Naim Nova, open-hearted reflections

Thanks for letting me know

Hi. I take this thread to ask. I have an Atom a few months ago (and a balance of money in my favor with the provider to use). With these months of listening I am noticing that the Atom has an accentuation of rhythmic hits and a certain elevation of high frequencies. I would describe it as a little activated loudness. That I find it tiring after a long time of listening. I have for now some old 3-way Infinity loudspeakers (which I will change) with van den hull cable. I wonder if it has to do with my setup or if itā€™s more of Naimā€™s distinctive sound? If I use the balance to change to Nova that I read that it is softer and I would like a flatter sound and that it does not fatigue me? what do you think? :::

and it would not seem to particularly favor the sound of classical music

Maybe the Van den Hull speakers cables are not the good ones for Naim?
Can you tell us the specs?

goldwater (halogen free) 3 mts

Van den hull are recommended by the dealer ā€œAudio trendsā€ here in Aus. The makeup of the cable looks to be suitable. Iā€™d say your speakers are the issue. My Atom has an amazingly musical balance on my system and I can listen for hours without fatigue. I do have the advantage of being able to adjust my tweeter though. Iā€™d say you really need some better quality speakers. I seem to remember you saying that you get a big sound with little distortion but my bet would be that the crossovers will be quite cheap and low quality.

I can also confirm from testing that the nova does seem to be a little more gentle in the highs. It has a bit more of a weighty sound.

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Thanks @Mark84 . I suspect there is something to that. I am new to this range, and I am surprised that the speakers that for years and with different mid-range audio equipment seemed satisfactory, now this combination is not good. Do you remember I tried some PCMs? There was not much difference in quality, and it made it worse that the small box was heard and low frequencies were missing. Iā€™ll try to try other speakers

How long have you had the Atom. It will mellow a little with time.

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I agree with You! The Uniti Atom is an excellent player.

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Two months ago. The sensation is that on the contrary, the sound hardens. Or actually, that over time I listen to what does not convince me of the sound I get. Thanks

And for Atom 20/20 :slight_smile:

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In my memories, the Atom has less bass and tend to get edgier highs, that translates by a more projected sound and more violent attack. It provides a nervous interpretation of the music.

The Nova provides a more refined and agglutinated sound, more bass and more layering, that translates by more cohesive and linear attack. Itā€™s more rounded, fluid and organic presentation. Someone can prefer the Atom signature sound with some speakers. I personally prefer the Nova even if itā€™s less Ā« spectacular Ā».

If you listen to symphonic opus, I think that the superior layering of the Nova makes it more suitable.

I had them plugged into Sonus Faber speakers, that could please you as they have detailed but less agressive highs, they are warm and not fatiguing at all. Someone described them as a Ā« romantic speakers Ā» and I think they merge very good with the Atom / Nova that are dynamic amp.

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@anon56814208 Thanks. Your opinion is very useful.
What could you say about the difference in how Atom and Nova handle old recordings? Rock jazz classical etc from 7060 50`etc
It is a very important item for me.

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Iā€™ve had an Atom and I was very satisfied with it. I almost listening to country and pop/rock from the 50ā€™s and 60ā€™s. Now I am a happy Nova owner which is even better on all kind of music.

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Hi @mpaltadonna I have both the Atom and the Nova and the Nova quite easily is better for older recordings - why? certainly the Nova specs are better all the way down the line but I feel that the higher amplification allows for older and also less polished recordings to sound more full. Much will depend on the quality of the recording of course.

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Hi,

I am sorry, Iā€™vent try classic rock when I had the Atom. I can try some tracks on the Nova (just tell me which), but I have to tell you that I have no reference to compare with.
For the vocals, on jazz and Ā« folk Ā», i usually prefer the Nova.

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Hey @mpaltadonna, saw a speaker review that made me think of you and your speaker situation. Check out the ā€œMagnat Transpuls 1500ā€. Might interest you.

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Hey @Mark84 , Thanks for remembering. I would seriously consider them, but here in Argentina there is no such brand.

I frequently listen to Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and other old rock music. Through my Nova, the majority of the old rock music lacked bass and sounded somewhat unexciting. Getting the Powerline cable and NACA 5 improved the dynamics, but I felt the bottom presence was still lacking when listening to old, compressed rock music (no such problems, however, with the modern, well recorded music which had plenty of grunt). Last week I purchased Luxman l-507uxii and being able to adjust the bass and treble made all the difference to me (I am using Nova as the source via pre-amp output and this combination works perfectly for my needs). If the bulk of your listening involves old, compressed rock music - then it may also be worth trying out a subwoofer. Our rooms, ears and listening preferences are all different, therefore, any equipment should ideally be demoed in your own listening environment to make sure you get the sound youā€™re after!

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Iā€™m glad you found that solution!
For me it is not satisfactory. If an amplifier does not satisfy me, I would change for another, but I would not add since I want an integrated solution