs unbalanced is part of this consideration, of course, although I do think people tend to attribute more importance to this than it really deserves.

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Thank you for your interesting post.