NVA

bencat

Amplifier Destroyer
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Feb 6, 2010
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Andrew
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I have four NVA power amplifiers and I have had a basic 20 Passive pre in the past . I am a very big fan of these amplifiers they have a real ease and naturalness to their sound that is at first listen not exciting or attention grabbing which certain amps can be. But like very impressive speakers on first listen this can be a false view . Longer audition with these amplifiers reveals the real musical qualities they posses and you find yourself being seduced by how everything just sounds better and more real .

I have posted my findings regarding pairing a 30 P Power Amplier old style made in Richards time with my Quad ESL 57 speakers and I was both shocked and humbled by how easy they make driving the Quads to very high volume levels and how good the two sound . The 20 P Power amplifier also works but there are limitations which the 30 P shows up . Now the 20 P is the latest specification (Sold in current line up as 80 P) . I also have an old style 60 P Power amplifier which sadly has proven to have issues and needs sending back for repair / upgrade which will happen later this week . It will be interesting to see how a new specification power amp compares with my Old version 30 P which I know from talks with Richard were designed using Quad ESL speakers and so were very suitable to drive their not easy load . I can really confirm this for the old style amp and I amy just have stumbled on the best pairing for two items in my system . Watch this space for updates later in the month .
 

garn63

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Mar 3, 2020
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Was reading something the other day by a record producer. He had a vast music collection & claimed that digital playback sounded best to him when coupled with vintage audio.
I have had a digital source for over 30 yrs. It's fair to say the achievable sound quality has moved up a notch over the last few years.
Some folk use valves somewhere in the chain. NVA amplification is pretty true to the signal from source/dac ime and most definitely gives a natural sounding, fatigue free sound, and could be considered a good choice to use as an alternative to valve amplification. A realistic portrayal of music with plenty of texture too..to my ears. Listen to it 12 hours a day without it piss**g me off at all. :)
The horns on my spkrs are lively and can be very revealing of "noise" in the signal, as well as weak links in the chain. The NVA pre/power I use project a "smooth" signal resulting in less edginess . Ideal for my spkrs and for when using a quality digital source too. A perfect foil imo.
* "smooth". "realistic" = Only my interpretation ;)
 
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ziggy

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Mar 11, 2017
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Very much in agreement with the previous post. Digital has advanced leaps and bounds in recent years and the transparency of my NVA system has enabled me to take advantage with the Mscaler being the major investment. It did not do much for me at the dealers through the top of the range Rega amplifier and highly regarded Spendor floor standers, but when I heard it at home I found that I could not be without it. It seemed that the plus points of both digital and analogue were combined. I can listen for extended periods without the slightest hint of fatigue. I think many of the negative comments about the Mscaler are a result of systems lacking transparency and imposing their own character. NVA does not get in the way of the benefits of upscaling.
 

garn63

Wammer Plus
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Mar 3, 2020
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www.avfc.co.uk
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Have been revisiting an itch of using class A amplification for a while. I also had to move on some very special spkrs, because of my increasing inability to swap them in & out as I liked. Plumbed in some ProAc D2's in their place, which I have been very happy with.
Thought after a few months I would try them with my S300 amp. Am very glad I did. It plays with the D2's just lovely and reminded me what a cracking A/B amp it is, especially when coupled with the PSA 50SE.
It made me smile, & after a couple of days warming up I appreciated just how well balanced, detailed, & "musical" through every genre the presentation is. My tastes are diverse(to put it mildly), but am aware like most, of an amp/spkrs capabilities & the tunes they like to play. The S300 makes a pretty good fist of everything. It's amplification I can use for over 12 hours a day enjoying music with the minimum amount of analysis.
Imo thats quite an achievement really. I love class A because it plays into certain musics hands.. BUT I also love my NVA.
 
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Brown Bottle

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Jul 27, 2005
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Steve
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I watched that video last night as I subscribe to ABA. It really piqued my interest in NVA. I’ll be looking at new amplification for my Proac DB1s once we’ve moved house, I think I’ll talk to NVA.

The TV runs through my Hi-fi so lack of remote control might be a hard sell indoors.

Cheers BB
 

Phyztech

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Oct 19, 2023
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Has anyone got an opportunity to listen to the new integrated? Opinions appreciated.
 

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