Thanks for this comment, Roger. I make exactly the same experience. Amp power is not about loudness, but about dynamic range, control and ease of performance.
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Good it works well for you. However, in some rooms, a bigger amp can give more energy, bass and high frequenciesâŚwhich can exite the room and create problems. Better try before or be prepared to take the risk to have to treat acoustically the room,
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Whether you hear any difference is critically dependent on your network set-up. Playing better quality files over a noisy network is unlikely to deliver significantly enhanced musical enjoyment. CD resolution over a near silent network otohâŚâŚ
Perhaps not a perfect fit for the OP (who seems to have been given A LOT of advice to âtake the Novaâ)âŚ
but perhaps for others in a similar situation: I like to think outside the box!
An option would be to put the Nait 5i (or âinsert your âAV BYPASS/Unity gainâ mode capable ampâ hereâŚ) in AV BYPASS mode and buy/use the NCS222 as the streamer of choice (NOW) using the Nait 5i (/âyour ampâ) as a power amp.
I havenât done enough research on the Nait 5i (but did confirm it has the feature), but have read great things from people who acknowledge the massive uptick in sound quality.
In fact,⌠I bought a Nait to use in AV Bypass mode.
The power supply can then double down on âpower ampingâ.
for the OP:
sure you may not have the full budget right now for all the bits you wantâŚ
but starting with the streamer (which is also a great preamp), and incorporating into your present system IS a possibility.
I mention just so that the option is on the minds of any who might benefit fromâŚ
Glos Olly âŚâŚ I use a wired Ethernet input into a network switch, then a quality screened short cable into my streamer. Dont think I can do better than that for a clean streamer input.
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Iâm not sure better quality input cables to a digital streamer make any difference: the network / devices ensure packets received are bit identical to those sent, so you get exactly what tidal or whoever encoded in the first place.
WhateverâŚ. The network switch makes a significant difference âŚâŚ
I be interested to know how thatâs possible.
As I understand it, it works like this:
Tidal send a packet, letâs say the data is 110101
If each hop in the transmission line doesnât receive 110101, established by a checksum, then it requests the packet is resent.
So your streamer is guaranteed to get the identical data to that sent by tidal, regardless of anything in between
Probably best to agree to disagree, unless you plan a 100 post exchange on if CD is better/worse than streaming, the whole âItâs just dataâ/âno itâs notâ debate has been done over and over, and thereâs yet to be a definitive conclusion either way on these sorts of discussions.
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There have been countless posts on this, countless arguments, tempers raised, threads deleted. There are technical reasons why both switches and ethernet cables can make a difference. Much is beyond me but it seems to be around protection from noise and handling of analogue components on digital cables. Youâd do well to do some research, as many many people report differences. Heck, even I have heard them.
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a reductionist logic on the part we assume is âall the audioâ we hear.
My âguessâ has more to do with associated âbuzzâ that makes it through the various bits of equipment.
whatever it actually is is obviously the difference between âengineering theoryâ and âreal world usageâ.
Too many people (some i respect who have great BS detection, and wonât spend a dime more than necessary) note improvements from âsorting outâ their ethernet.
maybe there is something to itâŚ
(once upon a time Iâd have INSISTED that fibre optic HAS to be better than COAX for digital transmission, based on âlogicâ and reasoning. In the âreal worldâ COAX has proven the better method for MAJORITY of the kit I have seen/owned. (and USB is HORRIBLE, except on some budget kit that favours USB as the MAIN input))
not trying to be (too) light hearted, but, the discussion seems to be âreally off topicâ to this thread OP.
arguing ethernet quality as altering streaming sound quality is one of these ânewâ battles that most will never experience (if only for lack of having kit of suitable tier/quality AND the ear training to tell); given some people seriously think digital cables donât matter⌠I feel arguing about ethernet is âa whole nother can of wormsâ.
respecting OP, perhaps should move the topic to a new thread?
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Please, no more threads about whether ethernet cables make a difference. Lets just leave it here, for the benefit of everyoneâs blood pressure.
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HH
I wonât say another word.
Olly
Go Nova then, youâll realise the benefits.
My dealer has just said the one year old used Nova will be ready to collect on Wed. Canât wait 
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Enjoy your Nova over Christmas, looking forward to hearing your impressions!
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Iâll be queuing outside my dealerâs door before opening time !!!
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The DAC-V1 processes USB input quite nicely, thereâs always an exception to the rule I guess.
Sure; every manufacturer has to ultimately implement a method to interface with their products.
All too often USB is chosen by end users simply because the ânumbersâ it accepts are higher.
âŚand (often) so assumption that it is the âbest methodâ to connect using.
Users saying how happy they are with their chosen cable (method) doesnât qualify whether they tried others etc⌠In fact it may offer very little to bring the conversation forward- it will likely be seen as many pundits as an emotional statement- quite possibly the material the cable is made from âlooks niceâ etc; but what has it actually done for the sound quality.
Digital cables are generally seen as âworkingâ or âhas drop outsâ (fail)⌠nothing could be further from the truth.
The amount of people who could net a SERIOUS sound upgrade simply by changing to an âolder âarchaicâ connectionâ method⌠(or SHOCK/HORROR, âa better USB cableâ).
Those against âcables altering the nature of a sound playbackâ- they can believe whatever they want to BELIEVE,⌠but cables can be VERY COST EFFICIENT when tailoring the sound, and are exceptionally useful as âfinal stepsâ to get the last nth of sound from a system (/âblood from a stoneâ?).
Digital cables even more so, once users start to use equipment of a certain quality level.
Doesnât require big outlays- generally $50 will net a substantial upgrade from generic âincludedâ cables.
Where else in a system can such small outlays make huge changes to a huge run of listening criteria⌠(feet perhaps? although $50 doesnât do a lot with regards to âfeetâ)
Daddy coolâŚâŚ. Iâve had my (1 yr old, new to me) Nova for 48hours now.
It not only has made an big improvement to SQ, but has rejuvenated my interest in listening to music and searching for new music on QB.
Internet radio at 320 kbs sounds very listenable.
The Nova is driving Totem Arro speakers, which will be upgraded if I get to my endgame of 222/250.
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