Super headline

Maybe..  perhaps it's time for the bright minds and golden ears of Naim's R&D team to look at a no-compromise headphone amp to get the best from those rather nice Focal Utopia headphones.  Or maybe a Headline + Supercap is already it...?

Common it is not it, we want a full classic look headphone amp, like the sim audio moon one

I am using Headline/Supercap/Utopia. I'm loving it! It would of course be interesting to hear if a Super-Headline could make it even more fantastic. 

Richard Dane posted:

Maybe..  perhaps it's time for the bright minds and golden ears of Naim's R&D team to look at a no-compromise headphone amp to get the best from those rather nice Focal Utopia headphones.  

Now that's one of the best suggestions i've seen in this place for a while. 

I think Naim should really take this seriously - I have HD800s headphones and was not that impressed by the Headline ..... I am sure the boffins in Salisbury could magic up a stunning headphone amp ........ in a classic case......with potential for an outboard 555ps supply etc.........

Richieroo posted:

I think Naim should really take this seriously - I have HD800s headphones and was not that impressed by the Headline ..... I am sure the boffins in Salisbury could magic up a stunning headphone amp ........ in a classic case......with potential for an outboard 555ps supply etc.........

Not quite as portable as some headphone systems. Back in the day I once tried taking my Sony Walkman Pro, Stax Lambda/SRDX-Pro on the tube as a portable system, with the 6 C-cell battery load. 1st time I realised 1) how heavy the rig was 2) Just how much sound came out of the open backs. Also realising it was about a grand of gear nearly 30 years ago I abandoned the experiment after one trip. 

Wow that was some setup!!!  However, back to subject - there have to be people who have constrained spaces etc where speaker hi fi's are not an option + there is a large existing Naim user cross section that enjoy headphones..... I am sure Naim are missing something ........ the Headline has been somewhat languishing for a long time.

The Headline’s a decent bit of kit but now priced at £529 (and needing a minimum of an NAPSC to power it at £380) I’d question it’s value today. It's definitely due a refresh.

Bigger case, Balanced output capable and the ability to utilise more power rails from an accompanying Hi / Supercap would be nice...

Richieroo posted:

Wow that was some setup!!!  However, back to subject - there have to be people who have constrained spaces etc where speaker hi fi's are not an option + there is a large existing Naim user cross section that enjoy headphones..... I am sure Naim are missing something ........ the Headline has been somewhat languishing for a long time.

Yep, until 10 years ago I lived in a flat, so headphones got nearly as much use as the speakers, thus the Stax. I think there probably is a market for a super headphone amp, both for users who love what cans do, and for people with constraints like neighbours. I suspect that they could also take what they’ve learnt from the latest Uniti range and shrink it down with a DAC for portable use with acceptable compromise levels.

james n posted:

The Headline’s a decent bit of kit but now priced at £529 (and needing a minimum of an NAPSC to power it at £380) I’d question it’s value today. It's definitely due a refresh.

Bigger case, Balanced output capable and the ability to utilise more power rails from an accompanying Hi / Supercap would be nice...

I doubt these are selling much anymore

People are buying Hugo etc

If Naim creates a new headphone amp it might very well be made in Muso far east facilities (if not in French Focal facilities due to Brexit)

I thought they had already created the Super Headline - gave it the daft name of Dac V-1....

Compares pretty well to things like the Sennheiser HDV800, most of the Schiit gear (the Mjolnir/Gunghir multibit just shades it IMO), the iFi iCan, etc. I run it using Aeon Flows, Sennheiser 650s, Audeze and the like.

regards,

Giles

Oh and that’s compared to a headline powered by a 552...

Richard Dane posted:

Maybe..  perhaps it's time for the bright minds and golden ears of Naim's R&D team to look at a no-compromise headphone amp to get the best from those rather nice Focal Utopia headphones.  Or maybe a Headline + Supercap is already it...?

Richard, I did ask the question of a Headline replacement on the NIam stand at this years Bristol show as I was looking for a Headphone amp and headphones and after discussing with the Naim staff I ended up with  ex demo Dac V1 and a pair of Focal Elear headphones at a very attractive price running them out of the Digital out of my NDX very pleased indeed.

I should add that no comment was made on a Headline replacement?

PCD, just some idle wishful thinking on my part.

Bluebeard posted:

Oh and that’s compared to a headline powered by a 552...

Are you sure.  A NAC552 should not be used to power a Headline - results in a compromised system earth.

Richard Dane posted:

Bluebeard posted:

Oh and that’s compared to a headline powered by a 552...

Are you sure.  A NAC552 should not be used to power a Headline - results in a compromised system earth.

I assumethe 552 is fine with a 'stageline'????

Bear in mind that there is no such headphone amp as a Headline. Just a power supplyless product that does nothing on it's own.

However...

Headline/NAPSC, Headline/Flatcap, Headline/ HiCap, and Headline/Supercap are four different headphone amps of significantly varying quality. 

The lower voltage supplied by the NAPSC really doesn't do any justice to cans like HD800. 

If I could change anything about the Headline it would not be performance but the replacement of the captive lead with a regular DIN input; and an XLR connector for headphones that favor that over single ended.

I see yes you have a point ....... but as they make a stageline and then a superline (I think) it was logical to assume some sort of superhead!!! ha ha

Richieroo posted:

Richard Dane posted:

Bluebeard posted:

Oh and that’s compared to a headline powered by a 552...

Are you sure.  A NAC552 should not be used to power a Headline - results in a compromised system earth.

I assumethe 552 is fine with a 'stageline'????

Yup, no probs with a Stageline or even a Superline.  But a Headline should never be powered from a pre-amp AUX2 socket.

I am one of those who live in apartments in cities, a month ago Oslo, now Berlin. The Utopia are fantastic, and they enable me to listen to music all night long if I want to, or during the day when my girlfriend needs to use the apartment as well. I also think there is a significant market for great headphones and great headphone amps. Lots of people live in cities. I hope Naim one day soon will look into this. The beauty of the HeadLine is, IMO, how well it integrates into my existing Naim system. The Supercapped HeadLine is just fantastic, and I don't need anything else. But I wouldn't mind getting a SuperHeadLine of course. Such is the nature of some of us Naim folks. 

Yes apologies to all, reply written late in the Antipodes. Headline is powered by a NAPSC, with Din to a 552 feed by a Xps2/ndac. My point of comparison still stands.

regards,

Giles

Face the facts - when you think headphones Naim should be one of the last companies you think of.

＠RICHEROO I would not dispute that Headline/NAPSC fails to make a convincing go of HD800. But a Headline/HCdr is another headphone amp entirely and so far I've heard nothing better in the purely analogue realm. 

I'd go as far to say that a low cost Rega Ear is preferable to a Headline/NAPSC in terms of cost performance wheras the far more expensive Headline/HCdr is worth every penny.