Musical Surroundings Nova II Battery Powered Phono Preamp

Description

MY TAKE:

On everyone's short list for best bets in a phono preamp at the price point, the Nova has built a legion of fans around the world, and with good reason. Super quiet and immanently flexible with a host of loading options, the Nova allows you to optimize and cartridge. The new Nova II build on the strengths of its predecessor with a host of important upgraded. Strongly recommended for those seeking a tonally neutral and very quiet phono preamplifier.- Galen Carol

Nova II upgrades:

* New casework with silver or black anodized finish
* Improved resonance isolation for main board and battery power supply
* 5dB better signal-to-noise ratio
* Now with super matched transistor pair input for improved linearity and sonic performance

Born in California, the Nova II is a battery powered phono stage with incredible flexibility and performance. Based on the discrete, dual mono circuit developed by designer Michael Yee for the SuperNova, the Nova II has rear panel accessible switches for gain and loading. It features 2 rechargeable internal NiMH dual mono battery packs with Smart Sensing auto recharge feature. All AC and charging circuits automatically disconnect when listening in battery mode. The Nova II features a cool proximity detection switch on the front panel with status LEDs for changing mode.

The Nova II is wonderfully refined phono stage with a very low grain signature and superbly dimensioned soundstage. As you might expect, the battery power supply provides a black, noiseless backdrop for the music, allowing the subtlest of details to be revealed.

Did we mention the Nova II is eminently versatile? A boatload of gain and loading options allow one to tune your cartridge for optimum performance. I don’t there’s a phono cartridge on the market, moving coil or moving magnet, that cannot be optimized by the Nova II.

It’s a great phono stage and our #1 recommendation at the price point.


REVIEWS:


"To sum up, the Nova II retains all its forebears' virtues of neutrality and low coloration, with considerably improved dynamic range, robustness, and perceived life and vitality; in other words, this new Nova now has a satisfying infusion of Dionysus in its otherwise Appollonian personality. Although Yee's designs are always very quiet and extremely transparent, this latest one is exceptionally so, ranking with some of the most expensive phonostages I've ever heard.

"So just in case I've not made myself clear: The already superb performance of the Nova II's predecessor has been made even better in the new model, which means that a super value is now a superduper one. I cannot recommend it enthusiastically enough" - Paul Seydor, TAS

Paul Rigby's review of the NOVA II phono stage. Rigby's first impression of the NOVA II was "just how quiet it was--even at full volume...this unit takes silence to an extreme." Upon listening to an Ella Fitzgerald cut, he states "I was immediately impressed by the clarity of the NOVA II...the sense of clarity was overwhelming..." Further listening proved to support this theme with Rigby boasting "The clarity encouraged by the NOVA II provided lots of new information all at once." He continues "I realized it was going to take five or six listens to take everything in." In conclusion Paul Rigby declares "...the NOVA II overs a mature product that provides top quality sound." "The NOVA II is one of the best phono amps in this price range that I've ever heard."


FEATURES:
 

• Gain adjustable from 40dB to 60dB in 13 steps
• Resistive loading adjustable from 30 Ohms to 100k Ohms in 17 steps
• Capacitive loading at 200pF or 400pF
• 3 Year Warranty
• Dimensions: 10"W x 10"D x 3"H