Speaker recommendation for Nova in small room

Sorry I haven’t tested first hand to comment.

Hi @Toller67

I have S10 on Nova in a very large (echo-y) living dining kitchen open space and I think they are super clear and enjoyable. They are out from the wall, image is good, but you wouldn’t call them strong or pronounced bass - but it’s there and textured I’d say. The Nova was a noticeable performance (and feature) upgrade over the SuperUniti I had before. The S10 sound even better with the Nova.

I have also X2 on Atom, lovely pairing, significant saving as well. Here at home they were in a large bedroom and not optimally placed, but performed nicely in a “reading room” geometry in an open area beyond the foot of the bed. Now they are front and centre in a large living area in another flat, our second home while my wife is on assignment. Again, very nice. Main system nice.

There is definitely a consistency to the sound, bigger brothers vs little I guess you could say.

The Atom did not really fare so well with the S10. I tried that first, as the SuperUniti (and a Qute) was traded in for the new series, but the Nova in Canada was delayed. It was my first experience with an unbalanced system trial and they just felt like a lot was missing - control, particularly on the bass, others have said and I think that’s right. It arrived with the Nova for sure.

I never tried the reverse pairing, Nova and X2, but my feeling is that the X2 would really also improve with the Nova, which is for sure upscale to the Atom. I don’t know how much better the S10 vs the X2 would be, the clarity and detail is improved for sure … but (and I admit that I always believed it was more to do with the speaker) I truly think Nova and X2 would shine (and although it was not “bad” in any way, Atom and S10 didn’t quite do that).

I bought the S10 used, roughly half of retail. I bought the X2 new ex-dem and end of line, again roughly half of retail. I felt like they each were bargains and good purchases. It’s a couple / few years now and still quite happy.

In your shoes, I’d look hard for a good price on X2 and see how you get on with them and your Nova. In a smaller space, the downward firing port would possibly ease positioning. They are actually smaller than the S10 on stands. And they are very well regarded speakers for a reason: they perform and sound great. If you love it, you’re set. You’ll know for sure that your electronics are not limiting anything. If you have an itch after a while you can take your time and try to demo the S10 against a familiar sound, knowing what the eventual speaker upgrade is bringing to the table. Of course, if you find a great deal and jump in, the S10 are also a good pairing with the Nova… but I feel like I could have enjoyed a journey in the opposite direction, counterclockwise instead of clockwise I suppose, if things had arrived in a different order. You might too.

Definitely worth a listen, and if you are in the UK, much easier to arrange than over here.

Enjoy whatever you choose to do, it’s a very fun place to be listening from.

Stay well.

Regards alan

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its the Tweeter, my friend. ALtought i normally prefer the British sound signature
(warmer) i got to admit that the Danes generally make the best tweeters of the market (more open)

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I agree with you that not all versions of the Sonetto sound good with a particular system. When I set up the appointment with my fav audio shop to listen to new speakers, they initially set up the Atom with the Sonetto 3 floorstanders. My wife and I didn’t like the sound at all. I’m pretty sure the Atom can’t properly drive the 5’s at all so never tried. The 2’s with sub are just great with it. The 5’s with the Nova sounded even better to us. Ultimately, nothing beats personal taste :slight_smile:

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Unfortunately speakers are a very personal taste I have Harbeth P3 40th edition on my Nova and very Happy with the sound. But what ever you choose a trail at home is a must.

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