Here’s a new feedback today from NimitraS server with Nikola linear power supply customer. He shared his feedback with me after setting up NimitraS with his Chord Dave.
Keetakawee,
That is a great job just what I was asking for top support. Oh and by the way this streamer puts my Auralic Aries streamer to shame great sound.
This is also the first server that I setup with USB storage using Linux partition. I’m glad to find out it can fine with Nimitra platform. 🙂
I received similar questions from a few clients recently since NimitraS is $1895 and you can buy Nimitra + Nikola at about the same price too. After answering their questions, I believe it’s worth sharing my insights about this upgrade path.
Upgrading server with good linear power supply will really help your server shine a lot. I tested Nikola linear power supply with my own server, Roon Nucleus/Intel NUC, Mytek/exaSound/Yulong DAC and its worth upgrading for high quality power supply.
The question is actually more like whether you should spend $500 more on NimitraS upgrade or Nikola linear power supply first. If you choose NimitraS, you get SLC SSD and premium RAM upgraded with modification modification including high quality clock on USB audio.
If you choose Nimitra + Nikola, you get high quality linear power supply tuned with highend Esoteric transport as a reference for very low coloration sound and high neutrality. Both choices are good on its own with different ups and downs.
But if you have more budget in future, both choices will affect your upgrade path a lot. If you choose NimitraS first, you can just order NikolaS and you can enjoy the improvements with power supply upgrade immediately.
If you choose Nimitra + Nikola first, you will need to ship both products back to me first to apply Signature upgrade and wait until I finish and ship the upgraded products back. While I offer free shipping for upgrade combo, the waiting time without Nimitra is less desirable.
So I recommend to choose NimitraS over Nimitra + Nikola for your first purchase. Once you have more budget to further your upgrade path, you may consider adding NikolaS later. This way you don’t have to send your Nimitra + Nikola back for continuous music enjoyment. 🙂
Hello everyone. After NimitraS being reviewed in StereoNET UK, Marc is also reviewing NimitraS with new linear power supply for StereoNET Australia review right now. It’s called NikolaS for Signature upgrade to match with NimitraS I released earlier.
As I built custom version of Nimitra, I also built custom version of Nikola too since its release. Sometimes we tried new designs with improved components or even new circuit design for clients. Sometimes I also built over $1,000 version of Nikola too.
But making an official product is different, you need to make sure it’s mature enough to stay like that for everyone with good reference, good reliability and selected parts won’t be changed after it hits production line.
Based on feedback I received with Nikola and its custom version, I can finalize the design plan for NikolaS as official product and release now. It’ll be an ideal match for NimitraS with firmware 3.0 update producing most analogue sound server and it can greatly improve sound quality of DAC and other servers too.
After research and development for price / performance ratio, the final price for upgrade to NikolaS is $695 USD with the following features.
NikolaS (Signature Upgrade) Features:
-Capacitors are upgraded with improved matching set providing fuller dynamics and richer sound
-IEC inlet is upgraded with Furutech FI-03 Gold model improving details and resolution
-Internal wiring is upgraded with 14 AWG high purity pure copper tuned for analogue sound (Made in USA)
Nikola customers can send unit back to apply NikolaS upgrade at $200 more meaning there’s no upgrade fee to upgrade from Nikola to NikolaS. Fidelizer will provide free shipping during introductory period for all Nikola purchases in November 2018.
You can read more about Nikola Linear Power Supply product and order with optimal voltage your audio device according to our recommendation. We also changed USB option to be USB Host meaning you can use any USB cable to connect with Nikola 5V version. 🙂
Here’s a new feedback today from recent customer who’s using NimitraS+NikolaS with DragonFly Red while waiting for his Kii Three to arrive.
Hi. I have been playing around with the NimitraS so far when I got time. It sounds really great! I am currently just using it with the dragonfly red and HD600 headphones until I get the kii three setup.
With good transport, even Dragonfly can make big difference. I’m sure Kii Three will impress him even more as it did before with other clients. 🙂
Here’s a new feedback today from a jazz producer as follow up after updating firmware 3.0 on his server. It seems sound improvements with firmware 3.0 is more serious than I expected it to be on custom highend Nimitra server I shipped last year.
Fabulous. I really like the improvement. My DSD copies of my analog tapes are so much closer now. I can listen to 4XDSD copies now and like them whereas before I could not listen to them too much.
Stay at it as you’re making huge steps forward. Don’t stop. This is wonderful.
Components he used with Nimitra server was broken so he sent power supply to his technician for some modification to have 5V output for JCAT USB Card and received a complimentary message from him too.
My tech fixed the power supply by putting it inside your 12V chassis.
And he said you did a good job on it. Normally he is not so complimentary to other people’s work but he said yours is a good job.
I’m really happy to hear you can enjoy the music from Nimitra together with analog tapes now and it’s an honor to receive complimentary message from fellow serious technician too. Please contact me if you don’t have firmware 3.0 installed yet so you won’t miss this great update. 🙂