NVA Phono2 phono stage review

[Rick4001]

As many of you will know the phono stage bake off Jamie and myself had planned had to be cancelled but the NVA Phono 2 was already here so before sending it back we thought we'd try it out and give you our honest opinion. In the interest of comparison we used my Nakamichi CA5 E pre amp which has a Nelson Pass Threshold phono stage, I only use it as a phono stage and not as a pre amp.
First impressions taking the Phono2 out of the box were of a very nicely designed unit, clean, uncluttered lines from the glossy acrylic case. The rear of the unit is clearly marked for connections and power hook up is taken care of by two sturdy XLR cables. It can be used with one or two power supplies, adding the second is optional.
We tested it using my Toshiba SR 370/Mission 774 arm/Ortofon 2M black, Musical Fidelity A3 amp and Mordaunt Short Signifer speakers connected with NVA LS5 cable. The Phono2 was connected with both power supplies first and later with just one.
After letting it "warm up" we played Pink Floyd's The Wall and the first thing we noticed was the sense of space and of the sound stage being broad and well defined. The individual instruments had their own positions but they didn't sound disjointed or awkward in presentation. The bass was nicely controlled but lacked a little of the Nakamichi's punch but where the Phono2 shone was in the mid and treble, astonishingly dynamic and precise but never sounding harsh or forced. Gilmour's acoustic guitars felt like they were in the room, like you could reach out and touch them. The Wall is full of quiet/loud, light/dark moments but not once did anything seem lost or overpowering.
Next up was 10cc's Original Soundtrack, a master work of production that puts any equipment through it's paces. Again that wide sound stage came alive and drew you into the music, almost like being surrounded by the band. The Nakamichi once again had a slightly tighter grip on the bass but the Phono2 felt more involving and dynamic.
The guitars on Stephen Stills first album were full of subtlety and attack, all at the right moments and the vocals clean and sharp, even during his coke fuelled rantings.
We played the same music using only one power supply and there was a noticeable drop in overall presence but was still an enjoyable listen. You definitely get the best results with the second power supply connected.
In conclusion the Nakamichi is still a great unit but the Phono2 is an extremely capable and dynamic performer which brings a new space and realism to music, we liked it a lot.

[jayman67]

i concur it certainly lived up to all the praise written by oliver (bigman80).
prices for the nakamichi have shot up now to around £400,the secrets out,both are very good phono stages.
if i didnt own a nak already id happly live with the nva phono 2.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

The Nak is a fine sounding phono stage, if based on the Nelson Pass circuit that should be looked at as well. When I went down on the Saturday I had a P50 / A20 with me and that in my opinion to both of them was a far more cost effective upgrade to change amp than changing the phono stage. Sadly couldn't do direct comparison while I was there as the NVA had the MC stage from Uddersfield Bake-off and they needed MM, so I took the PHONO2 back and converted it and posted it down.

It is a pity the Nak wasn't done as a stand alone phono stage as IMO it is much better than anything at Uddersfield apart from Nicks and mine (and potentially Doms).

[antonio66]

That Nak. must have a very controlled bass since I thought using the Phono 2 gave me a much more controlled and deeper bass than I've been used to.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

Just looked at the PassLabs website, the latest version of that circuit for MM only, is $3800, so normally US imports are more than that in £ so over £4000. Seems a bit daft to me, makes you two having got a bargain. I expect it of Jamie, he keeps gobbling up the bargains, especially TTs.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

That Nak. must have a very controlled bass since I thought using the Phono 2 gave me a much more controlled and deeper bass than I've been used to.

The speaker used go deep, but are a touch flabby in the bass. I am presuming from listening to the two TT we used, the Toshiba showed this slight flabby nature and the Rock was lighter and tighter and much better all round. From what I have read the PassLab has a sub sonic filter, so very low bass is attenuated, the NVA doesn't have that filter. I *think* this may have been a reason. If I had been there for the tests I would have pulled the speakers a further 6 inches into the room on hearing this, they are too near the wall (two or three inches away) for that design. Don't get me wrong though I was impressed by the speaker overall.

[_D_S_J_R_]

I've owned the CA5 and for rather longer, a CA7. I don't remember the phono stages having sub-sonic filters. The sound could be a little two dimensional, although that could have been cumulative with the line stage in the preamp added in. I replaced it with an ARC SP14 and this was in a different musical plane altogether on all inputs *at the time.*

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

"I don't remember the phono stages having sub-sonic filters"

So you can read a circuit diagram, can you!

[_D_S_J_R_]

Reading a circuit diagram is no substitute for experiencing how the things reproduce the signal fed them from various sources.

FFS I sold in the shop, owned and used the effin' things for a couple of years - Studio 99 were one of the half dozen UK dealers who knew anything about them and prices were very good in comparison with Absolute Sounds' finest. What more can I do. I don't recall the bass cones acting like there was a filter on them, as I'm sure they wobbled a fair bit on warps.

http://www.audiophileaddicts.com/2015/0 ... amplifier/

There - a circuit diagram for the CA5A if you can magnify it enough to understand.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

Listen (ad hominem warning) stop being an arse. I seriously in this case cannot give a shit what you hear, I was commenting on the technical aspects of the design, which you know feck all about.

The RIAA has it built in, most Jap companies do this.