All jobs have their perks. At Audio T ours is that we get to play with some of the finest Hi-Fi & AV products on the market. If it can fit in the car, chances are that we’ve taken it home to have a play.

This opportunity, whilst being fantastic, can be troublesome at times and raise the bar of what we consider to be the norm. Then when we get our heads out of the clouds and return to planet earth to test more modestly priced systems we can find the results to be a disappointment. But not this time!

Good things come in small packages…

The Naim Uniti Atom, combined with the Russell-K Black 50 speakers could be perceived as a modern day version of the entry-level micro system that introduced many of us to the world of Hi-Fi. To some, an all-in-one solution may not be the go-to when thinking about high-end audio, but this small, British made setup defies all expectations.

Naim Uniti Atom

The Uniti Atom is a box of tricks. It’s stylish, easy to use and superbly built. Despite its tiny stature, (4” x 9” x 10”) it weighs-in at a over 7Kg. The youngest sibling in the Uniti range packs a real musical punch.

The Uniti Atom handles music-streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, TIDAL and Qobuz – plus it offers easy Apple Airplay 2, Chromecast, Bluetooth and Internet Radio. On top of all of this you can connect other sound sources such as your turntable (with the addition of a phono stage), CD player or USB music storage. You can even make it the centre of your home entertainment system by connecting your TV via HDMI. You can control the Atom with the included remote or through the Naim App for Android & iOS. You’ll also find voice-control support for Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri.

Russell K Black 50

The Black 50 is a fairly new product. Introduced to the market just as lockdown set-in, preventing any hope of a marketing campaign or for that matter, any in-store demonstration. The Black 50 is the same speaker as the well known and loved Red 50, so why call it black? Well the speaker is finished in a new black texture, so no wood veneer of the original. Anything else? Well yes! Surprisingly, they’re actually more affordable than their predecessor!

Some loudspeaker systems seem to think music is something to be endured in the pursuit of stark, drab fidelity, but not these. The Black 50 has a delightfully well-judged balance with low colouration, spacious stereo imaging and vigorous dynamics. They sound unusually coherent, especially through the vocal range, and are therefore remarkably good at communicating the musical message.

Pace Rhythm and Timing

Right from the start of listening, the general feeling is that this is not a modest system. Sure it won’t fill the biggest spaces or shake foundations. However, it sounds grown-up and sophisticated with rock solid timing. This system has real agility, the ability to stop, start and change direction on a pin head.

Music just flows.

It’s clear to us that there is a synergy with Naim and Russell K. It is something that is hard to quantify, but when you hear it you know. When a Hi-Fi system works, it just makes you smile and motivates you to play the next track and get lost in the music. This system has all that and more.

For the purpose of the demonstration we used Naim NAC A5 speaker cable and the Naim Powerline Lite mains cable, that comes included with the Uniti Atom.

It’s all about taste…

Speakers interact differently with the room, other equipment and even our brains; there is no perfect “one-size-fits-all” solution. Some will love the Black 50 as if there are no other speakers to choose from, whilst others might ask ‘why the fuss?’ In our experience Russell K is not afraid to turn convention on its head in pursuit of its design goals.

A good example is that most of the speakers in our store have damping materials inside the cabinets to absorb energy radiated from the rear of the bass unit. Russell K does the opposite - no dampening, no attempt to kill the unwanted sound. Russell Kauffman, the designer, contends that dampening materials and thick cabinet walls store energy causing the cabinet to effectively play out of time. The resulting sound is smeared, the timing compromised and the music just doesn’t gel. His solution is thin-walled cabinets with small internal partitions controlling the energy to keep the enclosure sound in time with the bass unit. When this happens the cabinet becomes inaudible.

But don’t take our word for it. Why not come in store and have a listen for yourself? Here at Audio T we want the best for our customers, your opinion is the one that matters. So we ask you to be willing to try this where you can relax, no pressure and just ask yourself. Do I enjoy my music? Do I want to listen a bit longer?

If so you have made a good choice, if not we can help by suggesting alternatives that will help get you to your sonic destination.

Thanks for reading.

Himesh, Jason & John - Audio T Enfield

Russell K can be found at the following Audio-T stores

Naim Uniti can be found at the following Audio-T stores