Ok, playing a Hammond organ Blue Note compilation with nva amp boards still on mid & tweeter. Big Avondale regulated front end amps on bass for the time being.
Now I remember what my AP20 was like in this system. Heavenly
I was dancing about at home with my four year old daughter a couple of weeks ago when listening to the AP20. The urge to dance and be happy was enormous (even to Jimi Hendrix) and we were both in another world of enjoyment.
Now that I have some nva power amp boards back in my experimental (main) system I transported back to that day at home dancing with my four year old daughter. It is that good. The Avondale's when the filters were removed were much better than stock. I don't know how these nva boards do it but they are even better
(IMO) I have the biggest grin on my face at the moment. The music is so together, timimg across the frequencies is exemplary. There is a natural airiness to high frequencies. A jazz drummer playing cymbals is really all about relative volume, where to hit the cymbal and if it is the tip or trunk of the stick that strikes. All that subtle information is there with the nva boards. The cymabals shimmer and shine in a way that other amps I have had or heard just can not do. The decay of cymbals are just how they should be and I can tell if the drummer is using wooden tipped sticks or nylon
All of this is not in a forced in your face manner (Naim anyone ?) but a natural way.
Brass instruments have lost the unnatural bite of the avondale set up. They now sound so much better and i have heard tones and micro dynamics from them that simply were not there before. Brass is the hardest section of instruments for me to evaluate because the bands i played in very rarely had any. Even so on the few occasions where one was involved or concerts i have been to, i do love a bit of brass and the way a good musician can play them.
I am now thinking that the band is all playing on the top of their game and in the same room. They have clearly been rehearsing and know the songs well but they are a long way from the point where over fimiliarity and boredom have struck. None of that over played, tired, spiritless performance where the band are just going through the motions and not putting any passion in to it.
I think you may gather that i am over the moon with these new amps. I guess i have gained over the AP20 in the fact that there is one psu per channel, the transformers are bigger, maybe the dc supply voltage is more (don't know) and the transformer is well away from the amp boards.
Things that are different to the AP20 are there is no passive pre, i am using naim transformers and avondale rectifier / cap bank and there is no case around it all. All these things can be changed - different transformers, diy rectifier/ cap bank with hardwired tinned solid copper all the way.
Going to swap the amps around now - nva on bass, avondale mid & tweeter.