Have progressed through naim streaming kit from muso qb, muso & now unity atom and each upgrade has been very evident. So now thinking about my next upgrade to Unity Nova. Has anyone done a similar upgrade? Interested in your views/comments. I have B&W 707 S3 speakers and B&W ASW610 subwoofer.
I have had a Nova since it was first introduced and have been delighted with the sound quality. A couple of years ago I also bought an Atom for another room and am delighted with that too. However, there is a clear difference in sound quality between the two, as you’d expect.
The best way to decide (if practical, of course) is to sample both side by side at your dealer. Only your ears can decide if the sound upgrade is worth the financial output!
Stephen
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Hi @Andrewshifi yes, I did the same. The Nova gives a bigger and bolder sound with better bass. You should notice quite a difference with your B&Ws.
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I did.
I guess I originally did not vet the Atom enough in my environment; was my first (“lifestyle”) HiFi kit. I guess I especially did not choose the right speakers for it - since other people here are very fond of it in other setups. I had B&W 683 S2 (?), if I remember correctly, and I it feels like the Atom wasn’t fitting those.
For me, the soundstage changed dramatically; from something I would describe as “2D clinging to the wall” to “3D expanding into the room”. Hard to describe.
But I could test the Nova at home before the replacement, and that quickly decided the thing for me. Do that comparison, if you can.
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If at all possible, I would also recommend listening to the Nova at home with your speakers first. I had the Atom for several years and found it worked very well with my speakers, which are, however, somewhat more sensitive than your B&Ws. I found the Nova to be a little more controlled in my setup, especially in the bass. However, I found the extra performance to be too insignificant compared to the considerable additional cost.
My Atom also benefited greatly from a better power cable, as well as being placed on a glass plate (tempered glass, similar to Naim Fraim). I have since switched to a Nait50, which is much more controlled and tonally balanced than the Atom. But a pure amplifier with additional components (streamer, etc.) is a completely different approach that needs to be carefully considered. In terms of sound, however, the Nait50 is significantly better.
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Huge Atom fan here and recently tried it with my SBLs and a sub and really enjoyed that set-up.
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To my ears the Nova is close to the level of the ND5-XS2 & Nait XS3 combo, but in one stylish box and with a different presentation. Add some upgrades to the separates and the gap becomes large quickly.
Perhaps a different preloved avenue to consider is an Atom HE with an older but serviced NAP200/250 (really cheap) or a NAP200/250-DR (still cheap-ish) and the matching Naim cable. That would be a big step forward in my opinion.
Then again nothing wrong with a Nova as a one-box solution. Indeed it does like a Powerline.
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Are you sure you’re going to stop at a Nova, or continue upgrading? If the latter, the next step is less evident with Naim’s current offering and could be costly. I’ve been along the upgrading by small steps path myself and at the end thought I could halve saved quite a bit by jumping straight to my end system. Perhaps a dealer visit or two might be worthwhile.
Roger