Hi Richard,
The video didn’t originate from the AudioScienceReview forums, i found it on Youtube. I can understand this is somewhat of a grey area in this respect, thanks for removing.
Here I would consider their forum and video content as one and the same thing. Thanks.
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I wonder if the reviewers are not tired writing “ this components plays at the level of 3 or 4 times its price “, or “I have never heard my system play so good “.
So now it’s “it performs at the level of mastering studio “ or “it’s the most high value component I heard in my system “.
Hopefully there is Michael Fremer in Stereophile, he would never write such bla-bla-bla.
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It makes you think indeed. However, I can relate to the fact that he is very happy with the Atom HE, the same way I am very happy with my Atom. I know there are (much) better offerings from Naim, but still I enjoy the Atom enormously. One thing doesn’t have to conflict with the other. And all is of course related to the price of the components, so it is about relative performance not absolute performance. That is at least how I think you should read such a review.
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But equally I would not be remotely surprised if it’s the identical DAC in use in each of these levels of component, with the “fairy dust” being in the power supplies, the analogue circuitry, the isolation, the case work, the output circuits….etc….
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Here is a link to an earlier post that lists all the DACs, digital and analogue filters used in the various Naim streamers:
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Yes, a DAC chipset is just that. It’s just one small part of the whole - it’s what is done with it and around it that really matters.
I remember having here on particular digital device that had been well reviewed online, praising its “warm and natural” sound, and the maker had made great play of the fact that it used the Burr Brown/TI 179X DAC “the same as used by Naim!”. It certainly didn’t sound anything like any Naim that I’m familiar with though. It sounded like the music was stuck in a mixture of treacle and a duvet. Horrible!
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Ofcourse when talking about the DAC we are talking about the whole D-A chain, including the filtering etc, not just the chip doing the step conversion.
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Fillet mignon?! 
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Ima a big fan of Stereophile. actually the only hifi magazine I am subscribed to. The people writing the reviews are signed as authors, not journalists. Subjectiveness is something that you expect from an author, and the authors are the reason why some magazine appeal more to us than other. On the other hand, I don’t see how can you be objective when testing hifi equipment.(although, as I know, Stereophile is one of rare magazine that is measuring the equipment under their specific, very extensive, tests made by John Atkisnson, that I actually never read) Every author is testing the equipment in certain circumstances, with certain cables in his music room, compering it to his own reference system. From his experience, with other systems he makes a conclusion about the system he is testing. He is not having an audiology examination.
Honestly, I don’t find possible to have an objective test with hifi. Objective test, could be the specifications. Music and sound are very personal thing, I don’t see how it can be measured.
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I find myself neutral with respect to Herb Reichert, at times he can be quirky and engaging and other times smug and annoying.
On the other hand, I always loved reading anything that Art Dudley wrote and his sudden death in April 2020 was a real tragedy for the cause of good writing in the audio world. An early article from his tenure at Stereophile, Listening #3, is one of my favourites. It pokes gentle fun at audiophiles who have perhaps lost sight of the difference between sound and music, and let’s be honest, most of us have been there. I re-read this piece periodically just to be sure that I haven’t strayed too far down the path of gear obsession.
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You can compare gear to the sound of acoustic instruments if you play them or go to concerts frequently
in theory. and must be made in loco. to direct comparison.
Indeed. It has led me to a system I never imagined I would own. But it’s a me system, not necessarily a you or you system.
And with that in mind I was unjustifiably rude to @Michaelb a while ago, because he heard, with his ears, something he didn’t like and I did. I utterly apologise.
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Funny it was HR’s review that led me to order an Atom HE to test in my system against the NDX2/XPSDR that I own. Specifically his claims about the “world class mastering DAC” and his comparison of the Atom HE to the dCS Bartok. I did not expect the Atom HE to blow away my NDX2/XPSDR but I was curious to see what the upgraded sound would be since my days with the original Atom and Nova. Needless to say, the Atom HE in my experience COULD have had the same “body and reverberant character” as the Bartok - I wouldn’t know because I’ve never demo’d a Bartok in my system. BUT I can tell you that the Atom HE, while an excellent component, did not match or surpass the sound quality and fidelity of my NDX2/XPSDR. So for anyone like me, who would read HR’s review and think, “wow, the new Atom HE is as good as a world-class mastering DAC and can hang with the $15,000 Bartok?” The answer is of course not, and if you read between the lines, this is not really the point HR is making… they are very carefully worded claims which a pro reviewer like HR is very adept at making.
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I have small issue here 
rarley I can here exactly as an instrument or a sound as it sound for real. Yes, somtimes if I am realy relaxed, if it’s a really good recording, left alone in my music room, I got surpised how realstic some instruments are. Human voice, practicly never. I eas listeining to Statment system with Grand Utopia and ND555, in my dealers perfectly treated audition room, all alone, and I couldn’t get this sense. I suppose it’s becuse the sound of the instruments sound different in different spaces. I hear 3dimensionality, instruments placed around in the room, but I am always aware that this is recording. My system is not bad, (282 on 2xhicap, 250, superline and Clearaudio turntable, sonusfaber signiture s). Digital doesn’t work for me at all. To harsh to artificial.
I suppose it’s me.
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I suppose it depends what you expect from your system. It sounds like you have high expectations. My expectation is to be content with what I have and as long as I can play my favourite music without critically analysing and skipping tracks I am happy. Part of this is the naturalness but for the most part it is just that I enjoy the sound. I think you are right though, Room and placement is a large part. Moving my system to a certain area of the house makes voices sound weird and unnatural so maybe have a play with placement.
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I have to say I agree with both of you @Savate @Mark84 .
I love my system and it gives me great pleasure, but there are moments in live performances where it really comes home: wow this is something else. So, on the one hand you can’t beat real life. On the other hand, there are so many great dead musicians whose performances have been recorded, and there’s only one way to experience them…
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Another thing I often think about is that I wouldn’t want a live performance all the time. I like the fact that I can listen quietly with nice full sound.
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That’s not pro but just misleading, and bad for both consumers and the industry. Fluffed up words like those used make the article feel like a paid advertisement rather than a proper review. They’re meaningless if they’re not backed up with proper facts, possibly measurements or at least background information to explain the basis for the provided claims.
It is similar to the use of so called Weasel Words that has also become very prominent in the audiophile sphere, you will find a lot of them each day on the Naim forums in various threads:
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