NVA Review Archive from HFS - read only

[savvypaul]

BMU - loan unit

Thought I'd share some impressions of the BMU following my recent loan. Equipment used: Rega P6 TT with Goldring Excel GS MC cartridge; NVA Phono 2; Rega Elicit-R integrated and Kudos X2 speakers.

I'd previously had all this kit running through a Tacima 6-gang extension, and was well used to the presentation, so I unhooked that and replaced it with the BMU straight into the wall socket and connected the amp; Phono 2; TT PSU and (unused) CD Player.

First LP to be spun was Marvin Gaye's 'What's Going On'. Being a bass player myself, Jamerson's playing on the title track especially is one of my go-to reference points and I did notice a little more depth to the bass and focus to the sound in general, which also lent greater dynamics to the presentation too. To my ears though the improvements were incremental rather than drastic, and this was borne out in subsequent listening to a variety of female vocals - Aimee Mann and Kate Bush amongst them - and some Beatles (Sgt Pepper reissue).

One thing I have experienced since I introduced the Phono 2 (swapped for a previous, new Rega Fono MC) - apart from the vast improvement in every respect

- is that I get an occasional, low-level 'popping', usually unnoticeable during normal playback. I'd put this down to a mains issue which the Phono 2 might have been more susceptible to and had hoped the BMU might resolve it, but I noticed it was still there. No big deal usually anyway, but also not one the BMU was able to eradicate.

As a matter of interest I then swapped the BMU for a bog standard 4 gang extension (from Argos, I think) with no switches or lights etc., and was pleasantly surprised to find that it really didn't suffer too much in comparison with the BMU. In other words the improvements the BMU offered over the Tacima were present with the Argos jobby too - maybe not to quite the same extent, but I felt there wasn't enough daylight between the two to justify the outlay on the BMU for me.

All of this tends me towards the conclusion that my 54-year old ears are no longer quite as 'golden' as they may once - if ever - have been. Or, of course, my mains is relatively trouble-free. In fairness we did have the old fuse box swapped out for a new consumer unit recently so I don't know if any issues we may have had were stabilised at that time. All-in-all though I felt improvements - though present - were marginal and was a bit frustrated not to have experienced the more significant differences others have reported.

 

[savvypaul]

BMU Loan feedback.

The main reason for my trying the BMU is because I suffer from buzzing/humming transformers. It’s not that the buzzing is very intrusive, but I can just hear them between tracks from my listening chair and I sit approximately 10 feet from the housing unit. I’m concerned this buzzing is not helping them mechanically or electrically and is perhaps also affecting replay performance. I will add that I can hear them clearly buzzing away when I change a record or CD, so too loud as far as I’m concerned.

The BMU arrived from Berty Bass via UPS on Friday and I installed it in the system that very evening. Considering my initial hope for quieter transformers I was somewhat disappointed as my initial perception was they seemed as noisy, but I left it all powered up overnight. The BMU was put it in to an adjoining room - just the other side of the wall so I could close the door on it. I did notice though that the buzzing transformer issue appears to be dependent on the day/ time of day, sometimes it is acceptably quiet at other times it’s just too loud.

So my initial thought was that it may not be making much of a difference to my mains issues but OK, what about system performance…?

I have a particularly sensitive ear to sibilance, but I must admit since I have gradually moved over to NVA products, adding each be they cables, amps, phono stages or power supplies each has had the desirable outcome of reducing that particular personal annoyance whilst also ensuring my musical enjoyment is fulfilled.

First up I decided to play Dire Straits debut album, in particular the track Six blade knife - a track that I find to be particularly offensive for sibilance. I sat there awaiting it to grate on me but it didn’t so I was very pleased. Cue some more sibilant material I have here, all now played perfectly well with sibilance well in check to the point it no longer grates on me, this is good!

Now of course this is not all, NVA audio is very sweet treble wise with very tuneful and well controlled bass and the addition of the BMU seems to be reinforcing these excellent attributes in my system. The presentation of Santana’s Abraxas album is amazing! Sound staging is huge, left to Left to right presentation is wall to wall in my listening room which measures approx 18’x 12.5’. For an LP12 to produce a stage this wide and high is simply staggering. I also feel the soundstage now extends further toward the listening position.

Santana’s Moonflower album can be quite sharp and strident over many tracks, but I’m delighted with the reproduction of this album in my system with the BMU installed. To those of you considering this unit, it certainly is worth a try. Like some members you may not find the positive attributes I have but for me it will certainly be on my list of further NVA additions to my system In the near future.

I cannot understand why the BMU has had his effect on my system but I tried it in place for a few evenings then removed it but then added it back in just to be sure, its positive benefit is very real to me, so to list the benefits imparted on my system by the BMU…

Clarity and control, quiet passages are almost silent, smooth n’ silky presentation and authority. All NVA attributes duly reinforced. It’s on my list of future upgrades.

Alfi.

 

[savvypaul]

I'm hoping to borrow the Phono 2 (MC) with PSU soon, but in the meantime here is a review I did a couple of years ago of the Phono 2 (MM) with my then Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge...... My system is considerably different nowadays, hence my wanting to demo the MC version.



Let's get to it.....

Build Quality is excellent, the High Gloss Acrylic cases look and feel great ( a bugger to photograph though lol ), dust magnets for sure, but they look great and in our house dust doesn't lie around too long, the cases being identical size makes them nice and neat on the shelf with large NVA emblazoned on the right side being the only markings on the front, along with a subtle single red Led on the same edge the stage and the psu, which again looks tidy and understated.

Each box is 250mm wide by 70mm high and 210mm deep.

So I hooked it all up, simple enough, very good fit on the PSU connectors to the stage itself, RCA socket the same quality of fit, with a toggle switch for Power On/Off - love the toggle switch, much prefer them to push buttons, they just feel sturdier. Upon switching on you get a little internal thump as the psu kicks in with very low amount of internal hum to begin with but this soon disappears into the background, so far so good. First up was Thin Lizzy's Fighting, one of my favourites and one I bought on release in 1975 so it's had a bit of play over the years, however it's is an album that I still really enjoy and is quite a powerful recording. My TQ amp has a built in phonostage and has been mentioned in a few reviews that it is very good too, I don't disagree, I had previously tried a Trigon Vanguard II, a Whest 2.0 and a Firebottle ( Built by a hifi enthusiast - see AoS forum for more info ) the Firebottle easily beat the Trigon AND the Whest as well as my amp's internal one, however my wife's redundancy put any purchase of the Firebottle well and truly on the back burner. So I was stuck with the TQ internal stage, this gives me something to base this review on, although I do remember the qualities of the Firebottle that I liked so will mentally refer back to that in comparison too.

The first thing that struck ( literally ) me on the opening track was the power and attack of the guitar chords, then the drums kicked in, wow, I thought, now that's a rock record, I hadn't heard it this good, ever! The Phono 2 sounded much more powerful and direct than the inbuilt stage, probably a bit more gutsy than the Valve based Firebottle but marginal. I think the Firebottle is cleaner more precise but I'm not sure that's not always a good thing for rock.

Now you know what it's like when you get a new hifi toy, you flick through tracks/albums ( possibly not as much as my wife does with the TV remote but you know what I mean), over the next few days when I had time, I ended up jumping through the various albums above and enjoyed them all. My collection dates back to 1975 and as you can tell by the choices I listened to I'm a rocker, but I also like Electronic ( Tangerine Dream, Kraftwwerk etc ) although that type of music was hard to come by in the mid 70's on LP unless someone imported them and they cost a bomb, so I don't have many early version, Kraftwerk's Man Machine probably being my earliest Electronic LP.

The key elements of the sounds I was getting from the Phono 2 at least playing Rock anyway, were:

It seems to match very well with the 2M Blue, it was setup for this ( I sent the info to NVA prior so they could match it ) and it is spot on, the soundstage is about the same as my TQ amp stage, slightly less than the Firebottle, but only a little. The music seems to fill my room better with the Phono 2, I sit at the opposite and of the room from the speakers and using the TQ stage the sound is only driven about 1/3 rd of the way into the room, using the Phono 2 its increased by about another 3 or 4 ft to halfway ( does that make sense? ), the Phono 2 has more impact on guitar and especially drums, my PMC's aren't very efficient at 87db, but the Phono 2 gave them a lot more drive and impact. They HAVE to stay as my wife picked them and likes the size of them as they don't dominate the room, I'd like bigger ones ( don't we all lol ), but for now they are here to stay, the phono 2 made me think, that's not a problem, mind you I have thought of changing to the PMC 22's as they aren't that much bigger but would give 90db and I'm pretty sure the wife wouldn't notice

I then tried a Shure 97Xe cartridge on the TT which made the sound a good bit warmer than the 2M Blue, but not as clear on the top end, it didn't stay on long, I preferred the 2m Blue.

The only thing I wasn't sure about on the Phono 2 was the sound of the drums, yes they had impact/slam/drive whatever you weant to call it, but they sounded different to how they sounded on the TQ internal stage and the Firebottle, for some reason I wasn't convinced they sounded right, strange thing to say I know, and its very subjective, but I'm of the opinion that if it sounds good and you like it, does it matter if it's right? I listen to music not HiFi ( although I'm dangerously close to losing the ability to just listen to the music and I blame Forums

) The drums might not sound right on my TQ amp stage or on the Firebottle, but I preferred how they sounded on them rather than on the Phono 2, but the Phono 2 was better overall which I think is more important.

I also tried the Phono 2 into my Inca Tech Claymore 2 amp ( recently bought off eBay ), now there's a rock setup if ever I heard it, probably as 'live' as I will ever get in my house unless the wife relents and lets me buy Floorstanders, it's ALL I'm going to get, subtle no, genteel, not in a million years, I like my music fairly loud a lot of the time but can listen at low levels if reading or browsing t'internet, but the Clay 2/Phono 2 combo had me there! The fullest I've heard my room with music since buying the various bits, the 100w Claymore drive my PMC's better than the TQ version, however the TQ is the better all round amp.

Right, I've waffled enough, it's a damn sight easier to talk about this than type it, but hey ho life's a bitch.

In summary:

Pros:

Build Quality
Looks
Size ( I like how the PSU and Stage match )
Sound Quality
Price

Cons:

Drums ( but only a tiny bit )

Would/will I buy one, not sure to be honest, it is difficult for me to demo anything near me, so having the opportunity to try out the Phono 2 is greatly appreciated, I think my biggest issue with my Vinyl setup is that I haven't decided which cartridge to go with yet and I should no doubt test cart and stage together but that's all but impossible for me, I just have to buy to try, then sell on if I don't like. A Phono stage that covers both MM and MC with switchable settings would be more practical until I settle on my final setup ( if I ever ).

Sorry if I've bored you, thanks very much to Dave for organising the demo ( and for kicking my ass - (in a nice way) - to get this written lol )

Mike. ( still as lost/confused as ever)

 

[savvypaul]

New Convert to NVA
Unread post by auto-icon » Tue Mar 20, 2018 12:37 pm

I recently stumbled across NVA when looking into the possibility of purchasing a balanced mains unit. Compared with the price demanded for a BMU by a firm based in Cumbria, the £500 asked by NVA seemed modest in comparison. Seeing some favourable reviews, the 30-day trial period, and a no-nonsense response to a query, in January I went ahead and acquired the NVA BMU. It’s a heavy piece of kit – I had it sent to my work, and my arm nearly dropped off getting it back home on the train and bus. It’s also a very sleek looking piece of kit, and with the sockets on the top of the box, easy to use. The BMU produced an astonishing improvement in my system, given how much I’d already invested in mains filters and cables. The music was clearer, faster, and more natural. The system seemed to have ‘calmed down’ – as indicated by the fact that, before BMU, my Exposure IV power amp had a tendency to hum quite noticeably, while now, with BMU, it is virtually silent. I should add that the BMU hummed when first plugged in, but is now also virtually silent.

Having been very impressed by the BMU, I decided to upgrade my Creek OBH passive pre-amp with the NVA P90sa passive pre-amp. It arrived on Friday – again a very sleek design. I plugged in my turntable, CD player, and headphone amp, settled down to listen to a CD through the headphones, only to find Jimi Hendrix blasting out through the left channel of the main loudspeaker. I didn’t know at the time that it was just the left channel – but as far as I could tell the volume controls were not working, the music was coming out at full blast, and I didn’t want to spend too much time trying to find out since the rest of the house had gone to bed.

I emailed NVA that night to explain the problem, and early next morning (Saturday) had an email back from Richard Dunn, telling me to send the pre-amp back to him. Following the exchange of a couple of emails, I ended up taking the pre-amp to him that very day. I’d never been to Sidcup before, but there’s a first time for everything, as they say.

Having arrived at Richard’s house, he invited me into his workshop (or is it better described as a laboratory?), while he started to investigate the problem. His workshop is full of NVA equipment and wires and boxes and transformers and components of various sorts and yet more wires (though I wouldn’t want to suggest that it is chaotic!) While I was waiting, Richard played for me the first ever stereo record released in this country in 1954. It was a demonstration record by Decca, with a view to persuading people to invest in stereo equipment, and the sound quality was marvellous. Richard reckoned that records had hardly improved since that time! I was also impressed by the NVA system, with a lovely Goldring G99 turntable, that Richard was using. It was by no means top-of-the-range NVA, but the music was natural and effortless.

As for my pre-amp, It turned out that the volume control had been fitted by the manufacturer with the wrong resistors (I think), and so Richard fitted a new volume control, and tested it on the system he had set up in his workshop. A run through ‘Court of the Crimson King’ showed that everything was now in order. Richard then kindly gave me a lift back to the station.

It’s now only Monday night, and opportunities for listening to my system with the NVA pre-amp have been limited. However, I have had chance to listen to CD and vinyl both through the main speakers and headphones, and I can say that the introduction of the NVA pre-amp has led to significant improvements, and no doubt, as it settles down, more will come. I’m hearing new things on recordings that I’ve listened to hundreds of times before! I never realized, for instance, that the acoustic guitar on Lou Reed’s ‘Walk on the Wild Side’ is in fact two acoustic guitars, one in each channel. In short, more detail is being revealed. The sound is also more effortless and natural. There is improvement as well to the percussion and bass. It really is a pleasure to listen to music reproduced like this – and after all, it’s all about, or at least should be about, the music.

I can assure anyone reading this that, by getting NVA products, they are getting excellent products and excellent value for money. There is no middleman, no expensive marketing – just great hi-fi.

 

[savvypaul]

By ebay email - NVA A20/P20 starter kit

I just wanted to mention that I received the above items and I’m extremely happy with the sound quality I am experiencing, I been a naim fan for over 30 years, but since I been using your amps, I’m gobsmacked, sound quality and stereo image are absolutely fantastic, I’ve never been so happy with a Hi-Fi equipment purchase ever.
Thank you NVA.
Connor6612 - Australia

Same guy posted here.

A20 P20 positive experience
Unread post by enricomarraffa » Wed Mar 21, 2018 12:05 pm

I been a Naim user for well over 30 years, until I took delivery of this entry level combo A20 P20, power and passive pre, wow, my jaw dropped almost immediately, this is first class hi end Hi-Fi at any price in my opinion, I’m using these with my unitiqute as a streamer, and a pair of entry level Sonus faber Principias, amazing.
I have mid level naim equipment pre and power amps, but after listening to this NVA combo, I’m sold.

 

[savvypaul]

I previously bought this interconnector to connect the P50 SA with the A80s, review on page 17. This newly acquired TIS Mk 2 connects the new Chord Qutest DAC with the pre amp. Previously I was using SSP Mk2 borrowed from the Phono 1.

The source is 16 Bit 48kHz Tidal streams. The improvement brought about by the additional length of TIS is considerably more than that by the first length and is not subtle. It mainly concerns the higher frequencies where there has been a transformation. To optimise the sound I have needed to change the filter setting on the Qutest from white (Incisive neutral) to green (Incisive neutral HF roll-off). My understanding, though I am non tech and could be wrong, is that the TIS is able to transfer frequencies beyond the range of human hearing which have an effect on those we can hear.
Cymbals now have a presence and clarity which was not there before. With regard to the impact of crashes this is very apparent on tracks such as Queen’s “Tie your mother down”. However the improvement brought about by more subtle cymbal work is even more pleasing. I am fully appreciating the contribution of the high-hat for the first time, very noticeable on favourite tracks such as Neil Young’s “Like a hurricane” and a lot of Def Leppard material.

The reproduction of all forms of percussion, often low in the mix, has come on leaps and bounds contributing a lot to the listening experience. This particularly concerns maracas and tambourines. “Firth of Fith” by Genesis, containing both low in the mix, has never sounded better. Background maracas have taken on a new lease of life in Led Zeppelin’s “Custard pie” and towards the end of the Rolling Stones “Brown sugar”. The impact of the tambourine really hits home in Vinegar Joe’s “Proud to be (a honky woman). This is also the case when it is lower in the mix, along with maracas, on many of the early AC/DC tracks.

To sum up, TIS all the way from DAC to mono blocks, has vastly improved high frequency performance and increased the amount of what is classed as low level detail coming out of the speakers. Having one length was a worthwhile upgrade, but two is the equivalent of a major component improvement in the context of my digitally fronted system.

 

[savvypaul]

LS3 and SSP.

Well it has taken a while but I have finally gotten round to writing a review as promised, after taking advantage of the Doc's generous Black Friday deals.

I have owned quite a bit of hi-fi over the years, some of it cost me a fair bit but after losing interest for a while I currently have a modest NVA amp and speakers combination of P20 and old A60, driving a pair of Cubettes - along with various source equipment.

The reason I settled on NVA was the sense of realism, natural warmth and a solidity to the sound. By which I mean the instruments and singers I was listening to sounded 'real', as opposed to the 2 dimensional cardboard cut-outs I was hearing from other solid state gear. As mentioned many times on this forum the NVA stuff just sounded more musical and enjoyable.

I decided to try the above to replace LS1 and a DNM interconnect. I ordered speaker cable and a single run of SSP for digital duties but Doc sent me a stereo set in error, needless to say I ended up keeping both!

Short answer is that for the price, this is one of the biggest upgrades I have tried, which surprised me. All of the NVA musical qualities are retained but there is more space around the individual performers and it is possible to listen in to strands within the music. The soundstage seems to have gained more depth and I can hear much more detail. I don't have golden ears, and I am not going to lapse into reviewer speak about 'inky black silences' or noise floors but the changes are not subtle, even to me.

These really are a no brainer at the price (even full price) and tremendous value, highly recommended. My only issue is that I am already wondering (with the generous upgrade scheme)what LS6 brings to the party? Maybe after trading up to P50sa or mono-blocks or bigger Cubes? All good fun though, thanks for the cables Doc!!

 

[savvypaul]

urrently work is crazy and consumes also a lot of my spare time, so I have been quiet as regards to the forum. As I bought myself a bit more NVA equipment

- A20x and upgrade to phono 3 (driven by one BBPSU) and a 2nd hand P50sa thanks to Derek – here are first impressions on the

Phono2 MC / Phono 3 MC

Originally (end of 2017), I had ordered the NVA phono 2 as mm version with one BBPSU. I loved what it did to my music (I used it with an excellent SUT I own and mc carts) and you can read the report Richard has posted under this review section at that time.

Richard was convinced that the mc version would be a further improvement, as he sees a SUT as a limiting factor paired with an mm stage in comparison to a dedicated NVA mc stage. So, I followed his advice and sent – a bit the mm version back to him early January 2018 to get it converted to the MC version.
Well two weeks later, the parcel arrived (and looked good), but when I had unpacked my phono 2 unit, it was obvious that a transport damage had happened. A part of the rear acryl case (near the input pair) was broken off!

I immediately phoned Richard and we agreed that I should test the phono 2 – he was assuming that besides the partly broken case the phono internally could be OK – and he would build me a new unit in the mean time. Great customer service, I have to say!

Unfortunately, when I tried the phono 2, the superb musicality I had enjoyed with the mm version was not present with the mc unit. I also noticed quite a lot of RFI noise, during replay and the reproduced music sounded somewhat uninvolving and by far not as fluid as I was used too, before. So, another phone call with Richard resulted in his feedback that the phono also internally must have had damage and it had to be returned. As my return shipment date coincided with Richard’s Cuba holiday at the end of January and his unfortunate health issues some time later, I waited patiently.

Well, it was worth the wait. Richard’s health fortunately improved quickly and in March he wrote an email and offered me to build a phono 3 mc unit, which I could use with my single BBPSU. I paid the asked upgrade price for the phono 3 and very impressed by Stu’s and Steve’s “inspiring experiences” with the NVA DIY amp build (two wonderful and very entertaining forum threads, by the way) I also ordered the new developed A20x for myself, which is the follow-up to the now discontinued A30 amp. And then, there was another parcel with an NVA P50sa on the way, as I bought Derek’s [Kimangelis] passive pre, some weeks ago.

So, this time my phono 3 (and the A20x) arrived safe in Austria and I immediately connected the phono 3 to my BBPSU and put the combo into my system. Wow, and this time the magic was back. Although, the phono 3 unit was brand new, vinyl played via the NVA phono combo immediately was very enjoyable. Simply put, there was more music coming from my system. There also was this special musical flow from vinyl, which makes it easy and fun to listen to your record collection. Very cool! My current favorite male singer, Chris Stapleton (both new LPs “From A Room Vol. 1 and 2” are fantastic, if you like your music bluesy and a bit country style, but definitely earthy, moving and raw!) seemed to be in the room with his incredible voice baring raw his soul.

Also with Jazz the phono 3 shines. Bill Evan’s famous “At the Montreux Jazz Festival” live recording has exceptional solos of Eddie Gomez on bass and Jack deJohnette on drums. The take “Nardis” is such a great piece of music, where both men can show their musical art. And the bass and deJohnette’s drum solo are very close to the real thing through the phono 3. This phono stage is lively and dynamic with realistic reproduction of the drums as well as sticks over hi-hat and cymbals. Hey, listening to music can be so much fun.

To me, the phono 3 differs from the phono 2 by showing a bit more of the music (a bit more atmosphere). This is apparent in live recordings and string recordings. Townes van Zandt’s Live at the Old Quarter, Houston, TX is a good example, as this small concert room on an extremely hot night and fully packed, lets me be there front row - feeling the heat - and enjoy one of Townes most intimate live recordings through the phono 3. Strings are also something really special. There seems to be more of the “bow on / over strings” expression there, which is nearer to the real thing through the phono 3 than what my memory tells me I had experienced listening to the phono 2 some months ago.

The only minus is that there is still some RFI noise detectable when I listen at loud volume levels on my 98 dB efficient ls system. It is not a big issue as the musicality of the phono stage is more important to me than the RFI you can hear from the listening seat only during the seconds between two takes or in very quiet music passages, as in some pianissimo parts of classical music. I think my listening environment brings this out more, as I listen to high efficient speakers in a near field environment. And maybe, we also live near one of these mobile phone masts, which most likely then is the source of this noise.

Although clearly this RFI noise must be part of the signal and will most likely degrade it a tiny bit, you can’t hear it during normal levels of vinyl replay. As this RFI is most likely present due to the acrylic case, which doesn’t provide any protection against RFI noise, Richard suggested to DIY an extra earth wire with mains plug to be connected to the earth on one of my mains outlets (only earth connected, of course) and the other end to the ground pin of my phono 3. This, unfortunately, resulted in an additional slight hum and didn’t reduce the RFI noise. So, this extra earth wire didn’t help. With the lower sensitivity of the mm version, I couldn’t hear any RFI noise (but I would think, it was also there, just on a way lower level). Apparently, as I haven’t read comments about RFI on the forum, in other systems of forum members, the unshielded cases of the superb NVA phono stages do not cause any RFI issues.

So, I will experiment more to remove this RFI noise (maybe a bigger wooden case with copper foil as a protection shield fixed to it and then put over the phono unit will bring something… just an idea, I will try, when there is time…)

Anyway, MUSIC is pure fun to listen to with the phono 3

and that’s what really counts, for me!

More personal impressions (A20x and P50sa as well as the whole NVA system) to follow….

Norbert

 

[savvypaul]

by Pianist~Envy » Wed Apr 18, 2018 12:54 pm

10 years ago a friend lent me a small NVA amp - must have been an AP10 of sorts - when I realised my budget home cinema amp (...) couldn't power some rather small Celestion speakers... At that time I was short on cash and wasn't in a place to think about new audio equipment so over the years NVA and the amp disappeared from memory.

In the last few years I've upgraded a few components - mostly budget end - and as a lover of music (really only what some would call 'classical', mostly solo piano, mostly historic recordings...) I decided I need to start building a decent system and am now in a better place to do so. I should also note I am an ex-professional flute player and would consider my ears fairly decent instruments, if not atuned to hifi as you lifelong advocates, and certainly without the technical knowledge.

Recently, that same friend this time lent me his AP20 integrated (running it for 3 weeks now) along with some NVA speaker cables (unsure which ones). Not only is this kit a clear, marked and TBH devastating upgrade on my Cambridge Audio Azur 351A (I can hear you all laughing) but I have fallen in love with the sound. It is utterly beautiful, natural, how I always thought hifi should sound (or not, as it were), and reproduces the old wax cylinder and 78s CD transfers wonderfully.

After reading up on nvahifi and trawling through this forum, i realise I've stumbled across something quite special and now intend pursuing what I imagine will be a years-long journey of NVA purchases.

 

[savvypaul]

Re: BMU Loan
by CycleCoach » Tue Apr 24, 2018 8:23 pm

My BMU review.

So what to say? Did it change things? Yes and no.
At certain times of the day it seemed to be making a huge difference, other times less so. At it's most obvious it was sort of "lifting a veil" and revealing something deep in the music - so for example the fret buzz on the mandolin in Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain," suddenly became clearer, as did the metallic attack on the fiercely plucked strings. I could clearly hear every breath Melody Gardot took while performing "Baby I'm a Fool."
Not that these things became prominent you understand, just that there was less in the way of me hearing it, and it added to the sense that it was drawing me in and I was hearing a natural performance.
On going back to it without the BMU I could still hear those little things, so perhaps it would be fair to say that the effect was subtle.
Things were perhaps more edgy and ill defined without the BMU, particularly in late afternoon when I suspect a thousand electric kettles were being switched on in the village.

So the bottom line: will I be buying one. Yes. But.

Yes but not yet. As i think there are a few things to do first which will give me more "bang for my buck," but in the end I think that subtle loss of polish will bring me back to getting a BMU.

 

[savvypaul]

AP70 and LS3

(this is a review for both, because I have no other speaker cables except Litz to the try with the amp and the other way round banana plugs don't fit in my former amp to try if there's an improvement with LS3 only)

As I wrote in my review to the Phono2 I came to NVA over being disappointed with my Cambridge phono stage (before and after the Arkless modifications). Completely happy with this item, I decided to buy a NVA amp because my Braun R4 is so old now, that it has to be repaired too often during the last years. Comparing the Braun with the equipment of my friends it always sounded best of the heard amps. So I expected a lot when ordering an AP70 with LS3. My main source is vinyl. I have a DL103 running on a Pioneer SPL-40 with heavier headshell and counterweight. Speakers are Braun LS150. Having doubts if a 70 watt amp would be strong enough to drive them, I asked Richard if I should better go for an AP80. He told me AP70 would be fine, and he was right! It's driving the speakers very powerful. Even when the amp was new, it sounded more pronounced and clear than the Braun. Joan Baez for example could be a bit nerving for me when climbing heights with her voice. Not so with the AP70. It's a pleasure to listen to the clarity of her voice. We, my family and me, where deeply impressed from the start on. Now the amp is up for four weeks and the bass increased. Not that I missed it before, but now it's nice and deep without sounding dull or affecting the heights. Even with records where I used the equalizer before, for example Deuce by Rory Gallagher or Aqualung by Jethro Tull, because they sounded a bit dull or bright, I don't feel the need to do so with the AP70, so don't miss the equalizer at all. I never thought that listening to music in such a clear and lively way would be possible. Instruments and voices are coming up in front right in the moment and with the intensity they should do. Our living room has turned to a concert hall now. The only complain is that listening at very low levels leads to channel imbalance with the standard volume pot, but most of the time could be corrected by turning the knob slowly in both directions. So thank you Richard for bringing lots more listening fun to my live than I ever had before. And thanks to AOS for making me curious about NVA with their rant about it.

Hannes-Gregor

 

[savvypaul]

Re: TSS
by Stemcor1990 » Tue May 01, 2018 8:48 am

Ok it’s time for a proper review.....

The TSS looks like a giant A80. It’s large and measures 20” x 14” x 7” so no good for a rack - not that a rack would be recommended. I keep mine on a sideboard/cabinet.

It’s heavy. I have commented on this earlier so if you can’t be bothered to go to the gym, just pick up the box a couple of times each day.

The amp has been used for long enough for me to be able to give my opinion. It is certainly the big brother of the A20 that I was previously using. The difference is that the TSS is able to dig deeper into the music and subtle nuances of musicianship become much more obvious. I keep saying to myself “so that’s how he plays it”. There is also a lot more “power” which makes bands and orchestras sound more like a real performance. The bottom line is that it does fulfil my 2 requirements. It makes musical instruments sound they are being played and groups of musicians playing together sounds like bands or orchestras. One “bonus” is the tone of guitars. It’s a lot easier to distinguish between single coil and hum bucking pickups and acoustic guitars have a real sense of weight and body. It’s difficult for me to describe but you know it when you hear it ! I cannot say that I have more bass or higher highs or middier mids. Apologies if this all sounds a bit odd but it’s the best that I can offer.

The only downside that I have encountered is some buzzing from the transformers. This is purely down the the crappy mains we have. I have borrowed a BMU and will write another review shortly.

The TSS is not cheap but is would be very interesting to do a bake-off against a Naim 500 or something similar. I suspect that on a performance per pound basis the TSS is impossible to beat.

Just to put the whole thing into some sort of context. I am currently using a PL71 with a Denon 103, Phono 2 with 2 x psu, P90SA and a pair of Cube 3s on stands. Interconnect cables are SSP throughout with LS6 between the amp and speakers. There is room for improvement so still plenty to look forward to.

 

[savvypaul]

Re: BMU Loan
by George Hincapie » Thu Apr 05, 2018 11:02 pm

Thanks for the loan of the BMU.

I tried it a few years ago as I was starting my NVA journey and at that time my experience was that it made no difference. Since then I have spent a fortune and am at the top of the NVA black box ladder, with Statement cabling throughout. Having recently upgraded my DAC, my system is now incredibly resolving. I was keen to give the BMU another go.

Long story short, I thought there was a very, very slight increase in musicality on some tracks, but it was difficult to be sure. I felt I could hear it, then I'd listen to the same track again later and didn't have the same perception. There wasn't a consistent, substantive improvement on my system, in my home, that'd make a purchasing decision easy.

I am very grateful for the opportunity to scratch that itch, thank you Richard.

 

[savvypaul]

P20/A20 Loan - plus cable amplifier starter kit
post by scotty38 » Tue May 01, 2018 12:16 pm

I'm not that great on extolling the virtues, or otherwise, of any kit that I have.

I borrowed the starter kit with my intention that I'd go P90sa/A40 as a replacement for my Meridian kit that I'd had for ages as part of an AV setup. I'd not used it as such for ages and wanted to simplify what I had. The NVA kit performed very well indeed and, as said above, I'm not comfortable using fancy words to describe what I think I'm hearing but to use the phrase often heard here everything was musical.

I'm not saying my old kit was bad or that this was a night and day revelation but there was something making me want to listen to more music and that's what I did. Take into account the cost differentials starts another story.....

On top of this, in conversations with The Doc, I was told my speakers weren't a particularly easy load, I think the term used was "horrid"

but even so the little boxes seemed to have no issues as far as I could tell.

To cut a long story short circumstances at home have put the P90sa etc on the back burner although I am wanting to sort my 2nd system out so that will be using the P20/A20.

Big thumbs up from me and apologies for lack of flouncy words....

 

[savvypaul]

BMU Loan Review
Post by Stemcor1990 » Mon May 07, 2018 4:32 pm

It’s been in my system for a week now so time to go public on my thoughts......

Firstly, it’s a typical NVA black acrylic box 14” x 11 1/2” x 5 1/4”. Four plug sockets on the top which allowed me to use a PL71, Phono 2 with 2 x psu and a TSS into a pair of cube 3s.

The TSS has an ability to let you know the quality of your mains ie if the mains is not very good then the TSS hums. My great hope was that the BMU would cure the humming. Sadly this has not proved to be the case.

I would have bought a BMU if the only thing it could do was to stop the humming. Although not successful in killing the hum I’m still interested. Why ? Because the BMU added an extra “rightness” to the music. Just like my review of the TSS there were no higher highs, no extra octave of bass and no middier mids. What it did do was to make guitars sound more like guitars, drums more like drums etc etc.

I need a BMU type device with 6 mains plugs and I’ll start a separate thread to discuss but if you are in looking to do something about your mains or want to improve your system then the BMU is well worth investigating. Perhaps my mains is beyond help !

 

[savvypaul]

A40

Have had the A40 almost 2 months now and thoroughly enjoying it.

The amp is connected directly to a Jolida Glass FX DAC III which has volume control.

I immediately noticed the airiness in the sound. The ease of flow of the music. Like a veil completely lifted from the sound.
The music just sounds right. Nothing singularly stands out. Vocals sounds natural and with texture in the voice. Again, the system just sounds musical and right.

Reminds me of my first amp, the AP20 which I had in the early 90s, but my system was rather budget then. So the set up now sounds that little more refined. The A40s power the speakers with absolute ease and just works so well with the Jolida. Should really have come back to NVA sooner.

Source is Cambridge Audio CXC to the Jolida via Profigold coaxial.
Metaxas Audio Enosis interconnects to the A40s.
LS5 to Tannoy Mini Autograph sitting on Target R4 stands.

 

[savvypaul]

CycleCoach

A20 love
by CycleCoach » Thu May 10, 2018 11:16 am

This is a review, well sort of.

It’s taken me quite a while to get my thoughts in order since I took the plunge and ordered a “starter pack” of P20/A20 and cables, and I’ll be honest I’ve spent a lot of the spare time in between listening to music rather than preparing to write this.

I need to rewind a bit. After an extended hi-fi free period (caused by kids and their destructive fingers, followed by their sporting aspirations which took up all my spare time,) I dragged my old stuff out to see what I had.

Basically I used to have the “old favorite” LP12 (Lingo, Ekos, Troika) with Naim NAC 32/5 NAP 135s and a pair of Isobariks. The speakers were U/S thanks to toddler tweeter pokage, so I found an old pair of Rogers LS4a in the loft to use instead.

The one thing I was determined about is that I didn’t want to go for analogue again. Why? Well for one thing there was a day when my brother visited with a portable mini-disc player and I fed it through the system (I had a spare input for a Walkman Pro) The compressed MP3 files sounded BETTER than the turntable. It was the beginning of the end for my analogue obsession. Add a couple of house moves into the mix and other things became more important.

I started listening to my laptop through a cheapo NAD amp and looking on t’internet for information. The first thing I noticed was that Hi-Fi isn’t such a big deal anymore, it seemed to be more centred on willy waving about expensive esoterica ownership. I started using the Naim amps again at this point.

Long story short, I happened on HFS and asked a couple of questions. Mostly the replies were surly to start with (I now know there is history – but I knew nothing of all that stuff then!)
In the end I was encouraged to try the A/P 20 starter set on a 30 day trial. Nothing to lose so why not? But how could it possibly sound better than my beloved Naim (which I had paid £4k+ on?)

And the conclusion?

The lil’ combo blew the Naim stuff away. Really. There was a clarity I had never experienced before. I was used to what I can only describe as a certain “graininess” to the sound, but this was absent. In the past I was constantly turning the volume up in a misguided attempt to hear through the mix – this was no longer necessary. I never felt that there was a shortcoming in the power stakes either – this went plenty loud enough for me. The sound wasn’t perfect though there was a tizz in the treble and plumminess to the sound which I blame squarely on the Rogers speakers with their BBC style crossovers and metal tweeters.

Longer term things have moved on quite a bit, I acquired a P50sa on eBay, along with a pair of Cube 1s and LS6 speaker cable from friends here on HFS, and this week some SSP Mk2 interconnects. On the front end I splurged the £4 to try the mysteriously wonderful Chinese DAC (now with matching power supply (details of this elsewhere,)) but for the time being the A20 is still the heart of the system.
On paper this should be a bit of a mismatch but it is a testament to the little amp that it more than holds its own in this system – I’m never thinking about it like I was about those crappy speakers, It just does its job. It does its job exceedingly well, and I have been able to hear the improvements of each change in the system clearly.

I wish I had taken the plunge earlier, but hesitated, even though NVA offers a 30 day no quibble return policy (I wanted to hear before buying I guess,) but now you can even trial the loan set of the world-beating little combo in your own home, so even that tiny hurdle is removed. I really couldn’t recommend this amp more highly.

 

[savvypaul]

A20x experience
Post by eagwok33 » Sun May 27, 2018 9:28 pm

I started my listening sessions with the A20x after about 24 hours of having the amp just powered on in my system. Paired with my DIY passive pre amp the A20x was fun from the start, with a lively and energetic way to play music. As the gain of this little amp is quite high, I could use just the 6 to 9 o’clock range of the volume pots of my preamp. Beyond that range the music played became so loud via my horns that I feared my nice neighbors, who live in the apartment above us, would no longer be our friends.

I’d like to state that lately I changed the Alps Blue stereo potentiometer to Nick’s (lurcher300B) recommendation of the mono version of the Tocos Cosmos carbon track potentiometers. This has been a clear improvement to my ears and results in more foot tapping during listening sessions.

So, a big thanks to Nick for his tip!

(I use a pair of 20K log type ones for my DIY passive pre).

During the first two weeks in operation (I left the amp continuously on), the performance of the A20x improved noticeably. At the beginning, the sound of the amp was closed-in in the mid-range, especially when listening loud and the amp sounded more forward and in your face, in comparison to the amps I normally use in my system.

Just to let you know, where I’m coming from:
I listen mainly in the near field of these full-range horns, i.e. the distance is about 2.7m. I always have loved the sound of low-powered SET amps connected to my horns as there is a magic in the mids and treble of such amp designs to my ears, and an openness, speed and fluidity in the reproduction of music, which I truly love and admire. One can get easily addicted to that...

Transistor amps can be superb but are different in this area to my ears and normally not as magical. But as always, there is a trade off with most low-powered SET amps in my experience and this is the bass slam and the overall dynamic impact of the music, also when mated with efficient speakers. For example, when I'm listening to a great rock band – let’s say Led Zeppelin - at very loud levels with my 2A3 SET monos in my system, the slam and dynamic impact of the lower registers is kind of missing.
I have heard some low-powered SETs with massive output transformers and well executed low impedance power supplies made from experienced tube amp builders, which can deliver the slam in the lower registers and the overall dynamic of music, but such amps are rare and, honestly, at this stage, I’m not experienced enough to build them.

This said, my current reference amp is the M2 clone amp, a DIY project I have done with a friend of mine, who suggested building two of these amps, one for each of us. This M2 clone is based on a First Watt = Nelson Pass design and is a class-A transistor amp, with an auto-former as voltage gain stage and a push pull Mosfet output stage. This amp is rather low in gain (14dB) and fits well to high efficient speakers. My M2 clone amp is very fluid, balanced and musically pleasing (connects you well to all kind of music played). It is dynamic, has bass slam (no wonder, it has 2x 320VA transformers in the ps) and is very quiet in operation when connected to my horns. My SE tube amps still have the edge in sheer treble magic, but listening to music through my M2 clone with my NVA phono3 / BBPSU is so much fun, that I don’t care about the tube magic the M2 can’t do.

Back to the A20x – as the review is about this amp

Regarding musicality, drive and dynamic shadings of reproduced music, this little amp is a real positive surprise after it is run in.

It is more forward and rough sounding than the M2 clone, but with its lively and fluid reproduction of music the A20x is a fantastic bargain for the money! On many recordings, instruments are reproduced with energy and verve and make me smile. The A20x has a more energetic way of reproducing music fed from vinyl or CD than the M2. And for this entry level amp, the bass performance is astounding! Of course, the M2 has more weight, authority and slam but the liveliness of the NVA amp’s sound results in a well tuned bass for sure.

If the recording is on the hotter side - as some of the brass sections on Blue Note Jazz records - this liveliness and energetic performance can be too much, though and the music reproduced over my horn ls-system in the near-field then becomes a bit too nervous and forward sounding, which makes it harder to follow the message of such music.

But hey, the amp has cost £300 (plus shipping) and has been designed as an entry level NVA amp. This said, the performance of the A20x is a bit of a miracle to me.

The only downside is a slight hum the amp produces connected to my high efficient horns, which you can hear from the listening seat in quiet passages of classical music for example or when no music is playing. (The hum increases somewhat with turning the volume up). It is not transformer buzzing as these small transformers are dead quiet in operation. It is a hum the amp produces also when connected to the speakers alone (but then lower in level), i.e. without the preamp (amp inputs shorted with cinch plugs). I assume this hum is audible, due to the amp being connected to high efficient speakers. In comparison to the A20x, my M2 clone amp is a lot quieter connected to the horn ls-system.

Taking into account, how much I invested in parts and chassis alone for my M2 clone amp - I would say roughly 3 times more than the price for the A20x – the money / performance return is by far smaller than the price difference! Ok, the M2 is the quieter, more musical and natural sounding amp plus has more heft in the bass department, but the A20x with its lively and energetic reproduction of music comes very close to this. The price / performance ratio of the A20x is definitely superb and a real challenge to beat!

A20x and P50sa:
Paired with the P50sa I bought recently from Derek (Klimangelis) all I said before about the A20x remains valid. On top of that, you get slightly more musicality as the synergy of the NVA combination comes through fully.

Richard choose the resistor values on the stepped attenuator of the P50sa very well as the high gain of the amp on my horns is a lot better under control with the stepped volume attenuator, than with my DIY passive pre with log potentiometers. What I mean, is the range of volume I listen with the P50sa is wider (from 6 to 12 o'clock in my system compared to 6 to 9 o'clock with my DIY passive pre). So, it is easier to set the volume for lower levels of music replay.

Still, the gain of the amp remains too high connected to my horn speaker-system. This means, the steps beyond 12 o'clock are for my taste too big to really enjoy the amp fully. One or max. two further volume steps result in most cases in a too loud music replay!

So, beyond 12 o’clock, more and smaller resistor steps would be ideal for the A20x given my listening environment with high efficiency on the loudspeaker side. I’m sure for not so efficient speakers the gain of the A20x will be exactly right.

To sum up the musical performance of the A20x / P50sa combination:
The pre / amp combo shines in the mids and with its sweet treble reproduction. So, well recorded classical music and especially string music is a joy to listen too.

For example, some of the wonderful ASMF / Marriner / Argo recordings are a delight with this pairing. The liveliness and vividness of the reproduced music is a strong point of the A20x as it connects you well to most of the music played through the amp. On hotter recorded records, some Blue Note Jazz records as explained above or not so great recordings (for example Norah Jones – Broken from the LP “Not too Late”), the tendency to reproduce music a bit too nervous and forward sounding remains also true for the combination of P50sa /A20x (compared with P50sa / M2 clone).

So, what is my conclusion regarding the NVA A20x:

I learned that
• an amp doesn't have to be Class A to sound great

This is good news especially for hot summer
days as the produced heat of Class A amps in summer is not so pleasant!
• never judge an amp’s performance by its size
• a minimalist design and expert knowledge of the designer plus his love for music are key
ingredients for a superb sounding amp

and finally
• an amp doesn't have to cost a lot to connect you with your music

Enjoy your music,
Norbert

 

[savvypaul]

Re: TSCS Loan 2.5m
by Stemcor1990 » Wed May 30, 2018 10:51 pm

Time for the review.....

Firstly, they look like a top of the range product. A very elegant silver braid finish and a bit thicker than my LS6. There’s really not much else to say. Just plug them in and listen.

Listening is where it gets interesting. The cables are not a night-and-day change. I think that my system has become too sophisticated for any change to make a significant improvement. What the cables manage is to make recorded instruments sound a bit more like real ones. I’m currently having something of a telecaster fixation (I won’t bore you with the details) and have found myself listening to some status quo during their transition from psychedelia to boogie. The cables just make that telecaster sound that bit more realistic. To be honest, this applies to all instruments and for me that’s good enough.

Vocals are rather good as well. Listening to Billie Holiday as I’m typing this and you can hear her voice on the edge of falling apart on Lady in Satin. One of the things I have noticed is that a good system makes some singers sound worse as you can clearly hear how badly they are singing ! I’ll let Ms Holiday off on that one. However, it can become quite engaging and enhances the “performance”

So I’ll end by saying that I have taken advantage of Green Wednesday and ordered a pair. If you are considering an upgrade then a pair of TSCS are worth considering and might be a better purchase than a bigger amp.

 

[savvypaul]

SSP,SSC, Chinese Dac and Allo Digione player
Post by Lordie82360now » Sun Jun 03, 2018 10:22 am

NVA Super Sound Pipe, Super Sound Cord, Chinese Dac and Allo Digione player

I am not so sure I know my Kernal from my elbow (I know I don’t) but my recent purchases of an Allo Digione player, SSP, SSC and cheap Chinese Dac have rekindled my interest in this hi fi “hobby”.
Not since hearing my first system in the early seventies have I been taken aback by the musicality of the sound presented by these components.

I have had a frustrating time trying to settle on a musical streamer with an intuitive app for control from iPad or iPhone, preferably the former - with a larger scene for older eyes. I have been through a number of examples over the last two years, but I really think the Allo Digione with Volumio 2 is the one (Hurrah shouts my wife!)

The digital coaxial 50cm Super Sound Pipe from NVA has been a revelation since direct connection to most of the former streamers and my Quad Vena with built in Dac. It is smooth, articulate and with a lack of fatigue making listening to music a renewed pleasure. The former, mainly Atlas interconnects, didn’t tame a “tizzyness” in the treble, but the SSP ironed that out completely.

The addition of a cheap Chinese Dac advocated by Richard and a pair of 70cm Super Sound Cords again from NVA via Quarknosis on Hi Fi Subjectivist (Thanks Quark) while bypassing the Vena’s dac has taken things to another level. It’s hard to quantify, but it just sounds even better to my ears and that’s what counts in the grand scheme of things. How can that be?
The only trade off is I have to increase the volume control slightly higher to achieve an equivalent sound level pre Chinese dac insertion.

The inclusion of an Ifi Power Supply for the Digione player is the most recent development, but I haven’t had time as yet to evaluate whether it makes a further improvement. The original Allo power supply now is attached to the Chinese Dac.

The Allo Digione player is the easiest way of getting all that is good from the Raspberry PI 3 with the minimum of fiddling about and is plug and play - just what I needed.
Volumio 2 is also great being user friendly on my iPhone although it doesn’t work with my iPad mini, a first generation machine, so that will have to be replaced. Doh!
It’s a great bit of kit and hopefully its the end of my quest for a digital source. Perhaps an aluminium case is the next move?
The combination with the NVA interconnects is a winner!

One word of warning - If you are impatient (it was out of stock on Volumio’s European shipping option at the time) like me and you import it direct from India - Import duties and a Fedex admin fee on top of postage are steep!
Digital Source: Allo Digione player, volumio 2, cheap Chinese Dac, Raumfeld Connecter 2, Ipad mini, Audirvana on iMac.
Amplifier: Quad Vena combined amp/dac
Interconnects: NVA Soundpipe 2, NVA SSC and Supra optical.

Headphones: Soundmagic sp150
Speakers: Quad S1, modded Rega Kyte and NVA LS1.