Yes, feet.
Just for a minute I thought you had a massive room! 
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FWIW, I recently sold a pair of 1 year old B&W 804D3s at a big loss; For some reason they were not a good match with my system (300DR/252/SC DR) & room (they sounded terrible actually).
I subsequently purchased a demo pair of Harbeths and with no other changes to my system, they “solved” my problem and sound really fine. They’re most likely the last pair of speakers for me.
I know lots of Naim owners are very happy with B&Ws but based on my experience with the brand, I could never recommend them.
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The amp is most likely Clipping. Not enough power.
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Hi,
I auditioned the 606 S2 last year; for me personally, I couldn’t get a long with them, I stopped after 2 tracks.
They do have a bump in highs that to my ears was almost painful. Pushing the speaker to high volumes, I could imagine there being a perceived distortion, it’s that hot in those higher frequencies.
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Say it does not happen in LP/analogue input:
Do you then have the same perceived volume/loudness? Or ist the display showing the same %? (Or both?)
Have you played with „input gain“ on the analogue input? (E.g. I have to boost my TV on digital gain to be at least on comparable volume than other inputs.)
Also nobody asked about your cables yet.
For some reason my seller gave me bi-wiring ones at the beginning and changing to NAC-A5 made a huge difference in the sound; though I never played loud enough to get issues you describe. (Speaking from Atom/Nova-B&W experience here. And I have capped max-volume at 50%, to protect everybody and everything involved, living in a flat.)
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I can understand why they are not everyone’s cup of tea. Also, if I recall, they took a good bit of time to break-in.
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As I’m learning, there are lots of variables, but I think that’s probably the nut of the problem. I have outside B&W 600 speakers on my screened-in porch, mounted solidly, and with quality speaker wire. They distort as well, although at slightly higher levels. I just invested in a McIntosh MA252 integrated amp with 100w/channel and we’ll see what that brings, beyond a confirmation that I’m now trapped in a vortex of upgrades!
The phono input plays without noticeable distortion at an indicated volume of 100%, but that level sounds to be equal to the loudness of other inputs played at 80% or so. So, another variable. Hate to sound silly, but what is input gain and how do I vary it? Through the phono pre-amp? Thx, -Doug
You should be able to get it good and loud with the volume at 50% if you’re playing it at much more you are clipping the amp. Also speakers have a finite amount of volume they can produce.
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If you want to keep your current amp, then probably best to listen to some high efficiency speakers, otherwise like many have said, look at an amp with more power.
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I find it hard to believe the Atom clips at 60% into 8 ohm.
I have 707s on my Atom and have no problem getting enough volume at 55. And those are less efficient at 86 dB. No need for more than that. But that is in my office… 11x12. Now I want to try louder, but can’t rights now.
Just had a listening party with my friend. The Atom drove his 705 signatures in his living room just fine. They are a bit more efficient, but in his living room they were plenty loud enough. This is all streaming. We both bi-wire.
I can’t help but think you are pushing speakers too hard where they are and it is resonating in a bookshelf. Yes they are called book shelf speakers, but they should not be in a book shelf. If they are you should plug the ports if they are ported. Cables are not going to change equipment being driven too hard.
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Now if you really want to know on the cheap… You can get an audio app… “audio tool”. You can use your phone to listen to test tones and actually see the clipped wave from. It’s litterally how you set gains on multiple amps or channels. It’s hard on high frequencies to see it… But if the Arom is clipping, it’s clipping, and under 400hz it is easily seen.
Of course you can always use a graphic multimeter for scope… But that is sort of specialized. (expensive) Other “checkers” are not cheap and unreliable. Point is, you do not have to guess… You can know. The app is a few bucks and lots of functionality. Just stream from your phone. If the wave form isn’t clipped, you are asking too much of your speakers. But honestly I find it really hard to believe the atom is clipping… At 60%… Or your speakers are maxed on exclusion.
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Thanks to all that replied to this! Very helpful! One of the wildcards here is that the speakers were routed through a two-way switch. Although it is a high quality switch, I think removing it raised the threshold for distortion. I’m now using the Atom to drive my outside speakers exclusively and using my new integrated amp to play CDs and vinyl through B&W 706s in my living room. Results are great for both, but would like to get more utility out of the Atom as a streamer to the integrated amp. A new topic.
Just so you are aware the Atom does not have fixed output so you will always have to set volume to an I tegrated. Also, the Atom’s DAC can’t be bypassed. The analog I puts are digitized, and only analog out so…
@prufrock28 . If I were you I’d get a Blusound Node for inside and a Blusound Power Node for outside .
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