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Thoughts on Peachtree Audio Nova300

I have a pair of Aerial Acoustics 6Ts for a secondary system. Have been looking for an affordable, reasonably small, reasonably attractive integrated all-in-one type solution to drive them with. Will primarily be used for streaming via a Sonos Connect.


Have been looking at the Peachtree Audio Nova300. It is a class D. It is about 14x14". Fairly nice looking. 300 watts into 8 ohms and 500 into 4. Speakers are 4 ohms. Reviews range from good to great.


Peachtree sells open box units for a very reasonable price. They are located near me.


Wondering if anyone has any experience with this unit. Any serious drawbacks I might need to know about. Thanks for any input.

George
n80
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,910 posts
 
From what I read on those speakers on the vendor site seems like more power and current can only help. 
thefly25
1 posts
 

I thought the nova300 was going to be the perfect match for me - well reviewed, high powered, geared up towards digital listening, decent price…

Maybe it’s just really bad luck but I’ve had to return two nova300’s because both were plagued with major quality/sound issues.

The first nova had a very loud, unusual, continuous, high-pitched squeal from inside the chassis itself (not the speakers). I contacted customer service and they said that it was likely damaged during shipping. OK, makes sense…

About 10 days later I received the replacement. I turned it on and there was no squealing, so that was a good sign. Then I started to run it through it’s paces…another defective unit. This time physical issues with the buttons, volume knob, etc.

Now here’s the most surprising part…

The sound was so lifeless. Very clear, lots of headroom but so incredibly dull.

The bass was flat, treble harsh, zero bottom at low volumes - all the very positively reviewed attributes/selling points were missing. There was absolutely nothing exciting about it. I tried adjusting the speaker placement, tried different sources but nothing helped. Honestly, my AVR with all the processing bypassed sounds way more engaging.

I really wanted to love the nova300, but between all the quality control issues and the very anemic sound it is not the right integrated for me.

b_limo's avatar
b_limo
2,290 posts
 
I have owned a peachtree nova 220se and my brother had the 220 and pre combo.  Both were pretty nice sounding.  I feel like all peachtree gear has good power with decent dacs and decent preamps with hit or miss relibility.  Both my 220se and my brothers nova pre went back to be replaced under warranty.  The volume is hard to adjust off the bottom.  It will go from nothing to slightly too loud for late night listening, with the smallest input from the volume control via remote.

You might want to look into the NuPrime IDA-16.  You can pick one up used for around $1200-$1300.
nkphoto
44 posts
 
For what it's worth, I have owned the Nova300 for well over three years and have not experienced any defects, knock on wood. I agree with previous posters that the volume control is pretty "funky" but not a deal breaker in my opinion. Two features I like and use that aren't commonplace are 1.) Home Theater Bypass, which allows me to integrate my stereo set-up (Nova300 & Gallo Ref 3.1 speakers) with my home theater receiver C&R speakers and 2.) a loop function, which let's me add a little "tube flavor" into the signal path by means of iFi's Micro iTube2.
n80 OP
2,133 posts
 
Thanks nkphoto. For someone who does not enjoy the 'chase', the task of selecting an affordable integrated for these speakers has not been fun.

I'm narrowing down the possibilities though. The Peachtree is still on the list.
A bad review or QC experience can trump a whole host of positive reviews and experiences. I guess that's just human nature.

I dither between getting rid of the speakers and going off the deep end (and budget) to get something really nice. Hard to stay on point here.

But I will say, when I hear these speakers driven by something capable (like the Bryston driving them now) they are intoxicating and make me want to loosen up my wallet.....even though it is relatively empty right now.

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