So I have been playing with my Atom HE for a week now. Purely as a preamp and it is fantastic. It sounds richer, wider, purer and more refined as my old Atom (also as a preamp). Same cables, same power amp, same speakers, same room. It is really hard to describe what has changed, but I would say the PRaT is still there, but more refined, with less distractions (like emphasised bass or mids) and pulling me more into the music. I even noticed this when listening to Internet Radio several times this week. I also noticed that the bass is not less but tighter, which leads to less boomy bass in our room. I love it!
Anyone living near Arnhem in The Netherlands is welcome for a demo.
BR,
Richard