Naim Uniti Atom or Nova - how much power to drive Dynaudio Evoke 50's?

pstare

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Dec 15, 2019
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Hello everyone,

I'm not new to audio but have mostly been using active nearfield monitors for music production. I'm moving into a new place though and have just bought some Dynaudio Evoke 50's (4 ohm floorstanders, two woofers, one midrange driver, and a tweeter, 87dB sensitivity, max power 260W). These are big speakers, bigger than I've ever had. I'm about to buy an all-in-one, because I've done the research and decided that Naim's Uniti series is exactly what I want.

The problem is the Uniti Atom is 40wpc. Apparently Naim is conservative in their claims, and the 40 W is into 8 ohms. Dynaudio recommends as a rule of thumb to get an amp that can deliver at minimum 20% of the stated max power that can be handled by the speaker, which is 260W, so that = 52W. My question is, does that mean I need an amp that can deliver 50-60 W into 4 ohms? Which the Naim Uniti Atom can probably do, since it's 40W into 8 ohms?

I'm a bit out of my depth here. There are others who say that the Evoke 50's are big speakers and very revealing, so I would be wasting them with an underpowered amp. The issue is that the Uniti Nova (80 wpc into 8 ohms) is more than double the price, and we're talking a difference of about $4000 Canadian.

Can anyone advise me on this? Anyone who's used the Uniti Atom? I hear the DAC and lots of other things on the Nova are better, not just the amp portion. But I would prefer the form factor and price of the Atom. Anything to consider here? Is 87dB a really inefficient speaker? Anyone owned the Dynaudio Evoke 50's (I think they're pretty new).

I'm new to the concept that amplifiers can change the characteristics of the sound so significantly. I thought initially that the worst case would be the dB SPL I get out of the speakers -- that I'd just have to turn them up a bit more, or live with a slightly quieter output. But it seems like distortion, bass definition, etc. may be affected by the power amp characteristics.


Any advice is greatly appreciated!
 
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I’d generally avoid lifestyle products if you have a demanding loudspeaker to drive.

As you’re in Canada, try the Moon Neo Ace (surely cheaper than the Atom?), which is pretty much a conventional Class AB amplifier with the do-it-all lifestyle features built in - sounds better for it, and is more reliable too. If you need more power, I’d look at the Hegel amplifiers. They all have DACs built in, and can stream TIDAL, Qobuz, internet radio, and any network stored music via the mConnect app. If you want more streaming options, connect a Bluesound Node to it and hide it away. The Hegel won’t be as pretty, but they’re pretty much out there on their own with regards to genuine power output (and control).

If you really want the lifestyle box, look at the NAD M10, which uses Bluesound’s reliable streaming platform BluOS.
 
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Hello everyone,

I'm not new to audio but have mostly been using active nearfield monitors for music production. I'm moving into a new place though and have just bought some Dynaudio Evoke 50's (4 ohm floorstanders, two woofers, one midrange driver, and a tweeter, 87dB sensitivity, max power 260W). These are big speakers, bigger than I've ever had. I'm about to buy an all-in-one, because I've done the research and decided that Naim's Uniti series is exactly what I want.

The problem is the Uniti Atom is 40wpc. Apparently Naim is conservative in their claims, and the 40 W is into 8 ohms. Dynaudio recommends as a rule of thumb to get an amp that can deliver at minimum 20% of the stated max power that can be handled by the speaker, which is 260W, so that = 52W. My question is, does that mean I need an amp that can deliver 50-60 W into 4 ohms? Which the Naim Uniti Atom can probably do, since it's 40W into 8 ohms?

I'm a bit out of my depth here. There are others who say that the Evoke 50's are big speakers and very revealing, so I would be wasting them with an underpowered amp. The issue is that the Uniti Nova (80 wpc into 8 ohms) is more than double the price, and we're talking a difference of about $4000 Canadian.

Can anyone advise me on this? Anyone who's used the Uniti Atom? I hear the DAC and lots of other things on the Nova are better, not just the amp portion. But I would prefer the form factor and price of the Atom. Anything to consider here? Is 87dB a really inefficient speaker? Anyone owned the Dynaudio Evoke 50's (I think they're pretty new).

I'm new to the concept that amplifiers can change the characteristics of the sound so significantly. I thought initially that the worst case would be the dB SPL I get out of the speakers -- that I'd just have to turn them up a bit more, or live with a slightly quieter output. But it seems like distortion, bass definition, etc. may be affected by the power amp characteristics.


Any advice is greatly appreciated!

We've been using Naim Audio's Uniti Atom, Uniti Star and Uniti Nova for two years and so far as good as the Uniti Atom is however the superiority of the Uniti Nova is clear regardless of loudspeakers used.

If possible please try the Uniti Nova v Uniti Nova with your Evoke 50's. Based on our experience hopefully you'll hear the superior quality of the Uniti Nova shine through :)
 

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