peachtree novapre preamp/dac

[brett_s]

I picked up a used Peachtree NovaPre preamp/dac. I bought it on a whim after visiting with the peachtree folks at the AXPONA audio show. I had been contemplating getting an external DAC, and I decided for the money, that this could be a better way to go. It replaced a Belles Soloist preamp that I had in my system, that I had been happy with.

Both the wife and I were blown away by how nice this peachtree NovaPre sounded. The sound is incredibly warm, smooth, and clear. The top end of the system is quite "relaxed" now. The base is deep and tight with this also. A big difference as you can really feel the bass notes, while they are staying incredibly tight. I was surprised by how nice this unit sounds. I can litterally pick up sounds in the music that I haven't heard before (I always rolled by eyes when people said this before, but it's true.....). Warm and clear, those are the words that keep coming to be as I listen to it.

So far i'm just running my older Dennon universal DVD player to it with a digital coax. Now that I'm going to keep it (I wasn't sure if it would be an improvement), I may go down the path of ripping my CD's to a hardrive and taking full advantage of the system. That would free up a ton of space in my room as well as allowing me to access internet audio.

While it may not be the wholly grail of hi-end, the value per dollar on this unit is off the chart. Thought I would share with the group.

Makes me wonder what the GrandPre or GrandIntegrated sounds like.....
Brett

[Mr. Widget]

Makes me wonder what the GrandPre or GrandIntegrated sounds like.....
Brett

From my personal listening experience, I'd suggest you've hit the sweet spot. Enjoy!

As for the "I'm hearing music like I've never heard it before." I've been studying this phenomenon for some time now. I believe it is very real. It is not necessarily a measure of quality though. Make any change that is an upgrade or even a lateral move and you will pick up on differences in the sound which will create this sensation... I think it is a major contributor to this whole "audiophile" thing. Buy a new wire, a preamp, a speaker... and bingo, a whole new music library!


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[Sundown]

How do you like the DAC compared to other brands? At least from articles Peachtree Dacs look like to sound good at a reasonable price.

[SEAWOLF97]

So far i'm just running my older Dennon universal DVD player to it with a digital coax.

In MY experience ...toslink sounded even better than digital coax.

[brett_s]

Sundown, I can't give you a comparison to other DAC's as I bought this the silly way.....No listening or comparing at all, just bought it and had it sent. It was a whim. I figured I would sell it if I didn't like it. Not the best strategy to repeat. Sometimes you just need to roll the dice!


Seawolf97, I'll have to see if I can come with a Toslink cable and give that a shot. I had to buy a new cable as I needed it to be a foot longer than I had. I stood at the store with both in my hand and went with the coax cable....

[BMWCCA]

I'm running Coax from my Sony DVD/CD player to a Musical Fidelity DAC and like it. Tried Toslink and just stuck with coax. Maybe I'll take time to make another comparison.

I am running Toslink from my TV to the mini CCDAC (Cheap Chinese DAC) and it works fine, too.

[Sundown]

Sundown, I can't give you a comparison to other DAC's as I bought this the silly way.....No listening or comparing at all, just bought it and had it sent. It was a whim. I figured I would sell it if I didn't like it. Not the best strategy to repeat. Sometimes you just need to roll the dice!


Seawolf97, I'll have to see if I can come with a Toslink cable and give that a shot. I had to buy a new cable as I needed it to be a foot longer than I had. I stood at the store with both in my hand and went with the coax cable....

Yea I hear ya! I did the same thing with a Canary pre amp and luckily I've been thoroughly happy with it!

[Mr. Widget]

In MY experience ...toslink sounded even better than digital coax.

More details please...

In MY experience, optical sounded noticeably inferior to 75ohm coax... I did hear differences between a variety of "digital", "video", and "audio" cables I tried. My comparisons were made between Oppo and Sony players and a Bryston DAC. It is possible that different DACs favor one input over another.


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