Newly simplified setup thanks to my Wiim Ultra

[schmerg]

The Ultra replaced a Raspberry Pi running Volumio, a USB Atom DAC from JDS Labs, and a Bluetooth receiver, and, after some debate, even the Musical Fidelity Nu Vista pre-amp (slightly better phono stage but otherwise audibly very much the same).

The Volumio etc in turn replaced an older Squeeze based system, and the CD player itself went years ago.

So that just leaves the Musical Fidelity NuVista 300 power amp (notional 300W @ 8 ohm, but capable of nearly 1,200W when impedance dips to 2 ohms) driving a pair of Bowers and Wilkins 803 - that combo has stood me in good stead for 25 years and I think they're only just getting broken in now.

Wife very much likes the simpler setup, and I've hooked a Mini to the hifi in the kitchen diner so we can now have properly synchronised whole house playback for when we throw open the patio doors and have a BBQ get together.

Just thinking now about getting a Sound as a bedside speaker for the wife, if only so I can turn it off without getting out of bed when she forgets to set the sleep timer on the radio we use now, or just feeding another Mini into an old Heny Kloss Model One radio we've had for years

 

[Aquaman]

View attachment 34562

The Ultra replaced a Raspberry Pi running Volumio, a USB Atom DAC from JDS Labs, and a Bluetooth receiver, and, after some debate, even the Musical Fidelity Nu Vista pre-amp (slightly better phono stage but otherwise audibly very much the same).

The Volumio etc in turn replaced an older Squeeze based system, and the CD player itself went years ago.

So that just leaves the Musical Fidelity NuVista 300 power amp (notional 300W @ 8 ohm, but capable of nearly 1,200W when impedance dips to 2 ohms) driving a pair of Bowers and Wilkins 803 - that combo has stood me in good stead for 25 years and I think they're only just getting broken in now.

Wife very much likes the simpler setup, and I've hooked a Mini to the hifi in the kitchen diner so we can now have properly synchronised whole house playback for when we throw open the patio doors and have a BBQ get together.

Just thinking now about getting a Sound as a bedside speaker for the wife, if only so I can turn it off without getting out of bed when she forgets to set the sleep timer on the radio we use now, or just feeding another Mini into an old Heny Kloss Model One radio we've had for years

Very nice.

Now you can take the next step by replacing your monos with a sleeker one-box amp with the same power capacity.

Purifi 1ET9040BA DM Dual Mono Stereo Amplifier

The Purifi 1ET9040BA True Dual Mono Amplifier by Apollon Audio utilises the newest 1ET9040BA amplifier modules as its core. The Purifi 1ET9040BA provides abundant power and remarkable precision.

apollonaudio.com

 

[schmerg]

Very nice.

Now you can take the next step by replacing your monos with a sleeker one-box amp with the same power capacity.

Purifi 1ET9040BA DM Dual Mono Stereo Amplifier

The Purifi 1ET9040BA True Dual Mono Amplifier by Apollon Audio utilises the newest 1ET9040BA amplifier modules as its core. The Purifi 1ET9040BA provides abundant power and remarkable precision.

apollonaudio.com

Funny you should say that - I have been looking at very much that kind of option (Hypex, Purifi etc) for if the power amp does die on me, if only for fact that the MF weighs an absolute tonne and is too deep for most shelf units etc. The 803's are lovely speakers but they can be awkward to drive and the engineers I speak to had told me to beware of amps going into overload at 2ohm transients and that's why it was just the sort of amp you posted there that I was shortlisting - cheers

(The existing amp is a dual monoblock design but they're both in the upper "box".. the lower is the two massive power supplies for each of them - see https://www.stereophile.com/content/musical-fidelity-nu-vista-300-power-amplifier and https://hometheaterreview.com/musical-fidelity-nu-vista-300-preamp-reviewed/)

 

[TonyE]

Very nice.

Now you can take the next step by replacing your monos with a sleeker one-box amp with the same power capacity.

Purifi 1ET9040BA DM Dual Mono Stereo Amplifier

The Purifi 1ET9040BA True Dual Mono Amplifier by Apollon Audio utilises the newest 1ET9040BA amplifier modules as its core. The Purifi 1ET9040BA provides abundant power and remarkable precision.

apollonaudio.com

I would't trade the NuVista amps for an Ncore or Purify amp. The NuVista amps are superb. I might go for a Pass Class A amp, a Job 225, an ARC VT100.... stuff like that.... Bruno's stuff is extremely good but they sound different.

But if you want to get rid of them... I can help you.

The one thing I would do is update the DAC and get a better phono stage. That will really make a huge difference.

 

[Valentino]

Nice. What turntable is that?

 

[TonyE]

BTW, The NuVista 300 amps are going for around 2000 bucks... Check them out in hifishark.com

 

[schmerg]

BTW, The NuVista 300 amps are going for around 2000 bucks... Check them out in hifishark.com

I would't trade the NuVista amps for an Ncore or Purify amp. The NuVista amps are superb. I might go for a Pass Class A amp, a Job 225, an ARC VT100.... stuff like that.... Bruno's stuff is extremely good but they sound different.

But if you want to get rid of them... I can help you.

The one thing I would do is update the DAC and get a better phono stage. That will really make a huge difference.

I have the matching NuVista pre-amp and might see if I can sell them as a pair.. the phono stage is not a concern (the NV phono is still supposed to be very good but vinyl is only for show) and the WiiM DAC is as good as anything I've heard in the last 25 years

 

[schmerg]

Nice. What turntable is that?

It's a cheap and cheerful Sony with its own phono stage and an analog to digital stage so it'll output digitial over USB but it's only really there for nostalgia purposes

 

[TonyE]

I have the matching NuVista pre-amp and might see if I can sell them as a pair.. the phono stage is not a concern (the NV phono is still supposed to be very good but vinyl is only for show) and the WiiM DAC is as good as anything I've heard in the last 25 years

Get one of these... plug it into your Ultra and come back when you take a break from listening.

Night and day... with the multibit DAC

BTW, he builds them in batches... it took me a few months before I got mine... worth every penny and every month of wait.

Pietus Maximus

Honey, I Swole the Piety Jason Stoddard, the analog genius at Schiit Audio, got curious and wondered what a “big” version of the NITSCH × Schiit Magni Piety amp would sound like. So he built one…and it sounded great! He needed to share the discovery with somebody and kindly sent one to NITSCH...

nitschsound.com

 

[schmerg]

TBH I've been rather spoilt by the wife and friends working at a very famous London studio and listening to playback directly from the multi-channel masters off the mixing desk, typically on a suite of B&W 801 speakers each driven by its own 1000W monoblock amp, not to mention live performances in the studios themselves

So I was never after the fruitless dream of recreating that, but I'm pretty happy with my current position on the curve (it used to be fun, back in the days when high end hifi shops were a thing, to visit with a friend who was didn't look it but was a senior mastering engineer on some of the recordings they play back to demo their high end kit) but I do keep an eye out for out for what to do if some part goes kaput...

 

[dominikz]

TBH I've been rather spoilt by the wife and friends working at a very famous London studio and listening to playback directly from the multi-channel masters off the mixing desk, typically on a suite of B&W 801 speakers each driven by its own 1000W monoblock amp, not to mention live performances in the studios themselves

So I was never after the fruitless dream of recreating that

That is IMO wise.
The magic of the "studio sound" comes mostly from the carefully designed acoustics, the high-quality and carefully placed (often soffit-mounted) speakers, and the meticulous calibration. Not all of these are realistic at home.

but I'm pretty happy with my current position on the curve

Again, very wise words!

We live in amazing times for home HiFi!
A simple system with just one of the WiiM streaming amps, a pair of well-designed passive speakers and a sub can be had for not a lot of money, is easy to use, and can sound great by any standard - assuming of course it meets one's max SPL needs.

Enjoy the music!

 

[Valentino]

TBH I've been rather spoilt by the wife and friends working at a very famous London studio and listening to playback directly from the multi-channel masters off the mixing desk, typically on a suite of B&W 801 speakers each driven by its own 1000W monoblock amp, not to mention live performances in the studios themselves

Good on you!
I sometimes fantasize about packing up my stuff, moving to Berlin, showing up at Emil Berliner Studios saying I want a job and getting it.