Refreshingly, even their range topping bundle is not as expensive as you'd expect considering the amount of hardware you get. Get them to send you their flagship stuff. I'm sure I'm not the only one who would be interested to hear what you think of them.
I bought this pairing last year and it worked wonderfully with my pair of Wharfedale Pacific speakers (25+ years old). When NVA announced a small run of 160W monoblocks I added a pair of those to bi-amp. The step up in the entire sound was significant, and "the system" disappeared. I've since added the NVA Phono stage and headphone amp. The detail that was suddenly revealed from records I have been listening to for decades has me pulling out albums to play late into the night. In addition, the NVA team are incredibly helpful and a delight to deal with.
An utterly superb review of a fascinating and exquisite product. I may never buy one of these, or even hear them, but knowing they exist as a result of your thoughtful but deeply felt commentary, is an absolute joy.
I met Richard Dunn several times whilst working at a HiFi dealers in the Home Counties during the early 90’s as he was friends with the dealership owner. Richard was definitely a character! and his equipment (had metal casing in those days) was unique and sounded great when matched well using their own cables. Great to highlight the small specialists that continue to thrive Tarun. Keep it up ❤
@@tengkukamil3951 An amplifier with too many transistors with an ultimately longer signal path for audio's delicately small signals, spoils ultimate detail, clarity, transparency achievable .
As a lover of low powered valve based systems this is the kind of solid state gear that I find appealing. The characteristics you describe are those of a SE valve amp. With well chosen speakers you get a system that musically punches well above its weight.
I'm in the middle of building some transmission line cabs for a eight inch full ranger with a super tweeter. 93db sensitivity. NVA is definitely a consideration.
I can only concur with everything said in this review. I have a Jadis i50 integrated now retailing at £14k, which blew a gasket. I decided to buy a temporary amp whilst my Jadis was being repaired and ended up with a NVA P50SA Mk1 with M300 monoblocks and LS5 speaker cable. To say I was blown away is an understatement, basically every dimension of the sound from my system was better, so much so I bought a second pair of M300 monoblocks so I could bi-amp, and I am now on an upgrade path with NVA cabling and M300's to M600's at £500 per pair to upgrade. Everyone who has heard my system agrees the NVA's are better. Suffice to say I am selling the Jadis.
An excellent review Tarun. I have owned lots of NVA products over the years, and still own their Cube speakers. Richard Dunn was quite the character, and it's great to see the company thrive under new ownership. You really must try their monoblocks and passive pre. Grip is not something you'll find lacking! Cable wise, ask to try their SSP interconnects and LS7 speaker cables. Well done Tarun 🍻
Very admirable to cover the cottage industry brands . And on point about how many great designers and advocates have been lost in recent years - max townshend , Allen boothroyd of meridian , even the likes of art Dudley ( stereophile) and most recently Howard popeck .
Thanks, Tarun. Shame about the remote. I find streaming requires a lot of volume adjustment, I wish them great success. Love the small guys motivated by quality.
I am glad that there are still enthusiasts producing amazing high-end components in our time. On my way, the biggest surprise was the manufacturer Trafomatic Audio. This needs to be heard - unsurpassed level for me.
I think: You are the BEST (and there are a few good ones) AUDIO CRITIC IN ENGLAND :) .... I think you are more friendly and have a bit more sense of humor while being just as CRAZY about your Audiophilism. -- Smart Reviews with a Nice Personality Wins to me -- - m.
Thank you for you review. I found NVA around 2009 when i was looking for a passive preamp. I liked it a lot but i haven't tried their power amplifiers. I remember exchanging some emails with the owner. There is something special about it when the person behind the product answers your questions direct.
It is sad to learn that Glenn Croft passed away. I was planning to get a Croft pre-amp and I thought that the company would carry on for many years to come. I didn't know that NVA was a small manufacturer but I guess you can say that for nearly all British audio manufacturers bar a couple (KEF and B&W come first to mind ). I suppose you could call a lot medium sized - it doesn't take a lot to churn out hundreds or thousands of components per year, if you limit the amount of product variety I guess. NVA featured quite often in the audio magazines of the nineties and its pricing was always honest. I'm glad this is still the case. I have to say it's the first time I actually get a glimpse of the technology (or should I say, design choices) under the hood of an NVA (though I think I knew they were always into passive pre-amps) and the direct current approach plus choice componentry peaked my interest. I never expected you'd rate this so highly and the fact you thought it bettered the bottom-of-the=line Accuphase as well as the big Exposures, I admit, gave me goose bumps! You deserve praise for the technical exposition - not always paid attention to by reviewers - and the explanations behind it (I think there can be not enough educating of audiophiles as they often act based on sentiment rather than sense). I didn't know that the whole case of the NVAs was made of acrylic nor that there are two types of acrylic. I would suppose that the choice of the more expensive acrylic was made for aesthetic reasons since NVA always paid attention to their products' styling - would that be correct? By the way, one thing that always drew me to NVA was that they stuck with their styling over decades. I love that in a manufacturer: finding a signature design and sticking with it (something that Sugden, Naim, Meridian, Audiolab etc. all had and chose to abandon). Coming back to the acrylic, again, I was astounded to learn that the minimisation of metal (especially ferromagnetic) parts was the reason for their choice. That makes it a close relative of DNM - and since you asked for lesser known manufacturers, you should take a hint here. That the bass delivery should be limited out of this amp is to be expected. It all comes back to honest pricing. You cannot expect a passive pre-amp and (nearly) boutique parts and a low-to-medium price (for its quality class) and have thumping bass at the same time.. Bass means large power supply caps, more transistors and the latter in turn mean a more complex circuit, which in turn requires more optimisations and son on and all of a sudden you get a price 2-5 times larger. So the advice for right loudspeaker partnering was spot on. I wonder how these would sound on horns..
I have an NVA P50SA that I bought used a few years ago for £166 and an NVA A20 that I bought new for £133. They are a good little combo for £300. It's not so much that NVA are inexpensive, it's more that almost everything else is expensive for what it is. With dealer mark-ups being a big factore in this compared to the direct sales only NVA business model. Avondale are another small company that makes great products for the brand new asking prices. I have a lot of affection for both companies.
Thanks for all the highly informative reviews. I'm currently considering a complete overhaul of my ageing HiFi system and have been avidly catching up on your channel which has certainly given me plenty of food for thought. Having watched this latest review, I couldn't resist the lure of the NVA pre amp/power amp combination and have ordered the S150/P80 combo. I'm sure my choice of speakers will also be influenced by you so thanks again.
What an incredible introduction to this equipment and in-depth review. I am a little concerned about any purchase, though, due to the finicky pairing of power and speakers, but certainly something else to consider and provide 'small company' support . Thank you as always for your wonderful and detailed review, your time, and effort to share this with us all.
@@abritishaudiophile7314 speaker ?? what do you mean sensitivity it doesn't like a low sensitivity speaker what sensitivity are we talking about below 88db say?
NVA offer a 30-day 'at home' period. If you decide they aren't for you within this time you can return them. I know someone who did this. I bought this combination last year, and it worked wonderfully with my old Wharfedale Pacific speakers. I've since added a pair of 160W monoblocks (NVA, obviously) to allow bi-amping. That was a significant step up in the sound.
Hi Tarun, Was I right?😊 Not long ago,I dusted off my old NVA P50 and biamped A30 & A40 monoblocs from nearly 2 decades of storage. So expressive and engaging is their presentation that they have caused me to rethink what was "gained" in the evolution that led to my current and decidedly more costly & technically adept "flagship" system from a highly regarded manufacturer. The charming little NVA's are a real delight. Best regards.
The key to the sound quality is in the choice of components as evident in your comments on the preamp. The downfall of the amp is clearly evident in the sizing of the power supply capacitors and transformer. You cannot get something for nothing as that clearly won’t work. The larger amps can make up for this, but I like the philosophy of component choices as being key in the presentation of this pair’s voicing. Very fun review of a specialist audio manufacturer Tarun. Pretty remarkable in the price range. Like to see the larger amps get a listen.
Acrylic cases were all the rage in the 80s, DNM were one of the main proponents, they went along with solid core wiring and phono plugs that used a dedicated tab rather than the entire outer ring. Nice little "bank vault" selectors and very small acrylic cases iirc.
I remember when the company was nearly always referred to buy it's full name Nene Valley Audio never did know why. A friend of mine from way back had one of their pre/power combos I think it was in the mid 80s, when we all had to walk over to our amps to adjust the volume and he did use their own cable as they recommended. He used an early pair of LS35a, still does sees no reason to change them, he recently added a pair of REL subs, and I think the amps went back for a service at some stage. This is his man cave system his living room av system, hugely powerful and cost twice as much as my car but does not sound as sweet as the NVA setup especially when playing a bit of Mozart with all the twiddly bits very nice.
I have the p50 with the stepped attenuator volume control, and the A80 mono blocks, nva ssp (super sound pipes) interconnects and nva LS6 speaker cable. I bought them new over ten years ago from Richard Dunn after reading his hypothesis in his adverts on eBay and the amazing back up and upgrade path he gave. Richard said that Royd speakers go well with his amps so I bought a pair of Merlin’s and a pair of Sorcerer’s from eBay I’ve never looked back. I love the sound I get and have never wanted to replace them. When Richard died the people that took over more than doubled the prices. So I could never afford to replace them like for like. I think more people would have bought Richards equipment but he had a very direct marmite personality.
There is so many small manufacturers out there that really should come more to the limelight. I have been a fan of Heed for quite some time and i would recomend anything from them anytime :) I now have theire top of the line Thesis Alpha pre/dac and a pair of Clones audio PM55 monoblocks.. and my Proac DB1 have never sounded better or clearer.. just mindblowing. First time i have gotten goosebumps from quiet parts of music.. the TOTAL silence and feeling like a vacume just blew my mind.
Excellent and so well presented review. The NVA AP10 was one of the more unusual amps I have encountered, as were the DNM amps, the Moth Group 30 Series (from Mike Harris, circuit by Stan Curtis) and the Gryphon XT preamp.
I love your honest review style Tarun. Very informative and interesting to watch. I have NVA P50SA MKII pre amp. This is excellent. The only thing I would comment is that the input and volume knobs appear different colours when photo or video is used (and in this review in places). In reality this is trick of the light and in real life they look identical. Great review. People should check NVA out. They make great kit!
Wow. That was a review and a half. Thank you! My most interesting hifi products till date lie on opposing ends of the pricing spectrum. A pair of old AR18le closed box acoustic suspension speakers and the Raidho X1s. Both sublime, yet so very different.
Hi Tatun, Thank you for introducing me to a new and off the shelf brand. In my fifty years of being an audiophile I have mostly avoided brick and mortar HiFi stores as I have found, attending the odd HiFi society meeting and getting to know a few Audiophile’s over the years has been much more informative. I’ve always been aware of mainstream brands doing interesting things. My own system has been made up of components made or modified by more innovative and more creative smaller and bespoke back yard manufactures like Vacuum State (Allan Wright designed) and Custom Analogue Audio by (Joe Rasmussen) here in Sydney Australia. I’m so happy to have a great system that I love the sound of. l wouldn’t have been able to afford an equivalent system if purchased in a HiFi store which would cost many times more. But more importantly I have developed friendships and relationships with the designer/makers that have made my audiophile journey so much more rewarding over the years. It’s much more than just enjoying the music for me. I have a passion for music, gear and the minority of us like minded people we define as audiophiles.
Good review, and exciting to hear of the quality of the NVA. As a small-scale producer, they appear to be accommodating to North American customers and will produce units with inputs for 120VAC-60Hz supply. As for power, 30W, well, it inspires me to look higher in their amp range.
bought an nva amp as a kit ages ago for a two figure sum. it will only work with low resistance single strand cables and very sensitive low impedance speakers. took me quite some time and numerous sets of speakers before i found what i consider the best match. a lot of trial and error. glad someone recognizes the qaulity of the make.
I have a David Belles IA-01 and it's magical. I'm currently running a "full monty" Tom Evans setup but I kept the Belles and I wouldn't be at all surprised if I went back to it. Lean, tight and utterly lifelike I can't part with it
Tarun a really good review. Thank you. DNM - the Dennis Moorcroft designed amps had the same approach as Richard Dunn. Acrylic cases with an added attempt to make the signal path as short as possible with '3D' boards. Had that same kind of ethereal sound too. The more expensive units had less power!.
This becomes one of my favorite channels of this year. Thank You Personal Question; You say you have 30 years on the audiophile hobby, my question from a young audiophile is: Why is so hard find the correct gear, I mean there's a lot differences between amps, speakers, cables etc! it feels like an non ending journey!!
It's not a neverending journey. Most amps and DAC's are transparent. You can't hear better than ~85 dB SINAD. You (probably) can't hear difference between lossless and Spotify. When you realize this you go and get a capable streamer, a Crown power amp and a pair of speakers of your taste. Then your journey will "only" be the chase of nicer speakers and maybe room correction.
Hi Tarun, Another great video. I love the way you cover the good and the bad, in equal measure. What an interesting pre and power amp combination. I very much agree with you that speaker choice, with only 30 watts available and those tiny filter caps, is critical. I am really thinking about purchasing a set of Klipsch Heresy IV speakers which were offered to me in used, but near mint condition. They have an efficiency of 98db. Those, and similar, would probably go well with it. I also love what you said at the beginning of the video of you "dating" yourself. Personally, I love middle-age men. My husband will be 55 this year, and men of his generation tend to know precisely what they want and how to get it. I find that to be very attractive! 😊❤
Very good and insightful review! Thank you for that. I did not hear a single word of blabla of so many other reviewers. Enthusiastic and calm at the same time, very sophisticated, indeed. - (May I just add a tiny correction? The two blue capacitors are part of the power supply not for the two channels, but for the two voltages (plus and minus) needed for that type of amplifier.)
I auditioned the Norwegian hi-fi brand Doxa at an exhibition some years ago. I had seen photos of the amp without its covers, and it contained nearly no components at all. Looking at the price, I pretty much thought it was a joke, and had very low expectations. It turned out to be the best sounding experience I had that day. The «less is more» principle can certainly be true.
Another option is build your own. I built a pair of Nelson Pass designed Firstwatt F6 monoblocks - running at higher power supply voltages than the originals I think I’m getting circa 50W into a pair of Kef R3s and they sound sublime.
Tarun, again another enjoyable video of a product from an audio company unknown to many of us viewers. I am always interested in high caliber offerings from such smaller companies. Keep them coming. You are still #1. Very appreciative.
Sad news. I was aware he had been ill but didn’t know he died. When I met him I found him to be really sweet, patient and very passionate about music and hifi. It was a real pleasure to discuss and listen to music with him. I think he was using budget Gale speakers on his own pre/power combi at the time, he had fitted metal braces internally to the speakers for extra rigidity and explained what great speakers they could be but had been overlooked by the hifi industry. I’m glad I never told him I use a weaved speaker cable with his pre.☺️
Hi Tarun, I saw the title and thought, NVA, never heard of them. But I felt better after your introduction. So thank you for bringing some exotic stuff to us. For what it is, a boutique tiny brand made in the UK, the price is very honest. I think this amp will work well with Fostex or TangBand full range drivers. They are not for every-bodies taste but if you like that kind of sound, I have a feeling it will work, based on your description. The Eddie-current theory, I believe is also something that Rega believes in. I grew up with valves and in my job I work with professional electronics. Maybe I am wrong or biassed but in my book, electronics belongs in a metal case. So an acrylic case is not what I would do. But one way or an other, it is probably not that critical.
Hi Tarun well you have done it once again A great review and insight into some of the more unknown hifi manufacturers My one concern was the gluing of the case and the need in the future to remove the lid I would have preferred countersunk threaded screws plastic or ceramic type screws ...PS keep your articulated reviews coming your friends in Australia..🙏
It's hard to imagine now, but at the time of my introduction to it, the Bryston 2BLP qualified as an "out there" piece of kit. Very few companies had gone with rack-handle chasses, and even fewer with visible heat sink fins -- especially across the front (!!!) -- but unlike the Carver M 1.5T "magnetic field power amplifier," the Bryston sounded glorious as well. Grippy like nothing I've ever heard since, and by no small margin, the 2BLP had me at hello from day one's listening in an Indianapolis showroom in the late 80s. For the rest of that summer I came back several times, the last of which featured a full listen-through of the Genesis album, Invisible Touch, the volume appropriately set at 12 of course. There are two LEDs on the front of the 2BLP and they run green under normal operating conditions, and red during clipping. That afternoon, when the instrumental track finally came on at the back end of the CD ("The Brazilian") the salesman and I sat in shared, gob-smacked astonishment at how unfazed the amp seemed to be, even when the big bass resolve comes in about 1/3 through that track. The lights did everything they could, waxing a cherry red that I hadn't even known you could get in an LED, but the amp just simply could, not, be, overmatched. I often wonder what I'd think of that piece today: Both my listening habits and the SOTA in amplifier design have come *quite* a long way, and my guess is that the 2BLP would hardly serve up the last word in present-day cohesion, soundstage, or detail refinement. But my goodness what an incredible experience it was, listening to a 50wpc amplifier driving the notoriously tricky 4-ohm KEF 104/2's, and not hearing the first, faintest, tiniest bit of struggle from that amp. I was amazed then; I'm amazed all over again just thinking about it.
Very interesting. Always wondered about their approach to amplification . I remember years ago Richard getting banned from various forums for his views 😊
Great review, I was following NVA for quite a while, sadly I didn't find 110v versions on offer yet. Another brand to consider is Heed, specifically the Lagrange amplifier. A Hungarian enthusiast's brand with strong British design DNA and over 30 years of history. It makes use of Transcap technology as well as high-quality Mundorf capacitors. So I think it'd be cool to see the first proper English review of it on your channel.
Hi Tarun, i believe you messed up the model names in the title 😂 It's the P50/S80 combo. Great work as always, i didn't know this brand. Cheers from Greece 🍺
You might want to consider Colin Wonfor's EWA range of amplifiers including the legendary Claymore Integrated Amp. Another UK amp designer producing, in this country, some excellent amps. The EWA range of cables are also very fine. I can attest to that.
Great review. My only quibble is that on the NVA website I see a S80 Power and P50 Preamp (not a S50/P80), nor do I see a P80 Preamp mentioned below, so I'm somewhat confused. Having said that, this is the best audiophile channel on TH-cam, bar none.
I owned a 25w nva amp a few years back. Loved the thing but i grew tired of the way it added to the sound. Definitely not the most transparent thing but lush, warm and engaging it was!
Forgive me but I am going to Flex on behalf of home grown HIFI as you'd be led to believe of late on TH-cam Particularly (a few good reviewers aside), that HIFI doesn't exist outside US. I have a Roksan Platinum P15B Pre and ST1308 Power combo which is a "tour de force" for Roksan I have enjoyed it for a number of years. Its fully balanced, uses top quality components and built like a Gold Vault! It has effortless power, seemingly much more than the 130 watts into 8ohms it advertises. Must be down to the Massive Transformer and current Caps, yet it has a delicacy and elegance which can be listened to all day long without fatigue or Boredom, not an easy thing to accomplish. Very imposing combo in Champagne Platinum finish and replete with a Multi-function billet Aluminum Remote control. I am reluctantly coming under pressure to sell by the better half especially that I don't use the combo much but only because I have an all valve system based around the EAR Yoshino 912 and Lumley ST70 Reference Power Amp. The former needs no introduction to the knowledgeable people on your channel but the Lumley if you don't know it, is a "Tour de Force" its an EL34/KT88 push pull design that works in Ultra linear and Triode Mode. It is immaculately point to point silver wired under the hood and has been completely rebuilt using German Audyn Silver Reference and British Audionote Capacitors. There are two Nichicon Filter caps so big I could move in. It weighs as much as Mars such is the size of the three massive hand-wound British Transformers and the battleship gauge of the stunning chrome plated case work. I have invested in NOS Mullard CV2492 ECC88 X2 & RCA 1960 JAN ECC82 X2 Currently running Golden Lion KT88 but have now got some GEC NOS which I am going to try soon. This combo is utterly sublime partnered with my immaculate Vintage Proac Response 3.8 premium finish Floor-standers and YES Purists might flinch but I was seduced by stereo pair of REL S3 SHO's Subwoofers. They completely disappear in my room and allow the already great mid bass /mid and treble to shine even brighter. The extension in the bass just goes so low its so fast and visceral. Uncannily, it just seems to come from the Proacs. Anyway I digress, I never thought I would get into valve amps but I have been completely blown away by this current Pre and Vintage Power Amp albeit renewed all bar the Transformers, which will go on forever. It's an unexpected superb synergy as a combo. I asked a Tube Amp builder what it would cost now to design and hand build an Amp to the Lumley ST 70 Reference standard, he said quite conservatively between $10 - $15,000 USD depending on some of the components used. So its in no way outclassed by the 912 or indeed Tim de Pavaracinci's venerable 509 Mono-blocs which have a very powerful but neutral presentation, the ST70 isn't neutral but depending on the source content, it can be liquid silk in which you can drift watching every eddy and current with pure clarity or it can also be muscular and powerful and playful. This pairing I will never sell. I am in awe, some nights I can sit there lose myself in the seductive glow of the Valves against the Chrome finish and just be completely in awe of how lucky I am to have this in my life.
Great review Tarun! I would like to share my discovery of a great cable manufacturer; the Darwin cable company, a buy direct company based in the US. I found their cables to sound phenomenally good. They have a special silver with low dielectric and low mass design approach that I think will appeal to your audiophile philosophy. Even their entry level cables sounds great (I have interconnects and speaker cables from their previous generations). If you have a chance to try their speaker cables, I think you would be pleasantly surprised.
I wonder if some of that mid range sweetness is due to the passive preamp . It's something proponents of passive preamplification tend to point to as an advantage. Would love to hear their M600 monoblocks. I note they also sell component kits to modify their own products. An interesting and welcome idea.
This is the first time I have seen acrylic cased amps other than my DNM Pre/Power amps which also have separate power supply boxes. Still going strong after 32 years.
Thanks Tarun for drawing my attention to these particular NVA pre and power amps. Clearly, our independently-minded Brit hi fi makers are fighting above their weight and turning out very interesting equipment. The NVA's acrylic casework makes good sense to me. I own Andy Rothwell's Rubicon pre and valve power amp combination, and I'm reasonably happy with them - barring their low power output. You touched on bi-amping with the NVA P80 amp, so do you think that would help provide the 'umph' in the bass frequencies?
My favourtie bespoke amplifiers are Crimson 640eiii’s which were recently upgraded by Peter More by hand to the 640eiv’s. Based on what you seem to be interested in this amplifiers are a must for an audition or review. The upgrade from MKiii to MKiv was remarkable but the iii’s outperformed anything I had heard anywhere near the price point.
Hi Tarun, great review as always. I fancy building my own PSU at some point using a Toroidy transformer, having heard great things about them. I think the most unusual brand I’ve encountered actually belong to my mate; a pair of LFD mono blocks. The sound they produced was huge, even at low volume.
Great review as always my friend. And so good to hear about a small company making gear in accordance with one person's design philosiphy. I must say I mourn the current trend of low sensitivity speakers. (Tho some of them are exquisite sounding.) Watts may be cheap, but big power doesn't necessarily mean better sound. My biggest discovery was the glorious sound of tubes. Currently, I'm running a tube preamp and low-power Class A monoblocs. Made in California.
Good interesting stuff, as always. Using non metallic casings to reduce eddy currents is a tactic that was/is used by Graham fowler from Trichord and Tom Evans. They made legendary designs for Michell amps, Argo pre amp and Alecto power amps which also were housed is Perspex casings and had huge power supplies. Cheers
This 'no metal' pholisophy was championed by Dennis Moorcroft, of DMN Designs fame, several decades ago, who used the same acrylic materials throughout his excellent Pre-amps (and power I believe), although his very first Pre did have a metal chassis. I had several iterations of his Pre's, which even went so far down the line of separate left and right channels to the degree of having separate left and right volume controls. He also went further down the line of least metal is better, by using the sonically superior DIN sockets - phono sockets were/are not designed for audio use.
You name quite a few interesting brands. Always wanted to try a Croft. I want to bring Tsakiridis Devices to your attention. A small Greek business that makes very reasonably priced vacuum tube amplifiers. A nice European alternative to Cayin, Line Magnetic, Willsenton etc.
Some sad losses to audio over recent times . Not sure I have come across anything unique, however to experiment with different units has been a passion for years . You need a budget to do this and time . The most unlikely pairings can blow your socks off, where others get the title of dire . In my experience you have got to listen with a half empty mindset and give some real time to listening . Great review Tarun and this review has got me interested big time .
An Interesting and unusual hifi product I encountered is the Neotech SOCT hookup wire (= solid core UP-OCC PTFE) used as loudspeaker cable. To me AWG20 (only 0,5 mm2!) suffice for enough bass. This 12 euro per meter solution (plus sleeve to keep both wires together) sounded better in all aspects then all expensive cables I tried before.
Great review tarun.its great to champion independent British hifi manufacturers, I've always had a sweet spot for NVA,hopefully you can review some other hidden gems 💎 in the future .
Nice review and they look really interesting! Another slightly more unique company who specializes in more simple circuits is the UK manufacturer LFD. I think you and I are about the same age so I would imagine you know them. I once owned two of their Mistral integrated amps about 20 years ago and loved them! Simple circuitry and very musical sound. It would be neat if you could review one of their newer, very highly regarded integrated amplifiers!
Great product; great review. I would be interested to learn more specifically how the bass control issue could be resolved; although you did mention bi & tri amping, and ‘moving up the line’ on their power amps might be a way to start. I would be curious to see how one would finish. Love to listen to it in any case. Most speakers are advertised as being capable of being driven by as little as 30 Watts.
I did build myself a pair of Audiotronic Megatrend,s in the early 1990,s, driven by a Crest Audio P9001. If Magnepans where speakers, thats what they would look and sound like. 🥰 Those who "tripped" over those behemots, got a tad surpriced,, 😅 Thank you for your first class work and your time Tarun. ⭐x5. Today I got myself a Arcam SA20. Cheers,, 🍻😎👍👍 Speaking of small brands. You have to get hold of a Moonriver 404 Reference and review it. Cheesus what an amp. 💖
ive recently got the border patrol se i dac. handmade in usa ,r2r ,comes with a nos rectifier tube .sounds more natural and real than my old ifi idac2 .
Would be interesting to mix the amps: try the NVA pre with your Exposure monos and the Exposure pre with NVA stereo power amp. I fancy a tube pre with the NVA150 power amp.
Fascinating review, professionally delivered without any hype. Suggestion for a low cost bargain to review? I have recently changed to a passive preamp with my Musical Fidelity XA 50 mono blocks - serviced/upgraded a few years back by amplifier guru and ex Mus Fid engineer Jez Arkless. The passive is available via eBay as an ‘unbranded’ from China that I decided to take a punt on. With the Mus Fids driving my IPL floorstanders this little preamp comfortably outperforms the Naim NAC172XS preamp/streamer it replaced and also the Linn Selekt DSM that I was considering as a replacement - I now use a Bluesound NODE 2i for steaming duties. It looks really nicely built, is available in black or silver, has remote control of 4 inputs, volume and mute and uses an RK47 Alps Blue pot - all for around £150 including postage etc. It would be great to see a review of this little bargain which has made a significant improvement to my system in terms of clarity/detail. Beware the slightly cheaper version with the RK168 pot btw, which is said to be inferior. David Deeks
Hi there I've replied a couple of times with a link but they keep disappearing - may be breaking a rule of some kind?! Just google ebay remote RK27 passive preamp@@carlitosgomez71
Another great review Taran! 👏🏻 I am in the middle of a buying process - and I will listen to Exposure next week for that. Your reviews are the main reason for it! I did not knoew Exposure before - quite a niche company, especially here in Switzerland. 😅 NOW, with this review, i get very curious about a NVA combination P80/S150!? Would this possibly resolve some of the issues you mentioned in the bass section? I would pair it with my Proacs D15 (and 2 B&W sub woofers) Ps: I runned up until now an Astin Trew AT-2000+ amp! I loved it for the mids altough the lows were a bit mushy… Saidly the volume control (an opto controler) has given up and also there are some sizzling noises. Astin Trew no longer exists and spare parts are difficult to get - so there are also some threads with small manufacturers … Ps2: Thanks for running this channel!! 👍🏻😃
I requested the baby in the range. I am trying to get more accessible gear in for review. It is proving tricky. I hope to review their more expensive amps down the line 👍
Great review. Thanks for yoiur beautiful work. Finding enthusiasts producing amazing high-end components in our time is wonderful. That ticks all the boxes for me. This little pair would lure me into a change of amplification. (un)Fortunately enough I bought recently an amazing combination pre/amp (using class D): NUPRIME AMG PRA/AMG STA.
Love the reviews Tarun, keep them coming. How do you think it's bigger brother, the P50SA/M600 monoblocks would fair the the Dali Minuet SE's and say a Rel T7x sub?
Refreshingly, even their range topping bundle is not as expensive as you'd expect considering the amount of hardware you get. Get them to send you their flagship stuff. I'm sure I'm not the only one who would be interested to hear what you think of them.
Thank you. I plan to review more of their products 😊
I bought this pairing last year and it worked wonderfully with my pair of Wharfedale Pacific speakers (25+ years old).
When NVA announced a small run of 160W monoblocks I added a pair of those to bi-amp. The step up in the entire sound was significant, and "the system" disappeared.
I've since added the NVA Phono stage and headphone amp. The detail that was suddenly revealed from records I have been listening to for decades has me pulling out albums to play late into the night.
In addition, the NVA team are incredibly helpful and a delight to deal with.
That is great 👍
An utterly superb review of a fascinating and exquisite product. I may never buy one of these, or even hear them, but knowing they exist as a result of your thoughtful but deeply felt commentary, is an absolute joy.
Thank you Paul. That means a lot 😊👍
I met Richard Dunn several times whilst working at a HiFi dealers in the Home Counties during the early 90’s as he was friends with the dealership owner. Richard was definitely a character! and his equipment (had metal casing in those days) was unique and sounded great when matched well using their own cables. Great to highlight the small specialists that continue to thrive Tarun. Keep it up ❤
Thank you. He had a bit of a reputation being difficult at times 😊
Hi Tarun,I would recommend that you get in touch with Colin Wonfor of Incatech fame and try his new amplifiers.
@@tengkukamil3951 thank you. I will check him out 😊
@@tengkukamil3951 An amplifier with too many transistors with an ultimately longer signal path for audio's delicately small signals, spoils ultimate detail, clarity, transparency achievable .
As a lover of low powered valve based systems this is the kind of solid state gear that I find appealing. The characteristics you describe are those of a SE valve amp. With well chosen speakers you get a system that musically punches well above its weight.
The problem continues to be a dearth of high efficiency speakers.
@@brown-eyedman4040 Any floorstander around 90 dB will do a lot better than the small standmounts that Tarun tried with them.
I'm in the middle of building some transmission line cabs for a eight inch full ranger with a super tweeter. 93db sensitivity. NVA is definitely a consideration.
I wish I had a high sensitivity floorstander in to try with these. Hopefully, I can hang on to them a while 😊
Hope you get some audio note speakers in. 😎
I can only concur with everything said in this review. I have a Jadis i50 integrated now retailing at £14k, which blew a gasket. I decided to buy a temporary amp whilst my Jadis was being repaired and ended up with a NVA P50SA Mk1 with M300 monoblocks and LS5 speaker cable. To say I was blown away is an understatement, basically every dimension of the sound from my system was better, so much so I bought a second pair of M300 monoblocks so I could bi-amp, and I am now on an upgrade path with NVA cabling and M300's to M600's at £500 per pair to upgrade. Everyone who has heard my system agrees the NVA's are better. Suffice to say I am selling the Jadis.
Thank you Alan. That is good to know 👍
An excellent review Tarun. I have owned lots of NVA products over the years, and still own their Cube speakers. Richard Dunn was quite the character, and it's great to see the company thrive under new ownership.
You really must try their monoblocks and passive pre. Grip is not something you'll find lacking! Cable wise, ask to try their SSP interconnects and LS7 speaker cables.
Well done Tarun 🍻
I'm in the market for some interconnects as it happens as my Tony Sallis built Coherent wires have flaked out on me this week.
Thank you John. Much appreciated 😊👍
Agreed this guy talks real clout when it comes to unbiased and frank analogies.
Very admirable to cover the cottage industry brands . And on point about how many great designers and advocates have been lost in recent years - max townshend , Allen boothroyd of meridian , even the likes of art Dudley ( stereophile) and most recently Howard popeck .
Thank you 😊
Also ken ishiwata (marantz) and Stuart Tyler (proac) who have both recently passed away
Thanks, Tarun. Shame about the remote. I find streaming requires a lot of volume adjustment, I wish them great success. Love the small guys motivated by quality.
Thanks Jim 👍
Impressive review Tarun. I hope you get a chance to review more of their gear higher up the chain.
Thanks Bryan. I hope to 👍
I am glad that there are still enthusiasts producing amazing high-end components in our time. On my way, the biggest surprise was the manufacturer Trafomatic Audio. This needs to be heard - unsurpassed level for me.
Thank you 😊
I think: You are the BEST (and there are a few good ones) AUDIO CRITIC IN ENGLAND :)
.... I think you are more friendly and have a bit more sense of humor while being just as CRAZY about your Audiophilism. -- Smart Reviews with a Nice Personality Wins to me --
- m.
Thank you Marvin. Very kind 😊👍
Thank you for you review. I found NVA around 2009 when i was looking for a passive preamp. I liked it a lot but i haven't tried their power amplifiers. I remember exchanging some emails with the owner. There is something special about it when the person behind the product answers your questions direct.
Agreed 😊
It is sad to learn that Glenn Croft passed away. I was planning to get a Croft pre-amp and I thought that the company would carry on for many years to come.
I didn't know that NVA was a small manufacturer but I guess you can say that for nearly all British audio manufacturers bar a couple (KEF and B&W come first to mind ). I suppose you could call a lot medium sized - it doesn't take a lot to churn out hundreds or thousands of components per year, if you limit the amount of product variety I guess. NVA featured quite often in the audio magazines of the nineties and its pricing was always honest. I'm glad this is still the case.
I have to say it's the first time I actually get a glimpse of the technology (or should I say, design choices) under the hood of an NVA (though I think I knew they were always into passive pre-amps) and the direct current approach plus choice componentry peaked my interest. I never expected you'd rate this so highly and the fact you thought it bettered the bottom-of-the=line Accuphase as well as the big Exposures, I admit, gave me goose bumps! You deserve praise for the technical exposition - not always paid attention to by reviewers - and the explanations behind it (I think there can be not enough educating of audiophiles as they often act based on sentiment rather than sense).
I didn't know that the whole case of the NVAs was made of acrylic nor that there are two types of acrylic. I would suppose that the choice of the more expensive acrylic was made for aesthetic reasons since NVA always paid attention to their products' styling - would that be correct? By the way, one thing that always drew me to NVA was that they stuck with their styling over decades. I love that in a manufacturer: finding a signature design and sticking with it (something that Sugden, Naim, Meridian, Audiolab etc. all had and chose to abandon). Coming back to the acrylic, again, I was astounded to learn that the minimisation of metal (especially ferromagnetic) parts was the reason for their choice. That makes it a close relative of DNM - and since you asked for lesser known manufacturers, you should take a hint here.
That the bass delivery should be limited out of this amp is to be expected. It all comes back to honest pricing. You cannot expect a passive pre-amp and (nearly) boutique parts and a low-to-medium price (for its quality class) and have thumping bass at the same time.. Bass means large power supply caps, more transistors and the latter in turn mean a more complex circuit, which in turn requires more optimisations and son on and all of a sudden you get a price 2-5 times larger. So the advice for right loudspeaker partnering was spot on. I wonder how these would sound on horns..
Thank you Stelios. That is a great breakdown 😊👍
I have an NVA P50SA that I bought used a few years ago for £166 and an NVA A20 that I bought new for £133. They are a good little combo for £300.
It's not so much that NVA are inexpensive, it's more that almost everything else is expensive for what it is. With dealer mark-ups being a big factore in this compared to the direct sales only NVA business model.
Avondale are another small company that makes great products for the brand new asking prices. I have a lot of affection for both companies.
Thank you for sharing your experiences 👍
Thanks for all the highly informative reviews. I'm currently considering a complete overhaul of my ageing HiFi system and have been avidly catching up on your channel which has certainly given me plenty of food for thought. Having watched this latest review, I couldn't resist the lure of the NVA pre amp/power amp combination and have ordered the S150/P80 combo. I'm sure my choice of speakers will also be influenced by you so thanks again.
That is great. Speaker choice is critical. Please let me know how you get on 😊👍
What an incredible introduction to this equipment and in-depth review. I am a little concerned about any purchase, though, due to the finicky pairing of power and speakers, but certainly something else to consider and provide 'small company' support . Thank you as always for your wonderful and detailed review, your time, and effort to share this with us all.
Thank you Simon. Much appreciated 😊👍
@@abritishaudiophile7314 You're always most welcome and appreciated, Sir.
@@abritishaudiophile7314 speaker ?? what do you mean sensitivity it doesn't like a low sensitivity speaker what sensitivity are we talking about below 88db say?
NVA offer a 30-day 'at home' period. If you decide they aren't for you within this time you can return them.
I know someone who did this.
I bought this combination last year, and it worked wonderfully with my old Wharfedale Pacific speakers. I've since added a pair of 160W monoblocks (NVA, obviously) to allow bi-amping. That was a significant step up in the sound.
@@sameebah that is great 👍
Hi Tarun,
Was I right?😊
Not long ago,I dusted off my old NVA P50 and biamped A30 & A40 monoblocs from nearly 2 decades of storage.
So expressive and engaging is their presentation that they have caused me to rethink what was "gained" in the evolution that led to my current and decidedly more costly & technically adept "flagship" system from a highly regarded manufacturer.
The charming little NVA's are a real delight.
Best regards.
Yes Ken. The is a very special pre/power with the right speakers 😊👍
The key to the sound quality is in the choice of components as evident in your comments on the preamp. The downfall of the amp is clearly evident in the sizing of the power supply capacitors and transformer. You cannot get something for nothing as that clearly won’t work. The larger amps can make up for this, but I like the philosophy of component choices as being key in the presentation of this pair’s voicing. Very fun review of a specialist audio manufacturer Tarun. Pretty remarkable in the price range. Like to see the larger amps get a listen.
Thank you Mark. I hope to check out it’s big brothers 👍
Acrylic cases were all the rage in the 80s, DNM were one of the main proponents, they went along with solid core wiring and phono plugs that used a dedicated tab rather than the entire outer ring. Nice little "bank vault" selectors and very small acrylic cases iirc.
Thanks John 😊
I remember when the company was nearly always referred to buy it's
full name Nene Valley Audio never did know why. A friend of mine
from way back had one of their pre/power combos I think it was
in the mid 80s, when we all had to walk over to our amps to adjust the
volume and he did use their own cable as they recommended.
He used an early pair of LS35a, still does sees no reason to change
them, he recently added a pair of REL subs, and I think the amps
went back for a service at some stage. This is his man cave system
his living room av system, hugely powerful and cost twice as much
as my car but does not sound as sweet as the NVA setup especially
when playing a bit of Mozart with all the twiddly bits very nice.
Thank you for sharing 😊
I have the p50 with the stepped attenuator volume control, and the A80 mono blocks, nva ssp (super sound pipes) interconnects and nva LS6 speaker cable. I bought them new over ten years ago from Richard Dunn after reading his hypothesis in his adverts on eBay and the amazing back up and upgrade path he gave. Richard said that Royd speakers go well with his amps so I bought a pair of Merlin’s and a pair of Sorcerer’s from eBay I’ve never looked back. I love the sound I get and have never wanted to replace them. When Richard died the people that took over more than doubled the prices. So I could never afford to replace them like for like. I think more people would have bought Richards equipment but he had a very direct marmite personality.
Thank you for sharing your experiences 😊
You British audiophiles have lots to be proud of. Craftsmanship is key to civilization.
Thank you 😊
There is so many small manufacturers out there that really should come more to the limelight. I have been a fan of Heed for quite some time and i would recomend anything from them anytime :)
I now have theire top of the line Thesis Alpha pre/dac and a pair of Clones audio PM55 monoblocks.. and my Proac DB1 have never sounded better or clearer.. just mindblowing.
First time i have gotten goosebumps from quiet parts of music.. the TOTAL silence and feeling like a vacume just blew my mind.
Cool 😎
Lovely review. Giving due respect to the efforts and passion of individual engineers.
Thank you 👍
I'd love for them to send you their monoblocks. It would be interesting to see what they do at the top end of their range.
I hope to find out 😊
Excellent and so well presented review. The NVA AP10 was one of the more unusual amps I have encountered, as were the DNM amps, the Moth Group 30 Series (from Mike Harris, circuit by Stan Curtis) and the Gryphon XT preamp.
Thank you. Great to learn about your experiences 😊👍
Richard is smiling on us 😉
I hope so 🙏
I love your honest review style Tarun. Very informative and interesting to watch.
I have NVA P50SA MKII pre amp. This is excellent.
The only thing I would comment is that the input and volume knobs appear different colours when photo or video is used (and in this review in places). In reality this is trick of the light and in real life they look identical.
Great review. People should check NVA out. They make great kit!
Thank you Peter 😊👍
Wow. That was a review and a half. Thank you!
My most interesting hifi products till date lie on opposing ends of the pricing spectrum. A pair of old AR18le closed box acoustic suspension speakers and the Raidho X1s. Both sublime, yet so very different.
Thank you kindly 😊👍
Tarun, Thanks for finding equipment that is more affordable for the newbies 👍😎
OST welcome. Thank you for watching 👍
Hi Tatun, Thank you for introducing me to a new and off the shelf brand. In my fifty years of being an audiophile I have mostly avoided brick and mortar HiFi stores as I have found, attending the odd HiFi society meeting and getting to know a few Audiophile’s over the years has been much more informative. I’ve always been aware of mainstream brands doing interesting things. My own system has been made up of components made or modified by more innovative and more creative smaller and bespoke back yard manufactures like Vacuum State (Allan Wright designed) and Custom Analogue Audio by (Joe Rasmussen) here in Sydney Australia.
I’m so happy to have a great system that I love the sound of. l wouldn’t have been able to afford an equivalent system if purchased in a HiFi store which would cost many times more. But more importantly I have developed friendships and relationships with the designer/makers that have made my audiophile journey so much more rewarding over the years. It’s much more than just enjoying the music for me. I have a passion for music, gear and the minority of us like minded people we define as audiophiles.
Thank you Paul. Great to learn about your experiences 😊
Unusual products on my journey both purchased in early 90s - an awful 6 loader Kenwood cd player and fantastic Michell Gyrodec which I still have
Thank you Will 😊
Good review, and exciting to hear of the quality of the NVA. As a small-scale producer, they appear to be accommodating to North American customers and will produce units with inputs for 120VAC-60Hz supply. As for power, 30W, well, it inspires me to look higher in their amp range.
Thank you John. Good to know 👍
I think you would love Crimson. Simply spectacular! Peter Moore is an uncompromising genius
Thank you 😊
bought an nva amp as a kit ages ago for a two figure sum. it will only work with low resistance single strand cables and very sensitive low impedance speakers. took me quite some time and numerous sets of speakers before i found what i consider the best match. a lot of trial and error. glad someone recognizes the qaulity of the make.
Thank you for sharing 😊
I have a David Belles IA-01 and it's magical. I'm currently running a "full monty" Tom Evans setup but I kept the Belles and I wouldn't be at all surprised if I went back to it. Lean, tight and utterly lifelike I can't part with it
Cool 😎
Tarun a really good review. Thank you. DNM - the Dennis Moorcroft designed amps had the same approach as Richard Dunn. Acrylic cases with an added attempt to make the signal path as short as possible with '3D' boards. Had that same kind of ethereal sound too. The more expensive units had less power!.
Thank you 😊
This becomes one of my favorite channels of this year. Thank You
Personal Question; You say you have 30 years on the audiophile hobby, my question from a young audiophile is: Why is so hard find the correct gear, I mean there's a lot differences between amps, speakers, cables etc! it feels like an non ending journey!!
Thank you John. I can be a never ending search for improvements 😊👍
It's not a neverending journey. Most amps and DAC's are transparent. You can't hear better than ~85 dB SINAD. You (probably) can't hear difference between lossless and Spotify. When you realize this you go and get a capable streamer, a Crown power amp and a pair of speakers of your taste. Then your journey will "only" be the chase of nicer speakers and maybe room correction.
Very impressive, can't wait to see a review of their other stuff, maybe the monoblocks have more headroom for transients. Great review as always.🙂👍
Thank you 😊
Hi Tarun,
Another great video. I love the way you cover the good and the bad, in equal measure. What an interesting pre and power amp combination. I very much agree with you that speaker choice, with only 30 watts available and those tiny filter caps, is critical. I am really thinking about purchasing a set of Klipsch Heresy IV speakers which were offered to me in used, but near mint condition. They have an efficiency of 98db. Those, and similar, would probably go well with it.
I also love what you said at the beginning of the video of you "dating" yourself. Personally, I love middle-age men. My husband will be 55 this year, and men of his generation tend to know precisely what they want and how to get it. I find that to be very attractive! 😊❤
Thank you Tasha. Great to have your perspective. Your husband is a lucky man, you can tell him I said so 😂❤️
@@abritishaudiophile7314 No need... he is sitting right next to me and read your comment!! 😋
I’m also a 55 year old man and find him extremely handsome and extremely intelligent if only I could ever meet him❤❤❤❤😊Steve
Very good and insightful review! Thank you for that. I did not hear a single word of blabla of so many other reviewers. Enthusiastic and calm at the same time, very sophisticated, indeed. - (May I just add a tiny correction? The two blue capacitors are part of the power supply not for the two channels, but for the two voltages (plus and minus) needed for that type of amplifier.)
Thank you kindly 😊👍
I auditioned the Norwegian hi-fi brand Doxa at an exhibition some years ago. I had seen photos of the amp without its covers, and it contained nearly no components at all. Looking at the price, I pretty much thought it was a joke, and had very low expectations. It turned out to be the best sounding experience I had that day. The «less is more» principle can certainly be true.
Thank you 😊
Another option is build your own. I built a pair of Nelson Pass designed Firstwatt F6 monoblocks - running at higher power supply voltages than the originals I think I’m getting circa 50W into a pair of Kef R3s and they sound sublime.
Cool 😎
Tarun, again another enjoyable video of a product from an audio company unknown to many of us viewers. I am always interested in high caliber offerings from such smaller companies. Keep them coming. You are still #1. Very appreciative.
Thank you kindly James 😊👍
Sad news. I was aware he had been ill but didn’t know he died. When I met him I found him to be really sweet, patient and very passionate about music and hifi. It was a real pleasure to discuss and listen to music with him. I think he was using budget Gale speakers on his own pre/power combi at the time, he had fitted metal braces internally to the speakers for extra rigidity and explained what great speakers they could be but had been overlooked by the hifi industry. I’m glad I never told him I use a weaved speaker cable with his pre.☺️
Hi Tarun, I saw the title and thought, NVA, never heard of them. But I felt better after your introduction. So thank you for bringing some exotic stuff to us. For what it is, a boutique tiny brand made in the UK, the price is very honest. I think this amp will work well with Fostex or TangBand full range drivers. They are not for every-bodies taste but if you like that kind of sound, I have a feeling it will work, based on your description. The Eddie-current theory, I believe is also something that Rega believes in. I grew up with valves and in my job I work with professional electronics. Maybe I am wrong or biassed but in my book, electronics belongs in a metal case. So an acrylic case is not what I would do. But one way or an other, it is probably not that critical.
Thank you for sharing Hugo 😊
Hi Tarun well you have done it once again
A great review and insight into some of the more unknown hifi manufacturers My one concern was the gluing of the case and the need in the future to remove the lid I would have preferred countersunk threaded screws plastic or ceramic type screws ...PS keep your articulated reviews coming your friends in Australia..🙏
Thank you kindly 😊👍
… and Switzerland… 👍🏻🤩
It's hard to imagine now, but at the time of my introduction to it, the Bryston 2BLP qualified as an "out there" piece of kit. Very few companies had gone with rack-handle chasses, and even fewer with visible heat sink fins -- especially across the front (!!!) -- but unlike the Carver M 1.5T "magnetic field power amplifier," the Bryston sounded glorious as well. Grippy like nothing I've ever heard since, and by no small margin, the 2BLP had me at hello from day one's listening in an Indianapolis showroom in the late 80s. For the rest of that summer I came back several times, the last of which featured a full listen-through of the Genesis album, Invisible Touch, the volume appropriately set at 12 of course.
There are two LEDs on the front of the 2BLP and they run green under normal operating conditions, and red during clipping. That afternoon, when the instrumental track finally came on at the back end of the CD ("The Brazilian") the salesman and I sat in shared, gob-smacked astonishment at how unfazed the amp seemed to be, even when the big bass resolve comes in about 1/3 through that track. The lights did everything they could, waxing a cherry red that I hadn't even known you could get in an LED, but the amp just simply could, not, be, overmatched.
I often wonder what I'd think of that piece today: Both my listening habits and the SOTA in amplifier design have come *quite* a long way, and my guess is that the 2BLP would hardly serve up the last word in present-day cohesion, soundstage, or detail refinement. But my goodness what an incredible experience it was, listening to a 50wpc amplifier driving the notoriously tricky 4-ohm KEF 104/2's, and not hearing the first, faintest, tiniest bit of struggle from that amp. I was amazed then; I'm amazed all over again just thinking about it.
Thank you 😊
Very interesting. Always wondered about their approach to amplification .
I remember years ago Richard getting banned from various forums for his views 😊
Thank you. He had a reputation 😊
30 years in hifi here too- caught the bug aged 14!
Cool 😎
Great review, I was following NVA for quite a while, sadly I didn't find 110v versions on offer yet.
Another brand to consider is Heed, specifically the Lagrange amplifier. A Hungarian enthusiast's brand with strong British design DNA and over 30 years of history. It makes use of Transcap technology as well as high-quality Mundorf capacitors. So I think it'd be cool to see the first proper English review of it on your channel.
Tha k you. I hope,to get to Heed when I can 😊
Hi Tarun, i believe you messed up the model names in the title 😂
It's the P50/S80 combo.
Great work as always, i didn't know this brand. Cheers from Greece 🍺
Thank you. I have been struggling with that all through filming the review. I am so used to seeing the “P” with power amps 😂
@@abritishaudiophile7314 ,yeah me too.
Keep up the great reviews! 🙏
Thank you for this review. I’ve been looking at NVA for a while now, your review has made up my mind, thank you once again.
Cool 😎 thanks Ron 😊
You might want to consider Colin Wonfor's EWA range of amplifiers including the legendary Claymore Integrated Amp. Another UK amp designer producing, in this country, some excellent amps. The EWA range of cables are also very fine. I can attest to that.
Thank you 😊
Wow. Thru hole components in this day and age!
Excellent.
Great review. My only quibble is that on the NVA website I see a S80 Power and P50 Preamp (not a S50/P80), nor do I see a P80 Preamp mentioned below, so I'm somewhat confused. Having said that, this is the best audiophile channel on TH-cam, bar none.
Thank you kindly 😊👍
I owned a 25w nva amp a few years back. Loved the thing but i grew tired of the way it added to the sound. Definitely not the most transparent thing but lush, warm and engaging it was!
Thank you for sharing your experiences 😊
Sad to head of Glenn’s passing, I didn’t know. Achieved amazing things with his minimalist approach to circuit design.
It is a loss to our community 🙏
Forgive me but I am going to Flex on behalf of home grown HIFI as you'd be led to believe of late on TH-cam Particularly (a few good reviewers aside), that HIFI doesn't exist outside US. I have a Roksan Platinum P15B Pre and ST1308 Power combo which is a "tour de force" for Roksan I have enjoyed it for a number of years. Its fully balanced, uses top quality components and built like a Gold Vault! It has effortless power, seemingly much more than the 130 watts into 8ohms it advertises. Must be down to the Massive Transformer and current Caps, yet it has a delicacy and elegance which can be listened to all day long without fatigue or Boredom, not an easy thing to accomplish. Very imposing combo in Champagne Platinum finish and replete with a Multi-function billet Aluminum Remote control.
I am reluctantly coming under pressure to sell by the better half especially that I don't use the combo much but only because I have an all valve system based around the EAR Yoshino 912 and Lumley ST70 Reference Power Amp. The former needs no introduction to the knowledgeable people on your channel but the Lumley if you don't know it, is a "Tour de Force" its an EL34/KT88 push pull design that works in Ultra linear and Triode Mode. It is immaculately point to point silver wired under the hood and has been completely rebuilt using German Audyn Silver Reference and British Audionote Capacitors. There are two Nichicon Filter caps so big I could move in. It weighs as much as Mars such is the size of the three massive hand-wound British Transformers and the battleship gauge of the stunning chrome plated case work. I have invested in NOS Mullard CV2492 ECC88 X2 & RCA 1960 JAN ECC82 X2 Currently running Golden Lion KT88 but have now got some GEC NOS which I am going to try soon.
This combo is utterly sublime partnered with my immaculate Vintage Proac Response 3.8 premium finish Floor-standers and YES Purists might flinch but I was seduced by stereo pair of REL S3 SHO's Subwoofers. They completely disappear in my room and allow the already great mid bass /mid and treble to shine even brighter. The extension in the bass just goes so low its so fast and visceral. Uncannily, it just seems to come from the Proacs. Anyway I digress, I never thought I would get into valve amps but I have been completely blown away by this current Pre and Vintage Power Amp albeit renewed all bar the Transformers, which will go on forever. It's an unexpected superb synergy as a combo.
I asked a Tube Amp builder what it would cost now to design and hand build an Amp to the Lumley ST 70 Reference standard, he said quite conservatively between $10 - $15,000 USD depending on some of the components used. So its in no way outclassed by the 912 or indeed Tim de Pavaracinci's venerable 509 Mono-blocs which have a very powerful but neutral presentation, the ST70 isn't neutral but depending on the source content, it can be liquid silk in which you can drift watching every eddy and current with pure clarity or it can also be muscular and powerful and playful. This pairing I will never sell. I am in awe, some nights I can sit there lose myself in the seductive glow of the Valves against the Chrome finish and just be completely in awe of how lucky I am to have this in my life.
Thank you for sharing your experiences Gerald 😊
Great review Tarun!
I would like to share my discovery of a great cable manufacturer; the Darwin cable company, a buy direct company based in the US. I found their cables to sound phenomenally good. They have a special silver with low dielectric and low mass design approach that I think will appeal to your audiophile philosophy. Even their entry level cables sounds great (I have interconnects and speaker cables from their previous generations). If you have a chance to try their speaker cables, I think you would be pleasantly surprised.
Thank you 😊
Danke! You just made my search for an amp for my Tannoy Legacy Eaton more complicated again. 🙃
Danke my friend. I appreciate the support 😊👍
@@abritishaudiophile7314 You're dearly welcome, Marc!
I wonder if some of that mid range sweetness is due to the passive preamp . It's something proponents of passive preamplification tend to point to as an advantage. Would love to hear their M600 monoblocks. I note they also sell component kits to modify their own products. An interesting and welcome idea.
I hope to review more of their products when I can 😊
Wow! Everything about the build reminds me of Tom Evans ! His phono stages are the best kept secret in the U K in my opinion.
Cool 😎
This is the first time I have seen acrylic cased amps other than my DNM Pre/Power amps which also have separate power supply boxes. Still going strong after 32 years.
Cool 😎
Thanks Tarun for drawing my attention to these particular NVA pre and power amps. Clearly, our independently-minded Brit hi fi makers are fighting above their weight and turning out very interesting equipment. The NVA's acrylic casework makes good sense to me. I own Andy Rothwell's Rubicon pre and valve power amp combination, and I'm reasonably happy with them - barring their low power output. You touched on bi-amping with the NVA P80 amp, so do you think that would help provide the 'umph' in the bass frequencies?
Thank you Gavin 😊
My favourtie bespoke amplifiers are Crimson 640eiii’s which were recently upgraded by Peter More by hand to the 640eiv’s. Based on what you seem to be interested in this amplifiers are a must for an audition or review. The upgrade from MKiii to MKiv was remarkable but the iii’s outperformed anything I had heard anywhere near the price point.
Thank you for sharing your experiences 😊
Hi Tarun, great review as always. I fancy building my own PSU at some point using a Toroidy transformer, having heard great things about them.
I think the most unusual brand I’ve encountered actually belong to my mate; a pair of LFD mono blocks. The sound they produced was huge, even at low volume.
Thank you Mark. Sounds like a fun project 👍
Great review as always my friend. And so good to hear about a small company making gear in accordance with one person's design philosiphy. I must say I mourn the current trend of low sensitivity speakers. (Tho some of them are exquisite sounding.) Watts may be cheap, but big power doesn't necessarily mean better sound.
My biggest discovery was the glorious sound of tubes. Currently, I'm running a tube preamp and low-power Class A monoblocs. Made in California.
Thank you kindly. Great to see some higher sensitivity designs making a bit of a comeback of late 👍
Another great video! I bought my first components in 1975 so you're still a youngster. LOL
Thank you Mike 👍
You do a great job - keep it up!
Thank you much appreciated 😊👍
Good interesting stuff, as always.
Using non metallic casings to reduce eddy currents is a tactic that was/is used by Graham fowler from Trichord and Tom Evans. They made legendary designs for Michell amps, Argo pre amp and Alecto power amps which also were housed is Perspex casings and had huge power supplies.
Cheers
Thank you JE 👍
Would a Rel T7x help with the bass issues?
@@winchwhip only with bass extension 👍
This 'no metal' pholisophy was championed by Dennis Moorcroft, of DMN Designs fame, several decades ago, who used the same acrylic materials throughout his excellent Pre-amps (and power I believe), although his very first Pre did have a metal chassis. I had several iterations of his Pre's, which even went so far down the line of separate left and right channels to the degree of having separate left and right volume controls. He also went further down the line of least metal is better, by using the sonically superior DIN sockets - phono sockets were/are not designed for audio use.
Thank you 😊
You name quite a few interesting brands. Always wanted to try a Croft. I want to bring Tsakiridis Devices to your attention. A small Greek business that makes very reasonably priced vacuum tube amplifiers. A nice European alternative to Cayin, Line Magnetic, Willsenton etc.
Thank you 😊
Some sad losses to audio over recent times .
Not sure I have come across anything unique, however to experiment with different units has been a passion for years . You need a budget to do this and time . The most unlikely pairings can blow your socks off, where others get the title of dire . In my experience you have got to listen with a half empty mindset and give some real time to listening .
Great review Tarun and this review has got me interested big time .
Thank you 😊
Hi Tarun , bet you having fun with family over Easter weekend
Indeed. I hope you are too 😊
Very interesting Tarun those acrylic case will also be low resonance. The cabling aspect is common to Albarry amplifiers too.
Thank you 😊
An Interesting and unusual hifi product I encountered is the Neotech SOCT hookup wire (= solid core UP-OCC PTFE) used as loudspeaker cable.
To me AWG20 (only 0,5 mm2!) suffice for enough bass. This 12 euro per meter solution (plus sleeve to keep both wires together) sounded better in all aspects then all expensive cables I tried before.
Thank you 😊
A superb and fascinating review. Really enjoyed it. Well done 👏
Thank you. Much appreciated 😊👍
Great review tarun.its great to champion independent British hifi manufacturers, I've always had a sweet spot for NVA,hopefully you can review some other hidden gems 💎 in the future .
Thank you Paul 👍
cheers mate much appreciated , and much love from Istanbul👍
Thank you Emir 👍
Fantastic review Tarun , made my weekend
Thank you Atri. Have a great weekend 😊👍
Thanks, Tarun! And I hope you can review an integrated with more power soon. I also hope you can review a Leben CS600X too, one day.
Thank you 😊
Nice review and they look really interesting! Another slightly more unique company who specializes in more simple circuits is the UK manufacturer LFD. I think you and I are about the same age so I would imagine you know them. I once owned two of their Mistral integrated amps about 20 years ago and loved them! Simple circuitry and very musical sound. It would be neat if you could review one of their newer, very highly regarded integrated amplifiers!
Thank you Sean. I hope to get to them 😊
Great product; great review. I would be interested to learn more specifically how the bass control issue could be resolved; although you did mention bi & tri amping, and ‘moving up the line’ on their power amps might be a way to start. I would be curious to see how one would finish. Love to listen to it in any case. Most speakers are advertised as being capable of being driven by as little as 30 Watts.
Watch this space 😊
I did build myself a pair of Audiotronic Megatrend,s in the early 1990,s, driven by a Crest Audio P9001.
If Magnepans where speakers, thats what they would look and sound like. 🥰
Those who "tripped" over those behemots, got a tad surpriced,, 😅
Thank you for your first class work and your time Tarun. ⭐x5.
Today I got myself a Arcam SA20. Cheers,, 🍻😎👍👍
Speaking of small brands. You have to get hold of a Moonriver 404 Reference and review it. Cheesus what an amp. 💖
Thank you 👍
Great review. Would be great for NVA to send you their newly released integrated amp...
Thank you. I would like to review that next 👍
ive recently got the border patrol se i dac. handmade in usa ,r2r ,comes with a nos rectifier tube .sounds more natural and real than my old ifi idac2 .
Cool 😎
First class, the way u explaining is outstanding 👌👌👌 I am from India
Thank you kindly 😊👍
Nice review, Tarun. These little amps remind me of DNM, that also have acrylic chassis, if I am not mistaken.
Thank you 😊
A couple great brands come to mind : LFD and Audionote UK ! The Audionote UK Cobra is astonishing
And the best I’ve heard under 10k
Thank you 😊
Would be interesting to mix the amps: try the NVA pre with your Exposure monos and the Exposure pre with NVA stereo power amp. I fancy a tube pre with the NVA150 power amp.
I would like to do that if I find the time 😊
Fascinating review, professionally delivered without any hype. Suggestion for a low cost bargain to review? I have recently changed to a passive preamp with my Musical Fidelity XA 50 mono blocks - serviced/upgraded a few years back by amplifier guru and ex Mus Fid engineer Jez Arkless. The passive is available via eBay as an ‘unbranded’ from China that I decided to take a punt on. With the Mus Fids driving my IPL floorstanders this little preamp comfortably outperforms the Naim NAC172XS preamp/streamer it replaced and also the Linn Selekt DSM that I was considering as a replacement - I now use a Bluesound NODE 2i for steaming duties. It looks really nicely built, is available in black or silver, has remote control of 4 inputs, volume and mute and uses an RK47 Alps Blue pot - all for around £150 including postage etc. It would be great to see a review of this little bargain which has made a significant improvement to my system in terms of clarity/detail. Beware the slightly cheaper version with the RK168 pot btw, which is said to be inferior. David Deeks
Thank you David. Great to learn about your experiences 😊👍
What passive amp are you talking about link please
Hi there I've replied a couple of times with a link but they keep disappearing - may be breaking a rule of some kind?! Just google ebay remote RK27 passive preamp@@carlitosgomez71
Another great review Taran! 👏🏻
I am in the middle of a buying process - and I will listen to Exposure next week for that. Your reviews are the main reason for it! I did not knoew Exposure before - quite a niche company, especially here in Switzerland. 😅 NOW, with this review, i get very curious about a NVA combination P80/S150!? Would this possibly resolve some of the issues you mentioned in the bass section?
I would pair it with my Proacs D15 (and 2 B&W sub woofers)
Ps: I runned up until now an Astin Trew AT-2000+ amp! I loved it for the mids altough the lows were a bit mushy… Saidly the volume control (an opto controler) has given up and also there are some sizzling noises. Astin Trew no longer exists and spare parts are difficult to get - so there are also some threads with small manufacturers …
Ps2: Thanks for running this channel!! 👍🏻😃
Thank you JGH. I would expect the bigger NVA amps to have much better bass control. I hope to find out for myself when my schedule clears 👍
Why didn't they send the monos?! ;) Thanks for this review. I love that you champion these well deserved (affordable) boutique brands.
I requested the baby in the range. I am trying to get more accessible gear in for review. It is proving tricky. I hope to review their more expensive amps down the line 👍
Oh, so amazing! 1 billion times better than the last amazing product i reviewed.
Cool 😎
Do I detect poorly constructed sarcasm, Mr Bubble ? You should probably stick to middle of the road piano tinkling.
@@jimfarrell4635 you must be imagining things
Great review. Thanks for yoiur beautiful work. Finding enthusiasts producing amazing high-end components in our time is wonderful. That ticks all the boxes for me. This little pair would lure me into a change of amplification. (un)Fortunately enough I bought recently an amazing combination pre/amp (using class D): NUPRIME AMG PRA/AMG STA.
Thank you José 👍
Love the reviews Tarun, keep them coming. How do you think it's bigger brother, the P50SA/M600 monoblocks would fair the the Dali Minuet SE's and say a Rel T7x sub?
@@mr.wibble thank you. I have reviewed them 👍
WHY SO SPECIAL? NVA P50SA/M600 Amplifier Review
th-cam.com/video/773fuxbVDO0/w-d-xo.html
Excellent and funny review!
Thank you 😊
nice review my friends , as usual!!!
Thank you kindly 😊👍