[Mike Nomad]

~

[ajzepp]

I had a Parasound HCA1500a that had no problem driving a pair 1.6's if that helps.

Jim

Hi Jim: Yep, I would have trusted a Parasound amp with my Maggies without any hesitation...I bet that was a very nice combination you had there

[ajzepp]

Hi AJ,

Congrats on the Peachtree Nova125.  My main concern for the earlier iNova which I reviewed for Stereo Times was the power section of that model which I felt was not enough to drive planar or electrostatic speakers in terms of dynamics.  But that model only had about 60 wpc in 8 ohms of solid state amplification.  It's good you waited until Peachtree increase the "balls factor."

Cheers,
Paul Mah

Hey Paul: I think that's why I was taken aback when Steve initially suggested this option to me. I know that I had looked at the Peachtree stuff previously, and I even had read some feedback on the first generation of the B&O amp modules...I had no idea there was a 2nd generation that had come out, and I also had no idea that Peachtree was using them in this new Nova. I guess sometimes the planets align and things work out really well, though lol.

Do you have any upcoming reviews of some cool gear? Anything strike your fancy recently?

[ajzepp]

Congratulations AJ. You found a working combination. Except for the absolute cr@p tube that came with it, I have been quite happy with my 1.0 version of the Nova (I replaced it with a vintage 6DJ8 from GE).

Been thinking about upgrading to the latest Nova, I just don't know what I would do with the extra grunt. However, it sounds like they made enough improvements overall, where I might hear the difference. Thanks for your write-up & video.

Thanks MIke....yeah, that's sort of the tough thing for me is figuring out what the strength of this unit is....with all three components stuck in one box, I have no idea how to go about saying whether it's the amp, the dac, or the preamp circuitry that is the strength, which is the weak link, etc. I will say that it seems that Peachtree's comments about how lesser quality files (e.g. 128k downloads) sound pretty good when using the digital input and the internal DAC are spot on. I don't have a whole lot of that stuff, but I have some on the iPod, and so far they really sound a bit more alive and robust than they did when I was just using my iPod and my LOD cable into my preamp. I need to listen more to be certain of that, but so far that's what my ears are telling me. I can say that the dealer I bought it from has a SICK system, including some big NOLA baby reference grands and an amazing front end worth of gear...and even though he could easily use something higher end in his other systems, he uses the Peachtree DACs and he has a Nova that he likes quite a lot. I actually found that to be a very strong selling point that he uses the gear himself given how high end his gear is. In fact, forgive the tangent, but those baby NOLAs? Holy WOW!!! Talk about a 3D sound stage with amazing imaging and a completely holographic presentation....I was really, really impresed with those. And they're beautiful to look at on top of that.

Anyway, I think the hardest thing for me to understand is why a $1500 piece of gear doesn't sound SIGNIFICANTLY worse than a front end composed of two Butler amps at about $2800 each, an SAS 10a at around $1200, a TADAC at approx $700, and a Marchand crossover at around $1000. I worked really hard to put that system together, not just in terms of research but in terms of saving pennies....so it's just not really computing yet, I guess you could say. And again, I'm not saying it's on par with that rig...and I'm sure the differences will become more apparent with more listening....but it's truly not the dropoff I suspected and I have to give Peachtree credit for pulling this off. Usually I wouldn't consider "it doesn't suck" to be a compliment, but in this case I mean it very much in a complimentary way 

[josh358]

Well get this, I'm using a 20 watt amp with my MMG's and couldn't be happier.  On another thread someone posted a link to an article about a reviewer testing low watt integrateds with Maggies, and started with a NAD 3020i and loved the sound.  Since I had an old 3020B that has been recapped, I thought I'd try it.  The result is glorious, beautiful music, albeit with a limited volume, something below lease breaking levels, but very satisfying and pretty close to the levels I listen to using a much more powerful amp.  It got exponentially better when I bypassed the preamp section and went direct to the power amp, extraordinary detail, imaging, tone, bass.  I've been very, very surprised.  Lower level dynamics are great, however big, macro dynamic swings are a struggle, not terrible, just a limit to what 20 watts can do.  Note that this amp is designed to go into very low impedances with no trouble and has a 4 ohm optimized setting, right in the Maggies wheelhouse, and it will swing up to 55 watts dynamically for short bursts. 

You don't need massive power for Maggies, more accurately one could say you need an amp designed properly to drive Maggies.   

I think it depends on how loud you like to listen. 1000 watts sounds only twice as loud as 100. Actually, it isn't even a question of subjective loudness, which is determined by average rather than peak levels. A 100 watt amp will play just as loudly as a 1000 watt amp because an average level of 100 watts is ear splitting and would blow the speaker fuses. What you gain with a larger amp is the ability to play peaks cleanly at high average levels. Recordings of unamplified acoustical music are more likely to have their peaks intact than recordings of contemporary popular music. Unamplified acoustical music has a peak/average ratio of 10-20 dB. This means that pop can typically be played louder with an amplifier of a given size.

[ltr317]

Hey Paul: I think that's why I was taken aback when Steve initially suggested this option to me. I know that I had looked at the Peachtree stuff previously, and I even had read some feedback on the first generation of the B&O amp modules...I had no idea there was a 2nd generation that had come out, and I also had no idea that Peachtree was using them in this new Nova. I guess sometimes the planets align and things work out really well, though lol.

Do you have any upcoming reviews of some cool gear? Anything strike your fancy recently?

Well, my review of the Rogue 99 Super Magnum preamp is online since last week, and I'll start auditioning the Von Gaylord preamp and amp next week. 

I don't know what changes are in the Nova125 compared to the iNova.  My preference of the separate components within the iNova: dac --> preamp --> amp, from favorite to least favorite.  Let me know after you listened for a while if you feel the same way. 

Paul

[Hoosierdaddy]

If memory serves me correctly, the modules in the new Peachtree Nova are in fact TacT/Texas Instruments, not B&O. I thought the Peachtree "Ambassador of Awesome" told me this at Axpona. I was listening to the set up with the Martin-Logans when I referred to them as ICE amps and he corrected me...

[Letitroll98]

I think it depends on how loud you like to listen. 1000 watts sounds only twice as loud as 100. Actually, it isn't even a question of subjective loudness, which is determined by average rather than peak levels. A 100 watt amp will play just as loudly as a 1000 watt amp because an average level of 100 watts is ear splitting and would blow the speaker fuses. What you gain with a larger amp is the ability to play peaks cleanly at high average levels. Recordings of unamplified acoustical music are more likely to have their peaks intact than recordings of contemporary popular music. Unamplified acoustical music has a peak/average ratio of 10-20 dB. This means that pop can typically be played louder with an amplifier of a given size.

I agree Josh.  I've tried some full orchestral recordings and the little guy does run out of steam at certain points if you push the volume, also with some dynamic jazz music.  However the NAD has some tricks to mitigate this and fool you a bit.  One is a very soft power envelope, it can pound out more than twice it's rated power for short duration peaks, which is what we're talking about.  Second it clips very gently (with the circuit turned on) so it can "bounce against it's stops" to use a speaker term and you don't hear grating harmonics as the amp clips (and protects my unfused tweeters from squared off waves).  Thirdly, when switched to the 4 ohm setting, the amp is designed to deliver current and is perfectly set up for the steady 4ohm load of the Maggies.  And fourthly, those power meter lights reminds me to keep the amp in it's comfort zone. 

There are definitely limits to the original NAD amp when using it to drive Maggies, not something I would recommend everyone go out and buy on the used market.  But I was really shooting for proof of concept here, you can use low powered amps with Maggies, especially if they are designed to handle 4 ohms (and lower).  As a surprising byproduct, I discovered a remarkably musical, sweet and detailed amp. 

[ajzepp]

If memory serves me correctly, the modules in the new Peachtree Nova are in fact TacT/Texas Instruments, not B&O. I thought the Peachtree "Ambassador of Awesome" told me this at Axpona. I was listening to the set up with the Martin-Logans when I referred to them as ICE amps and he corrected me...

Thanks for the correction...did you get a chance to listen to it at the show? If so, what did they have it hooked up to?

[ajzepp]

Well, my review of the Rogue 99 Super Magnum preamp is online since last week, and I'll start auditioning the Von Gaylord preamp and amp next week. 

I don't know what changes are in the Nova125 compared to the iNova.  My preference of the separate components within the iNova: dac --> preamp --> amp, from favorite to least favorite.  Let me know after you listened for a while if you feel the same way. 

Paul

Von Gaylord? Is that a German company? lol I enjoyed reading your reviews from before when we were talking about speaker choices, so I'll definitely check out your new ones. And I guess it doesn't surpise me that you rank the DAC as the strength of the Peachtree...seems like they really have a handle on that piece of the puzzle.  Really looking forward to putting some hours on it this weekend to get a better feel for it. I found out the hard way tonight that my Charter Cable box has dead digital outputs...sounded like a machine gun going off when I switched to that input...I really can't stand Charter 

[sfdoddsy]

I seem to remember people over at the Planar Asylum who were running those Panny receivers...I never knew much about them at all, but I'm sure taking an interest in this sort of technology now

The guy at Newform Research popularised the Panny XR series a while back. I used a pair to drive my Orions for a long time with no issues.

Although I have to admit that subsequent to my earlier post, the XR30 temporarily driving the Apogees suddenly stopped working. I suspect my MiniDSP caused it, but still.

I'm still using Class D in the form of a Crown XTi. 500w for under $300 with built-in EQ is nice.

[Hoosierdaddy]

AJ,

At Axpona they were using the Nova125 with Martin Logan Montis. Pretty impressive considering the cost vs. price of the Martin Logans. The Nova125 is an ice amp. For the Decco set up they were using their D4 speakers and the amp in the Decco is a TacT/TI. Very impressive for a desk top set up. I have a iNova with the A/B amp (about 60 watts at 8ohm) driving usher S520 augmented with a Rel T1 playing through Audionirvana+/iMac. Great office set up to my ears. Sorry about the earlier confusion on the B&O vs TacT/TI.

[josh358]

I agree Josh.  I've tried some full orchestral recordings and the little guy does run out of steam at certain points if you push the volume, also with some dynamic jazz music.  However the NAD has some tricks to mitigate this and fool you a bit.  One is a very soft power envelope, it can pound out more than twice it's rated power for short duration peaks, which is what we're talking about.  Second it clips very gently (with the circuit turned on) so it can "bounce against it's stops" to use a speaker term and you don't hear grating harmonics as the amp clips (and protects my unfused tweeters from squared off waves).  Thirdly, when switched to the 4 ohm setting, the amp is designed to deliver current and is perfectly set up for the steady 4ohm load of the Maggies.  And fourthly, those power meter lights reminds me to keep the amp in it's comfort zone. 

There are definitely limits to the original NAD amp when using it to drive Maggies, not something I would recommend everyone go out and buy on the used market.  But I was really shooting for proof of concept here, you can use low powered amps with Maggies, especially if they are designed to handle 4 ohms (and lower).  As a surprising byproduct, I discovered a remarkably musical, sweet and detailed amp.

Definitely. I think it swings both ways -- there are circumstances in which a large amp is justified, and circumstances in which a small amp is a better choice, and you can't really give a blanket recommendation since listening habits vary so widely. A while back, some guys on the Asylum posted their measured maximum listening levels, and the figures varied by 10's of dB's -- much more in fact than the difference in peak power between typical amp choices. Besides which, as you say, some amps have more peak reserve, and some, typically tubes, have soft clipping. The rule of thumb seems to be that you need a (typical) transistor amp of about twice the power of a tube amp.

Another interesting point is that going by those Asylum figures, relatively few listeners need a megapower amp. (Assuming they don't have other sonic advantages, as some have suggested -- but then there are those who say that small amps sound better as well.)

[ltr317]

Von Gaylord? Is that a German company? lol I enjoyed reading your reviews from before when we were talking about speaker choices, so I'll definitely check out your new ones. And I guess it doesn't surpise me that you rank the DAC as the strength of the Peachtree...seems like they really have a handle on that piece of the puzzle.  Really looking forward to putting some hours on it this weekend to get a better feel for it. I found out the hard way tonight that my Charter Cable box has dead digital outputs...sounded like a machine gun going off when I switched to that input...I really can't stand Charter 

California company, formerly known as Legend Audio.  Lol.  I might buy one of Peachtree's USB Dacs as a stopgap until I find something that really tickles my fancy.  Not everyone does, but I like any Dac that uses a Sabre chip because of its sonics. 

[ajzepp]

Playing around a bit with higher volume (approx 12:00) and some rap music...I know it's outdated, but it's a track I'm very familiar with on the Maggies over the years. I thought I had 50 Cent "In da Club" on my iPod, but I guess not. I'll upload it later and take a video of that since it has more low end.

Some people said they like listening to the speakers on youtube vids, so thought I'd post this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VQO8gsapTs

EDIT: It's the unedited track, so probably *NSFW*

[ajzepp]

Here's Fiddy....(scared the bejeezus out of myself when it started)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0oEfp3xHKc

And again, it's the unedited version, so *NSFW*

[neekomax]

Man, you really need a remote for that iPod dock setup. Looks tiring.

[ajzepp]

Man, you really need a remote for that iPod dock setup. Looks tiring.

lol, I agree...I have an Apple TV on the way...will be here Tuesday.

[neekomax]

lol, I agree...I have an Apple TV on the way...will be here Tuesday.

Good stuff!

[ajzepp]

Good stuff!

I hope it works out well, cause I'd rather stick with the Air Tunes thing than add a Sonos just yet. I have an airport express that has worked well, but for whatever reason it doesn't play nice with some of the newer DACs. I noticed it a little with my MyDac that I just bought, and Peachtree says it right on the website that the AEX isn't compatible with their DAC, whereas the AppleTV works perfectly. I have the Apple remote app on both my iPhone and my Kindle Fire, so I'll be good to go with streaming once this little gadget shows up. I may check out the Sonos later in the year, but the Peachtree guys have a 100% track record with me in terms of their advice and suggestions, so I'll go with what they say works.