NVA amps

Anyone heard any NVA gear?

They sell on eBay and seem very good prices, but not sure what theyre like.. I can only find one review, which doesnt inspire much confidence. There is however a money back guarantee if unhappy...

 

i think signals in ipswich used to deal with nva, might be worth giving them a call? tel +44 (0)1473 655171

 

NVA went bust quite a few years ago now, so anything you buy will be secondhand. Their website still runs, but only as an archive resource.

-- Ian

 

What's this then?

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/nene-valley-audio

 

yeah, just been informed he started selling amps again about two months ago..

 

A new development. They haven't been trading for years, nice to see them back.

-- Ian

 

you chopping and changing again..?

maybe you should change your avatar to kithopper...

 

It's great to see them back. NVA kit was very good indeed.

Tony.

 

HAHA!! I know, im sure its a compulsive disorder or somethin!!

I'm kicking myself as I should have just stuck with the Qinpu / Epos system! What a perfect match!

Then an opportunity came to snap up a brand spanking freshly made pair of Neat Mystique 2s (RRP around £800) for just over £400!

So, without too much thought I grabbed it while I could, only to find that my Qinpu amp isnt really a great match! We tried my mates Cyrus amps though and there's a lot of potential with the Neats, so its just a case of finding an amp that matches well with Neat speakers!

Bet you wish you never opened your gob now...

P.S. Anyone wanna buy a Qinpu amp?

 

Hi Tony,

Can I ask which NVA gear you've tried?

Do you know if the new stuff is similar?

 

I’ve never had any at home, just heard the old integrated (AP35?) and some pre-powers on several occasions way back in the 80s in other people’s / dealers systems. I recall each being a nice alternative to Naim / Exposure / Onix / Incatech etc. I remember really liking the stuff, but it's so long ago can't really remember specifics in the way of strengths / weaknesses etc.

Richard Dunn, the NVA designer (I assume he is still the man) had some very interesting and radical ideas. He really led the way with non-ferrous / non-metallic case designs etc and was years ahead of the game here. Dunn always reckoned it was next to impossible to get an amp to sound as good in it’s case as it did spread over the workbench and went through a process of abandoning metal cases and even case screws as he felt even a single screw in the case buggered up the sound. As a result many NVA amps were made out of Perspex and glued together, i.e. you couldn’t open them. Richard Dunn was a true UK audio pioneer and it is wonderful to see NVA back in the game.

I’m amazed how cheap the prices of the kit in the eBay shop is, if it is as good as it used to be it could represent a serious bargain. The NVA integrated always used to be about Naim Nait 1 or 2 price and the pre/powers again competed with Naim and Exposure.

Tony.

 

cheers Tony,

He seems to really know his stuff. Might give it a shot, when i've got the money that is...

 

I've been reading the blurb on the eBay NVA page and it does appear to suggest the continuation of the glued-together casing strategy. I have to admit as a Naimee being a little curious myself about these products. I've only ever heard good things about Nene Valley Audio.

 

yeah, I'm happy with what I' e got now - tried with the Nos dac and that didn't work...

when I move to a bigger house I may get a bigger sub tho - maybe a svs or a bk monolith - just don't tell em' on avforum!!

 

did you get rid of the nos dac in the end?

Surprised you want a BIGGER sub than that Velo!!

 

still got the nos dac and it's still for sale!!

yeah, the sub is quite big - but again, I'm more curious than anything else - besides, I got that free of charge!

 

I bought the NVA P50 passive pre-amp a few weeks ago.... newly built, its glued together, not entirely solidly! But sounds very good driving a Graaf 5050 valve power amp, an absolute bargain for £100.

 

Hi alan,

another promising comment. Although when you say its not built solidly, which part of the amp do you mean? Is it just that the casework is flimsy or something?

 

NVA's homepage can be found here and it contains a huge amount of common sense IMHO. I'd love to hear the current range.

Tony.

 

Hi Ian

Someone emailed me about this thread and forum so I thought I would reply.

This is not going to be like the old company. It is just a bit of a hobby so the old name and designs don't die. NVA didn't go bust it just ceased trading in 2000 because I was fed up with the industry, and I had better things to do with my time. My main business and preocupation you will find now at www.art-of-energetics.com

I discovered ebay early last year as my wife was nagging me to get rid of old products and half finished and unused things messing up the house (in her terms), doing so I discovered that NVA is still well thought of and almost a semi cult thing had developed. I think partly because I just closed the company and gave no explanation.

Anyway to cut a long story short I have no intention to go back to the way it was, this is just some work on the side for people who remember, appreciate and still want NVA. So it will only be sold on ebay which is very convenient and easy and relatively hassle free.

I do not want to get involved in any subjective debate and the products are the same design criteria and perspective as they were. Even when I relied on NVA as my income it was very much that I designed for me, if others liked it all well and good, if not no problem. This is such a highly subjective industry (or it should be, or does specmanship still try to rule the roost?), so there is loads of room for alternative solutions and loonies like myself to self indulge

I don't have a Hi-Fi website but there are a couple of fan websites one German and one NZ. The information about design and product is largely current on them and I list what is being or is planned to be made on the offer pages at ebay.

Thanks for all your your interest and comments.

Richard