I had a demo of a Uniti Star using my current Dynaudio Audience 62 speakers and was pleased with the sound.
I am close to ordering one but cant help thinking about how much better the Nova would be.
I only have about 70 cds and I could rip those on the Mac so I don’t need the cd facility.
My question is to people that have demo’d the Uniti range…if you could put their relative sound quality in a scale where the Atom was 1 and the Nova 10 where would the Star sit ?
Also, with my current speakers would I get to hear any improvement the Nova can offer or would I need to upgrade the speakers too?
Thanks for any help you can give.
I only heard the Atom, Star and Nova in isolation, but i would say the Star is 6 in terms of controlling a loudspeaker vs the Nova. The Star is a great all round performer…its a choice you need to make?
1 Like
The Nova will be way better sound wise. Go for it. I’d put a 7 on the Star but don’t pay for features you won’t need or use. This means your funds are going where you want them to go - sound.
1 Like
+1 for the Nova
I listened to all 3 at a dealer/Naim promo evening. Can’t recall speakers but may have been Neat/Proac/Russell K, about average for Uniti systems regardless.
I was looking at the time to go either for a ND to add to a SN2 or maybe to get rid of the SN2 and get a Uniti.
On sound quality you’d choose the Nova, even if I had 1000’s of CD’s I’d get the better amp.
I have two Novas and previously owned a Star, I would give the Star a 7/8. The Star is good but if you don’t need the features I would go for the Nova, if you do need them it’s a great solution.
Regarding your current speakers I think they would benefit from the extra power of the Nova.
I’ve listened to all three. If you can afford the Nova, go for it. You’ll have forgotten the cost within weeks and you’ll enjoy the sound for years.
Atom is great even as a 1, the Star is better at around 5 and the Nova 10 (in your scenario)
1 Like
I have Dynaudio Audience 62 speakers in my HT system. They are nice speakers and will benefit from the greater power and control the Nova affords over the Star, although the latter should also work just fine, IMO.
Assuming speakers that can be easily driven by all, I would put the Star and Nova closer together than most in this thread it seems. 8(.5?), possibly even 9.
But, as pointed out, the Nova does have a bit more power, so with some speakers it could be bigger difference.
1 Like
i have demoed all three and found the nova to have a darker, more controlled and rounded sound than the star, which i found more upfront and lively. i went in to buy a star and walked out with a nova…
1 Like
Thanks very much for all your replies.
I will decide over the weekend but at this stage it looks like I will be going for the Nova.
4 Likes
Can’t you do a comparative listen at a dealer? Even if not at home with your speakers, should still give you an idea on the difference in sound.
3 Likes
I’m in a similar situation (ish) in that I have a Star currently and considering upgrading to the Nova. In your experience, what are sound improvements you found? Dynamics, bass, top end etc? It would be useful to add some qualitative to the quantitative.
Some people say that Atom is the most musical of the three.
1 Like
If you already own the Star, I would argue, unless there’s an especially sweet deal available, the difference is likely not big enough to be worth it. I’d sooner investigate adding an power amp to the Star, or (mullet alert) other speakers.
For me (others seem to disagree) there was no big difference in sound, everything was just a little bit better. I.e. opener, clearer, etc. But not by that much.
1 Like
Personally I think its all about what music you listen to. Modern well mixed and produced music is great on the Star, the Nova is only marginally better and I think you’d be very happy with either. However, if you listen to older recordings these need much more oomph to get the best out of them and the Nova is way ahead, especially at lower volumes where the Star just can’t extract any life.
1 Like
@Maccaboy10, I would agree mostly with others, the Nova will provide a bit more grip and power, better at low volume but on its own the Star is a good performer. If I hadn’t bought an Innuos Zen, which duplicated the Star’s ripping capacity, I would have happily kept the Star.
I had already had an Nova for 9 months when I bought the Star and I had no problems moving between the two systems.
1 Like
This topic was automatically closed 60 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.