Choosing between Nova or Atom and suitable speakers

I’ve been using a Muso 2 since we moved here but since it looks like we will be staying here long term, I’m planning to upgrade. The room, on the ground level os a Washington DC townhouse, is about 16’ wide and 29’ long with our living room and main listening space being a little more than the front half of that space. Fairly high ceilings.

I’m wondering if a Uniti Atom might be adequate for this space paired with Spendor A4 speakers or whether I would be better served by a Uniti Nova with either the same speakers or the A7s. I’m also considering Neat Iota Xplorer or Alpha as alternative speakers.

I have a Uniti Nova with Ovator 400 speakers in our Singapore home and I love it but I rarely get to play the Ovators at a anywhere near a high volume and they are discontinued anyway. I also find the ovators physically a little too large.

I’d be grateful for any thoughts.

I’d go with the Nova if the funds permit it. The Spendors are not particulary efficient and it seems that they could benefit from better amplification and more power.

Thank you. Good to know. Do you know if there’s a big (audible) difference between the Spendor A4 and A7?

I started out with an atom and A4’s, not quite right synergy wise, moved to a Nova and considerably better and where you should aim. I then upgraded the A4’s to A7’s and again not right, the A7’s were looking for something a bit better. The Nova and A4’s was definitely the sweet spot. I’ve since upgraded the Nova to classic separates but I often think I could have easily stayed with the Nova / A4’s. Obviously this was all in my room and listening conditions.

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Not from personal experience. They are not so easy to audition here in Germany unfortunatly. I only had the chance to hear the A4 some months ago and also was asking if it is worth streching the budget to the A7. Another dealer told me that the A7 definitly need some space around them otherwise the bass can get too much in a smaller listening room (mine is about 25m2 with high ceilings). He recommended me to stay with the A4, even if the A7 would be a major step upward.

At the end i choose another speaker altogether but the Spendors were very high on my list.

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Its never about volume, but the quality of sound. “Quantity” of info / removed curtain.

:muscle:

If you spend lots of time using the system, then I would opt for the Nova: it’s a step fwd from the Atom. If is occasion listening, then don’t loose money.

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Thank you. That’s very useful information. I had been thinking of Atom>A4 or Nova>A7 but what you say gives it a new perspective.

Yes I’m not worried about the volume - my tastes range wide and a lot of it is not appreciated by others in the family (now mainly my wife). If I want loud I have to retreat to headphones. But I do listen to music a fair amount and I would like to hear it as best I can.

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Thank you. It’s sounding like the A4 might be a good fit for me.

Where in the same boat, my friend. :joy::sweat_smile:
If you can spare the extra cash, Nova then.
:fire:

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No one seems to have a opinion on the Neat Alpha or Xplorer speaker then? I found them intriguing because of the small size and excellent reviews.

Can’t comment on the larger Iota-derived speakers with Nova, but Atom/Iota makes lovely music in my tiny office. Interestingly, in a 2017 interview with MD Bob Surgeoner, when asked which of his designs he was most proud of, he picked Iotas. They’d be too small for your room of course. However I’d expect Nova with one of the bigger Iota-based models to sound excellent. But musical tastes and rooms vary so much I’d audition at home if at all possible.

Roger

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Ideally that’s what I’d like to do but in these COVID days I’m reluctant to interact physically with new people if I can avoid it. Specially in the US where social safety is so politicized. Also I’m not sure I can find a Neat dealer anywhere within reasonable distance.

Strangely, looking at the specifications the A7s at 88db seem more efficient than the A4s at 86db, unless I’m misunderstanding the whole efficiency thing - which is always possible.

I’ve always enjoyed music and good equipment but not delved to deeply into the specifications. Until the COVID time, listening to the things was a lot easier so my interest in the specifications was not so deep. Now with live experience difficult I have to rely on the wisdom and experience of the people on this forum :slight_smile: and some common sense.

Incidentally, any advise on where’s a good place to buy Spendors from near Washington DC?

Bigger speakers are usually more efficient and easier to drive.

Another bit of knowledge :slight_smile: - Thank you.

End of the search. I just wanted to thank everyone for all the help in my search for an all-in-one + speaker system for our home in Washington. I’ve finally done with a Nova with Spendor A7 speakers. The Naim is here but the Speakers are only scheduled to arrive tomorrow. By this time tomorrow I should have them. They will need running in over time of course but the first taste…

It was took a bit of doing getting hold of a pair of the Spendors (they only have a few suppliers in the US and are going through the process of appointing a new distributor).

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Nice one, that will be a great system - enjoy!

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Thank you. Through conversations in another thread I also abandoned the idea of buying a Uniti Core and bought a Qnap NAS instead. The saved money went towards buying an A7 instead of an A4. No regrets so far.

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