Yes daft combination but will this combo work, NDX2 as streamer and Nova being using as a integrated amp ?
Call it a stepping stone to an SN3 later or …
@obsydian Why consider this? Consider selling the Nova and looking for a SN3 or an Integrated of similar quality. The Nova sounds like it is designed to be a high performance single box solution. I wonder if its functionality would be compromised if its functions were separated.
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That’s the plan but I love my Nova 
Just wanted to know if the stop gap is possible and the price is right, I thought it could connect it via DIN, but wasn’t sure if thats truly just using the Nova application.
It’ll work fine using either the analogue pre out or the SPDIF out on the NDX2 into the Nova. Anyone’s guess which would sound best, although either way you are using the DAC in the Nova as it digitises the analogue input.
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@obsydian If you love your Nova stay with it and use it for the one box solution it was designed for. When you can afford a great integrated and a great streamer then do that. I have found that stop gap solutions are often sub optimal. You might also want to consider a series 200 NC system when you can afford it.
Thanks @ChrisSU that was my concern that is just uses Nova DAC so renders a long stop gap pointless.
Money isn’t the issue, I just had an itch (plus a spare Fraim shelf) as some is offloading an NDX2, note I think i am talking myself out of it, as the two times I shop demo’d the ndx2/sn3 it didn’t do anything over my Nova.
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I’d guess that you’ll still get a reasonable uplift from the NDX2 although probably not huge until you replace the Nova.
Years ago I put a Mk1 NDX in front of my Superuniti (so the equivalent products in the range at the time) and concluded that as an incremental upgrade it wasn’t worth the money. Then I upgraded the amplification and it became very worthwhile. (No ADC in the Superuniti though.)
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Yes, this will work very well and is a good option for a two-step upgrade. When my 552 was away being repaired I ran my ND555 through the Nova as an analogue input and it was a very significant improvement. In my experience the analogue to digital conversion within the Nova does not comprise sound quality (it’s the same with a phono stage input - I’ve done the same with my LP12).
It will clearly work well as a stepping stone. In the first post this is suggested, yet a few hours later it’s stated that the NDX2/SN3 brought nothing more to the table than the Nova. Which raises the obvious question….
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Yes, I just saw that. I thought the NDX2/SN2 was a nice lift over the Nova, but really it can take a few steps up the range to get significant improvements. I was surprised how much better the Nova is with a better analogue source.
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Adding a NC250 to the Nova and then swapping it for a 222 would possibly be a better route to take, and would give a good solid uplift, but at a not inconsiderable price. Alternatively, sticking with Nova isn’t a bad place to be.
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A few weeks ago I was demo’ing some kit and as an experiment I put an ethernet filter in front of my Nova and some noise reduction modules downstream on the speaker cables. To do this for real could be lunacy - cost getting on for 2x the price of the Nova but, apart from a couple of instances where the sound was noticeably “hi-fi” at the expense of musicality, the result was generally absolutely stunning - it blew my socks off.
My conclusion, the Nova has an awful lot to give if you invest in ancillaries that allow it to perform to it’s full capability.
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Why don’t you tell us what Ethernet filter and speaker modules?
Interesting, assume the NC is New Classic 250 ?
Yes.