Pondering my Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition… an amazing sounding and versatile device; it almost has it all. If only there was a digital out for an external DAC that could then be connected to the analog input it would truly be perfect. The lack of a digital out is it’s Achilles heel. Naim, if you’re listening, consider an update to the Atom V. 2 by adding a digital out. I’ll take two!
If it had a digital out like some other Naim all-in-one boxes you still wouldn’t be able to route the signal out to a separate DAC then back into an analogue input. If you want separates, buy separates, not an all-in-one device.
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It would be a bit pointless given the Atom internal architecture - the analogue input is digitised before being fed to the internal DAC…
The desire is to add a digital out that could be used for an external dac. Nothing more.
It wouldn’t work unless you connected the separate DAC to either a separate source or a separate amp, so there’s really no point. That would require at least 3 boxes, negating the point of an all-in-one design.
I use my HE as streamer preamp to nap 100. While i understand your desire to use a different dac, you would probably better off w separates. I have used it as the front end on a supernait3, and 250 dr with results that have made me question the ndx2(which is just that much better). Part of naims upgrade path is to force you to make decisions like this as they seem to be confident in their quality per price and sound signature. Noticably, and similarly, the regular atom has an hdmi as it can be used in a smaller space as a complete sound machine for a small room apartment. The HE does not. Which to me is a similar flaw. HE to outboard amp to speakers would be great. Instead they push u up the uniti to a nova for that capability. I think its because they know the he as pre is very good. And might eliminate the need for a nova.
it is all about the upgrade path. just thinking how nice it would be for the all-in-one to be even more capable and versatile. you can’t blame naim for holding back just a little.
The whole point of an all in one is that it’s complete in itself. You can add external sources, and also connect it to a power amp, but what you cannot do, as others have said, is output its streamer to an external dac and then back in again. That’s because you’d switch to the analogue input, which would disable the streamer.
I use my HE with active speakers and it makes a wonderful system.
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In which case you should work out an endgame system and work towards it. Then there will be an achievable upgrade path. It’s just that the DAC won’t be the first step in that path (unless it’s a combined streamer and DAC).
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