I am constantly struck by how remarkably personal this hobby and individual listening preferences can be. No doubt, our unique impressions and listening styles drive this hobby. At the same time, many impressions voiced here are merely that, "impressions" based upoon limited listening in less than enviable locations. I note above that when I first heard the Novas they were unpleasant. In fact the tweeter was very noticeable, etched, metallic, "in your face." This was in my experience an issue with burn in. I have lived with the Nova Utopias for over 1 1/2 years using, initially using Halcro amplification and now a Dartzeel amp, and after the intial few weeks of living with them, there was no trace of any tweeter or driver for that matter, just music. The midrange and tweeter of the Nova Utopias are their strong suit and in my experience not bettered by any other speaker I have heard. They are to my ear, utterly natural sounding and have all the air and vibrancy of sounds you hear in nature. I would venture to say that if you have heard a metallic sound in listening to the Novas that they were either not fully burned in or the amplification or supporting gear was the cause.
Happy listening!
Happy listening!