Re: Meet Ups
Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2015 1:10 pm
Remember, start with a lower amp and upgrade as necessary as long as you keep the product as supplied and don't leave it too long. You won't lose any money by doing this and the 'journey' will help you appreciate the upper models more I think. I regularly return to my other amps for a bit of a reality check, although since I updated the HH here and there, with new replacement signal caps, it's no longer the soul-less machine it was when I received it. Even the Doc respects the 'basic' design I think, although it's far too complex and over-protected for domestic use as it was designed for 24/7 reliable-for-decades pro use. The Krell has now sorted itself out and now has some grace to go with the effortless dynamics and with a simple load, the rebuilt Quad 303 is delightful in the midrange. The NVA (P50/A70 spec) is just fabulous and so easy to hear through.
I maintain (for any AOS readers that pop in) that NVA amps are a sodding bargain for the money. Labour intensive, rather than bling-intensive, the design puts as little in the path of the signal as possible and careful set-up at the design stage means the perceived sound just gets bigger and more expansive as you go up the range, each amp sounding basically 'the same' to me. The same cannot be said for various Naims over the decades in my experience as a Nait mk1, 180 and 135's sounded similar at low levels - when new anyway, where a 140 and 250 sounded harsh and scrappy to me, the 250 going off quite quickly from brand new I remember.
I maintain (for any AOS readers that pop in) that NVA amps are a sodding bargain for the money. Labour intensive, rather than bling-intensive, the design puts as little in the path of the signal as possible and careful set-up at the design stage means the perceived sound just gets bigger and more expansive as you go up the range, each amp sounding basically 'the same' to me. The same cannot be said for various Naims over the decades in my experience as a Nait mk1, 180 and 135's sounded similar at low levels - when new anyway, where a 140 and 250 sounded harsh and scrappy to me, the 250 going off quite quickly from brand new I remember.
