Aren’t those vibration discs unnecessary if just using it for headphones. I thought the point of any of that was for speaker systems and dealing with sound waves. Now if using as a preamp might change things.
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This is from Electrical Safety First, which is part of the NICEIC.
“ How does a fuse work?
The fuse in a plug is a safety device designed to protect the lead rather than the appliance. It is a deliberate weak link in a circuit which will ‘blow’ if an electrical appliance or extension lead draws too much current due to either an overload or a fault. The blown fuse cuts off the electricity to stop the lead and appliance from overheating and causing a fire.
### Different types of fuses
As a rule of thumb, fuses are rated according to the power rating of the appliance. If you have to replace a fuse, it’s essential, having checked and corrected the reason for the fuse blowing, to replace it only with another of the same rating. A common UK plug is generally fitted with a 3A or 13A fuse.
Plugs for appliances rated up to about 700 watts should have a 3-amp fuse (coloured red).
For example:
** 3A Fuse – Table lamp, standard lamp, television, video, computer, mixer, blender, fridge, freezer, power drill, jig saw, soldering iron.*
Plugs for appliances rated between about 700 watts and 3000 watts (the maximum rating of a wall socket) should be fitted with a 13-amp fuse (coloured brown).
For example:
** 13A Fuse – Washing machine, dishwasher, microwave, kettle, toaster, iron.*
Manufacturers have now standardised plug fuse ratings to be either 3A or 13A. However, 5 Amp fuses are still used in some older equipment and are available to buy.”
DG…
I think you’re right. In my case, HE is used with active speakers.
Recently I have problems with the neighbors because I like to listen loudly. That’s why I am considering buying headphones… I wanted to ask you if I will have the same pleasure and emotion as my SI2 speaker
My HE stands in the same piece of furniture as my Mu-So 2 … I decided to put Soundcare Spike 2 on both to minimize interference between the two just in case … Can’t hear any difference but at least it looks the part 
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Hi, I have sbls and ibls and I found the Atom He and focal headphones a very good combination. I have meze classics though since I ran out of money. Meze classics have a fatter sound which you might like but not the speed and balance as Naim loudspeakers.
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That will come down to the budget I think.
I was a 2 channel person but once my wife started to work from home as well, I also had to look at alternatives. Now I’m 100% headphones.
This change took place over 18months. Personally, I wouldn’t swap my current setup for speakers. I enjoy loud music but i also look for the best soundstage and timbre possible. I like to feel like I’m there. Headphones do all that and more for me.
There are a lot of headphones to choose from but you really do need to demo them, especially if you’re new to them. SQ is important but counts for nothing if you can’t wear them for long without discomfort.
The Atom HE is an excellent starting point… even end point for many. You can add more exotic headphone power amps to it if you want. Focal pairs well with it… so do Meze Empyreans and the Elites. ZMF headphones also pair well with them. It really is an excellent all in one system.
But, realistically, if you’re aiming for something that gives you that hit that can replace speakers you are best not to aim too low down (headphone wise) as while they may be ok, you’ll be left missing those speakers very quickly. Just take your time and try a few options before committing $$$.
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I hadn’t forgotten your question about how Vovox excelsus power cable affect the sound compared to Naim Powerline. I asked my dealer yesterday, but unfortunately he didn’t have a demo powerline for a home test at the moment. So I can’t answer the question conclusively. However, he confirmed that the Vovox is well-balanced and good value for money. If you are interested in the topic of power cables: I found the test by “Audiobacon” helpful. He compared 27 “Audiophile Power Cables” and described the sound signatures and tendencies (easy to find via google).
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Many thanks for your reply. I tend to stick to what Naim provide to avoid to much faffing. That said I’m not closed in my thinking so will have a look the review you recommend
Many thanks
Gary
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Well, the fact that as of today Tidal Max is not supported is really annoying.
Sincerely, I didn’t expect this, unfortunately I’ve not checked before buying, otherwise it would have been a “no buy”.
I love my HE, but even with Letshuoer S12Pro (which is good for the price, but not TOTL) the difference for Breathe, The great gig in the sky is clearly perceivable, The 30 seconds Qobux demo (192/24) is much more open and far less noisy of what I hear on Tidal (44.1/16), same 2023 remaster of Dark Side Of The Moon.
I prefer Tibal, well I would have preferred Spotify, but its hifi/supremium plan is just a fairy tale, Qobuz is just 3rd place on par with Apple, worst interfaces, worst proposals, and sometime locking (Qobuz, on iPhone 15 Pro).
Unbelievable, we are in 2024.
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I currently use Tidal max setting on my Naim HE thru roon. They just updated about a week ago. Not sure if Naim has provided an update of where they’re at. It’s not just the Atom Uniti line but their entire current streaming platform that needs to be updated. I’m sure there are a lot of earner customers waiting.
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Here’s a screenshot of Dark Side thru roon. Can see it’s in 192/24 format. Have been with Qobuz for last few years but it’s all been thru roon. I was doing a 30 day trial of Tidal and decided to switch. For most part, Tidal has replaced most of their MQA albums with hires copies. Only MQA albums remaining are the 44/16 MQA from Warner label. Those don’t make much difference in sound quality from CD versions.
I was also comparing number of hires content from Tidal to Qobuz with roon but numbers are off because roon is still working on getting the right rates to show, so a lot just say mixed format even though 96/24. I think Qobuz may still have more hires content but at some point they’ll be matched. What’s more important is Tidal still has a larger library and fills in the missing gaps I had with Qobuz. And even though the same albums in the same format should sound identical, for some reason I’m finding Tidal to sound better. Possible due to volume leveling but who knows.
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I think you are on the right track considering it may be related to volume levelling.
Always found the volume levelling from Tidal to be superior, never needed to touch the remote control in respect to volume.
With Qobuz I found I still sometimes had to adjust volume, which is not what I desire, I just want to relax, press play to shuffle my library and be surprised with which of my favourite songs will be next.
A couple of months ago the volume levelling info disappeared from my Qobuz songs when played via Roon. Have asked for help on Roon forum and still have an open ticket with Qobuz - though it has gone on for so long I decided recently not to renew my subscription. If Qobuz responds to my support ticket and resolves the issue I may still resubscribe.
Anyhoo, I am enjoying my Uniti Atom HE with my Focal Utopia 2022 headphones.
- Just using Roon to play local files and Tidal Max [with Roon setting to prefer anything over MQA].
- Volume levelling by Track, Target Volume Level -14LUFS
- I do Power of 2 oversampling [up to 32bit / 384kHz]
- Convolution filter loaded into Roon for my Focal Utopia 2022 [by Mitch @ Accurate Sound makes a significant improvement, I can take or leave oversampling, though this convolution filter made a clear positive improvement].
Also thanks for mentioning your Caldera experience with the Naim Atom HE.
I have been out of the headphone game for a bit and just went with the Naim Atom HE / Focal Utopia 2022 combo. Seemed a safe choice, of which I am very happy with. Anyhoo, have been reading a bit more about ZMF and next time I am near the local ZMF dealer, which is about 2 hours away, I will try to stop by for a quick listen. Very happy with the Utopia 2022, though your posts raised my interest regarding the brand, specifically the Caldera.
I was having issue with Qobuz showing volume levels, so I signed out, cleaned library files and signed back in and the volume level was working but looks like all my favorites are missing. Not a big deal since switching to Todal anyway. But even with Qobuz and Tidal both having volume level info, Tidal seems slightly louder for same album. So it’s not accurate.
Yeah, I’m loving my Caldera. It’s close to the Focal Utopia but with a slightly warmer, little bit laid back sound in comparison. It’s still a rock headphone for plenty of punch and excitement. It’s just think wood cups give give it just a bit of warmth that was missing from Utopia. But I only had the original version, so don’t know how 22 model compares.
The other nice thing with ZMF is pad swapping. The stock pads are closest to Utopia but currently using the thick pads with give it bigger soundstage with much better separation. Loose little bit of bite but gain more bass and texture. Usually end up switching back to stock after a while when want more exciting sound. Just depends on mood. Or suede pads sacrifice a little punch for a more tube like richness in the mids.
As far as the Naim HE, I just feed it original signal and let it do its thing. No EQ or upsampling. Only changes were upgraded power cord and headphone cord.
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I read Tidal does their volume levelling to -14 LUFS. [sure of this]
Qobuz does their volume levelling to -18 LUFS. [this is what I recall]
So a delta of 4 LUFS, which is approximately 4 dB, this is why Tidal always sounds louder than Qobuz if I used -14 LUFS setting in Roon for Volume Levelling. If I selected -18 LUFS, then the difference in volume level did decrease, though not absolutely.
Of the two values I believe -14 LUFS is becoming more of the standard across the streaming platforms, so it may be Qobuz that is becoming the outlier.
My initial thoughts for the Focal Utopia 2022 were it was a little bass shy & a bit of bite in the treble - could only listen for about an hour before I would get detail fatigue - the convolution filter resolved that. This surprised me as I have never been a fan of DSP.
Still, the sound signature of what you describe the Caldera being, is one that over time I am moving towards, so I’ll give it a go next time I am near local dealer. Thank you for posting your thoughts.
For me the original Focal Utopia sounds great out of the Naim HE. I had also upgraded the headphone cable to Danacable Lazuli Reference. Seems to give a touch more clarity and richness. The Utopia sounded shrill out of the Chord Hugo 2. Razor sharp detail but not musical. The Dave/mscaler solved all my issues but had a hard time owning something so expensive. No regret eventually moving onto the Naim HE.
The Utopia was still a very exciting headphone and could sometimes be too intense. I find the Caldera to be the right balance. I haven’t felt there was ever a time I wish I still had the Utopia. Now if I still owned it, I’d still be happy. Only sold it because wanted to try Planers and made the mistake of keeping the DCA Expanse. Over time realized the Utopia was better. Just took another risk in giving the Caldera a chance instead of going back to the Utopia.
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I’ve brought a cost effective minimalist system comprising HE and active Elac speakers. Auditioned Focal Clear MG Meze 109 Pro and Audeze LCD X (post 21). Was anticipating Focal sounding best and therefore surprised when I found they were far too ‘shouty’ and fatiguing. Liked the Meze’s but rapidly formed a clear preference for LCD X.
Don’t have ‘audiophile ears’ so can only assume I’m sensitive to treble and yet I get all the detail I want with none of the harshness, from both speakers and headphones.
Not an ‘upgrader’ but intrigued by ZMF headphones despite the high price. Would love to hear the Caldera and Atrium on my HE ( quite different sound signatures I know).
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There’s a reason there are so many different good headsets. Your ears are fine, you just like a different sound signature. Awesome that you are enjoying what you found.
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If you’re ever able to make it to a CanJam, you can listen to ZMF’s whole lineup, including the new Closed model of the Caldera. I have the original Caldera and it sounds amazing out of the Naim HE. There has been a few posts saying the Atrium doesn’t shine out of the Naim. I’ve only heard them for a few minutes at CanJam and they sound wonderful. Sounded better with tubes during my short listen. But nice thing is ZMF headphones sound as great as they look. And drivers are backed by lifetime warranty. Plus the rest of basic parts are replaceable. So even though they cost a lot, you know they’ll last.
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Thanks for the background. Need to persuade the authorities that a visit to Canjam won’t automatically result in the purchase of a hugely expensive pair of headphones - I suppose I could reason with her that I brought the most expensive pair of ZMF’s in order to avoid buying a tube amp as well!