Moving away from their signature sound

Begs the question, did you audition it?

yes I did. But that being said. In the store so with a different setting and a different acoustic . (and I gues with the old firmware)

What are you comparing it to, Fred ?. What sources etc ?

Urn - having a traditional Naim set up in the lounge and a Muso Qb in the kitchen I wouldn’t draw that conclusion.   Speaker/room?

Regards,

Lindsay

Interesting question and no idea how to answer.

Their basic design principles of large oversized transformers, current reserves, discrete components etc is largely intact. But Naim have done a few things over the years that greatly diverged sound-wise from what has gone before.

1. Ovater speakers. Highly controversial. Didn't sound remotely similar to anything pre BMR.

2. DR power amps. Less controversial but they sound so different to all previous amps.

3. Cease production of speakers entirely. One could argue that with no current range canvone do end-to-end Naim, the voncept of a Naim sound is gone.

I feel that the sound is still there but not surprised a Nova grooves differently from separates. I guess a fairer question is whether a Nova sound less Naimy than a Super Uniti.

james n posted:

What are you comparing it to, Fred ?. What sources etc ?

James,

Came from a Nait XS-ND5XS and a Flatcap XS. Speakers are Harbeth 30.1. 

That's a nice system,Fred. I would still think the Nova should be a lift up on this setup though.

I'd give it a bit more time to run in and then see if you still feel the same.

James

Wait for Munich and the question will be answered.

Zen,

Can not compare it to the Super uniti , Cause I never had one. But to make a comparishment(English proves a bit difficult to me)  The XS gear takes you into the music, wants you to join in . The Nova lets you sit in a comfy chair in front of the music.Which is fine to some degree. But.....a bit boring in the end.

Huge posted:

Wait for Munich and the question will be answered.

Thats the other end of the world to me. 

But Naim are revealing some new products at the Munich show...  There'll be plenty written about them and they'll indicate any new trends in Naim's direction.

fred47 posted:

Zen,

Can not compare it to the Super uniti , Cause I never had one. But to make a comparishment(English proves a bit difficult to me)  The XS gear takes you into the music, wants you to join in . The Nova lets you sit in a comfy chair in front of the music.Which is fine to some degree. But.....a bit boring in the end.

Maybe it’s just the way of the Unitis. My SuperUniti was a little like that - I really liked it but once I went to a 272/250 I realised that the SU was a little uninvolving. Maybe it’s simply that the XS boxes are better. This is why a home demo in a relaxed environment over an extended period is so helpful. Something that sounds very impressive in the shop can ultimately be uninvolving at home - all fur coat and no knickers. 

james n posted:

That's a nice system,Fred. I would still think the Nova should be a lift up on this setup though.

I'd give it a bit more time to run in and then see if you still feel the same.

James

Interesting again. I've yet to hear the new Uniti range but if asked to make an (uneducated) bet, I'd have put money on the OP's previous separates sounding better. Dedicated power supplies for each component, an external power supply for the XS pre-stage, plus full component separation counts for a lot.

And if the Nova was better, it would both have to blow the separates out of the water combined with a strong need to go single box to convince me to make that move.

I worked my way up over 20 years to a full fat olive system (CDS2/XPS/52/SC/135s) then went to Uniti, then Superuniti and now Nova. Never been happier with my music system - Nova is a big step from SU for me.

I don't have a fur coat, but I do have knickers - so maybe that's why I originally bought the XS series rather than a SU.  

Yes I also thought the XS series were more musically insightful than the SU, but I've not heard a current Uniti - wait for the Munich show.

Pev posted:

I worked my way up over 20 years to a full fat olive system (CDS2/XPS/52/SC/135s) then went to Uniti, then Superuniti and now Nova. Never been happier with my music system - Nova is a big step from SU for me.

I Agree...My Nova ( and I guess al Novas) Is  far better sounding then the XS gear I had in the previous years. More detail, more soundstage and I could go on in this way. But stil a bit laidback and uninspiring overall sound.

fred47 posted:

Pev posted:

I worked my way up over 20 years to a full fat olive system (CDS2/XPS/52/SC/135s) then went to Uniti, then Superuniti and now Nova. Never been happier with my music system - Nova is a big step from SU for me.

I Agree...My Nova ( and I guess al Novas) Is  far better sounding then the XS gear I had in the previous years. More detail, more soundstage and I could go on in this way. But stil a bit laidback and uninspiring overall sound.

You just described a Naim vs Linn comparison.

You might just be hearing the difference between separates and an all-in-one box. However carefully you optimise it (and I think Naim have it pretty well optimised in the new Unitis) there is an awful lot of electronics squeezed into that box. 

feeling_zen posted:

fred47 posted:

Pev posted:

I worked my way up over 20 years to a full fat olive system (CDS2/XPS/52/SC/135s) then went to Uniti, then Superuniti and now Nova. Never been happier with my music system - Nova is a big step from SU for me.

I Agree...My Nova ( and I guess al Novas) Is  far better sounding then the XS gear I had in the previous years. More detail, more soundstage and I could go on in this way. But stil a bit laidback and uninspiring overall sound.

You just described a Naim vs Linn comparison.

I know. But I"m told not to mention that scottish play ,( sorry Scottish brand)

An interesting post Fred, thanks.

Assuming you are right, the real question is does it matter? I mean it matters to you obviously in terms of whether or not you can be happy with your Nova long term. But what about to the wider population of prospective buyers of audio kit?, those for whom Naim is one of many competing brands, those who don't know what a record player is, never mind an Aro, a SNAPS, or a Precision Acoustic Resistance.

Momentarily putting myself in the shoes of Naim's senior managers, engineers and designers, I think evolving the sound signature for new markets is the right thing for the company's long term survivability. Otherwise it's all too niche, and will remain so.

I hope the Nova turns out right for you.

Chris

I would give it a good 6 weeks or so to really come into its own, mine did. When you see what they have crammed in the box and then the sound, it’s a bit of a marvel to me.

fred47 posted:

I know. But I"m told not to mention that scottish play ,( sorry Scottish brand)

I didn't think we had quite that much politics on here (and I don't recall many suicides or murders either)!

Attracting an other crowd is a good thing for Naim and with  the Uniti series they are heading ( I think) in the right direction.) But still It took me years to find my personal sound in Naim , and  hate to let and see  it go when Naim is steering away from theit signature sound.And let me be clear about the Nova .it sounds GREAT. In every direction. But still theres in the back of my mind a little voice saying" should I buy another brand ( although I see no alternative). Should I keep the Nova and don"t bother about it. Should I wait for a firmware upgrade. Should I buy ( afer a good audition)  the new classic series...??????.

Pev posted:

I worked my way up over 20 years to a full fat olive system (CDS2/XPS/52/SC/135s) then went to Uniti, then Superuniti and now Nova. Never been happier with my music system - Nova is a big step from SU for me

fred47 posted:

Should I buy ( afer a good audition)  the new classic series...??????.

.....or perhaps you mean the old classic series?!