Unity Star versus Unity Nova

Hi-Fi Corner
21

powerline makes a nice improvement to the nova, adds a bit more solidity and lets the nova do its thing better.

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I am using Harbeth P3,ESR , small but difficult to drive - 6 ohm and 83 efficiency .

I would say more or less the same as the previous reply, there is a discernible increase in sound quality

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I meant to add that AudioLab CD transport is an absolute bargain at the price - very good choice with the Nova

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Thereā€™s various software that can convert ALAC to FLAC (which the Arcam supports)

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I recently bought a Uniti Star with Spendor A4 speakers. They make a really nice combination. I had a similar issue of footprint for speakers, budget, and whether to have something to play CDā€™s also. My budget was Ā£6000 max.

I compared mainly the Atom and Star with various speakers M&A 200 and 300, B&W 704 S2, Neat Motive SX1&2, Spendor A2&A4, Klipsch R600-F.

After auditioning I narrowed my search down to Spendor A2&A4 with Star&Atom. There was an improvement in sound with the Star as the 70W drives speakers better than the Atom, and felt richer with more spacial presence. I then asked to compare the Star with the Nova so I could compare. I could not (with my ears) tell any difference between the two especially to justify spending an extra Ā£1000 and the appearance of the box and controls are similar. I stayed with the Star and got a good deal with Spendor A4ā€™s and some Chord Epic Twin cable under my Ā£6k budget and went for it.

Ripping CDā€™s is easy takes a few minutes each. I bought a decent SSD connected to rear USB port. And formatted it to NTFS and FLAC.

Hope this helps

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Well done. Wife made exactly the same choice. I was also there at the demonstration and I also could not hear a discernible difference between Star and Nova. :+1:

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27

Welcome. I have a Nova, began with the Atom. I have Focal Chora 816 floor standers. They are the intro Focals. Iā€™d strongly suggest you listen to them. For the price they are hard to beat. I just added Isoacoustics isolation feet under them which further improved their sound. For under $1000 each they donā€™t break the bank. Iā€™ve been shopping for a sub woofer, and a couple times a day (lol right now listening to Emancipator "Rattlesnakes) I hear the bass and think a sub is a needless expense.

So you could rip to a computer and get the Novaā€¦and maybe add a Uniti Core later? Or similarā€¦

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Since you seem to have ended up with virtually the same setup as I have I can assure you that upgrading to the Powerline is surprisingly well worthwhile. I tried a Powerline thinking that there was no way a mains cable could be worth all that cash. Once I heard it there was no question of returning it!

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29

I have kept up with the Nova discussion. I have also ripped all my mostly jazz CDs in the meantime. I am taking my time before spending money as alternative expenses have come up remodeling my house:) That said, the Nova is still within my sights but then I came across the German-made T+A Caruso R. It is a one-box solution with a CD player and higher amplifier output than the Nova. Anyone in this forum have any experience with this unit in comparison to the Nova? Thanks.

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Naimā€™s power ratings are very conservative. The Uniti Atom, for the rated 40 watts, is surprisingly powerful. And the Nova is a whole different level. So 80 watts of Naim has lots of power.

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31

The T+A has an output of 50W into 8 Ohms, the Star 70W and the Nova 80W, so isnā€™t more powerful, however that wonā€™t really make a big difference.

Iā€™ve heard the Caruso R against the Atom and Star. While it was good I preferred the Naim devices, though there wasnā€™t much in it - the Naims had a bit more ā€œget up and goā€ as youā€™d expect from their reputation. Iā€™d pick the Atom over the T + A and save a bit of cash.

The Nova outclasses the T + A considerably - all in my opinion of course.

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Thanks much. Sorry, I read the 100 w into 4 ohms for the T+A amp. So I am still leaning toward the Nova. Now itā€™s all a question of getting the right speakers without breaking the bank!

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