Overview
Our nova150 Gives You Great Sound at a Low Price
The Integrated Amplifier… Reimagined
In 2007 Peachtree Audio introduced a new integrated amplifier that immediately and forever changed the amplifier landscape. This amplifier - our original Decco - was groundbreaking for its time. It had a unique industrial design with an aluminum front panel, a simple button and knob user interface and a rounded wood case finished with beautiful veneers. Inside, it housed a class A/B power amplifier, a tube buffer visible through a window in the front panel and, most significantly, a USB input with built-in DAC to accept a direct connection from a Mac or PC! "Computer audio" was born, with Peachtree's Decco and Nova amplifiers on the leading edge, and with computer audio a defining part of Peachtree's identity.
We now introduce nova 2.0 . . . a completely new generation of Peachtree integrated amplifiers that reimagines the original concept and takes it to an even higher level. Nova 2.0 is the culmination of everything we've learned as a leader in computer audio, plus a few new things we hadn't gotten to - until now!
Design
Reference DAC
The nova150 utilizes the highly regarded ES9018K2M SABRE32 Reference DAC. The 9018 DAC is capable of accepting an extremely wide range of inputs all the way up to 32-Bit/384kHz PCM and 5.6MHz DSD (double-DSD). The DAC exhibits exemplary dynamic range, jitter elimination and low noise characteristics to satisfy even the most demanding listeners.
A New Generation of Power Amplification
The nova150 incorporates the latest generation of ICEPower amplification - with an impressive 150 watts per channel. The amplifier utilizes ICEpower’s innovative and patented Hybrid Controlled Oscillation Modulator (HCOM) feedback and control techniques to ensure high output, wide bandwidth, low noise, robust stability and a simplified overall design. HCOM incorporates separate feedback loops after the power stage and after the output filter. This lets the system address specific issues related to the power stage and output filter independently, resulting in lower distortion, less noise on the output, a less load-dependent frequency response, and a very low output impedance compared to other class D amps. This new amplifier technology is extremely powerful, dynamic, quiet and most importantly... musical. Relatively small size and superior efficiency allows a nova chassis that is even smaller than its predecessors, without the large, heavy and expensive heat sinking common in class A/B amplifiers. The amplifier in the nova150 is capable of driving an extremely wide range of speakers with impedances as low as 2.5Ω and as high as 16Ω. Combine that with a power output of 150 watts per channel and you can be sure this new nova will easily drive your favorite loudspeaker.
World-Class Preamplifier
Where's the TUBE? The tube is GONE?!?
Yes, it is. Because the new nova preamp is just so good! Previous generation Peachtree preamps had a signal to noise ratio in the range of 95 to 100dB, similar to competing preamps. When our signature tube buffer was engaged to smooth out a rough recording the S/N dropped to 88-90dB, an acceptable compromise for the sonic benefit.
The new amplifier modules in the current generation of nova are inherently warmer sounding than previously, while still retaining the accuracy digital amps have always provided. Combined with a cleaner analog section and no noise created by an internal tube circuit and we're now able to get even closer to the sound of the original musical performance. The newly-designed preamp section in the nova150 has a S/N ratio of 111dB and is a major contributor in getting us closer to that original sound.
Quiet as a Mouse
The nova150 utilizes an extensive power supply and grounding design to ensure the noise floor is pushed as far down as possible to allow the music to shine through. Our engineers spent hours upon hours determining the optimal power supply filtering and grounding scheme to prevent any unwanted noise from finding its way into the signal path. As a result, the nova150 achieves a remarkable dynamic range and signal-to-noise ratio. Turn up the nova150 to full volume without music playing, put your ear to the speaker and enjoy the lack of noise!
iOS Input - Introducing DyNEC (Dynamic Noise Elimination Circuit) for iPhone/iPad
The nova150 includes a dedicated asynchronous USB connection on the rear panel that provides a direct digital wired connection for Apple Lightning-equipped devices. Simply use the cable that came with your iPhone or iPad and enjoy your music transformed by the ESS SABRE32 Reference DAC and the superior sonic performance of the nova!
We know that streaming music files from the Lightning connection on the iPhone or iPad is VERY convenient. Peachtree wants to make sure you achieve MAXIMUM performance from these high-tech marvels!
By its very nature, any computer generates "noise". A computer's power supply is one source of this noise. Years ago we attacked this issue of computer-generated noise by isolating the USB inputs of our amplifiers. Having successfully conquered "conventional" computer noise, we want to be sure you enjoy the same noise-free performance from your iPhone and iPad.*
*Smart phones, notepads and tablets are, of course, small but powerful computers. Power supplies and high-resolution screen refresh rates are possible sources of noise contamination.
With this goal in mind, Peachtree engineers have developed DyNEC: the world's first and only system to address and eliminate all audible power supply and screen noise. DyNEC assures your music files are streamed to the nova free of any added noise - so your favorite music sounds its very, very best!
Once all sources of noise are eliminated, music files are "handed off" to our internal ESS SABRE32 Reference DAC - further improving performance via asynchronous connection, and eliminating any timing errors caused by jitter.
With DyNEC and an asynchronous connection, Peachtree's dedicated iOS input lets you hear your music with all the clarity, dynamics and emotion the artist intended. So can the iPhone and iPad - perhaps the most convenient music playback devices ever - be taken seriously as high-end audio components? Connected to Peachtree's iOS input, our answer is a resounding YES!
And . . . the new metal-faced Peachtree remote controls basic playback functions like FF/RR and pause, so you can just sit back and enjoy!
DyNEC is a Peachtree exclusive.
What’s Old is New Again
We are pleased to say that the nova150 includes a moving magnet (MM) phono input for direct connection of a turntable. Yes, that's right - a bunch of computer audio advocates made a phono preamp! And not just any phono input... a custom designed circuit that accommodates a wide range of MM cartridge outputs. With the nova150 you no longer need an external phono preamp unless you are using a lower output moving coil cartridge. In that case, the internal phono preamp in the nova150 can be bypassed, allowing the phono input to accept line-level signals from a dedicated phono preamp or any other line-level device. Win-win!
Home Theater Bypass (HTB) is Back!
This is one of our most requested features and it is included in the nova150! HTB allows for easy integration with a multi-channel preamp/processor or audio/video receiver (AVR) so that the power amplifier in the nova150 drives the front left and right speakers for stereo and multi-channel listening. The nova150 amplifier section is likely more powerful and better sounding than any AVR available today - and relieving the AVR from driving the front left and right speakers makes it MUCH easier for the AVR to drive the center and surround speakers. When listening to stereo music the nova150 becomes your control center, and you can enjoy the full benefit of its reference DAC and ultra-low-noise circuitry. If the HTB input isn't needed it can be configured as a standard analog line-level input.
Getting LOOP-y
The nova150 includes an extremely useful LOOP (output/input) feature, allowing you to add an external tube buffer, equalizer or other processor into the signal path as desired. The LOOP button on the remote control engages and disengages the loop audio path utilizing high-performance relays. Do you want to experiment with room correction? No problem. Wire your room EQ component into the nova150 and use the LOOP button on the remote control to easily A-B between correction in/correction out.
Power Amp Mode
The nova150 provides a Volume Control Bypass feature on its digital inputs which puts the nova150 into a "power amp" mode. This is particularly useful if you have a connected source with its own volume control. Have a favorite device or app with a volume slider built right into the interface? Simply bypass the nova150 volume control for that input and use the app slider instead. VERY convenient!
Optical, Coax and USB Inputs
The nova150 offers a standard suite of digital audio inputs, including asynchronous USB for a computer. In addition, there is one coaxial S/PDIF input and two optical inputs that accommodate signals up to 24-Bit/192kHz, assuming the connected device can output those signals. If it can't, no worries; use your computer instead to output your high-res files to the nova150's asynchronous USB input.
Discrete Headphone Amp
The headphone amplifier in the nova150 was specifically designed to drive headphones with impedance ratings in the 50-300 ohm range. It is a fully-discrete power amplifier circuit (not a chip) that is designed for sheer musicality and an ultra-low noise floor. When compared to dedicated headphone amplifiers, the nova150’s built-in headphone amplifier represents an amazing value! Note: the headphone amplifier was not designed to support headphones with an impedance below 50 ohms and 600 ohm headphones will lower the output capability significantly.
World-Class Engineering
When we set out to reinvent nova, we called on a team of world-class engineers to design a platform that would achieve our simple but lofty objectives: superior performance, more inputs, greater flexibility, wireless capability, smaller size - all this, plus built in North America within the price range of our previous integrated amplifiers. We came together and created nova 2.0: the best sounding, most accommodating and most reliable integrated amplifier platform we have ever built. The nova150 has arrived and the results speak for themselves.
Made in North America
The nova150 is designed and built in North America. The circuit boards are built, the amplifiers assembled and fully tested, then inspected at an ISO 9001:2008, 13485:2003 (Medical Devices) and MFi Certified Facility in Canada. Amplifiers are then shipped to us in North Carolina where the wooden case is installed and the final product inspected again! Building this product in North America was a coordinated team effort and a significant milestone in Peachtree's history. We are extremely proud that the nova150 is designed and built in North America!
Specifications
nova150 Specifications
| SPEAKER OUTPUT | |
|---|---|
| Compatible Speakers | 2.5-16Ω |
| Output Power (WPC, 8Ω | 4Ω, <1% THD+N, AES17) | 150 | 250 |
| Dynamic Range (A-weighted) | 105dB |
| Damping Factor (1kHz, 8Ω) | >600 |
| Frequency Response (20 - 20kHz) | <+/-0.4dB |
| Inter-Modulation Distortion | >80dB below fundamental |
| Total Harmonic Distortion (AES17, 1kHz, 4Ω) | 0.008% |
| Channel Separation (1kHz, 8Ω) | >90dB |
| PREAMP OUTPUT | |
| Output Voltage (rms) | 3.8V |
| Output Impedance | 100Ω |
| Signal-to-Noise Ratio (Analog | Digital Source, un-weighted) | 105dB | 105dB |
| Channel Separation (1kHz) | >115dB |
| Frequency Response (Analog | Digital Source, 8Hz-20kHz) | <0.1dB | <0.5dB |
| Total Harmonic Distortion | 0.003% (2V rms, 1kHz, un-weighted) |
| HEADPHONE OUTPUT | |
| Output Power (32Ω, rms | peak) | 750mW | 1600mW |
| Output Power (300Ω, rms | peak) | 130mW | 275mW |
| Output Power (600Ω, rms | peak) | 64mW | 135mW |
| Output Impedance | 1Ω |
| Signal-to-Noise Ratio (Analog | Digital Source, un-weighted) | 107dB | 106dB |
| Dynamic Range (Analog | Digital Source, un-weighted) | 107dB | 100dB |
| Channel Separation (1kHz) | >100dB at 1kHz |
| Frequency Response (Digital source, 8Hz-20kHz) | <0.5dB |
| Frequency Response (Analog source, 8Hz-100kHz) | <0.1dB |
| Total Harmonic Distortion | 0.003% (2V rms, 1kHz, un-weighted) |
| USB-B Input | |
| Formats | PCM and DSD |
| PCM Sampling Rate and DSD Frequency Rate | 16-32 Bit, 44.1-384kHz PCM
2.8224-5.6448MHz DSD |
| COAX and OPT Inputs | |
| Formats | 16-24 Bit, 44.1-192kHz PCM |
| AUX Inputs | |
| Maximum Voltage (rms | peak-to-peak) | 3.5V | 10V |
| Impedance | 100kΩ |
| PHONO Input | |
| Maximum Input Voltage (rms) | 120mV |
| Impedance | 47kΩ |
| RIAA EQ | No rumble filter used |
| LOOP Output and Input | |
| Maximum Voltage (rms | peak-to-peak) | 3.5V | 10V |
| Impedance (input | output) | 100kΩ | 100Ω |
| AC Power | |
| AC Input | 100-240VAC, 50/60Hz |
| Maximum Power Consumption | 400W |
| On Mode (Idle) Power Consumption | 15W |
| Standby Mode Power Consumption | <0.5W |
| Fuse | 100-120VAC: 6.3A/250V IEC time lag high breaking capacity
220-240VAC: 3.15A/250V IEC time lag enhanced breaking capacity |
| Physical | |
| Height (including feet) | 4.37 inches | 111 mm |
| Width | 14.02 inches | 356 mm |
| Depth (including volume knob and speaker binding posts) | 13.25 inches | 336.55 mm |
| Weight (shipping weight) | 15 lbs (19 lbs) | 6.8 kg (8.6 kg) |
| Warranty | |
| Parts and Labor | Two years
Three years if registered online |
Reviews
".…unmatched features and sound quality at an exceptional price."
"Peachtree Audio introduced products with USB inputs long before most of the industry realized it was possible to connect a computer-based product to a "real" audio system."
"I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the beautiful cabinet of the new nova150. The gloss ebony mocha finish is something only seen on much more expensive components."
"The Nova150 was an even better match with my Magnepan .7 flat panel speakers. The .7s crave power, and the Nova150 delivered gobs of it. Bass definition and oomph were truly exceptional, better than I've heard from the .7s mated with other integrated amps."
"...I popped on ZZ Top's "Live From Texas" concert Blu-ray, and the Nova150 could do no wrong. ...this two-channel system with my Zu Druid V speakers was a rock and roller dream's come true."
"...Costello's vocals were believably realistic. I never really noticed how good this album sounded before…"
"A new generation calling: the utterly marvellous Peachtree nova150"
"…maxes out on bang-for-buck like no other model before it."
"What’s really interesting is how the nova150 feels more powerful in use than another super integrated…"
"That brings us to (for me) the nova150’s killer feature: Peachtree’s Dy-NEC USB A input is for digitally siphoning ones and zeroes from suitably equipped smartphones and tablets…"
"Peachtree Audio’s amplifiers remain peerless on outward appearance. One could be forgiven for buying one on looks alone."