Hey everyone. So many people have made great suggestions here. I should clarify. I was planning on selling the Atom and the Stageline to fund the Nait 50. Keeping me LP12 and speakers and getting the Nait 50 with something I could use for streaming.
I use to own a CB Nait, it was my first amp and I had it with an LP 12 so there could be a lot of nostalgia influencing my decision here. And as one or two have mentioned, I’m not sure if would be a step up in sound quality. As much as I love records, most of my listening is streaming just because of convenience. Having said that, perhaps I will critically listen more to the records as I get closer to retirement age.
That looks like that should be a good sounding but compact system. The Nait 50 should have no trouble driving the 926 speakers to good volume in anything short of a stadium. And you get an MM input, and what promises to be a really good headphone amp into the bargain. When I get mine, I will be streaming (my primary source Tidal and Core) with a Node 3. The node has a decent DAC, comparable I would say to the one in the Atom, and an excellent streamer. It can’t drive low impedance headphones properly, but neither can the Atom – that’s what the Atom HE is for. I will probably be using my Topping D30 DAC and its power supply, for the best sound. I know that combination already sounds awesome with a good headphone amp and good headphones.
My suggestion is therefore to start with the node as a streamer + DAC for the Nait, and get used to listening before you make any changes. If you feel the urge to spend more, there is a bottomless pit of upgrades to dive into.
If I worked at Naim and had any influence, I would now be campaigning madly for a Chrome Bumper housed streamer/DAC. Together with the Nait that would be a wonderful two box compact system, combining many of the best features of the Atom and Atom HE. Might even be considered an “upgrade” to either of those.
Maybe not as cheap as some suggestions, but I have a Lumin D2 fronting my Nait2. In the US the D2 has good pre-owned availability at decent prices and responds well to a PSU upgrade.
When I noticed that the D2 has a digital output, I compared it in my main system to the Sonore ultraRendu I’d been using to feed my DAC. I was surprised by how much better it sounded and promptly sold the ultraRendu.
I used to have a Node3 going into a Chord Qutest which I thought was better than the ND5 XS2 that I was trying out (my daughter thought so too). But then I got a Lumin D2 and the Node & Qutest got moved on.
Another vote for the D2 then.
The D2 is currently in a sideboard under where the new Nait will sit. A CDP and UQ2 will sit on the sideboard too.
I use the NP5 and Qobuz through iPhone - can’t answer for the Android question but the app works very well with Qobuz, although I tend to use MConnect instead.
If you’ll mostly be streaming, I think the quality of the streamer will be key to how well your system sounds. I have no direct experience of the BlueSound Nodes. However, over the past few years, I have had several streamers in my system and have concluded that the quality of the source is just as important with streamers as with turntables and CD players. Not all on the forum are source-first believers, but that is certainly my experience.
If you want to move quickly because of the limited production run of the Nait 50, that would be understandable, but I’d still talk to a good dealer before making a move, assuming you’re in the U.K.
I’m in Canada too. What I suggest is that you make a visit to the dealer where you got the Atom and the 926’s, and ask to hear ‘your’ system streaming something you like, and then have them hook up a system using the Node into a premium integrated amp (in Canada it could be Naim, Anthem, Moon, etc) driving the same speakers. See what if any difference you can really hear.
Many of us would be interested in your results. I grant you, the DAC is not state of the art, but it is better than similar priced items of a few years back (and can easily be replaced with something better). Also, there is now the Node X ($999 CAD), which is supposed to be an improvement, but I have seen no testing as yet that backs that up.
Of course, sticking with what you have is perfectly viable as well (and much less expensive .)
I’m going to go for the EverSolo DMP-A6m for the money IMO you can’t go wrong. My biggest concern is matching some speakers with the 50! I’m thinking Neat Petite classics or some Iota Alphas.