michaelab
desafinado
Having sold the rest of my system some time ago I'm finally selling the jewel in the crown: my Bent Audio "NOH" TVC passive pre!
The "NOH" is no longer in production and unfortunately the Bent Audio site no longer has any info about it, but using the internet archive it's possible to see a little of what was there when it was in production:
http://web.archive.org/web/20040612042230/www.bentaudio.com/parts/noh.html
For those who know, well, you know what an incredible pre the NOH is. If you search on here and in the rest of the net you will find many good things said about the NOH. It's a passive pre that, rather than using resistance to attenuate the signal uses transformers (known as Transformer Volume Control or TVC). This gets rid of most of the traditional disadvantages normally associated with passive pres (such as impedance matching issues) and it actually allows you to increase the gain (by up to 6db) which is quite impossible with a resistor passive. The "NOH" uses the Stevens & Billington TX102 transformers which have an excellent reputation in the audio world:
http://www.stevens-billington.co.uk/page102.htm
They are the same transformers used in a number of other passive pres, such as the Music First Music First or the Avtac Pasiphae, both of which cost a fortune. Both the "NOH" and other TX102 based passive pres have been referred to as "the best pre ever, at any price".
My "NOH" was built by John Chapman (owner of Bent Audio) in March of 2004 and comes with the following spec:
- 1 XLR (balanced) input
- 3 RCA (phono) inputs (one of which was added by me after the original build)
- 1 XLR (balanced) output
- 1 RCA (phono) output
- Remote volume control. This is achieved using a small stepper motor that turns the volume knob via a small rubber belt and so has no negative effect whatsoever on the signal.
The "NOH" is perfectly capable of being used without being hooked up to the mains. The small power supply provided is exclusively to power the remote volume system and the blue LED on the volume knob.
My "NOH" cost 1600 USD when new. I'm looking for £550 or €600 including shipping to anywhere in Europe. Needless to say the "NOH" is in perfect condition.
Here are a few photos:
Front:
Rear panel: (pic taken before addition of 3rd RCA input)
Inside:
Cheers,
Michael.
The "NOH" is no longer in production and unfortunately the Bent Audio site no longer has any info about it, but using the internet archive it's possible to see a little of what was there when it was in production:
http://web.archive.org/web/20040612042230/www.bentaudio.com/parts/noh.html
For those who know, well, you know what an incredible pre the NOH is. If you search on here and in the rest of the net you will find many good things said about the NOH. It's a passive pre that, rather than using resistance to attenuate the signal uses transformers (known as Transformer Volume Control or TVC). This gets rid of most of the traditional disadvantages normally associated with passive pres (such as impedance matching issues) and it actually allows you to increase the gain (by up to 6db) which is quite impossible with a resistor passive. The "NOH" uses the Stevens & Billington TX102 transformers which have an excellent reputation in the audio world:
http://www.stevens-billington.co.uk/page102.htm
They are the same transformers used in a number of other passive pres, such as the Music First Music First or the Avtac Pasiphae, both of which cost a fortune. Both the "NOH" and other TX102 based passive pres have been referred to as "the best pre ever, at any price".
My "NOH" was built by John Chapman (owner of Bent Audio) in March of 2004 and comes with the following spec:
- 1 XLR (balanced) input
- 3 RCA (phono) inputs (one of which was added by me after the original build)
- 1 XLR (balanced) output
- 1 RCA (phono) output
- Remote volume control. This is achieved using a small stepper motor that turns the volume knob via a small rubber belt and so has no negative effect whatsoever on the signal.
The "NOH" is perfectly capable of being used without being hooked up to the mains. The small power supply provided is exclusively to power the remote volume system and the blue LED on the volume knob.
My "NOH" cost 1600 USD when new. I'm looking for £550 or €600 including shipping to anywhere in Europe. Needless to say the "NOH" is in perfect condition.
Here are a few photos:
Front:
Rear panel: (pic taken before addition of 3rd RCA input)
Inside:
Cheers,
Michael.
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