The Applause has rapidly become one of the most popular designs in the Nova loudspeaker line. It is praised by audiophiles and studio engineers alike for its superior accuracy without sacrificing musicality. As evidence of its excellent reputation, the Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI) included the Applause in its testing of various digital watermarking technologies.

Based on the success of the Applause, Nova proudly announces the Applause S — our latest creation for the professional audio market. Designed as a high-resolution reference tool for the recording industry, the “S” incorporates the positive attributes of the Applause in a more compact form-factor. A special feature of the “S” model is a massive baffle milled from a solid billet of aircraft-grade aluminum, greatly reducing unwanted enclosure resonance. It is suitable for both stereo and multi-channel recording and home theater applications.

The “S” model utilizes the same tweeter found in the Applause. This tweeter achieves very neutral output response without any forms of “ringing” or “metallic” coloration. Double rear chambers provide for an ultra low resonant frequency and minimize compression and air noise. The solid aluminum front plate is individually machined for controlled directivity and excellent dispersion in both horizontal and vertical planes.

The two Carbon-Fiber composite woofers are derived from the Applause, handling the mid and low frequencies. The chassis is extremely rigid and acoustically dead to prevent ringing. The diaphragm is very stiff and yet low in ass, allowing excellent piston-like performance at low frequencies.

Another unique feature of the Applause S is its built-in high-current 300 Watt power amplifier. This custom amplifier is designed and manufactured by Threshold exclusively for the Applause S. Threshold is a name that stands for excellence in amplifier design. It has a legendary history of innovation, patented circuit topologies and exemplary performance — in the laboratory and in the real world.

Each built-in monaural amplifier contains a massive torodial power transformer and over 90,000 uF of filter capacitance, providing performance superior even to many stand-alone designs. The custom-built low noise transformer and the rectifier circuitry are built into a separate chassis, eliminating unwanted magnetic interference to the critical audio circuits. Hand-selected bipolar output devices are used, delivering high-current capability to the speaker drivers. This sophisticated design employs minimal feedback, attesting to its inherent stability and excellent open loop performance. It is direct coupled input to output, with no capacitors in the signal path whatsoever. It utilizes military grade metal film resistors and carefully matched JFETs. All told, the “S” amplifier represents the consummate balance of brute force and nuance, high power and inner detail.

The Applause S is the end result of a determined effort by Nova and Threshold to design and manufacture nothing less than the very best of its kind. It is truly a revolutionary product that must be experienced to be appreciated.