NVA A40 - then and now

[Fretless]

My new A40 Mk. II monoblocks have arrived just in time for Christmas (with many thanks to the Doc for quick service despite the upheavals of a house move). There is rather little comment to be found on this model here on the forum - so I thought I'd start an appreciation thread.

Having used my old A40 stereo power-amp since about 1985, the NVA sound is my reference for all things audio and I, for one, am curious to see how things have changed and improved in the design and capabilities over the years.

Here is the system a year or so ago before the current upgrade round:

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Vintage P80 pre-amp next to MF M1DAC and the old A40 below. The Magnepan MMG's are hooked up with Supra Classic 4.0 (the light blue cable).

Then after upgrade round 1:

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A P50sa has replaced the P80 (now used as a phono stage), the speakers are now hooked up with wonderful LS5 cables and the DAC is fitted with Super Sound Pipes.

And as of yesterday:

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New A40 monoblocks concealed behind speakers, with SSP running from pre-amp. The P80 with PSU now installed at the bottom of the rack.
Having left the A40's for a day to warm up properly I can start to have some serious listening sessions. First thing that will probably have to happen is a careful repositioning of the MMG's.

And to close with - 2 generations of NVA pre-amps:

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[jammy395]

Fret my Man ......Luv ya 2 bits.......But ask grommet about Photo's......

I SALUTE YER KIT......

But is the Deck cover - opened or closed.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN GHOSTS.....

[Fretless]

Yeah there is a poltergeist here that keeps putting lp's on and forgetting to shut the lid. Since I started here I too have rediscovered the joys of good old-fashioned vinyl.
No I am not the world's greatest photographer - and these snaps were really only for myself and not public consumption. But they tell their own story.

[_D_S_J_R_]

Best take the lid off altogether on decks like these when using them IME

[Fretless]

Hey, where did all that bass come from? Not had time for a serious listen but I get the impression that there is an extra 5 - 10 Hz extension at the bottom end of the system.
And the silence is just that - really silent.

[Fretless]

Ah, the joys of having a Sonos Connect and (most of) the collection on an HDD. Means you can flip from track to track without having to move. Started with Jean Michel Jarre 'Oxygene - New Master Edition' (he re-recorded the whole thing, note for note, after he couldn't get the rights for the original back from Disques Dreyfuss).

Now, the Doc had said that the old A40 had about 80% of the capability of the new - I'd adjust that to 60% or less. The difference is frighteningly large and not the incremental bump that I had expected.

The MMG speakers paint a portrait of sound where instruments are placed as in a picture; above, below, left, right. The monoblocks have audibly taken a controlling grip on the drivers to such an extent that the 3D effect of front/back is now far more pronounced and the focussing of instruments in the sound-stage is far, far sharper. Also subtle phasing effects in the synth/organ lines are evident, things I had never noticed before.

A CD I have got fairly recently is 'Livestock' by Brand X, the jazz-rock outfit run as a hobby activity for a bunch of session musicians in the 70's / 80's. I had found this to sound a bit flat and muddy, but running it through the monoblocks opens up the detail and gets all the subtleties out that were previously messed-up. Percy Jones bass-work is magnificent and the extras bass oomph is a big help. Phil Collins always regarded himself as a drummer who could also sing a bit, and here his hyperactive percussion work is reproduced with great precision. I had thought of looking for a remastered version of this album (but I don't think it exists) but the A40's have saved me the trouble.

Coming back to the 'better recording or system' argument - it is clear to me that improving the system does give more insight into the recordings - be they good or bad.

[Fretless]

The old A40 stereo has returned to the living-room installation where it resided for many years until I got my own music room sorted out. Reunited with the Arcam One speakers but now fed directly from the variable output of a Sonos Connect. Interconnect is an Accuphase AL-10, a solidly constructed, low capacitance cable from the classic Japanese high-end manufacturer (a 2nd hand bargain).
The sound is terrific, full-bodied and with plenty of detail. The speakers are abominably placed for critical listening (far too far apart), but just fine for background music with a good book.

The Accuphase cable replaced the original Sound Cords (also 30 years old) between pre and power amps some time ago and was an improvement on SC - although the recent acquisition of SSP mk1's did blow them away in terms of depth, detail and punch.

The Connect also has a single external input and can thus operate as a remote-controlled pre-amp, so I have hooked up my NAD CD524 to it with an old set of MIT MI-330 Terminators (the ones with the huge white boxes in the middle - looking like they fell out of the Tardis). And that sounds pretty darn good as well - not that I use it that much, but it comes in handy.

The stereo A40 replaces a Sansui AU217 which has a vital but bass-heavy sound (and a phenomenal phono stage). But the NVA is tighter, more controlled and detailed. Now that I'm starting to accustom to the monoblocks upstairs and their smooth, lifelike delivery, I find that there is a level of irritation if you know that there is something you can do to improve the quality of a system - be it even the lowly background sounds in the lounge - and then I can't get any rest until I have swapped things around and tried them out.

As Robert Palmer once sang : Might as well face it, you're addicted to .... HIfi.

[jammy395]

Gosh Fretless ....... I hope to fuk you don't upgrade .................

[Fretless]

And now for a minor upgrade. I received a pair of SSC interconnects today (thanks, Doc!) and firstly tried them in the place of the Accuphase cable in the living room. With London Grammar, Hannah's husky voice was all around to an almost frightening extent. Focus was tight, every strand of detail audible. Too much actually in a system mainly used for BGM.
So it's upstairs to the main system, the SSC goes between the phono stage and preamp where an SC had been. Oh yes! The accuracy and clarity brings the best out of my veteran P77Mg cartridge, the warmth of its sound now nicely balanced by the accuracy of the SSC, it has never sounded so good before.

[Fretless]

Some things you just take for granted. For instance; tried and trusted speakers that have been carefully positioned many moons ago.

Recent developments with Doc-modding mini boxes seem to have caused some major rewiring in my brain and I am now listening to the way in which speakers react to their surroundings with a new perspective. And I decided it was time to see if my Magnepan's were still optimally set up.

Magnaplanars are real pains to position correctly. With open baffles there is as much going on behind them as in front, and they interact with everything in their immediate surroundings. It is advisable, once you have (finally) managed to position them properly, that you mark the floor somehow in case a passing imbecile should move them a centimetre or two. I personally use drawing-pins in the carpet.

Also most Magnepans have an 'inside' and 'outside' depending on how you place them with regard to the ribbon tweeter that runs along one edge. In small spaces it is recommended to have that on the inside for better imaging. And so they have stood in my listening area.

But. Since I have set them up, the rest of the system has changed almost completely. The NVA pre and power amps have been updated to the current models and all interconnects and speaker cables have also been replaced (SSP & LS5). The ear-opening experience with the modified Mission 760i's and imaging that was spot-on with total disregard to positioning had left me rather dissatisfied with the placement of the MMG's and now I thought I would see if anything could be altered.

Breaking through a nervous hesitation, I tried shifting them sideways in small increments, which didn't improve anything and actually made things worse. So then I swapped them around - so that the tweeters are now on the outside, and put the speakers a bit closer together (although the tweeters are now physically further apart). Again some careful shifting of an inch or two at a time and now there is something of a result.

The imaging is nicely precise again, but there is more fullness and body in the reproduction, more projection of bass. Also the soundstage is more vertical, like a canvas has been stretched high between the two panels. This might take a bit of getting used to, and more experimentation before I'm happy (if ever).

But the system has changed and I should have done this earlier. Also I appear to have changed - which may or may not be a good thing ...