Wondering if anyone has any experience with this unit.
search the forums as you can find plenty of info on this
Thoughts on Peachtree Audio Nova300
I have a pair of Aerial Acoustics 6Ts for a secondary system. Have been looking for an affordable, reasonably small, reasonably attractive integrated all-in-one type solution to drive them with. Will primarily be used for streaming via a Sonos Connect.
Have been looking at the Peachtree Audio Nova300. It is a class D. It is about 14x14". Fairly nice looking. 300 watts into 8 ohms and 500 into 4. Speakers are 4 ohms. Reviews range from good to great.
Peachtree sells open box units for a very reasonable price. They are located near me.
Wondering if anyone has any experience with this unit. Any serious drawbacks I might need to know about. Thanks for any input.
George
Have been looking at the Peachtree Audio Nova300. It is a class D. It is about 14x14". Fairly nice looking. 300 watts into 8 ohms and 500 into 4. Speakers are 4 ohms. Reviews range from good to great.
Peachtree sells open box units for a very reasonable price. They are located near me.
Wondering if anyone has any experience with this unit. Any serious drawbacks I might need to know about. Thanks for any input.
George
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The Peachtree Nova 150 (used with KEF LS50) that I owned for a while and was sold last week, was pretty good. The 150 is identical to the 300 except for the power difference, the Nova 500 is improved across the board, DAC, preamp and amp section. I learned recently that the amp section of the NOVA 150 was the best part of it and is very quiet. I was using it with a separate Benchmark HPA4 preamp and DAC3B DAC. It was much better than the integrated alone, minus the Benchmark stuff. However, for the price of the Nova 150, it is an excellent all in one unit. I should note that I thought it was a little rolled off on top. Which made for fatigue free listening but not my ideal music reproduction. If you are more of a music guy and not a gear guy you would like the way the NOVA plays music. I was considering buying the new Peachtree amp500 (same amp as in the NOVA 500) for $1500 from Underwood HiFi to use with the 2 Benchmark pieces. The reason I did not was because I wanted to wait and see how the new Class D Purifi amps will turn out. They are coming out now from companies like, NORD, March Audio, NAD, etc... https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/hypex-purifi-amplifier-products-available-in-the-usa.14291/ I actually have no amps right now to play on my external speakers. |
I owned one for a quite a while, it's a very good unit and a great bargain at its price. It is very neutral and has a really good DAC. Someone mentioned it being a little "dry" sounding, which it is to some degree. I've moved on from the Peachtree, first to a Vincent SV-237 and now a Simaudio 600i. The Peachtree doesn't have quite the dynamics or details of either, but is very easy to listen to. It sounds really good and you'll be hard pressed to find anything as good or better at the discounted price, especially if you like the looks and form factor and want an all-in-one unit. |
Thanks guys. I read a review of the 300 comparing it to the 150 and the reviewer felt like the 300 was significantly better than the 150 presumably due to the additional power since nothing else is different. I am most definitely not a gear guy and as long as I get reasonable sound stage and tight precise bass I am usually pretty happy. I know it is possible that the Aerial Acoustics 6Ts could be made to sound dry but I can hardly imagine it. Again this is not my primary system so it is unlikely that I’ll be too fussy over the SQ. And I have not seen too many other integrateds at this price ($1500 open box with 3 year warranty) with this level of power, connection options, pleasing appearance and good reviews. Still open to suggestions and additional thoughts on the 300. |
@twoleftears Price and power. Digital optical in. Seems to have a decent DAC. Size is okay. 3 year warranty on an open box special. Appearance helps since it is going in my wife’s living room which is formal in an old house. The closeness of the manufacturer seems nice but not sure it means much. Again, I’m very much open to other suggestions that tick those boxes for around $1600. |
I thought the nova300 was going to be the perfect match for me - well reviewed, high powered, geared up towards digital listening, decent price… Maybe it’s just really bad luck but I’ve had to return two nova300’s because both were plagued with major quality/sound issues. The first nova had a very loud, unusual, continuous, high-pitched squeal from inside the chassis itself (not the speakers). I contacted customer service and they said that it was likely damaged during shipping. OK, makes sense… About 10 days later I received the replacement. I turned it on and there was no squealing, so that was a good sign. Then I started to run it through it’s paces…another defective unit. This time physical issues with the buttons, volume knob, etc. Now here’s the most surprising part… The sound was so lifeless. Very clear, lots of headroom but so incredibly dull. The bass was flat, treble harsh, zero bottom at low volumes - all the very positively reviewed attributes/selling points were missing. There was absolutely nothing exciting about it. I tried adjusting the speaker placement, tried different sources but nothing helped. Honestly, my AVR with all the processing bypassed sounds way more engaging. I really wanted to love the nova300, but between all the quality control issues and the very anemic sound it is not the right integrated for me. |
I have owned a peachtree nova 220se and my brother had the 220 and pre combo. Both were pretty nice sounding. I feel like all peachtree gear has good power with decent dacs and decent preamps with hit or miss relibility. Both my 220se and my brothers nova pre went back to be replaced under warranty. The volume is hard to adjust off the bottom. It will go from nothing to slightly too loud for late night listening, with the smallest input from the volume control via remote. You might want to look into the NuPrime IDA-16. You can pick one up used for around $1200-$1300. |
For what it's worth, I have owned the Nova300 for well over three years and have not experienced any defects, knock on wood. I agree with previous posters that the volume control is pretty "funky" but not a deal breaker in my opinion. Two features I like and use that aren't commonplace are 1.) Home Theater Bypass, which allows me to integrate my stereo set-up (Nova300 & Gallo Ref 3.1 speakers) with my home theater receiver C&R speakers and 2.) a loop function, which let's me add a little "tube flavor" into the signal path by means of iFi's Micro iTube2. |
Thanks nkphoto. For someone who does not enjoy the 'chase', the task of selecting an affordable integrated for these speakers has not been fun. I'm narrowing down the possibilities though. The Peachtree is still on the list. A bad review or QC experience can trump a whole host of positive reviews and experiences. I guess that's just human nature. I dither between getting rid of the speakers and going off the deep end (and budget) to get something really nice. Hard to stay on point here. But I will say, when I hear these speakers driven by something capable (like the Bryston driving them now) they are intoxicating and make me want to loosen up my wallet.....even though it is relatively empty right now. |