Peachtree Audio - Page 42

No doubt that should be fun.

Bought a Nova today, after reading a few online reviews and following this thread for some time. I’m using it with lossless files from my PC, and I’m happy with the sound I’m hearing. ATM I’ m using a pair of old B&W 302 speakers, so the quality is limited by those, but soon I’ll upgrade to something better. Maybe Proacs, or similar, but for now I'm still a bit worried if the amp is enough, and haven't decided yet. Unrelated to that, I have two questions, would appreciate if someone could help.

1) I’m almost a newbie to true hi-fi, so I’m wondering what’s this “laid back sound” that many mention?
Is it a warm sound? Bright? Other?

2) I’m worried about my Nova's power consumption. I know standby only takes 1W, but to me the doubt is regarding consumption when playing music, and also when in silence but with the power ON. Did Peachtree Audio release these numbers? And if not, I presume someone tested this already?

Thanks in advance, and thanks for this useful thread. It helped my decision.

I recently purchased an iDecco. Great stuff. It replaced an older shelf stereo Panasonic system, the speakers are Paradigm Studio 20 v.3 that I borrowed from my surround system for now. My primary purchase reason is the digital iPod connector. I had doubts about iPhone compatability, because officially it's not supported, but there were no problems whatsoever. The nagging message that appears when the iPhone is inserted in the dock disappears by itself after 20 or so seconds (or you can dismiss it by touching) and does not delay or affect playback. No interference at all, regardless of the warning in the message. Quality is even better than expected, finally ripping most of my stuff in lossless format on the iPhone paid off. Streaming radio also sounds better. On the other hand, with the greater detail now, the Slacker Radio dynamic compression is even more evident, there are much better intenet streams available. I can't test Pandora since it's not available in Canada yet. Overall, the iDecco serves its primary purpose with better than expected results.
I was also pleasantly surprised by the fact that I can play my DVD-Audio discs on the Panasonic system (interestingly it's one of the few 2-channel shelf stereo systems that plays DVD-Audio). The 24/96 MLP tracks through optical sound amazing.
I am curious about the jitter setting button. Turns out the Panasonic is not very jittery, because it has no problems with the button pressed (supposedly in "narrow" source mode). I wonder what is the threshold for the jitter, beyond which the spdif signal cannot be locked and the "wide" setting is needed? I read that the Airport Express is the only device mentioned here that is out of range. Is there a jitter number for the cutoff?

Well, to me..."laid-back" doesn't really mean warm necessarily; definitely not bright. It has to do with presentation of the music, or soundstage; "laid-back" sounding a bit recessed...as opposed to a forward, "in-your-face" presentation.

CD

Hi guys, Have not posted here in a while, but can anyone tell me if the sabre dacs better in the peachtree nova or the new oppo bdp-95 player. The only problem I might have is the 80 wpc on the nova. The amp I'm using now is an outlaw 7500 with the onkyo 885. My speakers I have are the svs mts-01 ver. 2 crossover and they are 91 db and 6 ohm. Thanks for any help in advance. P.S. Does anyone have any problems using the nova in HT bypass?

Can't remember... We specified wide enough to get the AE to work. These days w the new Apple TV that has standard optical instead of optical mini, the need for the jitter switch has diminished. So, you should be able to switch it to narrow and be just fine. W/ AE, I would still go wide.
Hope this helps,
David

Good explanation.

I describe it as more musical than analytical.
We want the performance to lure you in and never be offensive (unless the recording is just that bad which can't be helped). This is not mushy or not controlled, but just a tilt if you set it up the way we like it.

Often, digital systems that may measure off the charts, can sound dry and uninvolving. While our systems spec out fine and well beyond our hearing capabilities, we give you sonic choices like the tube on or off or the different filtering options.
As an example, the optional tube takes the dac from 122dB S/N to 118dB...still very good and better than most, but that's a 4dB dumb down... because we liked the romance the tube added. We think you will too, but it's your choice to engage the tube or not.
With these tools, you choose how you want it to sound...the best measurements or a bit laid back or full tilt.
Hope this helps,
David

I'll address the HT bypass question. It's seamless. Virtually invisible.

I guess I can add something about the Nova/Oppo question. One advantage to the Nova is that all digital sources can run through it. Like your ipod, or music server, etc. The specs for the dac used in each is available online. That said, specs aren't everything. Peachtree does a nice job of integrating the dac/preamp/amp. And in my opinion, the Nova is gorgeous.

Anyone have opinions on USB v. optical input? I was switching back and forth last night (with USB fed directly from my MacBook and the optical coming from the AirPort Express; both getting iTunes lossless media), and could definitely notice a difference but I couldn't characterize it. Might just have been a difference in volume, although I tried to even that out. Just curious as to which input folks think has given them a better sound.

Bet you would hear a difference if you went from your latop to a asynch USB to SPDIF unit like the Musical Fidelity V-Link before going out to your DAC...I am banking on it myself....

Yes, the V-link is a nice piece and async is necessary with their chip set if a computer or streamer will be a main source. This holds true for most DAC's because jitter is through the roof on these kinds of products.
Most DAC's weren't designed from the ground up to handle hostile digital environments like computers and streamers. The Peachtree was. This is why we chose the Sabre DAC to begin with. It does a great job of reclocking at the digital signal and requires no external drivers. So, simple and effective was a design goal.
The timing goal is to lower jitter and the only thing we've found does as good a job as the Sabre DAC's is async. We get you there differently than asynchronous, but just as effective.
People tend to focus on one thing, and async has been that one thing lately. There are some great DAC's out there that use then and I believe in async. At the end of the day, it's just not as big of a deal with the Sabre DACs we use.
Best wishes,
David

Thanks for your help Terrya. I just ordered the peachtree nova, so now its time for me to wait patiently.

Nice job. Congratulations. I actually have an Oppo as well, but not the bdp-95. I have the BDP-83. It's my second Oppo. I let the Nova decode everything but the Blue Ray codecs, DVDA, and SACD.

David...any such animal as a Peachtree Audio "Dac'it"?

CD

Hmmmmm....(in broken Russian English)
"where do you get this secrete information?"
lol...
Stay tuned...

Uh oh; not only is the DAC'it not there anymore, but the iNova went bye-bye too. Yeah MM...maybe you did stir it up. I know one thing; I'm glad I don't live near Atlanta...lol.

Now David...you know out of sight isn't going to mean out of mind, right?

CD

Hey, just a posting mistake by AA who I adore as a dealer.
Can't say much about said DacIt at this point... but thanks soooo much for the heads up.

Hey...just call me the Walter Cronkite of the DAC set; and let me know how I get my pre-order discount, for either the free "word of mouth", or as "hush money"...to stop SHOUTING about it.

CD

Nuts!! I was all psyched up about trying this thing out next week. Oh, well. I guess I'll have to be patient (commence grumbling). I'd like a Nova if I could figure out some way pay for it.

LOL...just send me the bill!

Ya know, we keep a few B Stock around for $999 w/full warranty.
just sayin'...

What's a "DAC'it"?

LOL; I feel like DS (and PA) and I share a secret.

CD

OK, the PMs are starting to pour in...lol.

Guys, listen...for those of you who didn't catch it in "real time"...or who can't piece the posts together; yes...a reseller erroneously posted a pic and some info about a new PA product that they shouldn't have. I was curious, I asked David, and evidently it shouldn't have happened, has since been taken down, and David has made it clear he can't say much.

Out of respect to David and PA, I'm going to let them break information about this unit. And all I'll say is...and this should be rather obvious anyway...if you're contemplating a certain PA unit, you might want to sit tight and stay tuned.

CD

hello... i picked up the iNova this morning and i'm confused about how to hook up the subwoofer when the an AVR is in the mix (even after going through this thread). can i connect both the iNova and AVR to the sub at the same time..? ideally if i'm listening in two channel i dont want to turn on the AVR. thanks in advance...

That configuration can be tricky to implement. When running both the Nova and an AVR to your sub you need to keep in mind the potential for a damaging feedback loop. My memory is a little hazy, but I may have posted a link to a device that allowed for switching between the Nova and an AVR some time ago.

Edit:

I just took a look and didn't see any posting by me with a link to such a device. I seem to remember seeing a switch somewhere. Almost every possible configuration short of a switch has drawbacks, some of which are pretty serious, as far as I can tell.

I'm fortunate in that I'm happy with the sound of my towers in 2 channel mode without the sub in the mix. Otherwise I'd be looking seriously for an effective and safe way to do what you are hoping to do.

Sorry, This is the one drawback to HT bypass.
David

A subwoofer bypass might be another cool feature for those who incorporate a Nova or iNova into a home theater system.

Run the Sub out from the AVR through the Nova, and on to the sub. Switch the Nova from bypass (for home theater) to active (for 2 channel) Stick the switch somewhere accessible.

Or maybe find a switch to recommend, or create one, for those who might find this limitation a deal breaker.

Just thinking out loud here.

You could run speaker wire from the Nova to the sub (in), and then speaker wire out from the sub (out) into your speakers, if your system/room will allow. In this manner your sub also works as a low bypass filter.

I thought about this option, and it could be a good one.

If you only use speaker level from the Nova to the sub, you lose control of a discrete sub signal from the AVR, which may or may not be a big deal. And you've messed with the signal path a bit more than I like. But if the end result is better sonic performance, it's a good option.

Another option is a bit trickier. If the sub has a manual pre/speaker level switch, or an auto pre/speaker level switch that's not confused by the configuration, you might be able to run the sub pre-out from the AVR to the sub (in addition to speaker level from the Nova) and switch between the two inputs. This gives some control of the sub back to the AVR.

Edit:

I just realized the flaw in this second option. Once you switch the sub to pre input, you are no longer getting the signal to the mains. Woops!