Peachtree Nova Vs. Emotiva Combo

Erik, that's maybe a tough call. The Emotiva combo is certainly more versatile, as you said...if you ever wanted to use it for HT. And the Emotiva gear is usually reported to sound very nice, and a real bang-for-the-buck champion.

OTOH, I can speak from personal experience that the Peachtree units, like the Nova, are really very musical when it comes to digital music. Now, the UMC-1 is going to have all the digital inputs you need for hooking up your iPod and PC...at least to whatever extent you were going to hook them up to the Nova...so it's not like you'd need any additional gear, like a DAC, if you go the Emotiva route. Whether the Emotiva sounds as good as a Nova would be in the ear of the user.

As much as I like Peachtree stuff, I would probably recommend you go the Emotiva route. If you were looking strictly at a 2-channel system for music, that would be a different story. But the Emotiva is going to give you more flexibility and options to grow, and it's not like it's going to sound bad with your digital sources; it might even sound great, depending on what you're used.

However, if you find it's not to your liking, then you can always cross that bridge when you get to it...and try to find something to squeeze better sound out of your iPod and PC.

CD

Erik,

I would not recommend the UMC-1. If you read through the UMC-1 thread here on AVS and in the Processor section of the Emotiva Lounge you will read about many issues ongoing with the UMC-1. As far as using an iPod with the UMC-1 I would think a dock would be needed as the UMC-1 does not have an iPod input as do many current AVRs. Also you can not stream music from a computer to the UMC-1 as it does not have that capability.

Have you thought about an AVR as a possible option? If you went the AVR route then you would have video processing, iPod input, room correction (Audyssey w/ Denon, Marantz and Onkyo), music streaming capabilities and the opportunity to upgrade to a full 5.1/7.1 HT system.

The Nova is an excellent unit if you will be using it for a 2CH system but if you have plans for an HT system in the future a prepro or an AVR would be the way to go IMO.

Bill

I just looked at the Nova and it has two optical inputs so you could connect a cable/SAT box up to the Nova for audio for your TV. I have the Salk SongTowers and like them very much. I have not heard the Zu or Magnepan speakers but from what I have read both companies make fine speakers.

Here is a link to a review of the Nova.

http://www.soundstage.com/equipment/peachtree_nova.htm

Bill

Okay, the UMC-1 is good choice for video. Has internal DACs so USB to optical device is all you need.. There are many computer output devices out in the market place.

Have you considered the stereo only pre amp and two channel amp from emotiva? It has a Hometheater bypass so that you may add an Audio / Video Receiver later on.. This may drop your price point, and affords you more resources to be allocated to speakers.

[quote=oOOBillO0o;19280350]
The UMC-1 is not a good choice for video processing. It does not even have a true video pass through as there is always some form of video processing. I owned the UMC-1 and the video processing is outdated to say the least.


This is a good option as I have owned many preamps with HT Bypass in my system. I have owned the Emotiva USP-1 and as with the UMC-1 returned it due to several issues. The biggest is that you can not use the full range outputs if you use the HT Bypass feature. Second is when using the headphones it does not mute the signal so you still hear music from your speakers. I thought this issue was corrected but reading over at the Emotiva Lounge USP-1 owners have reported it is not.

I currently have the Parasound 2100 preamp with HT Bypass and I can highly recommend it. If the OP goes with a 2CH preamp he will then have to buy an external DAC. Preamps such as the USP-1 and the 2100 are analog only with no DAC. This will increase the budget depending on what DAC is purchased.

Bill

What would you suggest for someone that likes the Nova, but wants a little more power?

Welll...the scuttlebutt is the successor to the Nova will be upgraded, with both the Sabre 9018 chip, and more power; so you could wait it out. Or, get a Decco2 and use it as DAC/Pre out to a more powerful amp.

CD

Scuttlebutt? Not sure if serious. -_-

kinda late to this thread, but thought I would add my 2 cents as:
1. I have a Nova. Love it!! Will need to figure out a decent but affordable HT solution.
2. Just ordered the Omen's after being tortured listening to music thru Gallo a'diva's for the past 8-9 months.
3. I am also obsessed with Salk Songtowers, hopefully will upgrade one day, with special order veneers (resistance is futile).
4. Live in a condo (the songtowers might be a little large for my space, but we will see what the Omen's sound like)

Anyhow, have you considered the Idecco from Peachtree? Less power, but there is some serious arguement for having your entire music collection on your Ipod, with the pure digital connection a big plus. No Wadia or other ipod dock, No computer issues to deal with, less equipment such as Network storage, etc.
It will be interesting to see what Peachtree has in store...

I'm in the same situation. I'm trying to set up a quality stereo sound system for my condo. So far, I just have speakers. The Goldenear's Triton 2 towers. Could be overkill for the small space. I was looking at the best quality sound within budget. Most of my music is digitally stored on an IMac. I've looked at solutions from Emotiva, Peachtree Audio, Prima Luna, and a Marantz 6005 AVR. I haven't narrowed it down but, the Peachtree seems appealing. I would like to hook my tv up to it and also stream internet radio like Pandora. All help is appreciated!

Personally I would get a $300 dac, then invest in a nice $600 avr from Denon or Yamaha to take care of your streaming needs and video.

I have a Peachtree Decco2 driving my 2.1 system (Dynaudio Focus speakers), love it. I have limited space, so having the DAC, Pre and Amp in the same machine was huge for me.

I previously had Emotiva USP-1 and UPA-2. The Emo setup was certainly better when it came to loudness. But for quality at normal listening, they were comparable. But being able to play from my laptop (which sounds great, even with 320 mp3s) is a huge benefit.