Review: Naim Uniti Atom vs Tube Separates/Chord Digital System
Some initial impressions with the Naim Uniti Atom in my main system and how it fares against a much more expensive tube separate system in my main room...
Existing system:
Backert Labs Rhumba Extreme Preamp
Luxman MQ-88uSE valve amp
Chord M Scaler
Chord Hugo TT2
Innuos Zen MK III
Volti Audio Rival speakers
Transparent power cables
Triode Wire Labs speaker cables
WireWorld interconnects
VS:
Naim Uniti Atom
I am running the Atom with a Transparent Power Cable and using wifi to connect with Roon as a Roon Ready RAAT endpoint, hooked up to the Volti Rival speakers and no subwoofer.
Right out of the gate, can I say what a sexy piece of gear this is. Pictures don't do it justice - it is a very tactile piece of equipment that begs to be touched. It's a great piece of hifi design from the proximity sensor on the volume knob/front panel to the slick Zigbee remote. This is not a piece of gear to hide in an equipment rack or on a shelf, it's VERY cool. Next, the ease of setup and use of this all-in-one amp/streamer/DAC is dead simple. Especially in my case where it's basically just set up as a Roon endpoint. You just plug in speakers and power cable and connect it to your network. Done. There's no need for tweaks or further optimization. It just works.
Now onto the sound...
I am comparing this $3200 box to a $12K Chord digital front end and reasonably high end tube separates (Backert Labs and Luxman). A total of $23K worth of other gear that could/would effectively be displaced by the Atom.
I mention this because VALUE is going to factor very highly in my impressions here.
How does the Atom measure up at 1/7th of the price?
Very good in many respects, not quite there in others.
The Atom when used as an all-in-one makes excellent use of its 40wpc. It powers the 6 ohm 99db efficient Rivals without breaking a sweat.
What I am hearing from the Atom is a very natural and rich sound with amazing detail and expansive soundstage both from beyond the speakers and deep behind the speakers as well. It is not projecting a holographic stage as a tube amp does, but compared to other solid state amps I've owned, it does a stellar job of precision placement within the soundstage of instruments and vocals etc.
Some remarkable things I have experienced:
The biggest thing to mention here is MUSICALITY. Now objectivists will get pissed off by that term but there's no better way to describe the way the Atom presents the recording.
When listening to the Atom I found myself engaged in the overall "wholeness" of the recorded music. It does a wonderful job of presenting a song in a way that brings you into the music so you're not thinking about "sonics" but just able to enjoy the music.
I've spent a long time listening to many iterations of gear in my system and I always find myself listening for "things" in the music. I was surprised when I found myself simply listening to "music" for a change with the Atom... not getting bent out of shape or worked up about the particular timbre of an oboe or the tinkling of chimes and triangles, etc. I can't explain it better but the Atom just does a solid job of presenting the SONG in a way that erases any concerns about whatever else is happening deep in the mix. Is this what they talk about when people mention Naim's strength regarding "PRAT?" It's musical, however you want to call it.
Second, there is an incredible amount of realism and detail. I have not heard any "artificial" or digital sounding elements to the sound at all. What I have heard - and I know it's a cliche - is things I have never heard before in the music.
Now I HAVE heard "things" in the music before, but on other systems, they may sound like atmospheric sounds or "impressions" of sounds in the mix.
The difference with the Atom is that now those "sounds" actually can be identified as instruments, etc. It's weird.
Like the end of "Standing on the Corner of the Third World,"(Tears for Fears' Seeds of Love record) there is a massive swirl of atmosphere and sounds and synth and bass and percussion.
For 30 years I've heard this as a "wall" of sound that builds in dynamics and intensity.
With the Atom for the first time, I heard the placement of the synth pad in the mix, the deep doubled bass synth under Pino Palladino's fretless bass, the Fairlight swirls and samples.
The same kind of listening experience from "On the Run" on DSOTM - the Moog synths and swirls and loops and arpeggios seem to have a distinct sound in the mix that I haven't heard before.
All in all very remarkable when compared even to the upsampled tracks I listen to in the Chord stack.
Third, there is a very smooth and even presentation to the sound that is remarkable. It isn't "flat" like a dry stereo image, but very rich and engaging while being cohesive across all range of frequencies.
As a streaming preamp into the Luxman MQ-88uSE
The Atom didn't hold up so well as a streaming preamp. There were aspects of the Atom's personality that came through in the MQ88 however it was clear that in order to get the best from either of the units, there is a synergy that should be considered.
The MQ88 was not as holographic or exciting to listen to as when paired with the Chord and Backert Labs pre. The sound also had less weight and presence than when paired with the main system. There were strengths of the MQ88 that DID come through when paired with the Atom but overall it's just better to leave that paired with the other gear to have it sound its best. The Atom/MQ88 can best be described as a compromise between the 2 systems that doesn't allow either to perform at their best.
The downsides
I wouldn't even call these "downsides" to the Atom sound, but they are definitely differences that can affect enjoyment depending on what you're in the mood to hear.
For example, with the main system, I am used to playing ANYTHING and having it sound good. It just simply does not matter what you put through that system, it comes out sounding like a million bucks.
With the Atom, there were definitely recordings that sounded flat and unengaging. A surprising example is Lionel Ritchie's self-titled album. I love this record, but through the Atom it sounded very flat and thin. Not so with the Chord/valve combo.
Those recordings were rare exceptions - BUT in nearly ever instance, there was a clear weakness when it came to things like body, resonance, and realism to individual instruments and voices. But that too depended on the content.
For example, drums. Drum solo in songs like Chick Corea Trio's "Fingerprints," (Trilogy) Diana Krall's "Devil May Care," (Live in Paris), Dominic Miller's "Ombu," (Absinthe), etc. These songs have massive drum solos (Ombu is almost totally a drum solo). In the Atom there just isn't as much rounded body and heft to the bottom end of the drums.
It has great attack and dynamics, but I found myself missing that presence in the lower mid-bass that comes from the inside of a well-mic'd floor tom, for example.
Voices are another area this comes up - depending on the voice. For example, Tom Petty has a thinner and reedy voice that always sounds natural and "in the room" when Rick Rubin produces him. The Atom did a GREAT job of translating this realism. Tom never sounded better. Because with the valve amps, there's always a bit of resonance in that vocal that shouldn't be there.
However, with rich, resonant male voices, the Atom has a drier presentation that lacks the depth and character of the other system. This can be distracting at times when a voice like Shawn Mullins or Johnny Cash seems a bit thinner than you are expecting to hear.
All in all I am very impressed with the Atom. It has me seriously considering what would happen if I sold off the Chord electronics and replaced them with the Uniti Nova (the top of the line in the Uniti series). At 80wpc and a massively upgraded everything (power supply, DACS, etc) is it possible the Nova could overcome the Atom's shortcomings and replace an entire cabinet of high end separates?
I just migrated to Naim separates - NAC252 with super cap power and NAP 300DR with 300 PSU with Focal Sopra 3 speakers. It sounds so life like , almost feel the performer in front of me. Its everything I wanted in my long journey of Hifi. It doesn't sound like stereo, separation of instruments is incredible. Even at low volume the musicality and detail is beyond any other system I have owned whether mono blocks - tube or digital. No fatigue to my ears, can listen for hours.I may consider adding a pair of JL F113 just to push a bit of air.
I am loving the Naim, I ordered the Uniti Atom for my summer camper, it came as a bundle with Focal Chora 806 and Naim Nac A5 speaker cable. It was like getting the chora 806 and the A5 free. This was Christmas special not sure if they still have it. Has anyone tried the Atom with Dynaudio special 40? or any suggestion for a mid size bookshelf? I am. got sure how the Streamer/ Dac part of the Atom is. Look wise its a charmer, perfect size for my camper to replace amps and streamer/Dac.
I’ve listened to the Nova a few times, along with the Atom. I’m definitely intrigued to go one box, especially since I’m thinking of moving the 2 channel system to the new family room being built instead of a dedicated space.
Current running separates and the media cabinet I want to buy that will look good in the living room is quite big. The tubes dictate the choices (flow through front and back with auxiliary fans if I want them INSIDE a cabinet). I think the BDI Octave or Corridor are the ones that fit the bill.
McIntosh C50 Pre dual PrimaLuna Dialogue 6 mono amps Allo DigiOne Signature Rasp Pi Streamer Chord Hugo DAC Dual REL R218 subs Spendor A6 speakers
Currently in the existing room it’s brilliant. There is a certain air and naturalness that I have never experienced in my own system after 30 years messing around in this hobby. My current home theatre sounds good for casual listening (Marantz A/V and PSB speakers). A non offensive sound but when I sit down on my dedicated 2 channel system, voices, sound stage and that beautiful mid range are steps above and keeps me in this hobby.
A lot of systems I listen to fall in the above category. Sound full, easy listening and rich with great detail but there is a naturalness that is missing. I know the Spendor A6 helped immensely to get that preference (previously with Totem), then adding the McIntosh Pre was mind-blowing in terms of details and soundstage gained over the previous pre/amp (Audio Refinement/Parasound SS). The Hugo DAC was next (vs using the built in ones in the C50) and it was just even more detail. The last addition was the dual tube amps and honestly it didn’t gain me that much but took the edge off the digital highs. Just calmed everything down.
I don’t want to lose that. I don’t want just a great casual listening system but a really dedicated 2 channel experience. The money saved selling the gear will be a bonus too.
Sounds like a few above have gone to the one box solution and it’s very appealing if this system is in the living room. I have a feeling I’ll be buying the NOVA and then undo my system if it really performs as well as everyone says. Just don’t like the pain of taking a loss selling gear that may or may not work in my system/preference.
@joc3021 congratulations!!!! Don’t sell the Vinyl short ! I have a pretty formidable vinyl front end and the Atom holds own and provides countless hours of joy :-) best to you enjoy the music jim
First OP - great review - well thought out and composed! I have been living with Atom in a variety of systems for about three years now and agree with much of what you found. You can see photos of gear I have paired it with on my virtual systems pages for Vintage System and Casa Pacifica.
i call it the Mulekicker - 40 wpc but stout. Certainly pay attention to load and volume. Most of my listening has been done with Vandersteen Treo CT which are 86 db, 6 ohm engineered to be an easy load. I don’t listen that loud - 90 db peaks. As OP states it presents a musical cohesive whole. I do use it with a NAS with bit perfect rips off a NAIM Unitiserve, as well as usb sticks, streaming services including 24x192 files off Qobuzz ( atom now supports that since you wrote review ) importantly, the analog input is very clean. I use a bardo/Triplaner/Delos into a Herron tube phono stage - lush, massive and deep soundstage. I have also used it as a streaming / preamp into z a variety of amplifier including a MC240 and a Music Reference RM-9. The RM-9 is a world class amplifier and pairs well with the Atom. great sound, ease of use, high reliability, worldwide dealer network, regular software updates, $3.2 k is a deal. have fun, enjoy the music !!! jim
I did this as well - replaced about $40k of tube separates (VAC pre and power, Totaldac d1tube) with the uniti nova. The nova to my ears has an sq that is completely on par with that system. Different certainly, but just as enjoyable, utterly compelling, absorbing, and just... exciting. I am amazed by it. Powers my Verity Parisfal Encores effortlessly too and they are not the easiest load. I was sick of the tube heat and the many many boxes and turning everything on and off and worrying about it leaving it on - my lifestyle is such that I often have little 20 minute pockets of time to listen and the nova is much more suited to that duty. I just wanted to add my voice to those who have left behind big dollar tube separate rigs for the Naim uniti universe. It’s hard for me to imagine anyone hearing the Nova as a big step down sonically from anything and the convenience and functionality make it a joy to use (internet radio too!).
@joc3021 Congrats on the Nova. I am as happy as I've ever been with any system I've owned. IMO the Nova sounds better than all the gear listed in my OP that it replaced... But I think that's a combination of personal preference, and the great synergy between the Nova and my current speakers.
One thing is for sure, I no longer sit around every night listening to my system and wondering what the weakest link in the system is that I need to upgrade next. I figure it would be at least $30K minimum to match where I'm at with the simple Nova all-in-one. It's the most impactful audio purchase I've made for sure.
I did it. Got a Nova. Selling off the five boxes it replaces, at many, many times its cost. Does it sound as good on an absolute level? No. Does is sound great? Yes. Feels like freedom. There is beauty in simplicity and the (near) perfect marriage of form and function. I have moth-balled my vinyl for now, so it does everything i need. So, one box, two speakers. Done. Happy.
From living room to bedroom but how much care did you take with positioning the Harbeths? Was it a case of “the speakers have to go here” or did you perform the full Masterset? (Do a search for the latter if you’ve never heard of it, there was a long thread on Audiogon some years ago.)
Wish I could be of more help but I really know nothing about your speakers. You really need feedback from Harbeth owners... I'd just do some web surfing and try to find some Harbeth forums or user groups and see what they recommend. Good luck!
No, maxing out the volume on the Atom would only apply if you are feeding the Naim into an integrated amp, which is not what you should be doing.
Running the Atom as a preamp into a standalone amplifier is the way to go, then you are controlling the volume etc from the Atom. The Luxman tube amp I have is not integrated, it's a standalone tube amp.
I can say I have not experienced any of the downsides you mention about the sound of the Atom through my Volti Rival speakers - they are 6 ohms and 99 dB sensitive but there is a lot more to matching amps and speakers than efficiency and watts.
It looks like the Harbeth P3ESR is quite a bit less efficient at 83.5 dB, so it could well be they are looking for more juice. Are you using a sub? I’m seeing that the P3ESR only reaches down to about 75Hz so I’m not sure if that’s contributing to the lack of mid-low detail.
The important thing is it’s not working out for you so YES there are things you can do and they will NOT require an integrated tube amp.
All you need is an actual amp - Naim was right that an integrated isn’t going to work with the Atom, for one reason because the variable pre-outs from the Atom would mean you’ll have 2 separate gain stages between the Atom preamp and the preamp section of the integrated.
I’m just not familiar enough with tube amps in that price range, and you’d need something with plenty of power. You may not want to rule out some good solid state options...
But to get back to the integrated part of it - all you need to do is run the pre outs from the Atom into any amp, and the Atom will operate as a preamp and streamer, so there’s no need for an integrated.
I mentioned in my OP that I did this exact thing with a Luxman tube amp, I just preferred the detail and engagement of the Naim, though both lacked enough power to really take control of my speakers.
I did recently add the Nova to my main system and moved the Atom and Luxman into my office system. The Nova at 80wpc is sounding amazing with the speakers! And the Atom sounds great with the Klipsch Heresy IIIs in my office.
I am been using Naim Atom as an all in one system to drive my Harbeth P3ESR speaker. I put in my living room and eventually move to my bed room. I love the Naim apps and the interface and how easy to use it. But sound vise, i found they are not a good match. Harbeth is probably looking for more power and its strength is in the mid range and it is best to drive with a tube amplifier. Naim atom is not. As a result, the mid-low frequency side is lack of details, lushness and overall, the sound stage is also not great. Vocal lacks details and fluidity.
Any suggestion on what can i do?
Some youtuber suggested me to use the Naim atom as a music source and connect it (via the preamp output) with a high powered and good quality integrated amp and use this to drive the Harbeth.
What do you think? This is like a bi-amp connection but not exactly. I wrote to Naim and they said this will degrade the sound quality. If you think this is a good idea, please suggest which integrated amp (with tube) that i can use for this purpose. One that come into my mind is Vincent SV-237.
If it is not a good idea, i may sell my Naim atom and go for modular system.
Yes it is a great "starter" integrated/player, the easiest to use component I have ever had. To the extent that it’s a "starter" - I’ve been in the hobby for a few years and had many integrated & separates both tube and solid state.
I have the Luxman MQ-88uSE right now as my main amp, and have had everything from Luxman 509X integrated to Hegel to Rogue, to vintage Luxman, Adcom, etc... with many different levels and combos of DACs and preamps (currently Backert Labs & Chord TT2/M Scaler). The one thing I never got into was high end separates (Luxman m900u, etc) and I wouldn’t really ever spend $20K+ on any one component.
All that being said, I’ve spent probably close to $80K in this hobby over the past 5 years and what stuns me is how exceptional this little $3K all-in-one is. Almost makes me feel foolish for going down so many rabbit holes.
The bottleneck in the Atom I think - compared to my current high end system - is probably the BB DAC, as it is not refined and realistic as the Chord stack. But it does make up for it in other areas - as I said, just the musical quality of the box as a whole kind of makes the strengths of the Chord a little less important.
Another thing is I believe my speakers are playing a big part in how good the amp sounds. I am very surprised to find the Atom seemingly a better match for the Rivals than the Luxman valve amp. It may just be more power, better impedance, or other things I never understood/paid much attention to.
I haven’t moved the Atom into my office with the Heresy IIIs yet, but I suspect the gap between the Atom and my current office amp (Sonos Amp) would be perceptibly less through the Heresy IIIs than what I am experiencing in the main system with the Rivals.
I’m recently and considerably invested in the Sonos ecosystem around the house, which is sad because now I’m probably going to have to upgrade everything to Mu-so etc over the next year. Right now I am seriously on the verge of selling off my Chord stack to invest in the Nova, which I wouldn’t have believed I’d do even a month ago.
It’s a real giant killer.
Although as an "entry level" component it’s still on the higher end of most "new" people dipping their toes into the hobby. I have several friends looking to get into hifi and I’ve been more likely to steer them to something like the Sprout 100 or Cambridge integrateds (61/81 etc) just because $3200 could be a big leap of faith for some people just getting into the hobby. I guess it depends on the pain threshold for people’s individual budgets.
Jsqt yes we would have to agree, we are Naim dealers and in love with the Atom.
Today there are a host of fantastic intergrated amplifiers which may challenge or outperform separates.
Also the very fact that you don’t need any additonal intereconnects, power cords or have to take up a huge amount of space with an amp, dac, streamer makes these kinds of products ideal for many people just getting into audio.
Add to this Roon endpoint, a great native app, the ability to get Naim streaming speakers the Muso line for additional Rooms, makes the Naim Atom a very special start to introducing someone into high end.
We love the Atom so much we have two on display the first in our starter audio room to show how people can start with the Muso the streaming speaker for $1,599 and then move into higher performance sound by moving to an Atom with either a set of bookshelves or floorstanders to compare the Sonos/Naim Muso all in one streaming speaker vs moving into a real high end system Naim Uniti Atom plus seperate loudspeakers.
Our second Atom is in our audiolab where we compare the Atom to the Naim Uniti Star and Uniti Nova, vs Hegel, Micromega, NAD Masters serie, Krell and other high end streaming dac/amps.
Other cool Naim Uniti things are the ability to connect to Android as well as IOS devices, the Naim Uniti line is one of the very few audio products that have Chromecast streaming as well as Airplay, Blue Tooth, as well as built in Tidal and Spotify.
And yes the Naim Nova and the Star do sound signiigantly better than the Atom.
The fact that there are more and more great integrated amp/dac/streamers on the market makes it much easier to buld a great system these days.
We put out the Krell K300i and that also sounds great but different then the Nova with a different feature set, we also just put out the new Hegel H390 which is breaking in and we need to do the Naim vs Hegel demo as well the point is more and more outstanding reasonably priced electronic solutions are here.
Congratulations for understanding the fantastic qualities of the Naim Uniti Atom, we have run our Atom with the ATC SCM 19 and most people wouldn’t think a 40 watt amp would make magic with such a small amp but wow if you have a decent size room nd don’t push to ear bleed levels the Naim Atom shows you the joys of Class A/B Naim amplification which makes the other digital amp based competitors in the dust sonically.
Dave and Troy Audio Doctor NJ, Naim, Hegel, Krell, ATC dealers
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