Sorry, yes you are right of course, I meant IIIs (which have 4 drivers). I didn’t listen to the Vs because the price tag was already growing way over my initial expectations. The final choice was between the SFs and Sopra N2 after listening to equivalently priced B&Ws, Kudos as well as the usual suspects at lower price points. For me I couldn’t get the “out of the box” sound I was seeking at lower price points and in the end the Focals were a bit aggressive for my ears.
A new Powerline is worth it in my opinion. It’s a surprising upgrade. But it’s just a cord…it’s soooo expensive….yeah…just buy one.
Well said!
Is the turntable cover a standard off the shelf? I have the same deck but it just gets dusty!
Giving it some thought I really think the OP is correct in that the Nova is the best bang for Buck. Given its sound and specs.
Sweet spot…. Maybe not. I haven’t heard enough Naim gear to make that assumption.
There’s a lot of good feedback on the Powerline, how does it compare to similar priced alternatives by a dedicated manufacturer like Isotek?
I could afford separates so price wasn’t my main consideration. I started with a Qb V1 in a small condo I was in temporarily. Once I bought and moved to my new home I bought an Atom. It’s screen was funky so it was being replaced, and I decided on the Nova. While I waited, as the spectacular Atom paired with my cheapie (lol) Focal Chora 816 had wetted my appetite I pondered if I wanted separates. The dealer was cool either way so I could change. But I opted to stay with the Nova. That was spring. Then I added the Powerline a couple months later. Like a new and different unit. So…yeah. What OP said. I have no desire to upgrade, and won’t. I may end up constructing a listening room and add separates there, but that’s not on the horizon.
So my review of the Nova is spectacular. And as for the negative of being expensive most reviews mention, once it’s in your home you realize it’s not. I’ll add, as I said, my speakers aren’t impressive. Actually, I got them 2 for the price of 1 believe it or not…so $895 for the pair! About upgrade fever: I had the hots for Kanta 2 os 3s. But I have a smallish room (@19m3) so a. the 816s sound great and b. the Kantas would be too much for the room. The Nova with NACA5 and the Powerline really questions why I want to upgrade. I’ll add a sub next, but that’s not a glaring weakness.
My thought on that was Naim’s quality is why i spent what seemed like a great deal (compared to other competitive options) of money for the Nova, so their cord should be of similar quality and paired to match. No brainer to me.
You’re right, since my wife suggested/ordered that we went the ‘one box’ route, I first bought a Naim Unitilite, just over a year ago I traded that in for a Nova and am more than happy with the sound, agility and power, P.R.A.T baby!
No it’s dedicated cover from Clear- audio
Great thanks
Having owned a Nova then onto NDX2/Supernait2 and now 282/250Dr, I’d be inclined to say where I am now is the sweet spot…
Nice to see someone else with the Neats - with a caveat. When I ran mine with a 282/SCDR/250DR I found they were a little polite - they really came alive when I upgraded to a 252/300DR. I’m thinking that the Nova might not be getting the best out of the Neats…
Surprising how many people reach this conclusion
Nova user here. Since 7 month. No intention to upgrade either. The nova and the Sonus Faber gives me great joy every single day. For me this was a downgrade from player, pre, power, Avalon speakers, expensive cables, etc. Now I just enjoy music and stopped listening to cymbals, violins, ambiance, soundstage….
I have a Nova in our Singapore home and also in our home in Washington D.C. It is absolutely amazing in both places. One of the things you may want to consider is speakers. In Singapore I have the Naim Ovator 400s and in the the US I have the Neat Xplorers. Because last month Singapore unexpectedly allowed people from the US to enter without quarantine we came back to visit Singapore after 18 months away. So I heard the Ovators after a long time.
The two speakers are very different - even allowing for differences in room sizes. The Ovators seem to have more bass and it feels well integrated with the rest of the sound yielding a very good and coherent sound and a good sound stage. The Xplorers seem to lack that extra little bit of bass but seem to have better definition at the higher end. It’s hard for me to say which sound I like more though right now I’m enjoying the Ovators’ sound very much. When I get back to D.C. in a couple of months, I know I will also love the Xplorers. I do find the Xplorers sound stage is more sensitive to where I’m sitting - moving a little too much to one side or the other changes the balance significantly. The Singapore speakers are seem less fussy in that regards.
But my (long winded!) point is that the quality and selection of speakers may make a bigger difference than anything else within reasonable budget. If you already have a combination you really like, you’re probably all set!
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