hi all, i have a cool opportunity to get a very young Uniti Nova for a nice price, i am listening now still on my old Uniti 1, but the CD player is not working anymore and the display is dead. A friend of my who has a HIFI shop in the Netherlands told me that a old Uniti 1 better sound as a Uniti Nova.
can anyone help me with this ? i know its all a question of taste, but i like my old Uniti 1 also, i am only tired to stream Qobuz and from my Apple IOS via a Apple TV to the Uniti, the streaming options on the nova would be a big + for me.
thanks in advance for your answers
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I went from a Superuniti to a Nova and the the upgrade was massive, I loved the Superuniti and was really pleased with it until I bought the Nova.
It has more of everything, the extra detail, punch and overall increase in all aspects is a huge improvement.
Obviously this is with my ears so you’ll have to decide for yourself but I’ve never regretted getting a Nova.
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I think how you view sound quality is very much a personal taste ,
Three or four things things
1 The Nova needs a Powerline to get the best out of it
2 You mentioned CD , the Nova doesn’t have one , have you considered a Star or a CD transport such as the Audiolab 6000 CDT (it doesn’t cost a lot)
3 Given the problems associated with BREXIT (don’t get me started) it seems that repair are taking longer , but maybe a repair and service would be cheaper
4 The Nova is much more adaptable to newer programmes or providers
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hi, thanks for your reply,
i don’t play CD’s, so the nova is fine for me.
i always read about powerlines, to be honest, i don’t see how a powercable can make difference, but i think it will 
Naim is also offering a Powerline, i guess here are also lot of variants possible
It makes a very substantial difference - the standard Powerline is not supplied with the Nova but the Powerline Lite is .
I auditioned the Poweline as an add on extra and ordered it within five minutes
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Without a Powerline - the Nova offers more grip, more detail, more sources (Qobuz?), better and more modern architecture…
That does not stop you getting the Nova and then auditioning a Powerline to see if you can live without it or must have it…
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Hi @BenCH, I have not directly compared a Uniti 1 with a Nova. However, the Uniti was nearly my first Naim box. I went to audition it, but unfortunately for my wallet, I also opted to listen to a CD5XS plus Nait XS and walked out with those two boxes. I found them a substantial improvement on the Uniti. The CD5 is no longer around new but a number of folk have compared the Nova with ND5XS2/Nait XS3 and found it very competitive, a few even preferred it. If the Nova is a good price, I’d grab it and I don’t think you’d be disappointed.
Why does your friend think the Uniti sounds better? I can only speculate, but the “Naim sound” has subtly shifted over the years. IMO that has been for the better, but not everyone agrees and your friend may be in that category. You may hear things differently.
An audition would be ideal, but if that’s not possible and you want an all-in-one the Nova looks ideal.
Roger
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It is true that a Powerline is required to get the very best out of the Nova. (I was astonished when I tried it!) But the Nova is no slouch with its stock cable.
I have never done a direct comparison with the Uniti 1 - but I would be very surprised if the Nova didn’t win that contest quite comfortably.
You can easily add a Powerline at a later date. And an Audiolab CDT to spin your discs. (Although you may find that you don’t spin your discs quite as much as you expect to.)
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hi Roger
thanks for your message,
i have already a 300DR + NAC 252 + NDX2
but i have my old Uniti now here in my holiday home , and here i do not want huge speakers and 5 naim units, thats why i would be helped with the Nova.
the Uniti i have now sound greats, only it miss some features that life makes easier.
i use Roon to listen, and Roon via apple tv is just not good, very much detail loss.
Ben
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I recently replaced my Uniti2 with a Star and it is quite a lift up in sound quality and functionality. I was going to add a Room transport to the Uniti2 to modernise it, but a great used Star came up, so I grabbed it. I also wanted to be on the same streamer platform with the NDX2 system in the next room.
I also have a Nova in our lounge, and that is a step up again from the Uniti2, so a worthwhile upgrade in my view.
I did really like the Uniti2 though, and is great value for its price these days.
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Hi Mike, how big is the gap in performance between the Star and the Nova?
I’ve read wildly differing reports
best wishes
Ian
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Hi Ian,
They are in different rooms with different speakers and I haven’t compared them directly against each other, but my feeling is that the Star is pretty close to the Nova, but is a little less dynamic with not quiet as much slam. If you want the CD functionality in a one box set, then I think the Star is a great option. My dealer, who. He soldNaim, always said the Star was closer in performance to the Nova than the Star.
When my NDX2 was away for repair I ran the Star in my own system, both on its own, then through the 252, and I was very happy with its relative performance.
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When I heard them both in Naim’s demo room when they first launched, the Nova was significantly ahead of the Star in overall SQ in my opinion.
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The Nova is a fine machine as it comes, but a Powerline is a really significant upgrade despite the superficially high price. I think if you got one for a Nova you’d be instantly wondering how one or more would work in your main system.
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I was going to suggest if you went for a Nova you kept the Uniti for a second system but seems that’s already its function.
I never had one, but in terms of repair:
a) Might be costly if fully possible
b) Many CD mechs are now out of stock for repair
c) I gather the displays of these steramer variants are prone to fail at some stage - again is there stock available?
From a different perspective:
a) It still plays music and you don’t really use CDs or require that
b) Is the display essential?
c) Can you get Qobuz to play via the Uniti in a better waymore cheaply?
d) I assume you have AppleTV 3 or earlier. AppleTV supported lossless CD quality stereo from AppleTV 1 and (normally resampled) 16 bit 48 kHz out for Apple TV 2-3 via optical out.
e) How good a deal is the Nova?
f) The Nova would probably simply be a more modern solution with fewer compromises and native Qobuz support without need for an AppleTV, and it would also allow Airplay 2 for use with later AppleTVs though they are a pain in the neck if you want a non video input device (eg Nova) to be the standard audio output - just doesn’t work via Airplay which always resets to the HDMI display. Every time I wake and use my AppleTV (4/HD/4k new and older variants) connected projector I have to manually change the audio output to the Nova (Airplay rather than the attached HDMI device with tiny speakers.
g) Qobuz does not run natively on AppleTV via an app (at least not last time I checked) so probably easier to simply use Airplay from Qobuz app (or Roon/other app signed in to Qobuz) to Airplay audio to a Nova bypassing AppleTV unless of course you want video.
I went from a Uniti 1 to a Nova and am totally happy with the upgrade, good though the Uniti was. Everything is better - sound quality, interface, design. I don’t miss the CD drive at all. Go for it!
PS agree about the improvement made by a full fat Powerline.
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