Maybe the most unique Nova feature is the onboard ESS 9006 Sabre DAC. It’s a 24/96 upsampling D/A converter, which transforms just about any digital source to the performance of a high-end CD player. The ESS Sabre DAC’s patented jitter reduction circuit re-clocks the digital signal to almost 0 jitter before passing it through a high-resolution 24/96 upsampling processor that’s also capable of 122dB s/n ratio. This is unheard of in any D/A converter until now and out-specs anything from any other DAC on the market. But the DAC chip is only part of the story because the surrounding electronics are extremely important. We employ 11 regulated power supplies for the DAC and transformer-couple each digital input stage so noise associated with ground problems and switching power supplies is eliminated. The USB connection is very unique. It is galvanically isolated from the computer connection. This is very important because significant noise generated by the computer’s switching power supply travels down the USB ground and manifests itself as a major source of jitter. We eliminate it before the DAC sees it..

The bottom line is we know of no D/A converter on the market at any price that will better the Nova ESS D/A converter in bench tests and to our ears. To match the performance of the D/A alone would be much more expensive than the price of the entire Nova. These are lofty claims, but can be backed up by the technical specifications and listening tests. The gauntlet has been dropped…

Use the Nova as a D/A converter in your current system. If you’re thinking about adding a high-end D/A converter to your current system between $3,500-$10,000, you would serve yourself well to audition the Nova first. The Nova features a fixed line out so it can be used as a “remote switchable D/A converter” that can be added to any local or whole-house audio system to handle and improve any digital source. It’s also a great way to add a personal computer or Mac Mini® to your existing system.