Nova + SF Olympica II (Non nova)

Hi-Fi Corner
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Hi, currently running a Uniti Nova but have the chance to upgrade to a pair of SF Olympica II (previous gen Non Nova Olympica) however the speakers are 4 ohm rated. Dealer assures me it wont be an issue but curious if anyone has tried this combo or run into issues or any advice. I’m sure an SN2/3 would be better with the speakers but at the moment can only do the speakers and not the SN2/3.

Thanks

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I demo’d a pair of SF Sonetto Vs with my Nova a while back, and felt that the speakers needed a bit more heft to them. Your opinions and tastes may vary wildly, but I felt a more powerful amp was in order.

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Likely very true, SF definitely improve as the amp does.

We have Sonetto iii - decent with a SuperUniti, good with a 250DR and now absolutely different class with a 300DR.

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wow thats a lot of ooomph for sonetto iii’s.

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Indeed it is, and they have responded superbly to each upgrade. They do need a hefty amp to shine.

They sound incredible on the end of the 300DR.

We had thought that with source, pre and power upgraded we’d then instantly need to change speakers. However, we are in no rush now as they seem to be an excellent match with the 300.

If I could summarise:

  • The SuperUniti drove the speakers, but music sounded muddled at volume
  • The 250DR controlled the speakers, they came alive
  • The 300DR pushes the speakers to their limits, the slam/attack from our small floorstanders is immense, and the bass… well the Sonetto iii are no longer light in the bass :smile:

We’re finding our speakers are capable of conveying extremely fine detail.

If we do upgrade the new SF models will be on the shortlist for sure.

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I totally agree. I currently have the Sonetto’s V driven by a NAP 155 XS. It’s sounds good at low to moderate volumes, but the 155 doesn’t reveal the full potential of the speakers. I have had the chance to try the 250DR recently, and wow, I was blown away. The speakers were a lot more controlled. Together with a 282/HCDR, they sounded a lot more open. Huge soundstage, sweet and delicate highs, along with astonishing bass control. I’ve just pulled the trigger for a 282/HCDR/250DR without hesitation.

The Nova could do the job, but I believe you’ll definitely miss what the speakers can do, and that you would probably want to upgrade the amp sooner or later.

Why not sell the nova and you current speakers and get pre-loved nDAC/282/250/HC + SF Sonetto V (or III)? I believe this would be a far better combination than a Nova + SF Olympica II.

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Thanks for the sugggestions. Bit the bullet and went for the best option I could manage and was advised by a couple of you and the dealer Who did not think there was any point in me going from Venere 3.0 to Sonetto v/viii as he didn’t think there was significant enough improvement to justify the price difference.

Fat dumb and Very happy with Olympica II’s with Nac 272 + 250DR.

Just found out you can improve the 272 with power supplies. :see_no_evil::see_no_evil::money_with_wings::money_with_wings::money_with_wings::money_with_wings:

1 Like
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272 benefits hugely from a power supply. We ran XPSDR for 18 months very happily. 555 brings even more (search forum), but we didn’t have that available at the time.

On that box setup the SuperLumina interconnect (DIN/XLR Stereo) between pre and amp also brought significant improvement.

Our dealer recommended Nova II when we had 250DR, so sure you will be very happy.

But welcome to the slippery slope :laughing:

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