Peachtree Nova

[Chris_Johnsen]

I first used my Nova with my D5's, as my Ushers were pulling main system duty in the living room in place of my Von Schweikert VR4jrs. I loved the sound the pair made together, however, when I swapped out the D5's for the Ushers the improvement was significant, as it should be for a speaker costing 3x as much. Better top end, fuller, more gorgeous midrange, I mean now I could really hear the body of a guitar, or the acoustics of a room much more clearly. There was an additional clarity and image separation as well. More bass extension was also an added benefit of the Ushers. I squeezed even more out of the combo by adding the Bel Canto 24/96 Link and using the S/PDIF input instead of the USB input. There was definitely an audible difference when adding the Bel Canto, subtle but magical. The devil is in the details after all.

 

Personally, my concern about downsizing to the D4's would be the loss of what bass these mini-monitors have. I did not find the bass on the D5's to be mushy at all, but rather taut and fairly well delineated. Of course, your room could, and probably is, different than mine so you have to go with what you think sounds best. I can't argue with pairing the D5's with your main system, they are impressive little speakers. I miss mine.

 

Happy New Year!

 

CJ

 

[Chris_Johnsen]

I haven't had any experience with Maggies but it was always my understanding that they loved as much wattage as you could give them to sound their best. I'd be concerned that the Nova's 80Wpc might come up a little short. Perhaps if you only listen to acoustic folk and chamber music... ;-)

 

By the way, I was just at a friend's house last week for a listening session for his new Guru monitors driven by a Nova and including a VPI Scout 'table. Man, those Guru's sounded FANTASTIC driven by the Nova with uncompressed digital files and vinyl, with the vinyl sounding especially magical. Sweet, open top end, great midrange and some nice heft on the bottom end for a speaker of this size. I also like how they are designed to be placed on a table and against the wall. It sure makes placement easy.

 

I have another listening session set up at another friend's house in a week or so where he'll have his Nova driving a pair of the new Monitor Audio RX8 floor-standers. I'm curious to hear how they sound and I will report back. The RX8's list for $1,750 but you should be able to squeeze a dealer to take at least $225 off.

 

I'm told the Guru's have lost their US Distributor and you can find dealers that are selling these $3K speakers for around half price. A killer deal for an amazing pair of speakers. I like them as much as my Ushers, though I think the Ushers have a bit more on the bottom.

 

CJ

 

[darascal]

Thanks, Chris. Actually, I didn't mean to say I found the D5's bass to be mushy - I attributed that to the Decco. I'm hoping if I upgrade to the Nova (and YES, I already I'm looking for one!), that the bass will be more well-defined. Are you still considering upgrading the Nova with the First Watt?

 

And I've actually heard good things about the D4's bass - obviously it's not what the D5's put out, but I'm hoping for a smaller room it'll suffice.

 

Corey (if you're still following), I'm curious about the PS amp dramatically improving the sound quality - do you think it was just an extra 20 watts, or just that the A-100 is a superior amp in other ways.

 

Thanks,

Rascal

 

[Chris_Johnsen]

Rascal,

 

Our experiences with the Decco and D5's have apparently differed when it comes to the bottom end. I found that, when driven by the Decco's 50Wpc, the bass put out by my D5's was nothing short of surprisingly full, taut and well-delineated for a speaker of its size. Furthermore, when I inserted the Usher Be-718's I was rewarded with even deeper, yet equally taut and well-defined bass. At no point would I call the bass mushy, nor would I blame it on the Decco. Perhaps it was a speaker placement issues and you were experiencing some room boundary effects?

 

If I was trying to drive a full range floor-stander (which I will be hearing next week or so in the Monitor Audio RX8's but with the Nova) perhaps then it would not exhibit the last bit of control in deep bass but in a mini-monitor that extends only down into the mid-50's? I can't see it being the Decco. I haven't heard mushy bass through my D5's, Ushers, Gurus or even my Von Schweikert VR4jrs, which are full range floor-standers.

 

That's simply my experience though, with several different types of speakers in two different rooms (living room and home office). I certainly haven't experienced it with my Nova either.

 

That said, when finances allow, I will be experimenting with external amps to see how that might improve the Nova's sound. I'm still pondering the First Watt, perhaps tubes, or a bang for the buck amp from Odyssey or Wyred4Sound. A modded PS Audio A100 might be interesting too.

 

Cheers,

Chris

 

[Chris_Johnsen]

A quick comment to the forum regarding the new Signature Edition version of the Oppo blu-ray uni player, the BDP 83, and the Nova digital inputs. My friend who recently had his Oppo upgraded to the Signature Edition is running it through the Nova via S/PDIF coax AND analog RCA inputs.

 

Whereas the original version of the player sounded better through the Nova's digital input, the upgraded Signature Edition sounds noticeably better through the Nova's analog inputs. That's how much better the upgrade makes the Oppo uni player. The Signature Edition is still a steal at $899.

 

[musiciseverything]

My experience with the original Decco, which I have had for a year, is that it is an excellent multi-digital input DAC/pre-amp but only a so-so amp. I have driven Dynaudio, Von Schweikert, Gallo A'Diva, NHT mini-monitors and AV123 speakers with it and it was only when I added an external SS amp did I realize its potential. I prefer tube pre-amps/SS amps in my systems so it may be just a personal preference. I have found that the Decco internal amp seemed to roll off at the upper frequencies, losing detail and dynamics, and the mid range seemed "muddy". However, the functionality of the unit and its build quality are superb. I have no doubt that the Nova with an SS outboard amp would be a killer combo.

 

[hifitubes]

Is the Nova doing any oversampling?

 

I know they chose to do 96kHz even though the ESS chip in it can do 192.

 

Still waiting to hear about this. I currently diagnosing some pops & clicks and have to test with my HiFace, Musiland, and 1616M transports some to pinpoint the problem.

 

I'm getting artifacts at both 44kHz and 96kHz (both upsampled in software and native material).

 

 

 

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

The Nova upsamples to 96k. I just finished my review of the piece and think it's very cool.

 

[hifitubes]

So if I throw 96kHz material it at is essentially untouched by the DAC? That was my understanding after talking with David.

 

 

[darascal]

That did it. musiciseverything's last post re Decco + external amp pushed me over the edge - I just ordered a PS Audio Trio A100 off Audiogon! Can't wait to get my hands on it & hear the results. Still trying to get my hands on a decently priced Nova as well.

 

Chris, I'm sure hoping your upcoming review will cover the bases of the Nova, as pre+dac and as just a pre-amp. The Nova/Decco + amp posts in this thread & Chris' comments re the Oppo SE w/ the Nova sure seem to point to validity of using these units in this way. Now I'm pondering ... what Dac would bring the best out of the these Peachie little guys???

 

Gracias,

Rascal

 

[Cnewport]

Rascal,

 

I took out the PS an listened again to be sure I was remembering correctly.

 

After compensating for the wattage difference with the volume control, the sound was simply more detailed with the PS in place. With the Nova driving the speakers directly the bass seemed smeared together, whereas with the PS you could hear the plucks and decay of the guitar. With the Nova and a cello I simply thought "yeah a cello sounds like that" and wasn't engaged. With the PS I hear the instrument vibrate and feel the bow drawn across the strings and have to sit down and listen.

 

For the test I used "In God's Country" from the remastered Joshua Tree and Bach's Cello Suite No. 1 (http://www.amazon.com/Bach-6-Unaccompanied-Cello-Suites/dp/B000F6YW3K).

 

 

 

 

[darascal]

Yes, that "smeared" bass is exactly one of the weaknesses I've noticed - like warmth at the expense of detail.

 

In my case, it will be an extra 50 watts, since I have the Decco. Though I wonder if what you (& others) are hearing is merely from extra wattage, or some other higher-quality factor.

 

Now since I'm adding the PS A100, I'm wondering if I need to bother with going after a Nova. I guess it has a superior DAC, but from what I can gather from Signal Path's sketchy specs, the pre-amp seems to same. Wondering if it's worth it to add an external Dac & turn the Decco into merely a pre?

 

I believe the Oppo BDP-83 SE (which I might pick up for it's own sake)has the same Dac as the Nova, but looking at thier specs, it doesn't look like there's a way to run Mac Mini into the Oppo to use its Dac then analog into the Decco. Anyone know if this is possible?

 

Gracias,

Rascal

 

[Cnewport]

Rascal,

 

I don't see any inputs on the back so I doubt it is possible. There are good images here: http://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-bdp-83SE/blu-ray-BDP-83SE-Image.aspx. Although there's that USB port on the front that says it plays music from 'thumb drives'...

 

Also...saw a post above mentioning a Nova without the amp in 2010. This might be a good upgrade path for you from the Decco.

 

 

 

[darascal]

Thanks, Corey. Yeah, I took a look at those pics & I think you're right.

 

The amp-less Nova could be a good path, though I'd prefer buying second-hand & save some bucks, so I might have to wait a while. I'm afraid the resale of my Decco might be in decline with the iDecco release & popularity of the Nova. So on balance, it seems I might get more for my money (and more flexibility) in upgrading the Decco's Dac. Maybe a Proton? I know nothing about Dac/Pre compatibility, if there is such a thing.

 

Thanks,

Rascal

 

 

[musiciseverything]

Lest anyone think that the watts are the difference. Here's a kicker for you....I hooked up the Decco with pre-amp output to a Sonic Impact 2024 Tripath (6 watts per channel) and the sound immediately improved. No doubt an amp like the PS Audio is even better, but it is not the wattage, it is the SOUND! I have it playing in a small room, however I was able to adjust the volume on each unit to perfect the ratio of output to distortion from the Tripath and use the volume control of the Decco to achieve very loud music! So, buy the amp that suits your taste without regard to wattage unless you plan on listening in a large room at high volumes. As an aside, I really love the PS Audio amps, but I love the Bel Canto ones even more. Overkill? I'm not sure I know the meaning of that when it comes to audio!

 

[agentsmith]

Wow if it bests the A DAC then it would be one of the best value in audio.

 

Does it come with a network streamer? And is there a version without the amplification sections?

 

[darascal]

Interesting. I'm definitely just getting my feet with a lot of this. I was under the impression that the pre-amp was more responsible for the over "sound profile", and the amp basically provided the "power".

 

Not sure what amp suits my taste, since I'm not familiar with the sounds of various amps. Guess I'll be learning more soon! Thanks for you input.

 

AgentSmith, I'm not familiar with the 'A DAC'. No network streamer, the Decco/Nova are integrated amps with built-in Dacs. Digital & analogue inputs & pre-out. Yes, seems like a pretty good value to me, I snagged a Decco for $450 & a PS Audio A100 for $550. You might be able to get a Nova (which boasts a superior Dac) for $800-900 or so.

 

Thanks,

Rascal

 

[nyc4785]

I wonder if the MiniWatt tube amp would be an improvement for $229?? anyone tried?

 

[Michael Blieden]

My computer is across the room from my entertainment center, so I'm using my apple Airport Express to send audio into my Nova. I would love to send my audio through the Express's optical output, but I cannot get this to play without continuous dropouts.

 

There are lots of threads about dropouts on the Apple discussion forums, so for a while I assumed it was a network problem, until I plugged the Airport Express into the Nova via the Express's analogue output. Suddenly the whole system was playing perfectly, with not a single dropout.

 

So then it must have something to do with the optical path going from Express to Nova. I have bought 3 different optical cables, and swapped out my Airport Express for a new one at the Apple Store. Nothing has worked. I still can't get the optical to play continuously while the analogue signal is perfect.

 

Is there is some issue of compatibility between the Nova and the Airport Express optical output. And if so, is there a Nova firmware fix that could remedy this?

 

Best,

 

Michael Blieden

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

HI Michael - My guess is the Express has some kind of buffer when using its internal DAC or iTunes is sending the data to the Express differently when using the internal DAC. Again, these are just guesses. Can you move the Express & Nova closer to the source to see if it works better or possibly connect the express via Ethernet just for testing? There are tons of Novas in the field setup exactly like this without a problem so I don't thinks it's the Nova. Also what version of iTunes are you using?

 

[hifitubes]

N or G version Airport!

 

Has your Nova had the "upgrade" by SignalPath on the 2nd digital input?

 

Hifi

 

[Michael Blieden]

I got the replacement Airport Express yesterday from the Apple store, so I believe it's the N version.

 

I have not heard about the upgrade. Is there a link to explain this?

 

Thanks for the help.

 

Blieden

 

[Michael Blieden]

Hey Chris,

 

Thanks for responding. It's heartening to hear that many others are having success with this.

 

I tried an ethernet/non-wireless setup in the past and I still had dropouts. I just tried it again with the new Airport I got from Apple yesterday and the dropouts are the same.

 

I am using Itunes 9.0.2.

 

[bottlerocket]

If you get drop outs with ethernet and wireless and analog works fine, there must be some connection issue on the toslink cable. The Nova is probably not the problem. Are you using a mini to toslink converter added to your cable?

 

[Michael Blieden]

I was using the mini toslink converter, then I bought a lifatec 2m toslink mini to toslink cable (no adapter). I was certain that this would help, but the problem is the same.