[iamoneagain]

You mean you fed Lumin to naim uniti digital in? Or was it analogue rca out from Lumin to Naim?

I see you have an impressive gear collection

The Lumin’s a digital steamer, so would think it fed it digital in. I’ve tested digital in and while slight difference, wouldn’t say heard any improvement.

I’d imagine the headphone amp could be beat when fed to an amp cost about twice as much as the whole unit. Or even the GSX mini 2/3 the price of the whole unit. It’s good that the Naim HE works great as a preamp and we have the option to add a separate headphone amp. I still think the built in headphone amp competes quite well with the competition and drives all but the most demanding headphones with good results. I think for convenience and space, I’ll probably stick with just the Naim HE, since that was the whole point and my Caldera sounds excellent with it out of the 4.4mm balanced out.

 

[Roland de Gilead]

I agree with all that have been said. To try i bought a loxjie P20 and the resul was far beyond my expectation. The AHE is a excellent strzamer and dac but you can easily upgrade the amplification part. As preamp for my system it’s a masterpiece.

 

[bluenight]

As preamp for my system it’s a masterpiece.

Yeah that can be useful. Does it got volume with remote in 100 steps or so?. That i see built in Dacs like Holo spring and Gustard R26.

 

[Roland de Gilead]

Yeah that can be useful. Does it got volume with remote in 100 steps or so?. That i see built in Dacs like Holo spring and Gustard R26.

Yes. Perfect piece. It a good headfone amp but not as good as a preamp. The volume function is perfect.

 

[iamoneagain]

So I never really tested this before but thought I’d compare the single ended connection vs the 4.4mm. Well it’s not a completely fair comparison since using the stock ZMF cable vs the included OFC 4.4mm. But really shocked that difference is more than I expected. The balanced out is not a true balanced but still supposed to offer improvement. It’s also not outputting a stronger signal like true balanced amps do. Threw on Bullet the Blue Sky by U2 with singled ended cable and was not impressed. Not sure I’d recommend the Naim HE like this. While still nice, it was less dynamic and had a more blended sound. Put the 4.4mm balanced back on and the sound opened up and drums had real impact. Volume was unchanged. Seemed to have blacker background.

Now this could very well just be a cable upgrade making the difference and not the balanced out but would think that’s playing a part. I do have ZMF highest end Verite Silver 4.4mm on order but not sure when that will arrive. See if it improves things further. But even when had Utopia or Expanse, only listened in balanced with the XLR output. Someone claimed the 4.4mm connection was better and figure had nothing to lose to order ZMF in 4.4mm if that truly was the case.

 

[WDitters]

mm connection was better and figure had nothing to lose to order ZMF in 4.4mm if that truly was the case.

Any update on your findings here?

 

[iamoneagain]

Any update on your findings here?

I’ve had the ZMF Verite Silver cable for about a week. First, the general soundstage is similar to the OFC 4.4mm that came with the headphones. So I do feel that just going from single ended to balanced on the Naim HE is part of the improvement. However, without having the same cable in single ended and 4.4mm or at least an adapter for 4.4mm to single needed, I can’t be sure.

Also want to point out how much better ergonomically the Verite cable is over the Danacable Lazuli Reference I used to have when I owned the Focal Utopia. The Verite is a thin braided cable that is light and very flexible. The Danacable was heavy, very thick, and only slightly flexible. Love the sound it gave though.

As far as the differences from the OFC to the Verite Silver, the first thing I noticed was improvement in the highs. There is more shimmer, sparkle, and air. This extra clarity also improves the soundstage a little bit giving it more depth and separation. It also makes the Caldera feel more technical while staying very fun. I feel it handles classical better but still excels in rock.

I’ve only listened to the Caldera with suede pads. I will order the stock pads at some point just to see. And I haven’t heard the Caldera on any other system so I don’t know how it compares. But for me, this is my end game system and plan to stick with this setup for a long time. Might be a good idea for me to take a break from head-fi to keep any temptations away.

 

[thomasbhartwell]

yesterday I tried the atom he with the Utopia 2022 ...

Verdict?

 

[WDitters]

Question to the round. What would generally be considered a better match for an open back? Utopia 20 or 22 / ZMF Caldera / ZMF Verite open / Meze Elite? Curious about the consensus as I am looking to replace my Empyrean

 

[iamoneagain]

Question to the round. What would generally be considered a better match for an open back? Utopia 20 or 22 / ZMF Caldera / ZMF Verite open / Meze Elite? Curious about the consensus as I am looking to replace my Empyrean

It might be best to go to each thread to read about them but I’ll give a few impressions.

I love my Caldera on the Naim HE. Just make sure to use the XLR or 4.4m balanced out for improved soundstage. Think I slightly prefer them to the original Utopia. Improved soundstage and can be a little more lush at times. Utopia is a very tight, fast and punchy headphone. Sometimes it’s hard to relax with them because so exciting. Caldera is also exciting but slightly less so. But still has great slam, weight, and details. Such an enjoyable headphone.

Only heard the 22 Utopia at CanJam out of the Naim HE. Sounded very similar to the original. Maybe slightly warmer is all. Also briefly heard the Elite out of different headphone amp. Lovely headphone. Very lush and enjoyable. Don’t think it has the same slam as the Caldera or Utopia and resolution a hint less. But if looking for something a little less in your face, should be perfect. Never heard any of the other ZMF headphones yet.

 

[WDitters]

It might be best to go to each thread to read about them and I’ll give a few impressions.

I love my Caldera on the Naim HE. Just make sure to use the XLR or 4.4m balanced out for improved soundstage. Think I slightly prefer them to the original Utopia. Improved soundstage and can be a little more lush at times. Utopia is a very tight, fast and punchy headphone. Sometimes it’s hard to relax with them because so exciting. Caldera is also exciting but slightly less so. But still has great slam, weight, and details. Such an enjoyable headphone.

Only heard the 22 Utopia at CanJam out of the Naim HE. Sounded very similar to the original. Maybe slightly warmer is all. Also briefly heard the Elite out of different headphone amp. Lovely headphone. Very lush and enjoyable. Don’t think it has the same slam as the Caldera or Utopia and resolution a hint less. But if looking for something a little less in your face, should be perfect. Never heard any of the other ZMF headphones yet.

That's an interesting description of the difference between the Utopia and the Caldera as it also more or less corresponds to what I perceive as difference between the Stellia and the Verite Closed. I love both, with the Stellia sometimes commanding a little bit too much attention from the listener. Great for active listening but a bit rounder and less exciting

 

[iamoneagain]

That's an interesting description of the difference between the Utopia and the Caldera as it also more or less corresponds to what I perceive as difference between the Stellia and the Verite Closed. I love both, with the Stellia sometimes commanding a little bit too much attention from the listener. Great for active listening but a bit rounder and less exciting

Don’t get me wrong about the Caldera. It’s still very exciting and has amazing slam. I just think the Utopia has this tightness vs a slightly looser sound only in comparison. The Caldera is at its best with rock. Has that amazing pace, rhythm and timing. The thing I notice most with the Caldera is I find I just can enjoy the music without even thinking about the parts. It just all comes together nicely. The Expanse may have been technically better in some areas but need to take in the whole picture and that’s where I find the Caldera one of the best. All the pieces work together creating a great listen.

 

[NYanakiev]

Anyone tried their Atom HE with IEMs? I get an annoyingly high noise floor...

My other complaint is that Naim falsely advertises this unit as having balanced outputs. Driving power is far lower than I was expecting.

Additionally, I am surprised that Naim is advertising the product as having balanced outputs when the specs suggest similar performance.

I compared it with my Hugo 2 and, while the Naim has more driving power, it is far from being head and shoulders above the Chord. The DAVE and Mscaler combo sounds significantly better than either of the above.

 

[OnlySoMany]

As a headphone amp and streamer is very good, no real complaints. If I didn't have better gear then I would likely think it's one of the best. I suppose the Naim 500 series has ruined everything else for me. NDX2 is also obviously better as a streamer/dac. But also costs 2-3x more.

For 90% of the people out there, AHE great. I think the amp could be slightly stronger, but that is only after using the Atom output into the Enleum that you notice how "weak" the internal amp is compared to external. I would also say that the GSX mini would be a great value option as an external amp to the Atom HE. Kinda like how the DAVE's internal amp is weak, and you don't really hear it sing until using a separate external amplifier. Same with TT2.

But I'm getting off topic....

;D

 

[iamoneagain]

Anyone tried their Atom HE with IEMs? I get an annoyingly high noise floor...

My other complaint is that Naim falsely advertises this unit as having balanced outputs. Driving power is far lower than I was expecting.

Additionally, I am surprised that Naim is advertising the product as having balanced outputs when the specs suggest similar performance.

I compared it with my Hugo 2 and, while the Naim has more driving power, it is far from being head and shoulders above the Chord. The DAVE and Mscaler combo sounds significantly better than either of the above.

I don’t think they ever claimed true balanced out. However, their wiring does improve soundstage over single ended output. At least with the Utopia, the Hugo 2 was too analytical. Sacrifice warmth for detail. Also lacked fullness. The Dave/mscaler with the Utopia was much better. I just got fed up with having to use a battery pack or spend another $1200 for bnc cables. I just wanted to simplify my setup.

I originally got the Focal Arche, and while quite enjoyable with the Utopia, it lacks texture and little low end. I still enjoyed it more than Hugo 2. The Naim HE was a bit of a disappointment when I first got it. Sounded congested even compared to the Arche. But after letting it burn it for about 100 hours, the sound opened up. Since then, it’s been my preferred setup using the balanced out. Not as detailed as the Dave/mscaler but has more weight to the music. Gets the rhythm and pace right. Currently using it with the ZMF Caldera and sounds wonderful.

I have not tried hooking up a separate headphone amp, but think that defeats the idea of small tabletop setup. Not saying it can’t further improve sound but not without sacrificing simplicity. Think as is, it has perfect balance of fun, enjoyable sound while also being technically impressive. I did try several different setups at CamJam, so I at least have an idea where it falls in the spectrum. Really only Woo amps has real impression on me.