Am I compromising too much…?

Hi-Fi Corner
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If the OP has already settled on the speakers and is thinking of an Atom, it’s a 100% certainty that a Nova would be better, and as it could be done more of less within budget then it’s a viable solution. It’s then up others what they do. Who knows, the dealer selling the Nova or speakers might be their local dealer. All of my stuff comes from local dealers, whom I’ve supported for 30 years.

If it was me I wouldn’t buy a Nova; I’d get an ND5XS2 and a Nait XS3, plus some more modest speakers. The Nait has a phono stage, so a subsequent TT could be plugged straight in, without a separate stage or a need to restrict one’s choice to a deck with one built in.

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This route worked out excellent for me: Atom HE plus active speakers. It gives you best of both worlds in terms of headphone listening and a full audio system. If you want to stick with your current speakers, just add a small class D power amp and that will do the trick.

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Yes, Naim now make receivers - I’m listening to my Nova now…

I had a receiver as part of my first serious hifi system and I have never quite understood the opprobrium that the HiFi press launched on Japanese receivers .

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I learnt a new word. And how are you today Ian?

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The problem I have with the Nova is the OP’s request for a turntable connection. Dependent on the level of tt required I wonder if the analogue to digital back to analogue is the best quality?

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Thank you Mike, a little stressed - I’m submitting some documents to the Court Of Appeal (against a property development and to re-instate a sports pitch) .

The developer and regulator are one and the same …

Ian

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Got a Nova and a TT, with a Graham Slee Reflex , I can’t detect any real problems with vinyl playback .

Though I was concerned about it at one stage

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Good luck so. Good to hold organisations to account.

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Hi Ian,

Yep, this has indeed thrown a spanner in the works :joy:. What a great suggestion from ‘PeakMan’…. I had certainly not considered it but PM went straight in early with what is a fabulous solution to consider!

‘afgverhart’ also stated this solution has worked very well in his case which is settling to hear! Also ‘HUGE CONSIDERATION’ was ‘hungryhalibut’ & the mention of the rear port. In my dedicated room I am actually short of space & an active speaker will certainly help with this.

I am aware of the ‘upgrade’ imminent (only word of mouth & online articles) of the B&W 700 series. I may kick myself if the upgrade is a front facing port lol, however I doubt the upgrade will take a step in that direction!

The Roksan TT mention is interesting! With my rudimentary knowledge in this area I would likely go with a Rega Planar 3 & the Elys 2 MM cartridge & a basic Rega Phono Mini A2D or it’s new brother as a Phono Stage as there is a lot of that pairing so I assume the little details match!

It’s a great mention though, I think Roksan initially started out with the focus on Rock in regard to their Amp’s, I just wonder if a ‘genre’ has remained in the blood & the TT not versatile enough for my taste, but we are talking mega nuances here I guess :upside_down_face:

As all including ‘Sloop_John_B’ & ‘NickofWimbledon’ & ‘gthack’ have hammered home the Auditioning so this is something I will try to find time to do, also the helpful suggestion of Graham Slee. As Nick mentioned, which put me at ease, is that a good dealer will look at us as a “Long Term Prospect”, rather than the box shifters. I would FAR FAR prefer to pay a premium & get that personal assistance & also support the local chap’s & chapess’s.

‘Bruss’ also mentioned the headphone amp possibilities & I have been tempted to peruse the ‘Used Market’ to step up in scope, however I am just too uncomfortable when spending thousands to not have the security of warranty.

My eyes have been opened to the possibilities here & I am extremely grateful for all the input. As ‘Toby’ mentioned, I mustn’t miss out on the fun of throwing things together & having the possibility of that Euphoric moment when discovering ‘that something’ that just ‘Works’ :laughing:

If I go down the Active speaker Avenue it will be with the Formation Duo as I have heard incredible reviews & also then I can incorporate them into the AV with regard to the Formation Sound bar for the tv. But with this I will need to increase the budget, but if that is the ‘solution’ then so be it.

I will have to get my head round all this info & the new possibilities……. I will screen record this chat so I can not lose the info therin :laughing:

Thank you again.

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31

If you’re concerned about needing to upgrade, I suspect that the streaming side of things will be superseded more rapidly than the amplification. That is certainly what seems to have happened with Naim gear over the last few years. So, with a one-box setup such as a standard Atom or Nova, if this does happen and you decide the streaming side is past it, you’d need to change the whole thing. An alternative would be a separate streamer/amp combination such as ND5XS2 with Nait XS2 or 3. Bought second hand with a suitable pair of speakers, you might be able to pick this up within your budget.

There’s an awful lot of ways to skin a cat!

Roger

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You don’t need to record the thread, It’s a very stable platform, unless people get ultra disagreeable with each other , stray into politics or get cross about football -things don’t get deleted.

The other thing is that the Atom is a pre-amp so is ultra flexible , it could front some fairly decent power amps, not just Naim but the likes of Quad

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Funnily enough the Nova rekindled my vinyl interest when most of the system was in storage.

The digitisation is very good in my view and I was happy playing LP12/Ekos/OC9 to linn phono through it.

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There will always be new models, and the ones you are considering will be no better or worse in themselves if you have them.

The question is whether or not you have set your heart on these because of how they sound or a more attractive price-point with a new version likely soon. Newer is not always better either.

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As I mentioned earlier, traditionally we’ve been advised to concentrate budget on source first, then amplification and lastly speakers, allowing enough for interconnects/speaker cables/stands etc.

This isn’t to say the Atom with the B&Ws wouldn’t sound fantastic. I heard an Atom driving some £5000 Sonus Faber standmount speakers a while back and the combo was incredibly engaging but counter to ‘traditional wisdom’. Naim amps have always been able to handle speakers other similar level amps would struggle to based on superficial specs alone, but whether or not that gives you the best for your budget is a different thing entirely.

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I think Roksan are very versatile. I play predominantly jazz on mine but classical and rock as well.

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