Pairing Naim Uniti Atom with speakers in an awkward room

Hi-Fi Corner
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Hi to the community,

I love my music, but I’m not technical, nor would I describe myself an audiophile. I’m about to purchase a Naim Uniti Atom to cover my musical needs for my lounge and dining area. This is one big space approx. 25ft. long by 15 ft. wide, with a 8.5 ft. ceiling (total about 2,500 cubic ft. sq.) Hard floors with scatter rugs here and there, stone walls.

The obvious position where the speakers would go isn’t ideal, but I’m wondering if I can get away with it? Owing to some cumbersome built-in furniture, including a ceiling-high bookshelf, the speakers can’t be positioned to point length-ways into the space, instead they need to sit in one half of the area (the lounge), which is approx. 15 ft. by 12.5 ft. - about 1,500 cubic ft. sq. but with the following restrictions…

  • Speakers need to point across the width of the room (15 ft.) to the main listening position.
  • The distance to the listening position from each speaker is not equal; the left speaker is restricted to 10 ft., whereas the right speaker needs to be 12 ft. away. (otherwise it blocks a doorway)

So my questions would be:

  1. How much sound degradation is there likely to be with speakers that are not equal distant from the listening position?
  2. Given that the speakers are firing across the width of the overall space at one end, should I be looking for speakers that are designed for medium sized rooms, or small rooms?

Budget-wise, I’m thinking on the lines of a KEF R3’s or Neat Motive SX2’s, so £1,300 to £1,600 max. I listen to a wide variety of music, classic, jazz, orchestral, electronic, a variety of vocals etc. My preference would be for clarity in the sound, deep bass is not as important as mid and high-end performance, but I like the idea of a good sound stage and separation. I also like long listening sessions, so not too bright a sound, and would be great to get a speaker that performs well with low volumes (to help the neighbours!)

I would appreciate any technical knowledge you could share on the above situation and or advice about a type of speaker that would work best in the above set-up, (and do I really need to throw out my furniture and start all over according to a better listening set-up?! That might very well be one bridge too far with the wife!

Best regards to all,
Sorabji

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I can’t claim to have technical knowledge but I have an Atom in a very large room with 12 foot ceilings, albeit with the speakers either side of a fireplace firing down the length of the room.
Having them at one end of the space, firing across the room shouldn’t be a problem in my experience.
We all have to make compromises and make the most of what you have, whilst accepting domestic harmony and room limitations.
I have Kudos X3 floor-standing speakers but have used Neat Motives previously to great effect. I really rate the Neats you’re considering.
If you were to look at previously owned speakers, you might find you can get something better for your money.
I nearly always sit “off centre” to my speakers, even in my main system. I sometimes offset the “Balance” so that the sound appears to be centred on where I’m sitting. It’s not that critical to me as one of my ears is better than the other anyway!

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Dear Blythe,
Thank you, I appreciate your response. I didn’t think I had the option to off-set the chanel balance through the Atom(?), but either way, my main concern was whether the unequal distance to the speakers would make it a show stopper? In your case it sounds as though it works just fine.
Best regards,
Sorabji

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I put my speakers 4 feet apart in odd shaped kichen-dining room which works. Also next to patio doors, so great for outdoor listening (when the storms subside!)

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I often listen while sitting off to the side and it’s very enjoyable. But I wouldn’t be so sure about having a fixed central listening position and then having one speaker closer to me than the other ie sitting between the speakers but one closer. In many ways it will be a case of trying it out. Hopefully you can test speakers at home to see which you prefer. I do wonder if stretching to the Nova might be possible? It’s a big space and you want a nice room filling sound.

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Thanks for your response Anonymoot,
That’s good to know!
Best Sorabji

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Dear Hungryhalibut,
I really appreciate your response. Stretching to the Nova (additional £2k) is way beyond reach, or it means being without music for another year of saving! Do I take it from your response, that you’ve used an Atom in a similar space and found it lacking? I don’t listen at high volumes very often, and as I say, the speakers will be firing across the room (10-12ft) rather than lengthways into the bigger space?
Thanks again,
Sorabji

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No problem Sorabji. Have you looked at second hand? I couldn’t stretch to Atom so got a Unitiqute2 and added a NAP100 later, both mint condition less than half new Atom price, and love the sound. Crikey the pairing go loud as well, through Dynaudio speakers which are my favourite.

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I just changed the speakers for my Atom, I dismissed the SX3 way too boxy and the tweeter is a little rough. I went for the ProAc Tablette 10 Sigs lovely speaker and easy to place. What I have found though is not all rooms will work with equal placement you need to adapt speake position to the room. In my case if they are equidistant then the left channel dominates as the the side walls are not equal and one side has more hard furniture the other soft. This arrangement cannot be changed. Using the Sumiko placement method works better here as you adjust speaker to work with the pressure of the room which in my case alters from left to right. I was using floorstanders that where efficient but I don’t think the Atom has the drive for larger speakers really.

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It’s simply that speakers such as the Motive 2 aren’t desperately efficient and when you do turn it up the Atom may struggle a bit. If you cannot afford a Nova - and it’s a lot of money - then I’m sure the Atom will be fine if you don’t expect too much. It might also be worth considering an ND5XS2 and a Nait 5si. You can pick things up ex dem or used at good savings, as you could with the Atom of course. The most important thing is to try it at home to ensure it lives up to your hopes and expectations.

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Thanks Anonymoot,
I hadn’t considered second hand, but mainly because I would kick myself if anything did go wrong and needing expensive repairs etc. I know the experience will vary, depending on luck. But your expereince sounds like a very good saving, so maybe worthwhile considering, thank you.
Best,
Sorabji

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Dear CrystalGypsy,

That’s very interesting, so may be good to play with them anyway relative to the room. In my case the nearer speaker is standing in the middle of the larger space (pointing across the room), whereas the more distant speaker is near the corner of the room by a door. And also interesting to note the Atom may be too light for this space generally. Thanks for your input.

Best regards,
Sorabji

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Dear Hungryhalibut,

Thanks for your feedback on the Motive SX2’s. That makes sense.

Best regards,
Sorabji

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I would not worry too much about the positioning constraints on your speakers. Whilst arranging speakers and listener in an equilateral triangle is ideal, most folk, at least in the UK, don’t have dedicated listening rooms and where speakers can go is limited by domestic considerations. Furniture can have an effect on the sound and rooms are rarely furnished symmetrically. What’s more, many of us have asymmetric hearing!

I don’t see a major problem here and the Atom has a balance control if fine tuning is needed.

Roger

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Yes, maybe I was lucky but suspect the vast majority of Naim kit is well cared for. I wouldn’t hesitate to go s/h next time. Both of my bits of kit were over 5 years old and looked brand new, amazing really.

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Dear Anonymoot,
Thanks again, that’s very good to know.

Best,
Sorabji

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Dear Peakman,
I really appreciate your response. This will be a first major investment for me in hi-fi, and it’s a considerable amount of outlay – so I guess I’m probably being over-cautious. As you suggest, the real world is far from perfect! I’m glad to know the Atom has balance control, though. Really good to know, thank you.

Best regards,
Sorabji

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i use sx3 with supernait and far from boxy or rough!

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HI @Sorabji I do endorse the “try at home” message at least if you are in a location where such things are possible. Choosing speakers is very personal: one person’s ‘lively and involving’ is another’s ‘ear-piercingly bright’. So auditioning is particularly important and with your awkward room that means at home if possible.

Assuming you can audition, I would not focus over much on speaker specifications. Better to work with a dealer on speaker choice. Neat usually work well with Naim (and you might want to try Iota Alpha, slightly cheaper than Motive SX2) but there are many other possibilities.

Finally, this is a Naim forum, so I am reluctant to recommend a non-Naim alternative, particularly one I have not heard, but you might want to listen to a Nad M10. Similar size and price to the Atom, but a more powerful amp and includes Dirac room correction, which might just help with your difficult room.

Roger

PS Apologies HH, this was meant for the OP.

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Not pretending to be an expert on this, but if you can try your speakers of choice at home with an Atom, that is clearly the ideal situation.

Regarding the speakers themselves, filling a largish room is where power and power reserves may be an issue. You might find that your chosen combo works well. However, if you are underwhelmed, I would suggest looking for relatively efficient speakers to make the most of the Atom’s power. Clearly they need to have a sound balance that you like as well. You probably want to be looking at speakers with 90db or above efficiency if you find the Atom/neat combo doesn’t go loud enough.

The other thing to bear in mind is that more powerful amplifiers tend to ‘grip’ the speakers better, which from my experience offers better control of the bass in particular. An efficient speaker matched to the Atom may overcome this.

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