My current lounge set up consists of an Arcam A5 with Wiim streamer, Dali Sonik 5s and the Project Evo 2 turntable.
The Sonik 5s were a specific choice given their slender profile and the fact that for now anything needs to live tucked in against the side board so my toddler can’t pull over.
While the Sonik 5s and Turntable are great I don’t necessarily love the Wiim + Arcam which have to live tucked away in the cupboard (as my wife not a fan of them) and the SQ isnt to my liking versus my Atom HE upstairs with Focal MGs.
I was debating switching out the Arcam for either an Atom or a Nova which my wife would be open to living out in the open and then I can have the same user interface that I love upstairs on the app etc.
I was leaning towards a Nova as then in due course when my little one is a bit older would like to potentially get some PMC twenty5.23i which I understand are front vented and so would be potentially more forgiving of still being placed backing onto the window bay when pulled out further - as my wife is always going to want arm chairs of some sort where the current ones are and so being placed against the wall either side will never be an option.
But in the same breath I wonder if just a reasonably cheap pre owned Atom would do the job for now in terms of SQ and user interface/nice object on the side of the current system?
Grateful for thoughts or other recommendations. A friend seems a big fan of the Linn all in one systems? Appreciate any Uniti will mean I need e.g. a separate Rega Fono MM Mk5 for the turntable
First thing I would do if you haven’t already is bring the Atom downstairs and try it. The sound quality issue could be the speakers an/or room rather than the streamer and amp, and doing that you’d be well on the way to answering your question.
I don’t know the Dali Sonik 5’s but their specs - 6 ohms and recommended amps of 30 - 150W - suggests that they will be much happier with the bigger Nova. Besides, I’ve owned both and as an all-in-one with passive speakers, the Nova is a very clear step up from the Atom
Before settling on my current setup, I had a Nova with PMC twenty5.21i speakers, so the smaller siblings of the 23s. It was excellent and really enjoyable. Then PMC brought out their active upgrade, and just over two years ago I added the active boards to the speakers and swapped the Nova for an Atom HE. I find this much better, with great speed and drive, and better musical communication. It would clearly be a big jump to the actives, however the actives with HE cost less than the passives with the Nova. PMC have introduced their new Prophecy range, which get good reviews, and would be a good option with the Nova if you don’t want an active system. A few thoughts for you anyway. It’s a lovely bay window and I understand your wife’s wish to keep the chairs, which look really good. The large sideboard does rather hem the speakers in, so maybe a smaller cupboard might be an option. An Atom HE and the TT would fit very nicely on top.
I have almost exactly the same size lounge as you. I also have both an Atom and a Nova and have used both in the room with my now-departed Focal Aria 926 speakers.
Your speakers are 3db lower in sensitivity than the Arias, so that’s effectively half of the Atom’s output. I still think that it would be absolutely fine as a stop-gap but if you like to play your music with a fair amount of volume it might be worth a home test first.
In comparison, a Nova would be transformational in terms of refinement and control (as well as power). That’s what I found, anyway, although living with the Atom longer term would definitely not have been a problem.
Does not really matter whether the vents are front or rear.
If you like PMCs you really could look at actives and your better sounding option would likely be the Atom HE + actives. Better on the eye too. If you are to place the speakers in the bay, I would choose the standmounts.
I’ve been using the Atom with 88db speakers for many years and never had the impression that it struggled to drive them. I’ve compared the Atom and the Nova at my dealer’s twice. The Nova offers slightly more control and tighter bass. However, I found the difference to be rather minor, and the improvement wasn’t worth the significant extra cost to me. If you’re looking for a temporary solution, I’d stick with the Atom.
With the money you save, you can optimise the Atom well, for example with a better power cable and suitable speaker cables. In my experience, the Atom benefits greatly from this, as it does from placing it on a glass top. If you’re looking for a fundamental upgrade, then an Atom HE with active speakers is, according to many recommendations here on the forum, a very good solution.
I myself have switched to the Nait50 with ND5XS2 and have further upgraded this setup. I’ve never looked back at the Atom (or Nova).
