Any Peachtree Nova owners?

[admin_exported]

Hi there, I am thinking of buying a Peachtree Nova for use with Sonos, my computer, my bluray player and my record player. I would be using all the functions of the Nova. I have an active subwoofer that I would connect to the pre-outs and a pair of passive Bang & Olufsen speakers. Do any Nova owners have any tips on set up (e.g. which cables to use, what settings etc.) or any other tips? Thanks very much.
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[GrumpyDoggy]

I imported one several months ago, so it was pretty much a "blind" purchase which can go one of two ways...

Generally I'm pretty happy with it. It's driving a pair of Kef mid tower iQ range speakers. Not confident the power stage would be up to much more demanding drivers. A few comments:
- as at its heart its an integrated DAC/amp solution, you're not looking at a whole host of options. Beyond input cable config, you're looking at tube and a (hidden at the back) dac waveform control.
- My primary input is via a Sonos ZP90. I use this purely as a digital transport - fixed line output, and coax digital output, bypassing the Sonos DAC in favour of the Nova's. It's definitely superior. Bluntly this is really the strength of this machine. Far more so than its power stage. Life won't permit me, but I would certainly onsider using this device purely as a discrete DAC or DAC + preamp.

- The ZP90 fits inside a little bay at the back - makes for a one-box solution - that is very sweet, and very wife-friendly too as it's got lovely looks

- the tube pre-amp option is quite fun. Doesn't work for everything, you basically get a more coloured sound at the expense of some timing, so it works better for more sparse arrangements (acoustic, small classical ensemble, classic rock line-up) than for large scale symphonic, busy electronic/full range sounds. It's nice to play with - doesn't take too long to warm up. Oddly, this can only be enabled via the remote.

- DAC waveform I keep in sharp mode. It definitely shows up lower quality digital artifacts more, but I value the precision and my philosophy is to avoid those sources. This can only be controlled by push button at the back of the device, so it's not an option you'll want to keep switching between.
- I have had a couple of maintenance issues. Can't say how widespread these issues are though: sent in for some work to resolve a distinct squarewave buzz that would be promninent in the output at low volumes. Peachtree seemed to be aware of this issue, which is something to do with shielding. That was largely rectified (promptly, and all at their cost - certainly there are no problems whatsoever with their approach to customer service)
- The front panel buttons are mechanically a little twitchy and sticky. It's liveable, that's disappointing in a device this price.