coffeewithhew very interesting to read your findings. Taste buds vary of course.
Personally, I really like the Hypernova burrs and have waxed lyrical about them from day one (last April?).
I’m not such a fan of the stock burrs not becuase they are bad as such, more because they produce an inoffensive, mainstream espresso. Nothing to float my boat there.
If you drink a mix of espresso and milk based drinks, I’d stick to the Hypernova.
But if it’s only milk based drinks and you want more choc-notes punching through then yes, the Supernova. But you will lose some of clarity that comes with the Hypernova.
The reason I’m interested in your findings so much is your observation re the Hypernova Ultra burrs being a bit more acidic. Pesonally, I’m really enjoying. Each to their own etc. But your taste preferences versus mine, highlight one of the things I really like about the VS3 which is the ability to swap burrs and see what you think. And you can do that for around US$80 instead of US$300 for an 83mm flat SSP burr. That’s incredibly good value.
I have been testing the Hypernova Ultra S burrs for the last week. Even brighter/more acidic than the Hypernova Ultra.