Key advice needed for Star/Nova and speaker pairing

Since you're in China where it's probably impossible to get a home demo, in your shoes I would take the approach of either buying speakers you can hear for yourself at the Naim dealer, or getting the Nova and then if you can, take it with you to some other dealers to test with their ranges. You need to at least get a good idea of what kind of sound profile you like before you can really shortlist some models which could be a good match for your tastes. If you liked Harbeth Super HL5 plus, here's a couple more models which may work for you, and I have heard working well with my friend's Nova in my room (4x7m listening area):

Quad S-5 (I'm biased as it's what I have, but I preferred them to ATC 19, PMC 20.23 and OB1i, and Harbeth SHL5 and Goldenear Tritons at the respective dealers)
Usher floorstanders (N-6361, and possibly 6311 would be good for your room size, I preferred the 6xxx series to the mini dancers' diamond tweeters)
Q Acoustics concept 500 is fantastic quality but needs some room behind to allow for its large rear port. 3050i is a cheaper option but excellent quality for the money and may well be better than more expensive speakers depending on your preferences.

If your room has a lot of hard surfaces and not much soft furnishings, you may find some 'revealing' high end speakers sound a bit to strong in the upper mids/higher frequencies which can lead to a perceived harsh sound. In this case, some absorbing/diffusing furnishings or treatments can help, otherwise choosing a slightly warmer sounding speaker with less emphasis on 'detail' or higher freqs can help (Harbeth tends to fit the bill quite well in this case as they rarely sound harsh or overly-forward).

One last option would be to check the second hand market as buying used/ex demo could allow you to move on the speakers if they don't work in your room without too much money loss. Good luck!

When I upgraded from a UnitiCute2/NAP100 I ultimately decided on the Nova and a Core over a Atom or Star, best sound quality, rip quality and usability. I’d go Nova over the Star for sound quality if you can afford it. I pair with Totem Forest Signatures, which I heard at the dealers, but not at home. I already had Totem Hawks, so I was happy with the sound signature of Totems. But as others say, speakers are very personal and room dependant. At this level of investment you have to listen to them. Maybe if you find a match that works for you, try and avoid an endless vortex of “but what if I try xx or yay” and enjoy a match that works for you. Good luck.

hifi-dog posted:

I’m just about to use Atc scm11 with my nova,after having pic twenty 23 which just didn’t seem to work for me. I’ve had atc before and regret moving them on so hopefully the nova has enough oomph for the 11’s.  Dealers reckon it will be fine unless you want Motörhead’s level....

Another satisfied Nova & ATC 11 owner here. I have a small music room and I had home demos of ATC 11s & 19s, Kudos Super 10s, Neat Iotas, PMC 20/21 & 20/22 and I also listened to several other makes at dealers. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to listen to Dynaudio Special 40, Proac or Harbeth at home but I’m very pleased with the ATCs. They have a good clean sound with superb higher frequencies - jazz and classical piano sound so lifelike compared to some of the other speakers I tried and ATCs pricing is very reasonable compared to some other makes. The bass is fine for my small room  although if I had a bigger room I would probably have gone for ATC 19s or 40

Bob

iliria posted:

Richard is the sound difference between the Star and Nova big enough to justify getting the Nova even though this would mean loosing the CD playing and ripping abilities (as well as paying the higher price)?

If you aren't comfortable ripping CDs on a computer, sorting and editing metadata etc.. then I guess the Star makes a lot of sense.  And of course, if you still want to spin CDs (if you're streaming or ripping to files, then why?) then with the Nova you would need to add a CD transport.  Only you can answer how important these things are to you.

All I can say is that if you can afford either, then purely on performance, the Nova it has to be. Of course, if the Nova is too much of a financial stretch, and you think that the ripping and CD playback functions of the Star are important things you want, then the Star is the obvious choice - you certainly won't be disappointed by it.  Far from it - you'll be delighted!

Richard Dane posted:

 

If you aren't comfortable ripping CDs on a computer, sorting and editing metadata etc..

I can rip a cd on a computer but sorting out and editing metadata is not something I am familiar with unfortunately. Unless it's something i am already dooing without knowing the technical term for it?

Well, whatever you use, computer, Star, what have you, there will always be a need at some point to sometimes edit metadata.  You may well be doing anyway, without realising...

Re-Kid posted:

blythe posted:

Edit to my post above; it may have been PMC and not ATC speakers that didn't appeal to me. Sorry I can't remember the detail as I dismissed them as an option fairly quickly.

Thanks a lot for the info. What's the model of NEAT? I checked on line only SX1 could be right.

I was referring to the Neat Iota Xplorer, which I personally found to be quite stunning.
They have an exciting sound, controlled but deep bass (due no doubt to the excellent Isobaric bass driver configuration - google it to see what it is if you don't know), sweet treble without harshness, vocal quality was awesome, really detailed with a mid-range which was both smooth and very dynamic.
I found myself being most excited I've been for a long time listening to a (then) new product!
This was in quite a large room, a converted church, probably about 10 metres x 15 metres with a tall, pitched ceiling.
The Nova was perfectly capable of driving them to realistic volume levels. They sound fantastic. 

I now kind of regret buying the much cheaper Kudos X3.

My main home audio system is an active Naim classic system, consisting of many boxes of electronics.
However, if I could only have one, small integrated streamer/amplifier system, I would not hesitate to buy a Nova and a pair of Neat Iota Xplorer speakers.

Regarding meta data;

Each time you rip a CD, the artist name, album and track names are usually automatically filled in for you. This saves you typing in all of the details.
However, sometimes, for example with many Classical albums, the "artist" may be listed as the conductor, but you might prefer the "artist" to be listed as the "composer" of the music.
I prefer being able to find music by "Beethoven" by searching for "Beethoven".
If I don't change the meta data which tells the search function what to look for, searching for "Beethoven" doesn't find what I'm looking for. Instead I have to search for "Carlos Kleiber", the conductor of the orchestra who are playing the Beethoven piece.

Many pop or Rock albums also might display the information for a different edition (Bonus tracks, re-mix, re-mastered etc.) of album compared to the one you actually have. Again, you'll probably want to edit the meta data to your taste, or even just to correct a spelling mistake!

This is all possible using a computer program such as DBPoweramp.
Or, using the built in interface of a UnitiStar or other Naim (or other) ripping machine.

Blythe that makes perfect sense, thank you. Like Richard said, it's something I've already been doing without knowing the term for it.

DC71 posted:

Since you're in China where it's probably impossible to get a home demo, in your shoes I would take the approach of either buying speakers you can hear for yourself at the Naim dealer, or getting the Nova and then if you can, take it with you to some other dealers to test with their ranges. You need to at least get a good idea of what kind of sound profile you like before you can really shortlist some models which could be a good match for your tastes. If you liked Harbeth Super HL5 plus, here's a couple more models which may work for you, and I have heard working well with my friend's Nova in my room (4x7m listening area):

Quad S-5 (I'm biased as it's what I have, but I preferred them to ATC 19, PMC 20.23 and OB1i, and Harbeth SHL5 and Goldenear Tritons at the respective dealers)
Usher floorstanders (N-6361, and possibly 6311 would be good for your room size, I preferred the 6xxx series to the mini dancers' diamond tweeters)
Q Acoustics concept 500 is fantastic quality but needs some room behind to allow for its large rear port. 3050i is a cheaper option but excellent quality for the money and may well be better than more expensive speakers depending on your preferences.

If your room has a lot of hard surfaces and not much soft furnishings, you may find some 'revealing' high end speakers sound a bit to strong in the upper mids/higher frequencies which can lead to a perceived harsh sound. In this case, some absorbing/diffusing furnishings or treatments can help, otherwise choosing a slightly warmer sounding speaker with less emphasis on 'detail' or higher freqs can help (Harbeth tends to fit the bill quite well in this case as they rarely sound harsh or overly-forward).

One last option would be to check the second hand market as buying used/ex demo could allow you to move on the speakers if they don't work in your room without too much money loss. Good luck!

Dear DC71, this is reaaaaally soooo helpful to me, exact advice what I'm looking for. But it's impossible for me to add more to my current furnishing since it's just newly done. So which means in my case (barely none absorbing walling), Harbeth shall be fine?  Actually as a beginner at this stage, what I'm hoping for is that once I bought equipment home, they can just work okay and won't make any harsh issue. Then it will be fine with me. Since I'm afraid there is no Wrongly Bought/Exchange/Refund options here in my place. I have to be cautious.  

Again, thanks a lot for your insights sharing.

 Re-Kid posted:

Steve w posted:

For me..Nova / Core /Proac db3...job done!

Mmm..Could you describe more about the features of ProAc's sound?

This is all very personal of course...but in our small to medium size listening space I would describe the sound as open ,airy and very well controlled..excellent bass sound for the size of speaker..changing from Vienna Acoustics floorstanders (Schoenberg) I was a little concerned about going back to stand mounts , could not be more pleased with how things turned out!

of course the above has to take into account the change to Nova from Uniti,together with more “tweaking “ in the form of Powerline and music works distribution block

just to add we are using loaded Atacama stands and Tellurium Q black 2 speaker cables.

we did audition the Dynaudio special 40’s which many rate highly...they just did not work for us , but as I said earlier it’s such a personal thing ..only you will know if it’s right for you...

good luck..

steve w.

blythe posted:

Re-Kid posted:

blythe posted:

Edit to my post above; it may have been PMC and not ATC speakers that didn't appeal to me. Sorry I can't remember the detail as I dismissed them as an option fairly quickly.

Thanks a lot for the info. What's the model of NEAT? I checked on line only SX1 could be right.

I was referring to the Neat Iota Xplorer, which I personally found to be quite stunning.
They have an exciting sound, controlled but deep bass (due no doubt to the excellent Isobaric bass driver configuration - google it to see what it is if you don't know), sweet treble without harshness, vocal quality was awesome, really detailed with a mid-range which was both smooth and very dynamic.
I found myself being most excited I've been for a long time listening to a (then) new product!
This was in quite a large room, a converted church, probably about 10 metres x 15 metres with a tall, pitched ceiling.
The Nova was perfectly capable of driving them to realistic volume levels. They sound fantastic. 

I now kind of regret buying the much cheaper Kudos X3.

My main home audio system is an active Naim classic system, consisting of many boxes of electronics.
However, if I could only have one, small integrated streamer/amplifier system, I would not hesitate to buy a Nova and a pair of Neat Iota Xplorer speakers.

Dear Blythe, I get what you mean. Nova for sure. And I hope I can find a dealer with lucrative Neat since it's not so popular around here. May I bother you more for testing killer tracks? 

Steve w posted:

 Re-Kid posted:

Steve w posted:

For me..Nova / Core /Proac db3...job done!

Mmm..Could you describe more about the features of ProAc's sound?

This is all very personal of course...but in our small to medium size listening space I would describe the sound as open ,airy and very well controlled..excellent bass sound for the size of speaker..changing from Vienna Acoustics floorstanders (Schoenberg) I was a little concerned about going back to stand mounts , could not be more pleased with how things turned out!

of course the above has to take into account the change to Nova from Uniti,together with more “tweaking “ in the form of Powerline and music works distribution block

just to add we are using loaded Atacama stands and Tellurium Q black 2 speaker cables.

we did audition the Dynaudio special 40’s which many rate highly...they just did not work for us , but as I said earlier it’s such a personal thing ..only you will know if it’s right for you...

good luck..

steve w.

Oh thank you Steve for the stands and cables. That just adds another block on my puzzle now. I shall be able to try ProAc with Naim dealer here. 

Mike Sullivan posted:

When I upgraded from a UnitiCute2/NAP100 I ultimately decided on the Nova and a Core over a Atom or Star, best sound quality, rip quality and usability. I’d go Nova over the Star for sound quality if you can afford it. I pair with Totem Forest Signatures, which I heard at the dealers, but not at home. I already had Totem Hawks, so I was happy with the sound signature of Totems. But as others say, speakers are very personal and room dependant. At this level of investment you have to listen to them. Maybe if you find a match that works for you, try and avoid an endless vortex of “but what if I try xx or yay” and enjoy a match that works for you. Good luck.

Thanks Mike. I think I'll go with Nova for start. If it's superb, then Core next.

Shropshire Hills posted:

hifi-dog posted:

I’m just about to use Atc scm11 with my nova,after having pic twenty 23 which just didn’t seem to work for me. I’ve had atc before and regret moving them on so hopefully the nova has enough oomph for the 11’s.  Dealers reckon it will be fine unless you want Motörhead’s level....

Another satisfied Nova & ATC 11 owner here. I have a small music room and I had home demos of ATC 11s & 19s, Kudos Super 10s, Neat Iotas, PMC 20/21 & 20/22 and I also listened to several other makes at dealers. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to listen to Dynaudio Special 40, Proac or Harbeth at home but I’m very pleased with the ATCs. They have a good clean sound with superb higher frequencies - jazz and classical piano sound so lifelike compared to some of the other speakers I tried and ATCs pricing is very reasonable compared to some other makes. The bass is fine for my small room  although if I had a bigger room I would probably have gone for ATC 19s or 40

Bob

Thanks Bob, after a long discussion today with one dealer, I found it more risky with ATC pushing though I totally can't figure out why. Probably I'll try on site at the dealer and I can tell. 

Richard Dane posted:

Well, whatever you use, computer, Star, what have you, there will always be a need at some point to sometimes edit metadata.  You may well be doing anyway, without realising...

Dear BOSS, may I bother you more? Could you provide a list of MUST-HAVE test tracks to verify all the ranges? Many thanks...

Re-Kid posted:

Richard Dane posted:

Well, whatever you use, computer, Star, what have you, there will always be a need at some point to sometimes edit metadata.  You may well be doing anyway, without realising...

Dear BOSS, may I bother you more? Could you provide a list of MUST-HAVE test tracks to verify all the ranges? Many thanks...

The tracks I like to use may have no meaning for you. Best to choose some music you really love - after all, that's what you want the system for.

I started looking at Star because I had 600 CDs and liked its ripping facility.

Soon  realised the Nova was better value and bought an Innuos to rip my CDs.

After lengthy auditions I matched the Nova with Dynaudio Special 40s. Brilliant sound. 

John L F posted:

I started looking at Star because I had 600 CDs and liked its ripping facility.

Soon  realised the Nova was better value and bought an Innuos to rip my CDs.

After lengthy auditions I matched the Nova with Dynaudio Special 40s. Brilliant sound. 

 

Thanks John, what kind of music do you prefer? I heard Dyn 40 is good for classics and etc. Would you tell me more about other speakers you've auditioned and how about them?  

Just added ATC SCM11s to my nova and while the vol has to go up by around 8-10 it copes really well. Vol 40 on the nova is plenty loud enough...

Sonus Faber Sonetto V with my Nova for two weeks now an sounding just great.

RE-KID the speakers I auditioned were PMC, Neat, Kef, B&W.

It was only after auditioning the Special 40s for a second time that I realised how good they were.

My musical tastes are very broad but I spend a lot of time listening to jazz.

hifi-dog posted:

Just added ATC SCM11s to my nova and while the vol has to go up by around 8-10 it copes really well. Vol 40 on the nova is plenty loud enough...

Well, ATC is absolutely stunning which I admire. But I read a lot about the brand from forums indicating that amps below 120W won't push it well and Vol has to be really high to make it work fine. Some opinions say you have to invest twice $ as the speaker itself then you can get the best out of it. So I hesitated. Like your 11, its recommended amp range is 75~300W, I doubt whether Nova is suitable for it.   

John L F posted:

RE-KID the speakers I auditioned were PMC, Neat, Kef, B&W.

It was only after auditioning the Special 40s for a second time that I realised how good they were.

My musical tastes are very broad but I spend a lot of time listening to jazz.

Thank you John. That's interesting. I'll give a try with Special 40. 

Re-Kid posted:

hifi-dog posted:

Just added ATC SCM11s to my nova and while the vol has to go up by around 8-10 it copes really well. Vol 40 on the nova is plenty loud enough...

Well, ATC is absolutely stunning which I admire. But I read a lot about the brand from forums indicating that amps below 120W won't push it well and Vol has to be really high to make it work fine. Some opinions say you have to invest twice $ as the speaker itself then you can get the best out of it. So I hesitated. Like your 11, its recommended amp range is 75~300W, I doubt whether Nova is suitable for it.   

I beg to differ. My move controls the scm11 very well. My room is only 4m x 3.5m though. I had atc amp and the nova sounds on a par