HiFi Subjectivist ¦ Audio Forum ¦ NVA User Group

So what is the risk of moving away from NVA speaker cable .... I thought there was a 'requirement' or such that the LS cable is used but now I look on the NVA website I cant see anything that jumps out?

Ohh and does the efficiency of the speaker make any difference.

Thanks

NVA cable is low capacitance and is designed to work with the amps, (and vice versa.)
Richard deliberately designed an amp that is not unconditionally stable. The reward for this choice should be to get you a bit closer to the music without filtering and protection circuitry getting in the way.
The warranty on your amp requires you to use NVA cable for this reason.
In terms of speaker load, then the less electrically complicated the better.
I would avoid a speaker with very low or high impedence (especially the former) and I've achieved the best sound on my system with Cubes (which have only a padding resistance and a capacitor protecting the tweeter, and a mechanically doped woofer to roll off hf.)
Richard designed the original amp using Quad ES57 electrostatics.
I've also had good sound with a variety of other loudspeakers including Wharfedale, Rogers and Kef. Some of these were not particularly efficient, and indeed a doped woofer takes a fair bit of driving!
Your own ears will be the best guide.
If you're ever in any doubt and need to discuss anything, then Paul is the man to talk to.

I'm travelling most of today, so I will probably only have time to post this.

The requirement to use only NVA speaker cables is stated in bold in the warranty document and in the user instructions. Both are on the website.

Our new amplifiers are sold with our own speaker cables included in the price, and we have a conversation with each customer when they place an order.

NVA speaker cables are the perfect electrical match for NVA amplifiers. They are also very high quality - all cores are individually isolated with teflon. It makes no difference what type of speaker is used.

The risk of moving away from NVA cables is a deterioration in sound quality and the possibility, with some designs of cable, that you may damage the amplifier.

Years ago, Richard published a list of alternative cables that he thought should be OK with NVA amps. Its probably still on here somewhere, but whether those cables are still made to the same design/ specifications is another question. You must use your own judgement, at your own risk.

In my experience, if you want a better cable then upgrade through the NVA range. That is what the cable trade in scheme is designed for.

From what I remember Richard got fed up with people using experimental cable constructions that damaged the amp and then expecting Richard to fix the amp for free so he said if you don't use his cable you're not covered by guarantee.

howardc1951 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 21, 2022 12:55 pm From what I remember Richard got fed up with people using experimental cable constructions that damaged the amp and then expecting Richard to fix the amp for free so he said if you don't use his cable you're not covered by guarantee.

Yes. When he made that change, warranty claims dropped by 90%.

Think of all the money and time saved not experimenting with different makes of cable.

savvypaul wrote: ↑Tue Nov 22, 2022 10:30 am

howardc1951 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 21, 2022 12:55 pm From what I remember Richard got fed up with people using experimental cable constructions that damaged the amp and then expecting Richard to fix the amp for free so he said if you don't use his cable you're not covered by guarantee.

Yes. When he made that change, warranty claims dropped by 90%.

Guess why the vast majority of amplifiers advertise "unconditionally stable"?

Unconditional stability is fine if you are expecting Jo/e average to be using your kit but an enthusiast should be capable of understanding the basic idea that you have to use a specified cable.

Geoff.R.G wrote: ↑Tue Nov 22, 2022 1:37 pm
...but an enthusiast should be capable of understanding the basic idea that you have to use a specified cable.

The problem is, "hifi enthusiasts" being what they are, and the forum-dwelling version of them being that-times-ten, their first reaction is always going to be that it's just another way for the manufacturer to make more money, and lock one into their product.

Some see through that, but with the history of NVA, and Richard, being what it is there is always going to be a queue of arseholes waiting to prejudge what some of us know to be common sense and decent technical expertise/information. They're also too used to the mainstream big boys attempting to burgle their wallets on a regular basis and can't see past that, or in some cases I'm sure, actively don't want to.