High-end Brit hi-fi brand Naim Audio has launched a special edition of its Uniti Atom "just add speakers" music streamer especially for listeners who like to shut themselves off from the world and focus on the music.
Described by Naim as "the ultimate music source for headphones," the Uniti Atom Headphone Edition features a brand new transformer design that powers the headphone amp circuit to allow the unit to sport 4-pin XLR and 4.4-mm Pentaconn balanced headphone outputs, in addition to the unbalanced 6.35-mm jack. And Naim reckons that it should be powerful enough to drive even the most demanding of audiophile headphones.
The system has 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity, and is ready to tap into streaming services like Spotify Connect, TiDAL, and Qobuz, in addition to internet radio (including a bunch of curated HD stations), and podcasts.
There's support for AirPlay 2, built-in Chromecast, and Bluetooth too, with a color LCD panel out front to let you know what's what. And it's certified Roon Ready, which is a music management platform for multi-device, multi-room playback.
If you'd rather feed audio in from hi-fi gear, there are S/PDIF optical inputs, coaxial and analog RCA inputs, and USB 2.0 ports. Playback resolutions up to 32-bit/384-kHz are supported.
The Headphone Edition rocks RCA and balanced XLR outputs too, so it can serve as a streaming pre-amp, allowing listeners to hook it up to a power amp and speakers, or just powered speakers, and share the music with the rest of the room.
"We have designed this special edition of the mighty Uniti Atom to be the premium music streaming system for solo listening – just add headphones to escape into your own world of high-quality sound,” said Paul Neville, the company's R&D Director.
The Headphone Edition is available now for US$3,290 (the same price as the Uniti Atom).
Product page: Uniti Atom Headphone Edition