Is Uniti Nova Powerful Enough?

In the UK the list price of the 702 s2 would appear to be around £3.8k rather than £5k, so cheaper than the Nova, and they seem to be widely available for considerably less, so on money grounds alone I don’t see why they’d be a bad match. Having said that, I have found speakers the most surprising items to audition. Very well reviewed speakers have sounded poor to me, whereas less highly praised ones have performed really well. Personal tastes and individual hearing come into the picture too. So if it’s possible to audition a range of candidates I really think this is the best approach. And it’s worth taking time over the choice too.

Have fun choosing.

Roger

2 Likes

If the B&Ws have not been bought yet, then what about a Pair of Focal Kanta 2s with the Nova?

It’s been a popular combination which IIRC Naim have shown at audio shows. It is also endorsed by some members here including some Naim staff.

Edit: okay, I have just seen the price. But even so, wisdom of crowds and all that.

1 Like

Kantas are sometimes available at sale prices (unlike new Naim) nearer to your original speaker budget. Also, if you haven’t bought the Nova yet, some British dealers do that set up as a bundle complete with A5 cable for for not much over your Nova +5K budget.

3 Likes

Hi,

Only just beginning my audio ‘voyage’, I recently had the Nova on loan for a long weekend early to test with the 702 Signature (which I received about a week earlier), that I purchased. On the louder volumes (where you would expect neighbours to start complaining when you live in an average Dutch appartement) I thought the sound was too bright with certain material (Miles Davis - Sketches of Spain, both on cd and on Qobuz, and with older U2 songs).
In the normal average listening volumes, it sounded pretty well, up to great, depending on what I was listening too. But with the harsh trebels, I’m not sure if the Nova is for me.
I now have an old Cambridge Azur 640R on loan, which I find easier to listen to in those volumes.

Depending on your view on this, you might consider the speakers were not fully played in yet (although the manual says this should only take a few hours, not 100s of hours). Also, the speakers were not yet placed on spikes, but on the round rubber feet. I have now put them om spikes (and the stability plate), since listening to the Cambridge, but does that affect treble…?

So, all in all, for the way it operates and looks, I love the Nova, it checks all my needs, but I’m not convinced it’s the right pairing - for me - with the 702 Signatures.

The Nova is a awesome all in one player. It’s really make my small Linn Majik 109’s sounds great. Open, detailed and a tight deep bass :blush::+1::notes:

1 Like

I would argue that the speakers set the tone here. If you find the sound bright, I would say that the B&W’s lean in that direction and that depending on your room acoustics, furnishings and listening position, this will be exacerbated irrespective of amplifier used. I certainly wouldn’t describe the Nova as bright but I would expect it to be more resolving and dynamic than your Cambridge 640R, which albeit a fine AV amp, not to the same level of music audio playback as your Nova.

1 Like

Hi n-lot,

In a topic about a Nova being powerful enough for a 702 S2 signature, you replied that you have no issues running your 702 S2. I self have a Nova and 702 S2 and what I find that there is no base. Mid and high is really nice but the low isn’t there. Not even on 50% volume.

The sound still is coming from the speakers and it doesn’t come lose projecting it in the room like you are in a concert.

I run them on QED Signature Revelation 3,0 m. cables.

How does your B&W sound?

Best regard,

Mark

I looked it up:
Capacitance - 35 pF/m = 105 @ 3m
Inductance - 0.52 µH/m= 1.56 @ 3m

NACA5:
Capacitance - 16 pF/m = 48 @ 3m
Inductance - 1 µH/m = 3 @ 3m

The Unitis being less critical and all, at least 3m of NACA5 still seem to be recommended, and you have half the inductance and twice the capacitance of that. And if we assume that 2m NACA5 may still be marginally ok, this would be 2 µH and you are still below that.

you should ensure that the cable is low capacitance and of moderate inductance. High capacitance &/or very low inductance cables are to be avoided at all costs
(FAQ)

I would at least try a more suitable cable (or a longer length of the QED to get close to the same inductance as 2-3 m NACA5. You’d have several times the capacitance, but that’s less critical and 10 m of NACA5 have more).

No bass and the sound coming from the speakers seems more likely a setup / room isssue

2 Likes

I had tested the 702s2 (non-signature) on my star at home in my previous speaker selection. The star drove the B&w perfectly. For me, the speaker was emphasized a little too high, too analytical

I have no such issues as you describe. It’s not subwoofer bass, these only go down to 46Hz (F3) by design, but bass is fine. Certainly for music.

The other issue with them disappearing as well, sounds like it might be room issues. Experiment with position I would say. Although it might be worth checking out the cables as @Suedkiez suggests, I don’t think that’s the core of your issues.

1 Like

Hi Mark, first, have you double checked that the speaker cables are connected correctly? Lack of bass is the obvious symptom of speakers that are connected out of phase.
Your cables may not be a perfect match compared to Naim’s NACA5 but I really do not think they are too much of a mismatch for a Naim amp, and I would not expect them to cause the problem you are experiencing. Having said that, if you can get your dealer to lend you a set of NACA5 cables to try you may be pleasantly surprised.

Ok so I have both the Uniti Nova and the B&W 702 S2 Signature speakers. I was initially a bit worried that the Naim wouldn’t be powerful enough but I think it is. The system sounds amazing to me. I’ve also read quite a few reviews and YouTubed a little and by all accounts even a Uniti Atom would be ok with these speakers (which is half the power of the Nova). I changed the speaker cable to QED Genesis Silver Spiral and had jumper cables made from this too. When I get the volume to around 55 (from a good source - e.g. Qobuz or Tidal) it is pretty loud. I’ve not had it above 62, and it’s crystal clear at this. If I got an amp that was twice the power I’m not convinced it would sound better, I’d just have to run it on a volume of 25 to get the same effect (does that sound right?).

Anyway, although it sounds great and the the bass is great - I’ve been used to home cinema which just sort of provides an extra dimension - like not just louder bass in the music that you can hear but somehow adds things. Like I say, an extra dimension almost. Anyway, long story short - I was going to test more powerful amps but really wasn’t sure this was the way to go. Then I discovered there’s a sub woofer output on the Uniti Nova. I’ve ordered the accompanying sub woofer to the B&W 7 series speakers (the B&W DB4S). It’s due to arrive in the next week or so. I am really looking forward to getting that bad boy hooked up. I suspect this might be just the ticket. I’ll let the group know if I’ve made the right decision when I’ve had a listen. Needless to say I live in a detached house and the hifi room is pretty large!

3 Likes

This topic was automatically closed 60 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.