I do not know if the EISA prize has great value but in any case it is deserved!
Great value for Naim , it helps to sell more 
HI, I just have a short question regarding pairing the atom HE and the HIFIMAN Arya, is it a good combo if you like classical music?
I have an Atom with a 3.5mm out. Does this make it a HE or is the HE something différent/specific ?
That is the standard Atom (non-headphone edition), it has a power amplifier inside to connect regular speakers, instead of a dedicated headphone amplifier.
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Hmmm as fortune would have it I just demo’ed a set of Hifiman Ananda on an Atom HE this morning.
Did not play classic but some blues, some jazz and some other instrumental and it really sounded good. I would expect the Arya to sound even better.
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Planar requires some power to be driven successfully.
I have a V1, and i recently bought an Empyrean. The V1 was good to drive it, but has some limitation, especially on high volume. I bought a TT2 because it provides a lot of power compare to a V1 or an HE, and the difference is noticable, better presentation and better LF (vs V1).
From what I have read the HE should be able to drive almost everything aside from some electrostats.
I cannot say that in the demo I had that the HE had problems driving them, I just did not prefer the sound profile for all genres.
Hi, I’m new here and English isn’t my native language so at the beginning I apologize for my possible language mistakes.
I’m thinking of changing the source, which is now Linn Majik DSM mkII. The Belcanto REF500m monoblocks are responsible for the amplification.
Thanks to my friend, I had Naim Nova for two weeks, which I liked very much [I mainly tested the source and the preamplifier], so I’m thinking about the change of my old Linn.
It seems to me that the new Naim Atom HE as a source and preamplifier is a step in the right direction, but I also consider Linn Selekt, although I would rather spend less 
I read some tests on Uniti Atom, Star and Nova and it seems that the same hardware and software are responsible for the stream and c / a conversion.
Considering that the player and the preamplifier, it turns out that the Atom HE should sound the same or even better than the Nova, especially since it has an improved preamplifier path and is balanced.
I’m wrong ? is this the correct line of reasoning?
Best regards. Greg
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Hi Greg and welcome, that is the correct line of reasoning yes. Using your Belcantos you will likely get similar or perhaps better results with the Atom HE compared to the Nova, especially in balanced mode.
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thank you Litemotiv for the quick reply.
I hope there will be some first impressions of users about the quality of the preamplifier.
Anyway, I think it’s time to torture the NAIM dealer for the possibility of borrowing the Atom HE for testing, hoping that this will organoleptically confirm my reasoning
If this Atom HE had HDMI, it would be perfect, also in terms of functionality
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Assuming you want to connect your TV via ARC, this can still be achieved using optical. In fact, depending on your brand of TV, optical can be the more stable of the two options.
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I know, but somehow I don’t trust these 10-cent chips mounted on the TV.
Ideally, as Linn solves it.
You connect HDMI to devices such as a TV set-top box, Apple TV, PS / Xbox and you know that it is good from the hardware side and in terms of functionality it cannot be better.
In the case of other brands, it’s a dream today because there aren’t many exceptions [Lyngdorf] but at least one HDMI with ARC, to make a hub with the TV in this case would be perfect
Well if it is sent via HDMI or optical, the digital stream originates in the TV. If you can’t trust the one you can’t trust the other.
And the HDMI ARC spec is not as solid as one might hopen. It is often open to interpretation by the vendor, that is why I mention TV brand. Some brands adjust it to suit their own needs. There has been cases of folk here who, after new TV firmware, had the ARC stop working.
At the end of the day you are streaming out stereo sound. TOSLINK is perfectly capable of that.
Err… Best not. I think “persuade” the word you seek is.
said in my best Yoda accent
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These tortures are in large quotation marks 
Probably in other countries, such as Poland, with this type of equipment, it is quite popular to rent home equipment for a few days.
Such dealers’ behavior gives the customer the opportunity to make the best choice on his own system and room. Of course you have to leave the hardware equivalence.
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So, I’m still interested in the level of the pre-amp in the HE. Is it equivalent or better than the std Atom?
I’m coming from a UnitiQute2 and have a NAP100 + Aria 926, so I’m really interested in how much of an upgrade it is likely to be.
PS. As I’ve stated before, I may upgrade to a different NAP or even go for active speakers in the future. One step at a time though.
It’s way better , it’s a brand new design with trickle down tech from the statement pre.
Just to be clear, I’m talking about the normal preamp not the headphone preamp, which as I understand it is way better.
Why not have a demo at your dealer?
I can attest to the headphone usage being a large step up from my Star but bought the HE for headphone use.
But I also demoed it first. A few minutes of listening to it live should speak for itself.