Balanced line mains

[Classicrock]

With our AoS friends having a go has anyone noted the Russ Andrews BMU prices? Let them have a go at him. He can afford to drag them all over the place.

I had conversation with Pinkie on another forum and suggested his anti BMU comments could ruffle people who can afford to sue like RA. He was wrongly under the impression these had RCBO's which they don't judging by pictures and their own published specification. If RA can flog them and have them certified at £1500 I'm sure there will be no issues with Trading Standards as far as NVA are concerned.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

People don't certify. Only large companies like Naim use test houses as it costs a few £1000 per product. The authorities know this so they supply a cheaper option for small companies known as self certification. Basically you buy a copy of the regs and you make sure you meet it, and then you write a report saying that you have met them and store that. The law then says having done that any doubter or Gov Org has to prove you don't, and there is masses of leeway built into the process, and you can only be prosecuted if it can be proved you have deliberately tried to deceive. For small misses it is just a hand slap and change the design. For UK companies they are there to help it is only for far eastern deliberate copies or cheap rip-offs that they pursue, and even then they don't have the personnel to do the job properly.

What should be realised is that EVERY SINGLE UK VALVE HI-FI AMPLIFIER COMPANY self certificates fraudulently, as NO valve amp will meet CE regs, unless it is basically no longer a valve amp. People then talk about guitar amps, well ignorance again as equipment used PROFESSIONALLY is considered to be used by a PROFESSIONAL so the regs make greater allowances for a skilled user over a normal member of the public.

This also applies to many other small companies that set them selves up at AoS AND PAY MARCO MONEY FOR IT so he is an accessory after the fact. To make money from a fraud makes you part of the fraud.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

Back to these bloody RCBO's

1/ The NVA BMU is built to class II, so everything built in it or on it has to be Class II and RCBO's aren't. So it is illegal to fit them.
2/ I have tried to avoid giving chapter and verse as to the NVA BMU as others aren't doing it right so why should I tell them. BUT I will say this. For use with Class I products there is earth continuity through the BMU but not to the BMU itself so it doesn't compromise Class II regs. Because that earth is then rejected and not connected at the input of any Class II product plugged into it, then it doesn't compromise them. I am not going to explain how I do it but it makes the NVA BMU THE ONLY LEGAL BMU FOR USE WITH BOTH CLASSES OF APPLIANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
3/I have tested for ALL potential fault conditions, including Pinky's ones (apart from his light bulb one as it is not a fault condition) and on EVERY occasion my consumer unit has protected.

So what is left - either industry politics or personal animosity, there is no other motivation for the man's behaviour.

[Classicrock]

I'm afraid it's an obsession with safety issues that don't exist unless you act like an idiot. He claims that this was a general safety issue not aimed at NVA that got hijacked by Marco and his crew. Also I suspect a lot is prompted by his Pink Triangle designer mate as I detected a bias based on your knowledge being more experience based than qualifications, Guess he may have been one of the Cambridge Uni electronics crowd ? Pinkie is getting info and knowledge from somewhere -either wrong or being misinterpreted. Lack of understanding the difference between class I and II maybe? Anyway intentionally or not Pinkie allowed himself to become Marco's tool something that he is now regretting. AOS was the wrong place to air this subject if he wanted an informed debate.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

If he wants to understand it he should go on line and buy a copy of the regs, though even to read them and especially interpret them practically then you must have some electronic knowledge.

[southall-1998]

We listened to his Naim system which is NAP500 power amps, didn't look at the pre but it was obviously Naim. I was grimacing so he got out of the cupboard these SE valve amps which are specials using a very old design output tube that I had never heard of. The pre stayed the same. The CD player is a Naim and the record deck is a top of the range Rega, but he has a Linn as well. He was so taken back by the valves through the BMU they stayed in the system. The levels of clarity and information with them and the sweetness (not artificial) of the music was way ahead of the Naims and he agreed. They were bandwidth limiting a bit but that is the problem with output transformers.

The speakers were some he was reviewing I posted a pic of them earlier, with a body like giant lute.

BTW the BMU improved the Naims considerably as well, it is just the BMU showed up the musical differences between the amps far more clearly.

When you heard the Naim. Did you get a dynamic punchy sound?

S.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

Not particularly. Paul doesn't get the usual "in yer face" Naim sound, he gets one of the best Naim sounds I have heard, but I still don't *like* it. It is a bit flat and grey relative to the sweetness of the valve amps, and NVA is more musically informative and open and sound stage(y).

[Daniel Quinn]

Pinky obsession with electrical safety is two recently voiced and convenient for me to take it seriously. I think it is

I am also slightly amused by two hi Fi stalwarts(Paul n dave) who must have 70 years hifi experience converting to nva. Doc if only you had played the game.

Well not really it is better to Plough your own field even if it takes a long time.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

It is a dangerous game in a dangerous industry. Bullshitters like MCRU and Russ Andrews make money. As a manufacturer you have to dominate to make serious money from this industry. More people have gone bust than make money as it is very difficult to be flavour of the month all the time.

It is a hobby industry IMO not a mainstream industry, and it performs better that way and hobbyists make the best products, so that is what I am and always was. Very unhappy with a factory and staff to look after and bullshit marketing to be involved with. I am happy DQ and that is priceless.

[Classicrock]

Talking of MCRU - he is now starting a vinyl record business in partnership with somebody. I can't believe he is making RA money with his overpriced items most of which you can get elsewhere. RA started off with a good cable service but he has brought out new product after another at many times they should cost claiming improvements. He has invented a dubious upgrade path if you get sucked in. Apart from RA who has a unique hold through the exclusive Kimber licence these mail order/online accessory companies have usually folded. Only other that has been around a long time I can think off is Stone Audio.