Atom to Nova or Star?

Posted by: Mercky on 30 May 2018

So, thinking of giving in to the upgradeitis disease and moving up from the Atom, the Nova would be a natural choice but then I got thinking about the Star, funny it seems to be the poor relation somehow and going by this forum probably the least popular of all three unities, even online there’s not many reviews compared to the other two. It’s got a lot going for it though - a CD player and ripper, more clout then the Atom with 70w, possibly sweeter sounding too and then there’s the cost which is significantly less then the Nova, with the price difference I could buy an RP2 deck and phono stage to listen to my old vinyl. With the Atom I listen almost exclusively to Tidal and iradio but the ability to rip cd’s and not be totally reliant on a music subscription and internet is attractive. I haven’t auditioned a Nova or Star as yet but I have a niggling worry I may feel short changed with the Star and regret not going the extra mile for the Nova and then spending a bit more later on to address the cd’s and ripping if I still want to. Then again I could just stick with the Atom which is sounding rather nice these days. Anyone out there with a Star that might offer some thoughts?

Posted on: 18 July 2018 by hifi-dog

I demoed al three this weekend with gb1’s and I could have lived with the atom, ok it was a bit slow in the bass but as a background music system with more appropriate speakers it is fine. The star is much more open, fresher & dynamic and had I not needed the cd element I could have bought it and loved it. But there the move in the background and having heard it then it’s a big step up. A darker sound than the star but more texture, drive and all the hifi stuff along with being able to hold a tune.. so I bought it..

Posted on: 18 July 2018 by Mike Sullivan

hifi-dog posted:
I demoed al three this weekend with gb1’s and I could have lived with the atom, ok it was a bit slow in the bass but as a background music system with more appropriate speakers it is fine. The star is much more open, fresher & dynamic and had I not needed the cd element I could have bought it and loved it. But there the move in the background and having heard it then it’s a big step up. A darker sound than the star but more texture, drive and all the hifi stuff along with being able to hold a tune.. so I bought it..

I got that you did a "move in the background", but did you grab the Nova?

Posted on: 18 July 2018 by Richi

Hi all, this is my first post here. I recently acquired an Atom. ‘Downgrading’ From an Esoteric DAC and Hypex amplifiers, I totally love it. Yes, Nova might sound better, but Atom rocks!

Posted on: 18 July 2018 by hifi-dog

Mike Sullivan posted:
hifi-dog posted:
I demoed al three this weekend with gb1’s and I could have lived with the atom, ok it was a bit slow in the bass but as a background music system with more appropriate speakers it is fine. The star is much more open, fresher & dynamic and had I not needed the cd element I could have bought it and loved it. But there the move in the background and having heard it then it’s a big step up. A darker sound than the star but more texture, drive and all the hifi stuff along with being able to hold a tune.. so I bought it..
I got that you did a "move in the background", but did you grab the Nova?

Apple auto correct! Yep bought the nova!

Posted on: 18 July 2018 by Mercky

hifi-dog posted:
Mike Sullivan posted:
hifi-dog posted:
I demoed al three this weekend with gb1’s and I could have lived with the atom, ok it was a bit slow in the bass but as a background music system with more appropriate speakers it is fine. The star is much more open, fresher & dynamic and had I not needed the cd element I could have bought it and loved it. But there the move in the background and having heard it then it’s a big step up. A darker sound than the star but more texture, drive and all the hifi stuff along with being able to hold a tune.. so I bought it..
I got that you did a "move in the background", but did you grab the Nova?
Apple auto correct! Yep bought the nova!

I see you have a Zen, how do you find that with the Nova?

Posted on: 18 July 2018 by hifi-dog

Hiya- I have a zen mini for some time running Roon. It’s now only the Roon core with the nova as an endpoint. I’ve only had the nova a week so early days but it seems to work superbly . The zen mini in my opinion is a bargain one stop ripper and streamer..

Posted on: 19 July 2018 by Richi

Sorry to highjack this topic, but adding a better power amp to the Atom, could that potentially bring it to the level of the Nova? In other words: are the streaming, dac and pre-amp sections in the Atom, Star and Nova similar? I would be interested to understand the real differences between the three devices. Thanks!

edit: typos

Posted on: 19 July 2018 by Mike Sullivan

Setting up my new Nova now. Getting excited!

Posted on: 19 July 2018 by David Hendon

Richi posted:
Sorry to highjack this topic, but adding a better power amp to the Atom, could that potentially bring it to the level of the Nova? In other words: are the streaming, dac and pre-amp sections in the Atom, Star and Nova similar? I would be interested to understand the real differences between the three devices. Thanks!

edit: typos

This same question has been discussed at least once before in the Forum and I remember that Naim confirmed at the time that there are many changes/improvements in all parts of the Nova compared to the Atom, so the simple answer is no, you don't get a Nova's performance by adding an external power amplifier to an Atom.

best

David

Posted on: 20 July 2018 by Leon Wadsworth

Mercky posted:
very happy and bar the slightly dodgy display panel fit

Can I ask whats up with the panel?

Enjoy your new Nova; I've loved mine for the last year, it really is a great piece of kit.

Posted on: 20 July 2018 by Mercky

Leon Wadsworth posted:
Mercky posted:
very happy and bar the slightly dodgy display panel fit
Can I ask whats up with the panel?
Enjoy your new Nova; I've loved mine for the last year, it really is a great piece of kit.

It’s all here

https://forums.naimaudio.com/t...va-display-panel-gap

Posted on: 20 July 2018 by Leon Wadsworth

Mercky posted:
Leon Wadsworth posted:
Mercky posted:
very happy and bar the slightly dodgy display panel fit
Can I ask whats up with the panel?
Enjoy your new Nova; I've loved mine for the last year, it really is a great piece of kit.

It’s all here
https://forums.naimaudio.com/t...va-display-panel-gap

Thanks, I got that gap too. haha

Not quite as pronounced but its not a closed joint either...

Posted on: 20 July 2018 by Mercky

Leon Wadsworth posted:
Mercky posted:
Leon Wadsworth posted:
Mercky posted:
very happy and bar the slightly dodgy display panel fit
Can I ask whats up with the panel?
Enjoy your new Nova; I've loved mine for the last year, it really is a great piece of kit.

It’s all here
https://forums.naimaudio.com/t...va-display-panel-gap
Thanks, I got that gap too. haha
Not quite as pronounced but its not a closed joint either...

I’ve put it down as been a quaint feature! At least I’m not alone! And yes, the Nova is fab.