Topic: NuVo - Whole Home Audio

[Audio Excellence]

Now available in the Philippines:

NuVo - Whole Home Audio

NuVo whole home audio systems guarantee an unparalleled listening experience, with wired and wireless distributed audio solutions specially designed to match incredible fidelity with the latest in streaming source variety and intuitive control. Easy to install, easier to enjoy, NuVo systems are the perfect fit for any home.

The freedom of wireless. Sounds beautiful.

Offering the highest fidelity in wireless audio and immediate access to the near-infinite tunes of Internet Radio, there’s never been a better way to keep ears satisfied than with the NuVo Wireless Audio System. Conveniently modular-based and versatile, the easy-to-install and IP-based system is comprised of multiple player options, all interchangeable and compatible to custom fit every installation.








With NuVo's Internet music streaming services listen to all of your favorite music, all of the time. Effortlessly accessible through our mobile apps for our wireless audio systems.

[Audio Excellence]

[Audio Excellence]

NuVo Whole Home Audio System Review
Whole Home Audio - The Easy Way

The NuVo Whole Home Wireless Audio system combines internet and network music streaming with audio distribution that is similar in concept, but much more flexible, than a multi-zone home theater receiver.
With the NuVo System you can access streaming music services from the internet, music content stored on PCs or USB flash drives, and Bluetooth devices, as well as being able to plug in your CD player or audio cassette deck. The Nuvo can then send music from any of those online, network, or connected sources to any room in the house where a compatible player is located.





To accomplish this, the Nuvo System provides a Gateway Router than connects to your own home broadband router. The Gateway serves as the wireless access point for the NuVo system players and control system. You can build the rest of your system be adding one or more Nuvo self-amplified wireless audio players, depending on how many rooms, or zones, you need. There are two players available, the P200 and the P100.

Product Overview - GW100 Wireless Gateway

1. Five Ethernet/LAN Ports - One provided for connection to home router, four can be assigned to compatible NuVo players.
2. Built-in WiFi (802.11n) - Dual Band simultaneous transmission capability (2.4 and 5.6 Ghz).

3. A total of 16 Nuvo player zones can be accommodated.

4. Suggested Price: $199 each.

Product Overview - P200 Wireless Audio Player

1. Two channel audio amplifier - 60 wpc (8 ohms, 2-channels driven from 20Hz to 20 KHz at .5% THD).

2. Audio Inputs: One 3.5mm analog stereo, one USB

3. Audio Output: one 3.5mm analog stereo (for headphones or powered subwoofer).

4. Audio Processing: Audyssey Dynamic Volume, adjustable bass and treble equalization.

5. Wireless Audio Connectivity: Bluetooth (with aptX compatibility), Wifi (8,16, and 24 bit rate and 96Khz sampling rate compatibility over Wifi).

6. Network connectivity: Ethernet/LAN, WiFi.

7. Music Streaming Service Access: TuneIn, Pandora, Rhapsody, SiriusXM.

8. Supported Audio Formats: Analog (via line-in). MP3, WMA, AAC, "Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, WAV (via network or USB).

9. Suggested Price: $599 each.

Product Overview - P100 Wireless Audio Player

1. Two channel audio amplifier - 20 wpc (8 ohms, 2-channels driven from 20Hz to 20 KHz at .5% THD).

2. Audio Inputs: One 3.5mm analog stereo, one USB.

3. Audio Output: one 3.5mm analog stereo (for headphones or subwoofer).

4. Audio Processing: Audyssey Dynamic volume, adjustable bass and treble equalization.

5. Wireless Audio Connectivity: Wifi provided (same bit rate and sampling rate comp ability as P200 player), Bluetooth compatibility not provided.

6. Network connectivity: Ethernet/LAN, WiFi.

7. Music Streaming Service Access: TuneIn, Pandora, Rhapsody, SiriusXM

8 Supported Audio Formats: Analog (via line-in). MP3, WMA, AAC, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, WAV (via network or USB).

9. Suggested Price: $479 each.

System Control Requirements: NuVo IP Control via Apple iPod Touch, Apple iPhone, Apple iPad or Android Mobile Phone, Android Tablet

The system provided by NuVo consisted of its GW100 Gateway and one P200 and one P100 wireless audio players.

Additional Components Used in this Review:

Apple iPad - Model MD510LL/A - 16GB (for remote control).

Loudspeakers: Four Radio Shack Optimus LX5s (two used on the P200 and two used for the P100).

Subwoofer: Polk Audio PSW10 (used with the P200 Player).

Headphones: Voxx International 808

After unboxing the components of the system, the first thing that needs to be done is to make sure that the necessary control software has been downloaded from the NuVo website onto the Apple or Android device you are going to use to control the system. The software provides all the needed instructions and illustrations, in the form of an online user guide, that you need to put your system together and make it operational.
After you have successfully downloaded the control software, you need to integrate the GW100 Gateway into an existing home network. To do this, you connect the Gateway to your home router using an Ethernet cable, and follow the remaining setup instructions provided from the online user guide.

After you have verified that GW100 is operational, the next step is to set-up your Wireless Audio Players. In my case, I chose to place the P200 player in my living room and the P100 in my office. I then linked the P200 and P100 to the GW100 Gateway via the WiFi option.

The next step is to establish linkage to your source content. In addition to the online streaming options, I linked the iTunes library located on my PC to the system using the Music Share feature (requires software download to PC), and I also plugged in a Blu-ray disc player (using the two-channel audio connection option) into the P200. In addition, I also added a powered subwoofer to the P200's audio output, and a pair of headphones into the audio output of the P100.

With those steps completed, I was ready to enjoy some music.

System Navigation

When I received the NuVo system for review, I didn't quite know what to expect, and will admit that it took me a little while to get used to the iPad, and the NuVo control interface. However, once I got used to the menu flow, navigation was easy.
Using the iPad, I was able to control both the P200 and P100 players from anywhere in my condo, and was especially pleased that I could play a different source on each player (or zone). For instance, I was able to a send different internet radio station to each player.

Also, the Music Share feature that works with your PC sources, can access two different pieces of music content stored on your PC and send those to different rooms. The system also allows you to send the same music content to both rooms, in both a simultaneous or trailing mode. Let's say you come home and your significant other is listening to a great song accessed from your PC, or other network connected device, on one of the players, but you are bummed because you missed the start of the song. No problem, you can send the same song to another player and start it from the beginning while it is still playing on the first player (except for real-time local or internet radio broadcasts).

With the Nuvo system, depending on how you group your "zones", you can send one source, including an analog line source, to all the zones. Likewise, you can send any combination of sources to any individual player, or group of players. The only limitations may be service dependent. For example, while you can send two or more TuneIn radio stations to different zones or group of zones, Rhapsody only provides one stream at a time. So you can't send multiple Rhapsody feeds to different players.

Audio Performance

With the speaker setup I had, I found that the sound quality was very good overall, which good channel separation and clear detail. In both the living room and office setups, the power output from both the P200 and P100 players filled the room from whatever source was selected.
Also, since the P200 and P100 players both have an analog audio output (via 3.5mm jack), if you don't want to use it as a headphone plug-in, you can connect a powered subwoofer and "voila!", you now have a mini-2.1 channel audio system that can provide a fuller listening experience.

However, it must be pointed out that you cannot incorporate the NuVo system as part of your TV, DVD, or Blu-ray disc viewing and listening experience. Although you can physically connect the analog audio output of a TV, DVD, or Blu-ray Disc player, to either the P200 or P100 player, the audio from those sources will be out-of-synch with the video. This is due to the audio distribution and processing characteristics of the NuVo system.

However, if this problem can be corrected via a possible audio delay compensation firmware update or hardware modification, and add some sort of virtual surround processing on the playback side, it would be great to be able use the NuVo's 2.1 channel audio output capability in a modest home theater system setup. If that does occur, then also adding a digital optical input option would also give the NuVo players some added audio connection flexibility.

Final Take

I definitely enjoyed using the NuVo Whole Home Audio System that was sent to me for review. Although the system I used was only a two-zone system, it was enough to give me a good idea on how this system can be employed throughout a home, bringing music from just about any source to anywhere a P200 or P100 wireless audio player is located within Wifi or Ethernet range.

As stated earlier, the NuVo system provided easy access to content from several sources, and allowed easy distribution and management of those sources in different zones using an iPad as the controller. In addition, volume and tone settings are provided for each zone independently. The sources I had access to included internet radio, networked PC content, USB flash drive stored content, and CD audio content via analog audio input connection. I did not have access to a Bluetooth source device, so I was unable to test the streaming functions or audio quality from that type of source.

For those not familiar with iPads and tablets, there is a short learning curve as you get used to screen taping sensitivity of those devices - sometimes found myself navigating to the wrong step, but fortunately, it is easy to backtrack to the proper navigation steps.

The one thing that did bug me is that the actual volume controls on the P200 and P100 players are quite sensitive and you can lose control of your volume settings quickly - However, using a video tip provided by NuVo, controlling the volume using the controller, instead of the front of the players, can provide very precise control - watch video.

If you are looking for a way to provide music throughout the house from a central source point, but don't want to tear up the walls and install lots of cabling, the NuVo Wireless Whole Home Audio System may be just the ticket. It is also easy to set up and use. However, as you add more rooms, the system can end up still being pretty pricey.

For a close-up physical look at the NuVo GW100 Gateway, P200 and P100 Wireless Audio Players, check out my companion Photo Profile.

[Audio Excellence]

Review: NuVo Wireless Audio System takes a few steps forward, and a couple back

When one company comes to dominate a market in the fashion that Sonos rules the midrange, multiroom audio scene today, I’m always delighted to see a challenger emerge with a superior product that exploits the weaknesses in the champion’s calcifying armor. There is no better way to advance the state of the art.

So when I heard that NuVo Technologies was finally shipping the multiroom audio system it first demonstrated at an industry trade show way back in the fall of 2011, I couldn’t wait to hear it. After comprehensive evaluation, however, I must report that consumers will have to wait a little longer for a market shakeup: NuVo’s Player P100, Player P200, and Gateway GW100 deliver only incremental improvements over the much-less-expensive Sonos ecosystem. In some respects, NuVo’s system is inferior to what Sonos currently offers.

How it works
For the system to operate wirelessly, you must purchase NuVo’s Gateway GW100 and connect that component to your router using an ethernet cable. The Gateway creates two MIMO (multiple input/multiple output) networks, one on the 2.4GHz frequency band and one on the 5GHz frequency band. Each NuVo player can connect to either network and play media from the same music sources, namely your local library or one of the music services that the system supports. As with Sonos systems, the NuVo wireless networks operate independently of any conventional Wi-Fi networks you might also be running.



The Gateway is capable of transmitting and receiving two 150-megabits-per-second spatial streams for a maximum wireless data rate of 300 mbps. NuVo claims that the system can support up to 16 audio streams simultaneously, with each stream carrying data at up to 600 kbps (more on this later).

If you connect all of your NuVo players to your router through ethernet, you don’t need to buy the Gateway. In this respect, the NuVo system is similar to a Sonos system, but with a key difference: As long as you connect at least one Sonos module to your router via ethernet, all the other modules can operate wirelessly on Sonos’s dedicated mesh network. That single wired module can be any player, or it can be Sonos’s $49 Bridge.

If you want to run any of NuVo’s modules wirelessly, however, you must buy the Gateway, which costs $150 more than the Sonos Bridge. The presence of a five-port gigabit ethernet switch might account for some of the Gateway’s comparatively high cost, but if you’re going to hardwire NuVo’s players, you might as well connect them to your router.

Once you’ve connected and configured your players (described in the next section), you control the NuVo system using your smartphone or tablet running the company’s Android or iOS app. (NuVo has announced a dedicated hardware controller, but it's not yet available.) NuVo offers desktop utilities for Macs and for Windows PCs that make it easy to add music stored on your computer—or a NAS box on your network—to the NuVo library, but the company doesn't supply a software controller for the desktop. I’ll get into more depth about the controller apps below. In general, however, as with the Sonos system, each player can play an independent track, or you can stream the same music to two or more players and the system keeps the music in perfect sync.

NuVo Player features
Each of the NuVo Player models has a built-in amplifier, a set of five-way binding posts (for unpowered speakers), a line-level audio output (for an outboard amp or self-powered speakers), a line-level audio input (to support a digital media player or other source), an integrated wireless adapter (to connect to the Gateway), a 10/100 ethernet port, and a USB 2.0 port. The $479 Player P100 delivers 20 watts per channel, while the $599 Player P200 provides 60 watts per channel.

Unlike the nonamplified Sonos Connect, neither NuVo Player unit sports a digital-audio output, so you can’t connect them to an outboard digital-to-analog converter (DAC). And unlike the Sonos ConnectAmp, neither of the NuVo Players has a dedicated subwoofer output. You could connect a subwoofer to the line-out jack on either player, but it would need to be a sub with a built-in crossover to filter out the higher frequencies that are already being sent to any connected speakers.

Both NuVo players feature Audyssey Dynamic EQ and Audyssey Dynamic Volume, the latter of which is designed to maintain a consistent volume level across all the music in your library. You can bypass the volume-control feature if you don’t like it, and you can tweak the EQ settings for each player using the controller app.

In addition to a beefier amp, the P200 supports Bluetooth audio streaming using CSR’s excellent AptX audio-encoding technology. The P200 is also outfitted with a microphone input to support Audyssey MultEQ room-equalization technology, but that feature won’t be implemented until later this year, according to a NuVo Technologies spokesperson. Aside from the expected differences in weight and power consumption, the remaining specs are the same for both players.

The Gateway is powered by a wall wart, but the two players have integrated power supplies with detachable AC cords. None of the three components is likely to win an award for design innovation, being housed in the type of thin, black plastic that router manufacturers are wont to use. Each of the two players has nonbacklit, touch-sensitive buttons for volume up, volume down, and mute. A very small LED indicates power and connection status; the P200 has a second LED to report its Bluetooth status.



Testing the system
I first installed the Gateway in my “home-run closet,” where a number of other devices also reside (the whole purpose of a home-run closet being the place to stash your network infrastructure). The Asus RT-N66U dual-band router that forms the heart of my wireless network is there, as well as the wireless iControl module that drives an ADT Pulse home control/security system that I’ve also been testing (the iControl has a Wi-Fi router and a Z-Wave transceiver).

I connected the Gateway to my router with a 3-foot cable, set up the P200 in my home theater (about 35 feet from the closet), and set up the P100 in my master bedroom (about 60 feet away). The moment I began streaming music (encoded as 16-bit, 44.1kHz FLAC files) from my home server, the system was plagued by frequent dropouts. I contacted NuVo and described the problem and my setup.

The company’s suggestion was that the Gateway should be at least 9 feet away from any other wireless sources, including wireless routers. Um, I have a home-run closet, not a home-run room. Fortunately, my home also happens to have at least one hardwired ethernet connection in every other room, and moving the Gateway to my kitchen solved the dropout problem. That said, I previously tested a Sonos system with one unit connected directly to the router in my closet and three other units operating wirelessly elsewhere in the house, and I encountered no similar problems. NuVo’s Gateway shouldn’t be so sensitive to the presence of other wireless hardware.



Once I got the system operating correctly, I began my evaluation by connecting a pair of Bowers & Wilkins’s new M1 bookshelf speakers to the P200, and a pair of Audioengine’s P4 monitors to the P100. I did not test the system with powered speakers.

One of the few areas where the NuVo system outshines a Sonos system relates to the highest-quality audio files. The NuVo system can stream and decode FLAC files encoded at up to 24-bit resolution, with sampling rates as high as 96kHz. Sonos devices currently support FLAC files with a maximum of 16-bit resolution and a 44.1kHz sampling rate.

Speaking of high-bit-rate music, I noted above that the NuVo system can support up to 16 audio streams, with each stream carrying data at 600 kbps. The bit rate of a 24/96 FLAC file can easily exceed 1000 kbps, so how does NuVo's system manage it? By analyzing the bit stream before transmission and compressing when necessary.

I buy high-definition tracks from Bowers & Wilkins’s Society of Sound service, so support for 24/96 tracks is kind of a big deal to me. If you think CD-quality audio is good enough, you won’t care. You’ll care even less if you purchase tracks from Amazon, Google, or iTunes, or if you primarily stream music from services such as Pandora, Rhapsody, or SiriusXM. (NuVo supports these services, but not Last.fm, Rdio, Slacker, Spotify, or several others that Sonos systems support.)



I chose Peter Gabriel’s Society of Sound album Half Blood for my first listening session. A collection of Gabriel’s hits arranged for and recorded with a full orchestra, the album is encoded in 24-bit FLAC at a sample rate of 48kHz, and it sounded marvelous on the NuVo system. "San Jacinto," the first track I played, opens sparingly, with just piano and the shimmering ting of a triangle. Garbriel’s voice then enters the picture, accompanied first by pizzicato strings and then marimba. Both NuVo Players delivered the delicate arrangement with aplomb, rendering each instrument distinctly.

I had similar experiences with a variety of other tracks, including a number of albums I had ripped from CD and encoded as FLAC files. Speaking strictly about audio reproduction, NuVo’s players are top shelf. I wouldn't go so far as to describe them as audiophile quality, but they are very good. (For the record, I wouldn't describe a Sonos system as audiophile quaility, either, but the presence of a digital output on the Sonos Connect does give you the option of utilizing your favorite high-end, outboard DAC.)

NuVo’s controller apps, on the other hand, need a lot of work. (I tested the Android version on a Samsung Galaxy S II and the iOS version on a second-generation iPad.) The user interface is designed well enough, with large buttons for playback control, and thumbs-up/thumbs-down buttons for services such as Pandora. You can queue up as many tracks as you’d like, including entire albums stored on a networked computer or NAS. (Windows Home Server is not supported, but you have an easy workaround.) You can also connect a USB hard drive to either Player’s USB port, and the controller app will automatically index the tracks it finds there—another feature that Sonos can’t match.

But NuVo's controller fails significantly in that you can’t edit the queue in real time or save it as a playlist. With a Sonos hardware controller or controller app, you can move tracks up and down the queue by touching and dragging them; remove a track with a flick of your finger; insert a new track in the middle of the queue; and save the entire queue as a custom playlist. NuVo says that the company plans to add queue-editing features in a future version of its apps, but that users must create playlists in iTunes or Windows Media Player.

Should you take the plunge?
Consumers can buy the Gateway GW100, Player P100, and Player P200 from a custom installer or—a first for NuVo Technologies—directly from select online retailers such as Parts Express. If you’re a fanatic about audio quality and you have a deep library of high-resolution audio tracks, NuVo’s system is a good value. Apart from the Gateway's requiring ample distance from your wireless router, the system is very easy to set up and use. More important, NuVo’s system is capable of streaming high-definition audio tracks that a Sonos system will simply ignore.

NuVo’s controller apps are significantly inferior to what Sonos has to offer, but software is easy enough to update. On the other hand, if it were easy for Sonos to add support for 24-bit, 96kHz FLAC files to its product line, I suspect the company would have done so by now.

If the quality of your music library tops out at 16-bit, 44.1kHz FLAC or Apple Lossless tracks, though, I see no need to spend the additional cash to acquire a NuVo system over a Sonos. Whereas a one-room Sonos system can be had for less than $350 (a $49 Bridge plus a $299 Play3), a one-room NuVo system will set you back more than $700 (a $199 Gateway, a $479 Player P100, plus the cost of speakers).

One could argue that I'm making an apples-to-oranges comparison here, so let's run the numbers for an amplifed Sonos system: A wireless one-room system with a $499 ConnectAmp and a $49 Bridge would cost $548, plus speakers. That's still $130 less than a NuVo system based on the Player P100, and it's $230 less than a NuVo system based on the P200. Bringing music to additional rooms in your home will also cost considerably more with a NuVo system, because Sonos has a larger collection of hardware with a much broader range of prices.

Bottom line
It wouldn’t be fair to say that NuVo Technologies needs to go back to the drawing board: Aside from requiring the Gateway for wireless operation (and the fact that the Gateway is overly sensitive to the presence of other wireless devices operating in close proximity), the company has a capable multiroom audio system. But NuVo would be well advised to have its accountants sharpen their pencils to improve this system's price-performance ratio for consumers who don't have high-resolution music libraries.