A40 Mk2 and P50 Burn in ?

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AshM750.
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A40 Mk2 and P50 Burn in ?

Unread post by AshM750. »

Hi all, I recieved my Amps 2 days ago and have left them running most of that time, I had today off and thought i would do some comparisons. My initial thoughts of the NVA where amazing and after listining to the Naim Nait 5i2 for the last 2 months I was thinking it had blown that out the water.
Here is the equipment I was using to compare:

My Room is 4.5m x 5.5m

Set up 1
NVA A40 MK2 MONOS
NVA P50
SSC
LS1
CYRUS CDXT WITH EASTERN ELECTRIC DAC
DYNAUDIO AUDIENCE 42 SPEAKERS
ROYD MINSTRELS
Partington Super Dreadnought stands

Set up 2
NAIM NAIT 5I2
QED REFERENCE CABLES
QED ANIVERSERY SPEAKER CABLE
CYRUS CDXT WITH EASTERN ELECTRIC DAC
DYNAUDIOS
MINSTRELS
Partington Super Dreadnought stands

I have sat all day swapped amps and speakers but Set up 2 just seems to be so much more exciting and the detail is exceptional compared to set up 1. I am not a great fan of Naim but I do prefer it at the momment.
My main amp is usually a myrad MI120 which I havnt compared yet.

I have noticed that the bass is alot more tighter and cleaner on the NVA but less extended and not cloudy like the Naim, I Kinda like the extended bass on the Naim but I like the clean bass of the NVA aswell. I can pick out all of the instruments with the Naim and it has a kinda forward and exciting nature, the NVA does seem a little laid back and i could not pick out all the instruments,I was finding myself skipping alot of tracks. I can go on forever but im still unsure how long the NVA takes to burn in.

I am using this as a sort of diary to record my thoughts over the next few weeks but also get some ideas and notes from you guys.

This leads me to the questions, how long does the NVA take to burn in ? Am I doing anything wrong ?

I really apreciate everyones input and I am very new to NVA.
Thank you
Ash

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Re: A40 Mk2 and P50 Burn in ?

Unread post by Daniel Quinn »

Doc will advise on burn in much better than I can .

If I were you , I would listen to the NVA exclusively for a couple of days , week or so , depending on how many hours a day you listen . Play your favourites that you know well and see what you think . Then go back to the naim .

that way I think you get a better idea of which you prefer than you can with periodic swapping in the same listening session .

other than that , you seem to have a good handle on what you hear and what you like .

AshM750.
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Re: A40 Mk2 and P50 Burn in ?

Unread post by AshM750. »

Daniel Quinn wrote:Doc will advise on burn in much better than I can .

If I were you , I would listen to the NVA exclusively for a couple of days , week or so , depending on how many hours a day you listen . Play your favourites that you know well and see what you think . Then go back to the naim .

that way I think you get a better idea of which you prefer that periodic swapping in the same listening session .

other than that , you seem to have a good handle on what you hear and what you like .
Thanks for the advice, thats the problem with me im impatient :lol:

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Re: A40 Mk2 and P50 Burn in ?

Unread post by Classicrock »

Naim in general doesn't do extended bass but has a rather full upper bass. I would expect the NVA to have a cleaner tighter but more extended bass but it may appear less to you. Also can't live with the lack of top end extension of Naim. Obviously some people prefer this presentation.
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Re: A40 Mk2 and P50 Burn in ?

Unread post by Fretless »

I have now had my A40 mk2's for a month and it seemed to me that they took about 2 weeks to 'settle' although I wasn't using them intensively. The bass did seem to both deepen and open up in that time.

Using the same LS1 speaker Cable would also have given a fairer basis for comparison in your test.

Upstairs:
Vinyl
Pro-Ject 1.2 + Grado Sig Jr + Cambridge Alva Duo
DigiVolumio PC + Kiss DP-500 + Sabaj A20d
NVA: P50sa - Cube2 - SSP - LS6+ Sabaj A10a (x2)
Downstairs:
Vinyl
Logic DM101 + Syrinx LE1 + Grado Sig MCX
DigiDenafrips Ares II + Volumio PC + Cambridge CXC
NVA: P50 - BMU+ Aiyima A07 MAX (x2) + Arcam One
HP: HifiBerry Digi+ PRO + Sabaj A10d
Office:
Allo DigiOne SIG + SMSL M300se + Douk G4 (x2)
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Headphones: German Maestro & AudioQuest

AshM750.
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Re: A40 Mk2 and P50 Burn in ?

Unread post by AshM750. »

Classicrock wrote:Naim in general doesn't do extended bass but has a rather full upper bass. I would expect the NVA to have a cleaner tighter but more extended bass but it may appear less to you. Also can't live with the lack of top end extension of Naim. Obviously some people prefer this presentation.
I completely agree with you about naims top end, its true ! very true ! thanks for bringing that up. ;)

AshM750.
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Re: A40 Mk2 and P50 Burn in ?

Unread post by AshM750. »

Fretless wrote:I have now had my A40 mk2's for a month and it seemed to me that they took about 2 weeks to 'settle' although I wasn't using them intensively. The bass did seem to both deepen and open up in that time.

Using the same LS1 speaker Cable would also have given a fairer basis for comparison in your test.
Yes maybe I should have used the ls1 but i just wanted to compare my older set up to my new. Maybe ile give that a try soon.

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Re: A40 Mk2 and P50 Burn in ?

Unread post by Dr Bunsen Honeydew »

Burn in will be up to a week if left on, doesn't have to be used just left on.

It is a different presentation to Naim, if that is what you are used to then it will take some adjustment. Naim is out of box forward, NVA is 3d out of box, which for some Naim users means it seems more laid back, it is not it is more natural, not "in yer face" like a home PA system. Listen to each channel as mono and see if you can hear a difference to check the amps are working well. Speakers may need a different adjustment to the acoustic, with NVA they will need to go further into the wall, as the bass is a lot tighter and precise. what you are hearing as depth with the Naim is probably the famous Naim bass bloom (like a bass reverb).

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Re: A40 Mk2 and P50 Burn in ?

Unread post by AshM750. »

Dr Bunsen Honeydew wrote:Burn in will be up to a week if left on, doesn't have to be used just left on.

It is a different presentation to Naim, if that is what you are used to then it will take some adjustment. Naim is out of box forward, NVA is 3d out of box, which for some Naim users means it seems more laid back, it is not it is more natural, not "in yer face" like a home PA system. Listen to each channel as mono and see if you can hear a difference to check the amps are working well. Speakers may need a different adjustment to the acoustic, with NVA they will need to go further into the wall, as the bass is a lot tighter and precise. what you are hearing as depth with the Naim is probably the famous Naim bass bloom (like a bass reverb).
Thanks Doc that makes sence to me and to be fair I did not play with the speaker postioning that much, I shall leave the amps on for a few days. I will keep posting on this thread to keep everyone up to date.

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Re: A40 Mk2 and P50 Burn in ?

Unread post by _D_S_J_R_ »

I can make a couple of comments - as I see and heard it, so my opinions based on personal experience only...

QED Anniversary should have been stillborn, it's such a dreadful excuse for a speaker cable and I lay the blame firmly at the myriad Sevenoaks shops that sold it by the kilometre and also the deaf idiots running WTF back then and who kept giving it awards, much to the chagrin of other manufacturers (at the awards dinner I once attended)! Either way round, it's brash and dynamically constricted and should be scrapped pronto, whatever you do! The best way to 'hear' it, is with the writing as you read it going back to the amp (yes I sold it too :()

The current issue Naims sound fine in the midrange as long as you don't push them into clipping. The perceived, if not measured, sonics are very much from mid bass to lower treble, really low bass being curtailed by the rhythmic 'punch' up above (what you're hearing with the speakers you use). Naim treble has always been a bit 'grey and grainy' and it still is, but the recommended speakers for this maker tend to take off and add their own 'sparkle' in my experience and thereby often masking it IMO.

The NVA's I've heard, now various models, have a slightly different and IMO more 'honest' portrayal. The bass is realistic and doesn't 'punch' it out like smaller Naims do, so you get a more subtle reproduction right down to very low bass where the little Naims especially will tail off in preference to the mid bass region, where they force it out. Very high frequencies are again handled very differently as you've discovered. ALL Naims from the 1980 onward CB era, tend to suffer from a monotonic and rather 'grey' sound, the subtle tones of gently brushed cymbals being difficult to reproduce on a smaller (at least) Naim amp system IMO. The later models are certainly better, but for whatever reason - and circuit drift on older models makes this worse - treble neutrality (too much harshness or just trying to reproduce timbral quality), isn't a Naim strength when compared to other amps - and NVA is really good in this, but will sound 'gentle' in comparison because it's not a hard, harsh or 'excitingly coloured' kind of amp design.

I'm sorry to all if I'm going back into school-master mode. I'm trying to present it as I see it as quickly as possible - and I DO know Naims, ever since the 12/160 in 1975! They HAVE moved on and the midrange of many current models can be really lovely, but the forced mid-bass remains to over-present the 'punchy rhythm' and the treble is really dated and old fashioned in the way of old solid state amps I feel. No wonder Naimies sometimes go the way of valves, trading one sonic quality for another quite often, but heaving a sigh of relief as they do so ;)

One other point - and I really do hope I'm not overdoing it here please.. - The Dynaudio speakers in my opinion have also been designed around 'excitement' and IMO the Minstrels, although not being as loud or well finished cosmetically, 'should' be a far more natural speaker to listen 'through,' rather than 'to' as the Dyns will do I think. Apologies, but resonant drivers at the crossover point (upper part of the hard-cone-giant dome bass/mid driver and lowest point of the tweeters) give me memorable headaches, although other enthusiasts call this 'detail!'

Over to you sir!
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way...The time has gone, The song is over, Thought I'd something more to say...

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