A20 - blatant promotion!

[_D_S_J_R_]

Sorry chaps, I just have to speak up again with NVA hat on!

After a few weeks down time, I'm just beginning a build of another batch of A20's. Now, I couldn't give two hoots right now about the superior nature of the bigger NVA's, the mono's in particular, but having just finished and testing an A20, I just wanted to repeat how bloody wonderful it is. It may not have the sheer 'grunt' for head-banging freaks, but play some well recorded acoustic instruments, recorded and produced in a nice acoustic, studio or otherwise, and it's in its element. The sound remains musical and deeply involving right up to high levels and, rather than clipping the signal*, it just gently runs out of puff without EVER sounding harsh or nasty.

* The Doc and I had a sort-of disagreement here about 'clipping,' where he thought I perhaps confused the very subtle compression exhibited by a thrashed A20 to the kind of harsh and nasty clipping exhibited by other amps when driven too hard. I first remember hearing hard-clipping badly on a Cyrus One, which had absolutely NO headroom at all and apparently it started to ring and 'let go' long before it's 25W ceiling as well. NVA amps just DON'T do that at all and I'm reminded of a Naim Nait mk1, the only one in their range, ever, that softly compressed the sound when the tiny power supply sagged under the load so you thought it was more powerful than it really was.

Currently playing a FLAC of the 2004 remaster of Lizard by King Crimson. It's more jazz than 'prog rock' and there's a lot of well recorded (IMO) acoustic instruments there, well spaced out, possibly too clearly in the more open remastering (I haven't yet heard the proper CD release yet, let alone the remix from a few years ago). The abilities of the players and subtle expression in the playing come through so well, along with the Gordon Haskell vocal effects and Jon Anderson harmonies, soft and hard...

The 'sound' of this little power amp is so grainless and spacious it really beggars belief that some audio people would buy valve amps costing several times as much when this little jobbie does the same, does it better and for a mere £300!!!!! The speaker cables I'm using for test aren't even LS2 FFS, but short (2M) individual runs of the stuff used internally, which is 1.5mm gauge or thereabouts.

Great little amp this one - and this post wasn't brought about by anybody else I assure you!!!

[Daniel Quinn]

A20's cost £200.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

£300 with the P20 and 2m LS2 and 40cm SC.

[Shevans]

£300 with the P20 and 2m LS2 and 40cm SC.

Blooming bargain!