[iamoneagain]

I have budget for the Matrix or the Atom HE.
I'm currently own Chord Hugo2+2go.
Mostly use Qobuz, Tidal and Apple Music via Roon for listening.
Headphones - HD650 / H800s / LCD-1 / LCD-5 / LCD-MX / Stellia and currently considering a pair of Diana MR's

I used to own the Chord Hugo2 and now have the Naim HE. But I was using the Hugo2 with the Focal Utopia and didn't think it made a great paring. A touch too thin and bright sounding. I move up to the Dave/mscaler and it resolved most of my issues but had a hard time justifying the cost. Felt the Naim HE paired really well with the Utopia giving it plenty of weight, rhythm, and musicality. Resolution not at same level of Chord but details are not everything. I now use Naim HE with ZMF Caldera and completely happy. Briefly heard the Dave and Caldera at CanJam and wasn’t impressed. Too thin sounding.

Anyway, if switching from Chord to Naim, it will take some adjustment. It just a thicker, warmer sound that might sound slightly less airy. The Chord sound is very airy and detailed but lacks weight in comparison. The Naim also has better bass texture as well.

 

[OnlySoMany]

I used to own the Chord Hugo2 and now have the Naim HE. But I was using the Hugo2 with the Focal Utopia and didn't think it made a great paring. A touch too thin and bright sounding. I move up to the Dave/mscaler and it resolved most of my issues but had a hard time justifying the cost. Felt the Naim HE paired really well with the Utopia giving it plenty of weight, rhythm, and musicality. Resolution not at same level of Chord but details are not everything. I now use Naim HE with ZMF Caldera and completely happy. Briefly heard the Dave and Caldera at CanJam and wasn’t impressed. Too thin sounding.

Anyway, if switching from Chord to Naim, it will take some adjustment. It just a thicker, warmer sound that might sound slightly less airy. The Chord sound is very airy and detailed but lacks weight in comparison. The Naim also has better bass texture as well.

That is why I was telling him to combine the two. Naim and Chord pair beautifully together.

 

[iamoneagain]

That is why I was telling him to combine the two. Naim and Chord pair beautifully together.

I was sort of wondering about in reverse. I only hear Chord thru their headphone outs and wondering how they’d sound with a warm amp with more power. How would the Naim HE even pair with the Hugo2? Doesn’t the Hugo2 only take digital input and the Naim only has analog out? And surely the Naim He has a better headphone amp than the Hugo2. Just confused on the paring.

 

[DSYOUNGSON]

Thanks for the replies folks.
Today I realized that the Atom HE is fixed voltage. I live between the USA and UK so a unit that does allow for 115-230V wont work for me.
This kind of pushes me towards the Element X2 which offers this feature. I could use a transformer, but that kind of defeats the point of a one box solution.

 

[OnlySoMany]

I was sort of wondering about in reverse. I only hear Chord thru their headphone outs and wondering how they’d sound with a warm amp with more power. How would the Naim HE even pair with the Hugo2? Doesn’t the Hugo2 only take digital input and the Naim only has analog out? And surely the Naim He has a better headphone amp than the Hugo2. Just confused on the paring.

I'm curious how you are defining better for the headphone amp? As in more power? Larger physical size? Price?

Some DAPs cost more than the Naim Uniti.

 

[OnlySoMany]

Thanks for the replies folks.
Today I realized that the Atom HE is fixed voltage. I live between the USA and UK so a unit that does allow for 115-230V wont work for me.
This kind of pushes me towards the Element X2 which offers this feature. I could use a transformer, but that kind of defeats the point of a one box solution.

Can't you just buy a voltage converter? They are not expensive.

 

[DSYOUNGSON]

Can't you just buy a voltage converter? They are not expensive.

Yes I could, but its another box when I am ultimately trying to get to a one box solution.
I'm surprised Naim did not make the unit 115-230V. I have a Linn DSM Selekt and I can easily use it across both 115V and 230V by just changing the power chord.

 

[WDitters]

Thanks for the replies folks.
Today I realized that the Atom HE is fixed voltage. I live between the USA and UK so a unit that does allow for 115-230V wont work for me.
This kind of pushes me towards the Element X2 which offers this feature. I could use a transformer, but that kind of defeats the point of a one box solution.

True .. but on the other hand the Naim HE is so big and heavy that slipping a pocketable step down / step up converter into its box is hardly noticeable.. And with its 17w power consumption, a smaller converter should be fine ….

Or alternatively get yourself a good DAP + Cayin C9 transportable AMP …

 

[iamoneagain]

I'm curious how you are defining better for the headphone amp? As in more power? Larger physical size? Price?

Some DAPs cost more than the Naim Uniti.

Just better when used with Focal Utopia at least. Naim HE has more power and authority compared to the Hugo2. I think it even has better bass handling than the Dave. But it’s hard to know what the dac vs the amp on both of these units. Think ideal solution could have been an external amp for the Dave but then that added more boxes and more expense. Happy with the all in one Naim HE.