[Gorf]

You get zero configuration options with the built-in DAC. I like it the way they set it.

Thanks.

 

[Gorf]

Why not give your PC to Mojo a shot with Utopias when you get them. Mojo will drive them with loads of room to spare, you own the kit already, and Mojo keeps it to the minimum. I have a very early release Mojo that has done well as a desktop (and portable) unit over the years. With the HE you would be throwing a ton of money away as your use case is narrow.

Good point. I'd be using the utopias with a mojo on my dap anyhow. But I find the mojo battery situation a pain when using a desktop. My thinking is that if I am buying the Utopias anyhow, by buying a DAC amp at the same time I may get some discount. So I'm thinking of Arche, SPL or HE.

 

[iamoneagain]

Good point. I'd be using the utopias with a mojo on my dap anyhow. But I find the mojo battery situation a pain when using a desktop. My thinking is that if I am buying the Utopias anyhow, by buying a DAC amp at the same time I may get some discount. So I'm thinking of Arche, SPL or HE.

Well the Arche is discontinued. I believe most dealers will give you some kind of discount on the Utopias even just buying on their own. Essentially it looks like you’re looking for a 2 in 1 box solution of amp with dac built in in desktop form. The Arche is a great choice except might be hard to find anywhere other than used market.

The Naim HE is also a great choice except you’d be paying extra for built in streamer and for most people, wouldn’t have toslink on their pc, so wouldn’t be able to use directly. The question is whether the Naim HE is worth $3200 if don’t need a streamer? Well it will still sounds excellent and you get the remote for volume plus the cool volume control knob on top.

For me, the value comes from its wireless streaming ability. I can take it anywhere in the house and just plug it in and it’s playing music within a minute. In the past my Chord Dave/mscaler took at least 30 min to hook up and had to look up manual each time to see where all the cables went. I also love seeing the album art on the display and having the remote also control the playback as well as the volume. Hooking directly to a pc would lose most of those features. But just as a amp/dac for $3200, what else competes with it that sounds as good? I think it’s much better sounding than the Hugo 2 but I haven’t heard what else is out there. Possibly a used Hugo TT2 for under $4000? But I also haven’t heard that either, jumped directly to the Dave.

 

[Gorf]

Well the Arche is discontinued. I believe most dealers will give you some kind of discount on the Utopias even just buying on their own. Essentially it looks like you’re looking for a 2 in 1 box solution of amp with dac built in in desktop form. The Arche is a great choice except might be hard to find anywhere other than used market.

The Naim HE is also a great choice except you’d be paying extra for built in streamer and for most people, wouldn’t have toslink on their pc, so wouldn’t be able to use directly. The question is whether the Naim HE is worth $3200 if don’t need a streamer? Well it will still sounds excellent and you get the remote for volume plus the cool volume control knob on top.

For me, the value comes from its wireless streaming ability. I can take it anywhere in the house and just plug it in and it’s playing music within a minute. In the past my Chord Dave/mscaler took at least 30 min to hook up and had to look up manual each time to see where all the cables went. I also love seeing the album art on the display and having the remote also control the playback as well as the volume. Hooking directly to a pc would lose most of those features. But just as a amp/dac for $3200, what else competes with it that sounds as good? I think it’s much better sounding than the Hugo 2 but I haven’t heard what else is out there. Possibly a used Hugo TT2 for under $4000? But I also haven’t heard that either, jumped directly to the Dave.

Thank you. Your replies always give me something to think about.

 

[vcoheda]

a few months back i was looking at amp/dac combos (eventually decided against). the violectric V590 (4k for the pro model) was a top contender. if you are looking to retain the streaming option, the new teac ud-701n certainly looks interesting (also 4k).

https://power-holdings-inc.com/Violectric-V590-Headphone-Amp-DAC-p202322694
https://www.moon-audio.com/teac-ud-701n.html

 

[Gorf]

a few months back i was looking at amp/dac combos (eventually decided against). the violectric V590 (4k for the pro model) was a top contender. if you are looking to retain the streaming option, the new teac ud-701n certainly looks interesting (also 4k).

https://power-holdings-inc.com/Violectric-V590-Headphone-Amp-DAC-p202322694
https://www.moon-audio.com/teac-ud-701n.html

Thanks. I've not heard of that brand, I will check it out, although its a bit over my intended budget.

 

[iamoneagain]

a few months back i was looking at amp/dac combos (eventually decided against). the violectric V590 (4k for the pro model) was a top contender. if you are looking to retain the streaming option, the new teac ud-701n certainly looks interesting (also 4k).

https://power-holdings-inc.com/Violectric-V590-Headphone-Amp-DAC-p202322694
https://www.moon-audio.com/teac-ud-701n.html

The teac unit looks great on paper. They actually had a dac that was very similar specwise to the Focal Arche but the teac unit didn’t get that great reviews.

For me, I was looking for the best synergy with the Focal Utopia’s, so the fact that the Naim HE and Focal Arche were both tuned to get the best out of them shows.

 

[tdx]

Has anyone tested this with Susvaras? Do you know if they would drive them well?

 

[Tanalasta]

Yes. And 'well' is relative. It was okay. But I didn't think they had been driven to their full potential. YMMV.

 

[tdx]

Yes. And 'well' is relative. It was okay. But I didn't think they had been driven to their full potential. YMMV.

Thanks. I've looked everywhere and there doesn't seem to be a streamer all in one who can drive them well (except the Bartok DCS which i cant afford). I was hoping this would be the one... oh well.

 

[eseybi]

Thanks. I've looked everywhere and there doesn't seem to be a streamer all in one who can drive them well (except the Bartok DCS which i cant afford). I was hoping this would be the one... oh well.

Tried them with the susvara driven loud enough around 80 ot 85 but the details and the air is gone. Lacks power but everything else is doable with the HE. Thr he1k v2, the diana phi the lcd4 and final d8000 pro . For an all in one is quite good if your aiming for susvara burson 3xp dac/amp you can add a blunode

 

[tdx]

Tried them with the susvara driven loud enough around 80 ot 85 but the details and the air is gone. Lacks power but everything else is doable with the HE. Thr he1k v2, the diana phi the lcd4 and final d8000 pro . For an all in one is quite good if your aiming for susvara burson 3xp dac/amp you can add a blunode

 

[cAsE sEnSiTiVe]

Thanks. I've looked everywhere and there doesn't seem to be a streamer all in one who can drive them well (except the Bartok DCS which i cant afford). I was hoping this would be the one... oh well.

If you can hold out until Boulder debuts their 812 Streamer/Dac/Amp, I'm confident it would be more than up to the job of driving them to their full capabilities. Boulder has a track record of overbuilding everything they put out. Rumor has it priced under $9k. Which is just about half of the new Bartok MSRP.

 

[tdx]

Great I'll keep an eye out thanks!

 

[cAsE sEnSiTiVe]

I have had the Atom HE here at home for a week now......and have had music running through it the entire time to break it in. So far, my two complaints with it are: The Naim app isn't really that great. It tends to hang up briefly when quickly scrolling through Qobuz to find an album in my list I want to play. Even though my Lumin app has its faults, so far it's miles more responsive.

The other issue is that the top end seems to be lacking in ultimate resolution and air, to the point where I am very noticeably missing important spatial cues on music I'm intimately familiar with. Otherwise, music is cleanly reproduced, very muscular and dynamic...but curiously ever so slightly recessed in the vocal range, particularly on female vocals that typically show up front and ahead of the mix, yet on the HE, tend to have the details buried a little further back. This is in direct comparison vs my Lumin/Beta 22 combo with my Audeze LCD-2.2 (pre-fazors). I plan on trying the Atom out as a pre-amp, running into the Beta 22's....and see if I can pry a bit more from it. I know it's a cliche, but the sound from the HE is unfailingly musical, with good depth and width...and with excellent separation of instruments. If I could just bring out a little more hint of the recording venue in well-recorded music, and I can get the Naim app to work a little better, I could live with it. The all-in-one convenience is enticing for a second system.

As a side note, if you don't require Chromecast with your setup, I strongly advise disabling it completely. After running it enabled, and then now, disabled....I'm confident that it denigrates the sound to a noticeable degree. It immediately opened up to a larger degree after getting rid of it. Unless you're married to it, I strongly advise ditching it.