‘should perform much better’ doesn’t say much, what does that mean?
Would it be anything you can actually hear, or is it a theoretical number you are referring to?
Please start a separate thread if you want to get into that discussion - let’s keep this one about Uniti Atom Headphone Edition.
3 Likes
OK hear me out…a Uniti Atom paired with mono-blocks in the same form factor. Could be a thing. Compact and crisp looking, flexible for upgrades if you want them…but perfectly capable if you don’t. Plus, would give people the option of adding cool looking boxes which let’s face it, most people love.
Could be a thing…? I could well see my Nova being replaced by an Atom HE and a pair of Naim A/B mono blocks.
5 Likes
The Split-Atom Power Block 
8 Likes
We have marketing campaign right there!
‘At Naim, we want to harness the power of the Atom…by splitting it. For demanding systems that thrive on power, we have launched the Uniti Pulsar, a dedicated power amplifier designed to work with the rest of our Uniti range. Configurable in either stereo or mono…’ etc
7 Likes
In total agreement , but Uniti is about a one box solution , the Atom Headphone Amp is I guess for the moment not going to have any power amp siblings
I should say that I went from a 5 box Naim system to a Nova (with other changes also) and I am very pleased with it
1 Like
Oh I get that. But it is already implied in the outputs of the Atom HE that should you also want to power some speakers you can by adding an amp. Just making the argument that it should be a Naim amp and that the form factor should match the rest of the Uniti range as they look so damn cool. 
2 Likes
My money is that we will very quickly see Focal powered-by-Naim active speakers that pair with the HE. It would be mad not too.
16 Likes
Interesting…hadn’t thought of that but makes a lot of sense. Could be a really neat solution.
1 Like
Interesting to see Naim staff actively managing a thread - that’s a first, no? Good luck Clare - it’s cat herding at its finest!
2 Likes
I see that the wifi antennae is built in, will this still be as sensitive to pick up the wi fi at a distance as compared to the NDX2 which has 2.
Focal already do an extensive range of active monitor speakers with XLR inputs that would pair comfortably with a Atom HE as required. Other active speakers are available…
https://www.focal.com/en/pro-audio/monitoring-speakers
Part of the challenge of going down the preamp + power amp route is creating a mechanical ID synergy, you could pair it up with an existing NAP of course and achieve that goal but it does go against the principle of Uniti.
I’m sure there’s thought gone in to a Classic series streaming preamp, more likely you’ll end up with something looking like an NDX2 with volume and balance knobs when the internals can be laid out to make it work as we would all expect it to.
Sticking to the thread topic, I like the fact that this gives flexibility to do things an Atom cannot and still sit nicely on a desk in an office or table in a lounge, the pairing of active speakers will be most interesting in that respect, with a number of options already having been discussed and considered by others.
1 Like
I borrowed a Uniti Atom HE to try out and it worked flawlessly via wi-fi, a full floor above the router in our house. Our Uniti Nova works fine at this distance, too. That includes with full-fat, high-resolution files streamed via Qobuz or UPnP.
5 Likes
Are there any plans in the works for a Atom HE bundle, headphones or active speakers for example?
Seems theres enough interest and a potential for some upsell for Focal companion products.
3 Likes
Give us a chance, we only launched it on Tuesday 
Seriously, with all the current global supply chain issues - hitting us and so many other businesses - we’re still far from normal times. Sure all the above and more will be considered once things settle down a bit…
3 Likes
Clare, could tell me how it tackles difficult hard to drive headphones ? I have the Focal Utopias and Grado PS1000 which are considered to be easy to drive, but i wondered how it would cope with those awkward ones. The Focal Arche has a low gain and high gain to cope with those ones. Someone has said on another forum that it doesn’t have the same power compared to the arche.
Has the person on the other Forum actually compared the two products side by side, or are they going on spec sheets? The former is by far the best (only) way to have an opinion on the matter.
Focal Utopia were one of our reference pairs, and Atom Headphone Edition drives them beautifully. As ever with any product, we’d urge a demo at a dealer to hear it for yourself. And with a headphone product, it’s so easy to take along your own kit to do the demo.
5 Likes
Noted and considered. I know the materials impact all too well as I’m deeply in the middle of it with my own work.
Bundles of existing products already in supply chain shouldn’t hurt too much one would hope!
Looking forward to a demo, and evaluation with existing headphones 
1 Like
A Binary Star?
2 Likes
hmm, could work. But there is a Star in the line-up already.