I have a Naim Uniti Star and now that my cd collection is on hdd I was thinking of trading it in for the Nova,
Because it would be a cheaper upgrade than starting again on the separates trail.
Never actually heard the nova, so was just wondering if there was much of a difference ?.
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Welcome.
I have never heard the Star but have heard the Nova several times and with some really good speakers - Sopra 1s, Kudos 505/606s and it’s always very impressive. However, the fact that you mention separates says to me that you really need to hear the options for yourself say the Nova against the ND5XS/SN3.
Regards,
Lindsay
The Nova is a great 1-box. However, a Supernait and ND5XS2 should be noticeably better than a Nova, and both great value on eBay. You’ll probably get better value selling and buying there than from trading a not-new Star against a new or ex-dem Nova.
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I’ve not heard the Star, but I do own a Nova and love it. Any review you read will tell you how good it is. As Lindsaym above suggests best to try and hear a side by side comparison. My opinion is that you can’t go wrong with the Nova.
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Hi Dave. ND5XS2/Nait XS3 is only slightly more expensive than a Nova and some who’ve done the comparison have preferred the separates. At the very least they offer more upgrade potential — it looks like you’re starting climbing the upgrade ladder! So perhaps an audition would be worthwhile.
Roger
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The Nova is good and better than the Star (forgetting the difference in functionalities). But I doubt it would be a cost effective upgrade. If a significant upgrade in sound quality is your goal, a Supernait 3 and NDX2 are the way to go.
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I was interested in upgrading from the Uniti Atom to the Uniti Nova a few weeks ago and had an extensive listening test on it at my dealer. With the easy to drive Vienna Acoustics Haydn speakers (which I also use at home) the difference was not very big. It was not a night and day difference or shocking experience. After 30 minutes and a few tracks and especially with complex music (classical orchestras or big bands), detail resolution and bass precision was a bit higher with the Nova. In the ideal listening environment at my dealer, the Uniti Atom also already sounded very good. A change is not worth 4000 francs (or euros) in my view. My dealer has also confirmed this. For a really thorough and immediately audible better result, it needs a upgrade to NDX2 and Supernait 3 or higher. But that also has a different price tag when you buy new.
It was interesting that my dealer finally replaced the Vienna Acoustics Hydn (2500 francs) with Marten Oscar Duo (7000 francs). Here, the difference was much greater; the Marten sounded airier, much more open in the mids and highs. They were very spacious and drew me into the music. Really amazing with the Atom and the Nova. But again, this is a big investment for me right now, but more worth the money than the step up to the Uniti Nova.
With my Uniti Atom, good speaker cables, especially a good power cable (e.g. Naim Powerline, Vovox Excelsus) and optimization in the network have also brought significant sound improvements. But that’s another discussion.
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i demoed the atom, star and nova a few yrs back and i would describe the nova as having a fuller, slightly darker and bigger sound than the star which seemed to be more fleet on its feet. i bought the nova
I’ve had a Nova for quite a few years now, and have kept it as a second system as I’ve gone through several upgrades. I found the first upgrade to a SN2 and a NDX2 as an appreciable upgrade in sound across all aspects.
Just recently I’ve also got a used Star for our little games/room garage, but are using it in my main system whilst the NDX2 is being repaired. I think it is reasonably close to the Nove, but the Nova has a fuller sound with more cohesion and dynamics. I think moving from the Star to the Nova would be a fairly modest upgrade and you really need to be at the SN2/3 level with a ND5 XS2 or NDX2 for a significant uplift in sound quality.
What is worthwhile with a Star (or Nova) is the Powerline, which will improve the sound. Also, adding a sub has the potential to get much more dynamics out of the Star and can be easy to set up with the RCA sub output. I’m using this exact configuration for listening right now and it’s perfectly very good for an all-in-on system.
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Have to agree with Mike, the Nova is a nice step up, but you lose the cd content for a modest SQ upgrade. A SN2/3 with one of the Naim streamers would give a more noticeable improvement.
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Perhaps, if budget permits, a look into the pre-owned space for a late production NAC-N 272 and NAP 250DR might be just affordable….? And would offer a real step up from the Star by comparison to the Nova.
But as always it’s your ear that really counts, notwithstanding aesthetic and budget constraints.
Just a thought,
KR, J
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I’ve auditioned the Atom, Star & Nova a few years back. The difference between the Atom and Star was quite big, between the Star & Nova not so much. I bought the Star as the price difference didn’t make sense to me considering only the small improvement.
As others report very different results I suspect speakers might play a role here. The speakers I compared most with were the B&W 702 s2.
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The Nova is a step up from the Star and if you want to stick with a one-box solution I would say it is worth considering, especially if you can get a second-hand Nova. If it is a step toward a better system, I would say no. I have a Star that is currently driving a 250DR whilst I await the 272 replacement. As a streamer-pre, it works fine and I enjoy listening to music. That being said the Star is definitely the weak point of the system sonically. I do like the functionality of the Star and might keep it as a bedroom system and ripper and sell my lite.
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I bought the Star over the Nova after listening to both and fully expecting to buy the Nova, because after all “you get what you pay for,” so obviously if you want more, just spend more, right? Maybe, maybe, the Nova had a slightly better overall “command” of things, but to me and others sitting in the room, a significant part of the string section disappeared when the Nova was driving things. And, I like the CD functionality, so I went with the Star and spent the savings on wine.
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Can’t argue with that.
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I bought the Star over the Nova after listening to both and fully expecting to buy the Nova, because after all “you get what you pay for,” so obviously if you want more, just spend more, right? Maybe, maybe, the Nova had a slightly better overall “command” of things, but to me and others sitting in the room, a significant part of the string section disappeared when the Nova was driving things. And, I like the CD functionality, so I went with the Star and spent the savings on wine.
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best line I’ve read today
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Thanks for all your thoughts, I will try to get listen to your recommendations and let you know my decision.
Such a great forum for advice thanks again
The Star seems have a slightly variable issue with ripping CDs though so bear this in mind…
Do you absolutely need direct CD playback - yes=Star, no=next…. and maybe start saving for a CD player/transport…. continue down….
Are you restricted to a one box solution - yes=Nova, no-next…
Do you absolutely need the new streaming platform - yes-Nova, no=next….
Will the Nova max out your budget - yes=Nova, no=next…
Then perhaps consider a (lightly) used 272/250DR pairing, you won’t regret it……
Just a thought,
KR,J
Does a 272 support Qobuz?
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