I’m not kicking this guy. Have you read any of this thread. He doesn’t know , what he doesn’t know. His room is 12x 32 his wife has decorated and apparently their is no place for compromise. He’ getting advice from a home theater installer. If I was to guess he’s maybe being advised to do multiple pairs of in wall or ceiling speakers. With a multi channel amp with the Aurender as a source. But again he doesn’t know what he doesn’t know
And mr. Chris-m hitting me isn’t helping the op
As far as I can tell he has been talking about Kanta 2, Kanta 3, and Epicon 6.
We will see. I wonder how he’s going to power them all,?
The Nova seemed a strong contender. I can’t figure out what your issue is
I’ve seen Focal with quite a few ‘home entertainment system’ installers.
Neither here nor there. Revel, too.
But in both cases often not the top hi fi offerings (esp. with Revel).
You say that the difference is only economic and not technical?
The Nova is an excellent choice. I have no issues with it. Have you read the OP’s restrictions and his ideas? sounds like some one is recommending a multi room setup.
Yes I did read it and maybe I am missing something but I’m not seeing anything about multiroom (nothing necessarily wrong with that anyway) and certainly not in-wall or -ceiling speakers. Wife compromises are certainly not unheard-of on the forum (in fact it’s disconcerting at times)
In the OP it was:
Option One: Naim Nova / Focal Kanta 2’s
Option Two: Dali Epicon 6’s / Aesthetix Mimas integrated amp / an add-on DAC / Aurender streamer Option Three: David Belles integrated amp / ProAc speakers
Option Four: Kanta No.3’s with no sub, lukewarm on the amp.
Option Five: Kanta 2’a / Anthem STR integrated amp / Lumin D2 streamer.
And later:
- A Nova + Kanta 2’s + a sub is an elegant solution.
- But inclined in another direction: PrimaLuna integrated amp (EVO 400) / Aurender A100 DAC, MQA, / Rel S/812, and Kanta 2’
Even later, after consideration:
- The Nova paired with Focal Kanta 2’s makes sense.
Probably because Focal also has home cinema speakers in its large product portfolio, from classic 5.1 systems with individual speakers to in-wall/in-ceiling solutions. The Focal-powered-by-Naim store in Berlin has a home cinema room, too
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If you perform a mouse click on the user name a lot of members put their location in the profile section.
No. The Powerline is an excellent product that I’m glad to own. The $1000 was joke saying “since you’re asking about Powerline you’ll soon buy a Powerline. You won’t be concerned about the technical spec because it’ll provide a good boost in sq. In the end you’ll spend $1000 simply because you asked the question.”
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The op then mentions
“I came to realize that for the same relative price point, around $22K USD, I could have five or six different configurations that all would work just fine.”
Good luck. Maybe a few of those Naim Muso’s linked together?
If you decide on the Aurender what Dac do you plan on using? Also keep in mind the Aurender does not have wifi. Hard wired Ethernet only
@Tdoc FWIW if you’d tell us where you are located I’ll bet we could help you with picking a good dealer.
Northern California.
While the Aurender model in this option configuration does not include WiFi, it does have a decent DAC onboard and has an Ethernet port. Our home has excellent WiFi and a mesh network, with each note having an Ethernet port. One of these is on the antique buffet onto which the Aurender will be placed.
The PrimaLuna, by all accounts, is an excellent valve/tube integrated amp, designed in the Netherlands. The USA distributor is the firm in Los Angeles I initially contacted.
I had some pushback from a dealer who insisted I purchase the Aesthetix Mimas because it could be outfitted with a better DAC. I’m not sure what ‘better’ means. That ‘option’ pushed the Mimas into into the $8,500 USD range. Now, I am NOT an audiophile and have not been pursuing this expensive dragon most of my life. But I’d guess that DAC technology changes as well as integrated amplifier technology. Is the DAC in the Nova good enough? I have been told it is. Bit old though right? Is it better to have your DAC on the amp or off the amp? I’ve heard this argued strongly both ways.
I was able to hear the Kanta 2’s in a controlled environment (sales) studio and thought they were amazing. Would the Sopra’s be more amazing? Probably, maybe, sure. The pushback dealer, also in the biz forever, told me to buy the Dali Epicon speakers. On and on. At some point I just had to stop. The Nova - Kanta 2 - Rel sub was and is an excellent option, no doubt. The PrimaLuna EVO 400 - Aurender - Kanta 2 - Rel sub is also a good option. Tube/valve vs. solid state? Lord, another philosophical argument that would be unending.
Again, thanks to all. You have all been super kind and helpful.
He’s saying that there are 5 or six different options
I can’t emphasise how much improvement the Powerline gives to the Nova
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I am somewhat outside the norm on these forums, but even if i had the feeling that a powerline made a (big) difference to my setup i would never buy one, simply because common sense and engineering dictates that it shouldn’t make any difference. I just don’t trust my subjective hearing enough to make such expensive purchases based on gut feeling alone.
I think it’s completely fine that other people do buy them though, and i don’t doubt that they are hearing a subjective improvement.
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@Tdoc so the Aurender is it the A100 or A10? And the Prima Luna? I’m not sure you’re going to like tubes, or the upkeep but it’s all a learning experience. I think with your originally stated budget Id recommend you take a long hard look at Luxman. Also look at Pass Labs INT-60
Also consider what looks and feels nice. I cannot overstate how important it is when these things have to be positioned in a normal living room. Usability in terms of input switching, app and volume control etc. also have a great effect on how happy you will be with the gear.
For me these things elevates the whole experience and the pleasure you get from listening and owning the system. It is more important than the sound quality alone.
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Actually, how things look actively influence the subjectively perceived sound quality, so it’s a win-win situation!
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I feel the Powerline push here must mean something, they must make a difference in some environments. I did get two used Powerlines, one for my Supernait 2 and one for my HiCap DR. In my set up they made no difference whatsoever over the much cheaper Audioquest cables. I sold the Powerlines to another person who is happy with them.
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