No “version” - it’s all there in print on the website.
I think most people (myself included) don’t subscribe to that. Different headphones have different characters. That’s all there is to it. The EQ you mention sounds an awful lot like an attemp to fix defects as perceived by the listener. I feel that if a headphone doesn’t sound right without EQ, then something’s wrong with it. And after all, there are plenty of analogue only headphone amps out there, many in the >$10k bracket and they don’t provide EQ either. Like speakers, you pick amp and headphones that compliment each other to your subjective preference.
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TDA1541 I hope?
Yes i understand your point. I was mainly referring to the comparison video where the (i believe popular) headphone reviewer mentioned that the LCD-X really benefits from some specific EQ to better match the Harman curve. You might not agree with his assessment, but that’s why sound is subjective obviously.
What would be wrong with fixing defects as perceived by the listener? Your Luxman amp has tone controls for this too right?
Since headphones are really direct and close to the ears, it can also be that for instance age-related adjustments might be desirable for some people.
Every D/A implementation has some form of EQ curve obviously, and i assume the Atom uses it’s Sharc DSP for this.
It’s just a question of whether you want to give the end user any type of control over the sound or not. It would be quite simple for Naim to provide this i guess, and i’m sure that no end user would complain about having those controls.
People can fall back on Roon for EQ options (in case they use Roon), but an implementation in hardware would ofcourse be preferrable since it’s available for all users.
However Naim has explained why they choose not to do this, in this and in other threads, so that’s their decision and that’s fine too.
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Well I think the LCD-X sound great as is personally . With the right amp.
I don’t think I’ve ever used tone controls to be honest except for problematic analogue material. That Luxman is my end game headphone amp. It has synergy with my HD-800’s in a way my HL2/HCdr just doesn’t. It is my “complementary match to my subjective preference” if you will.
And most headphone amps don’t even provide tone controls. Considering many sources may be analogue, any digital domain EQ is going to be useless (or at least significantly complicated and expensive) for vinyl users. So this really is the crux of the answer to your question, what’s wrong with fixing defects as perceived by the listener?
Answer: Why waste time and money on something you feel is defective? And can you even do it in the first place? (re analogue sources).
I thought the LCD-X were great (if painful). The reviewer, didn’t (in their unaltered form). I’d have left it there and said I didn’t like them and given them a bad review if it was me but with their ears.
Luckily though, there are products out there for people who do subscribe to EQ approach. The Atom HE (along with a lot of other products) almost certainly isn’t for them. But Naim can’t (and no brand should try) be all things to all people.
Agreed.
A source ~> headphone pairing is like finding the right suit. You can see a tailor and audition all sorts of fabrics, price points but essentially you rely on both your own judgement and that is the sales person to point you in the right direction. EQ is like buying a suit off the rack and then having adjustments made. It may work out. You may be happy. Or not. However, it is best to get it right the first time around.
Looking at the specifications I have little doubt the Sennheiser HD800S will drive perfectly fine out of the unit. I very much doubt a Susvara would be driven to full potential.
I will find out Monday when I take delivery. Between the HD800S, Focal Utopia and Oreolus Trailli IEM (and also whatever else the store has - will likely try the LCD4 as well) I’ll soon find out how it compares.
I have high hopes. The store owners rated their pre-release unit very highly. Though I couldn’t quite tease out of them how it compares to the next price point up (eg. Mytek Manhattan)
Seriously Ardbeg? The TDA 1541 is ancient history now, and a DAC chip that had a bit of a rocky start before coming good with the 1541A and better still with the specially selected crown versions, of which Naim did their own special selection for use within the first Naim CD player, the CDS, then the CDI, CD2, and finally the CD3.
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Whilst Naim keep quiet about what exactly are their best selling products*, my guess is that Atom, Nova and SN3 would form at least two out of the three and form three out of the top five
I think it’s very interesting that many of the posts here have little to do with headphones
- Ex Muso
Looking forward to your experience with it on Monday and maybe a little bit of a review ?
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If you wanted to use it with a computer would you use a USB-A to USB-A lead (as it has not got USB-B) would it work this way ?
No, as mentioned previously, the USB is for attaching local storage, USB sticks etc… If you want to use it directly with a computer then you can Cast or use Airplay… or if you wanted to connect physically then use s/pdif.
The NAIM headphone edition doesn’t support direct digital connection via USB to your laptop/computer. Unfortunately.
With the streaming options, perhaps they thought it was a little redundant? Cast or Airplay2.
I am hoping it supports full lossless via wi-fi and ROON.
Yes, you can stream up to 32bit/384kHz via Ethernet or wi-fi connection. In terms of practical applications, I had no trouble wirelessly streaming 24bit/192 files from our server via UPnP or indeed high-res Qobuz tracks.
Roon and Chromecast also support high-res, though Apple currently restricts AirPlay to CD quality (we could go higher if they decide to!)
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I really don’t see why this is unfortunate. I ended up tweaking my USB connection to my previous (Esoteric) DAC. Used a very expensive USB cable and it still did not sound as I wanted. Then switched to the Atom and I was very sceptical about playing my music via Ethernet. It is so convenient, sounds excellent and no issues whatever I play (up to DSD128 in my case). I never looked back. Only invested a whopping USD 25 for some decent BlueJeans CAT6 cables.
Do you mean a usb to s/pdif converter to connect to a computer
If for some reason you wanted to connect a computer directly via a physical connection then you would need to use the s/pdif input - the Atom is not just a streamer but can also be used as a DAC. If the computer doesn’t have its own s/pdif output then a USB or Firewire to s/pdif convertor is needed. In fact, even if the computer does have an s/pdif output, it may well be the better performance option to use a high quality asynchronous USB to s/pdif converter.
I was hoping that was the answer, thank you. I have the Dac v1 at the moment, would the Atom HE have a better Dac and or headphone amp than the V1.
I couldn’t say - I’ve heard neither, although from what I’ve read about the Atom HE it sounds like it may well turn out to be the better headphone amp, especially if you have headphones capable for balanced operation. One for Naim probably, or better yet, one for you to find out first hand with a demo.
Thanks for your answer.