Olympica Nova III or V?


Hi there everyone,

I have an option to buy either the Sonus Faber Olympica Nova III or Nova V. We have a 19.6’ by 22.9’ living area (6mx7m). Ceiling is sloaping, loft-style 1 1/2 volume. I love the Nova but I don’t have the opportunity to demo these in the space unfortunately. I’m also limited in how far forward from the walls I can place them. 
 

Do I go III and risk it sounding thin, or V and risk being overwhelming for room?

 

Which would you recommend if it were your decision? Any advice would be welcome! 

 

any comments or feedback would be great. 

stephenwerner

Showing 1 response by 1bitsoul

Great question, and you’re right to think objectively.

Based on your dimensions, the room is certainly not small or constrained. The added height from the loft effect will increase the sense of air and spaciousness, but also means bass energy can “escape” upward instead of loading up as much as in a sealed low-ceiling room.  So the room itself leans toward being able to support a larger speaker without immediately overwhelming you.

It is 'generally' recommended to have the Nova V's two to three ft from a rear wall. However, I live in an apartment with a lounge area slightly smaller than yours and placed my Nova Vs about 1.5ft from the rear wall, without any compromise or negative impact. It sounds phenomenal.  I auditioned both Nova III & V, and without a doubt the V outperforms the III in every way. There is no 'boomy' bass or bass bloat - at least not in my system (feel free to check out my complete system on my profile).

That being said, one cannot detetermine suitability without evaluating the source and amplification as a complete cohesive system - and understanding how to get the best out of the complete design. With a McIntosh MC611 driving each Nova V, I intentionally wired each speaker to the 2ohm tap, instead of the 4ohm tap (McIntosh Autoformer capability). This allows my MC611s to behave as if it’s driving a more difficult load, so it “over-supplies” current to my Nova V. In my system this translates to a tighter, more controlled bass and a sense of ease on dynamic swings. The higher damping factor also prevents the Nova Vs from sounding loose or bloated. 

The Nova IIIs are designed to fill medium to medium-large rooms with balance. They are tighter, quite forgiving in placement, without risk of overloading a room. If you listen at moderate levels and want easier placement, the Nova III is the safer bet. If you want to enjoy moderate, as well as dynamic scaled audio, the Nova V will not dissapoint in any way.

hope that helps