About the Peachtree novaPre
Genuine triple threat
Genuine triple threat
It's pretty easy for the Peachtree novaPre to make your "gotta have it" list if you've been an audiophile for any period of time. With Peachtree's meticulous attention to build quality and clean design lines, their products always turn heads. But the novaPre has the uncommon distinction of being three popular products in one — and they're three products made for the digital age in which we live.
It's a world-class DAC
The novaPre is a high-end digital to analog converter (DAC). The USB input is asynchronous, so your computer audio files will be decoupled from the timing errors that often accompany them, and reclocked on their way to the heart of the digital-to analog conversion process, the novaPre's built-in ESS Sabre DAC.
The ESS Sabre 9023 DAC is recognized as being among the world's best, and the novaPre's circuitry has been consciously designed around the needs and strengths of this chip. Your digital files will be faithfully converted to a pristine analog signal that holds true to the artist's original sonic intention. And there won't be any reason to worry about contamination from outside electrical anomalies. All digital inputs (1 USB, 1 optical, 2 coax) that have a path to ground are galvanically isolated, so there's no means for electrical noise from power supplies or processors to affect the signal path downstream.
It's a hybrid tube buffer
The novaPre is prepared for today's compressed streaming music sources, with an on-board tube buffer that helps to smooth the harsh waveforms that can be present on lower-quality compression. It can be switched on or off from the remote control, depending on your personal preference.
A headphone amp, too
Lastly, the novaPre functions as an audiophile-quality headphone amp, for times when you want to feed your favorite set of headphones. And, as above, the tube buffer can be switched in or out to accommodate your source material, even when your listening is private.
The novaPre pairs beautifully with Peachtree's elegant power amplifier, the Peachtree 220.
Product highlights:
- 24-bit/192kHz USB input accepts 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, and 192kHz sampling rates
- asynchronous USB Input allows the clock inside the novaPre to control the timing of the bitstream before passing the signal to the on-board ESS Sabre ES9023 DAC
- switchable stereo triode 6N1P hybrid tube buffer design smoothes harsh digital edges from compressed sources
- galvanic isolation eliminates noise generated by switching power supplies in source components, greatly improving the sound quality
- built-in high-performance headphone amplifier lets you engage or disengage tube stage
- S/N: 96db
- jitter measured at the master clock: < 3 picoseconds
- power supply: 8,700 microfarads of filtering
- stereo separation: 94dB
- 4 digital inputs: 1 USB (Type B), 2 coaxial, 1 optical
- 1 analog aux RCA stereo input
- 2 full-bandwidth RCA pre outputs
- detachable power cord
- weight: 15.89 lbs.
- 14-13/16"W x 4-15/16"H x 14-1/4"D
- warranty: 2 years parts and labor, 6 months for tubes
- MFR # Nova Preamp RW
What's in the box:
Peachtree novaPre owner's manual
- Preamplifier/DAC
- 5' AC power cord
- Remote control
- 2 "AA" batteries
- 6' Optical cable
- CD-R disc
- Instruction Booklet
- USB Driver software instructions
- "Optical Cable" note
- "Important!" note
Featured video:
Customer reviews for Peachtree novaPre
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More details on the Peachtree novaPre
Features & specs
Inputs | ||
---|---|---|
RCA Inputs | --- | |
XLR Inputs | --- | |
3.5mm Inputs | --- | |
Phono Inputs | 0 | |
Phono Input Type | N/A | |
Optical Digital Inputs | 1 | |
Coaxial Digital Inputs | 2 | |
Digital XLR Inputs | --- | |
USB Type A | --- | |
USB Type B | --- | |
Ethernet Port | --- | |
Outputs | ||
RCA Outputs | --- | |
XLR Outputs | --- | |
Optical Digital Outputs | 0 | |
Coaxial Digital Outputs | 0 | |
Digital XLR Outputs | --- | |
Subwoofer Outputs | 0 | |
Discrete Sub Outs | ||
Headphone Output | Yes | |
Audio Features & Specs | ||
Home Theater Bypass | --- | |
Frequency Response | N/A | |
S/N Ratio (Phono) | 0 | |
S/N Ratio (Line) | 96 | |
THD | 0 | |
DAC Bit Depth | --- | |
DAC Sample Rate | --- | |
High-res Audio Playback | ||
From Network | No | |
From USB Thumb Drive (USB-A) | No | |
From Computer (USB-B) | No | |
Wireless Features | ||
Bluetooth | N | |
Bluetooth Formats Supported | --- | |
Wi-Fi | --- | |
Frequency Bands | --- | |
Streaming Compatibility | ||
Apple AirPlay | No | |
DTS Play-Fi | No | |
Chromecast built-in | No | |
Roon | No | |
HEOS | No | |
MusicCast | No | |
BluOS | No | |
Music Services | ||
Amazon Music | No | |
Apple Music | No | |
Pandora | No | |
Qobuz | No | |
SiriusXM | No | |
Spotify | No | |
Tidal | No | |
TuneIn | No | |
YouTube Music | No | |
Control | ||
Apple Control App | No | |
Android Control App | No | |
Amazon Alexa | No | |
Google Assistant | No | |
12 Volt Trigger | No | |
IR Control | No | |
RS-232 | No | |
Other Specs | ||
Width (Inches) | 14.8125 | |
Height (Inches) | 4.9375 | |
Depth (Inches) | 14.25 | |
Parts Warranty | 2 Years (tube 6 months) | |
Labor Warranty | 2 Years |
Product Research
Features
Overview: The Peachtree Nova.Pre is a tube hybrid preamplifier, 24-bit/192kHz DAC, and headphone amp; all in one. The Nova.Pre has been engineered to enhance the digital audio sources of today - such as your computer, Apple TV, Sonos system, Squeezebox player, music server, and internet radio. It also offers analog connection for your analog audio sources.
Hybrid Tube Preamp: The preamp's Tube Buffer uses a stereo triode 6N1P to smooth the harsh digital edge found in poor recordings and compressed audio. It can be switched on or off from the remote control to match your preference at any given time. It is especially good for Pandora, MOG, Spotify, and most cloud-based listening.
ESS Sabre 24-Bit/192kHz DAC: The ESS Sabre (9023) 24-bit/192kHz Digital-to-Analog Converter is widely recognized as one of the world's best DAC when dealing with digital components like computers and media servers. Jitter is all but eliminated (<3.0ps) leaving an unaltered audio signal for beautiful Peachtree Audio sonic signature sound. The ESS Sabre (9023) DAC can handle MP3, 16-bit/44.1kHz, 16-bit/48kHz, 24-bit/88kHz, 24-bit/96kHz, 24-bit/176kHz, and 24-bit/192kHz audio resolutions.
Headphone Amp: The Headphone Amp switches the speakers off when your headphones are inserted. So even when a quiet environment is required, you can still listen to high resolution music. Your headphones can also run through the tube stage so you can enjoy that smooth tube sound in solitude.
Galvanic Isolation: All digital inputs with grounds are galvanically isolated which prevents electrical noise from entering the DAC board on all grounded digital inputs. Any contamination due to the switching power supply, multiple ground points, and high speed processing is isolated from the DAC so nothing but pure 1's and 0's reach the DAC circuit.
Colors: The Peachtree Nova.Pre is available in a rosewood, high gloss black, or cherry finish.
Controls
Power On/Off Switch: The main power switch is located on the rear-panel of the Nova.Pre. Once the main power switch has been turned on, you can power on/off the Nova.Pre from the front-panel power button or remote control.
Volume Control: The front-panel volume control is motorized from the remote control and has a button indicator to allow the user to see levels from a distance.
Input Selector: There are 5 input selector push-buttons (USB, Coax 1, Coax2, Opt, Aux) on the front-panel of the Peachtree Audio Nova.Pre.
Remote Control: The Peachtree Audio Nova/Pre includes an IR remote control for wireless operation of the preamplifier/DAC.
Connections
24-Bit/192kHz Asynchronous USB Input: The Peachtree Audio Nova.Pre is equipped with a USB (type-B) port to connect to your computer. This 24-bit/192kHz Asynchronous USB Input provides the best possible resolution, which furthers the efforts of the ESS Sabre DAC. Asynchronous communication allows a high precision clock inside the Nova.Pre to control the timing of the bitstream from the computer to the DAC. This further keeps jitter at bay by not relying on the less precise audio clock in the computer.
Note: To maximize performance from our asynchronous USB technology, the Nova.Pre requires installation of a USB driver on your computer. Download the correct driver for your computer's operating system here
Optical Digital Input: The Peachtree Nova.Pre is equipped with a single optical (toslink) digital input for connecting an external digital audio source, such as a CD or DVD player. The optical digital input is 24-bit/96kHz capable.
Coax Digital Inputs: The Peachtree Nova.Pre is equipped with two coaxial (RCA) digital inputs for connecting external digital audio sources, such as a CD and DVD player. Both coaxial digital inputs are 24-bit/192kHz capable.
Analog Audio Input: The Nova.Pre is fitted with a set of unbalanced stereo RCA inputs to connect to an analog source.
Pre Outputs: The two pair of unbalanced RCA preamp-out connections allow you to connect an external amp to the Peachtree Audio Nova.Pre, and can also be used to connect a powered subwoofer.
- Variable RCA Stereo Output: 7V RMS/11.2V Peak
- Pre Output Impedance: 50-ohm (Pre Out 1), 15-ohm (Pre Out 2)
Headphone Output: The Nova.Pre utilizes a front-panel 1/4" headphone input which mutes the speakers when headphones are plugged in.
12V Trigger: The 12-volt trigger (3.5mm) automatically turns on your connected power amplifier from the Nova.Pre.
Detachable Power Cord: The Peachtree Audio Nova.Pre comes with a 5' detachable AC power cord.
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Customer Q&A
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Great all around preamp and DAC. Particularly strong at bringing out the best in compressed music from iTunes. Two preouts allow a subwoofer and an analogue aux input allows traditional source hookups. If you're running all digital sources skip the analogue preamp and go straight to this.
Joe from Cleveland