Why No Love For Peachtree Audio?

I don't use the tube buffer in my X-1 as it makes little, if any, difference in sound except on really bad source material.  I hear no shrillness nor thin sound coming out of my JA speakers. The tone is full, smooth and has plenty of clean bass. The top end may be slightly rolled off; it is crisp but does not sizzle. The detail and sound stage are very pleasing. This set up (these speakers) are not the best for hard rock or metal but for jazz, acoustic music, vocals, folk-rock, soft rock (think Knophler) and most classical, it is very satisfactory.   I would like to compare it, side by side, with an AB integrated such as a Hegel, Parasound or Krell, etc., but I live in the boonies and there is no one out here that has one to lend to me for a try out.  I really don't know what type of difference to expect from a different amp....maybe a bit more "punch"?

There's are review of the Grand X-1 integrated on 6moons that I think is pretty spot on.  It gives some comparisons to other pieces to give you an idea of where it shines and where it could be better.

Like you, the biggest "minus" of the Peachtree gear is that it's a little rolled off on top.  However, with the right speaker match, it can sound really good.  

Both my ARC VSi55 and Vincent SV 237 have a little more "bite" in the midrange and a little more detail in the treble.  These things are noticeable after extended listening, they don't jump out at you.

Peachtree products seem pretty darn successful in the marketplace (next to the organic squash and farm to table farmers..."get off my table ya damn farmer!") so no sympathy here...note that they have absolutely no peach based ingredients with their products except maybe some fuzz here and there.

Peachtree was getting a lot of good press here when the Nova line came out. They revamped production to Canada + North Carolina I believe. I went with the reviews and bought a Nova 150 unheard. A great move and I still have it about 5 years later. It is running the KEF LS50 monitors. There are a few reviews on this pairing online. Maybe a little too smooth is the only complaint given the price I paid.

I have a roughly three-year-old Nova 150 that I like because of the variety of connections, the onboard DAC and MM phono and the fact that it doesn't suck up a huge amount of power and stays pretty cool even when pushed. I had an issue with the Nova where it had to be sent in for a repair and Peachtree's customer service was awesome and they were quick to turn it around. The weird thing is, I'm getting kind of tired of the shape as I'd now rather have a traditional rectangular box component.

My rig is in a spare 13 x 11 spare bedroom which is a combination music room, office and hobby space. Connected to my Nova is a U-Turn Orbit turntable with Ortofon red cartridge, an Audioengine B1 Bluetooth receiver that my iPad connects with to stream SiriusXM and Spotify, Music Hall 15.3 CD player/DAC, Elac Debut B6.2 speakers on shot-filled Pangea stands with Audioquest type-4 speaker cables and an Elac Debut Sub3010.

For a very difficult space with light room treatments, the sound is really good. I have changed out the speakers a number of times over the past three years. I started with Monitor Audio Bronze 2's (in hindsight they were too bright) then MA Bronze 5 floorstanders (too much for the room); then KEF Q100's (not enough low end for me) and finally the Elac Debut B6.2's. I had tried a stereo pair of REL T/5i subs (but could never get rid of a hum) which I replaced with the Elac Sub3010. I like the sound of the Elac 6.2's with the Nova way better than any of the other speakers.

Prior to the above rig, I had gotten back into audio with the Music Hall 15.3 CD player/DAC, a laptop for streaming and Audioengine A5+ speakers. The Audioengine's were outstanding speakers for the money and had way more punch than their small'ish size should have had. I've been contemplating ditching the Nova and current Elac's and going with a higher-end preamp with integrated DAC and phono stage along with powered speakers.

I'm also anxiously waiting for Peachtree to release their WiFi module along with the possibility of another trade-in program. If/when that happens I'd consider upgrading to a Nova 300 or 500 with WiFi (the 500 is fully-balanced and has a better DAC than the 150 and 300) and living with the shape.

The Nova's are very good at what they do and for the money they are a pretty good buy.