Interesting, I went the Nova route, but it took a long time to really burn in and perform at it’s best. I guess we have to decide on the sweet spot for performance and cost. For me, the Nova was at the limit I was prepared to spend. A N272/NAP250 is twice the cost of the Nova. I heard an NDX2/282/250 demo, and I didn’t think it was a big step from the Nova, and three times the cost! Different speakers though, so system matching is an issue too.
I may go down a 2 box solution long term, though would wait for a N272 upgrade with the 250, or a NDX2/SN2 option - in theory separating the streamer from the amp could be a better option. I’ve pretty much ruled out going beyond 2 boxes. I don’t want to disappear down a rabbit warren of amp upgrades, cable dressing/coiling, Fraims and sweating over a cable touching the floor.
Back to the OP, I think understand your end-point and work towards that.
On a factory visit, using large Focal speakers in the Naim dem room I heard a Nova directly followed by a 272/250. The separates were clearly better but the Nova was by no means totally ouclassed and for me the difference in SQ wasn’t worth the difference in price. I now have a Nova. I could have found the extra money but chose to spend it on other things.
Everyone will have different priorities and thresholds of values. I have learnt the hard way that for me what seems a significant difference in a dem can have much less significance in your own home, especially after a few weeks of getting used to the new sound.
I had a Nova with PMC 25.26 and it was easily capable of driving them. A secondhand 250 dr came up at my dealer, it was a nice upgrade to the Nova. The Nova as PEV mentions is no slouch compared to a 272/250…add a 250 to the Nova at a later date, and it’s just a matter of taste between the two pairings.
For me, the 272 only really comes alive with a PSU upgrade, and I would only consider it as a potential upgrade from a Uniti if I was aiming for 272/XPS/250.
On the other hand, if a demo can’t show up the big leap from Nova to NDX2/282/250, something is wrong, because to me, that’s a bigger jump still.
It was a jump up for sure, but not value for money I thought for me (being 3 x the price). To be fair, the demo was at the dealers with Focal Kantas, and I was comparing against my home set up (Nova and Totem Forest Sigs). I find the Totems more musical and the Kantas a bit too precise. If I ever go to two boxes, I’ll need to run a side by side demo with the Totems.
There’s no escaping the law of diminishing returns! I think the real impact of a big upgrade is often very clear in a properly conducted dealer demo, but with different rooms and speakers, at different times, it never quite hits home in the same way to me.
Hi, I have had a Nova for two years now and I am very pleased with the sound of the system. I am running it with Dali Epicon 2 speakers and a few other components that have further tuned its sound. What noticeable difference has the 250 DR made to the sound of your system?