Supernait 3 + Hugo 2 vs Naim Nova

Hi,

I know that corrolar questions have already been debate, but the topic are closed now. I want to upgrade the sound quality of my system and as I already have an Hugo 2 and a Nova, I want to know If selling the Nova an getting the Supernait 3 will substantially improve the SQ ? (I only listen to digital music).

Has anyone experiment this path ?

Best regards

I haven’t compared, but I am pretty sure that the SN plus Hugo would outperform the Nova…

FWIW, a Hugo 2 fed my SN2 and now my 282/250DR. In my view it’s a great combinations of Naim’s PRAT and Chord’s detail.

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P.S. It’s a bit pricey, and probably not really worth the money, to be honest — but the 2go creates a really nice compact streaming DAC, and just so handy for the occasional head-fi session anywhere…

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If I go for the SN3 + Hugo 2, I’ll probably need a transporter. I don’t know which one is the best between the 2Go, the Auralic Ariés 1 and the Melco (the one that can be used as a Roon Core).

Ps. Is it possible to use the Hugo 2 directly to the 250dr or do i need to get a pre-amp ?

The nova has no direct analogue path for inputs to output

So you are not getting most of Hugo 2

Yes a SN3 shall sound better than a nova when paired with Hugo 2

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If I keep the Nova, I will use it internal DAC. The Hugo 2 will remain indépendant of the system and will be used only for headphone sessions.

I haven’t directly compared, but very confident that the SN3 + Hugo combo is going to sound much better - better DAC + better amp.

For transport, I use a Raspberry Pi4, sounds as good as the Auralic Aries that I had. I personally dont see the point of paying for expensive transports.

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Done that — SN2 sounded better to my ears.

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I started with a Nova but ended up wanting an upgrade path. So now have SN3dr with HiCap, MScaler,TT2, Allo digione signature, witch hat morgana and phantom with SF Olympica 1. The Nova is fantastic for a 1 box solution but at the end of the day it’s hard to live with once upgradeitis sets in. I’m very happy with the system and it’s obviously a marked improvement over a 1 box solution.

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