NVA Reviews (THIS THREAD IS ONLY FOR STASHING REVIEWS)

All reviews of NVA here.
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Re: NVA Reviews (THIS THREAD IS ONLY FOR STASHING REVIEWS)

Unread post by tweet_my_ribbon »

Image LS1 speaker cable:

After receiving and installing LS1 speaker cable this morning, which has replaced the LS2, a listening session is ongoing.
I usually listen to music at a very low volume. The knob usually sits at half past eight on the P20. There's more detail coming through with this cable. More of the music.
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NVA amps, speakers, interconnects & speaker cables produce the music.

With help from Technics, Audio Technica, Jelco, Hana, Musical Fidelity, Sony, Cyrus & Soneteer.

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Re: NVA Reviews (THIS THREAD IS ONLY FOR STASHING REVIEWS)

Unread post by petermanc1234 »

Just picked up my TIS 0.5 interconnect cable and all I can say is, Oh my god the BASS is amazing this is without any run in time. Will post more in a week or so. All I can say is that I am really impressed. Cheers Merry Crimbo.

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Re: NVA Reviews (THIS THREAD IS ONLY FOR STASHING REVIEWS)

Unread post by savvypaul »

By email:

Silver wire upgraded P50 arrived late evening thank you.

In a little test of my own I hooked up my second system speakers via my A20. (Q Acoustics 3020i bookshelves). Well all I can say is an immediate noticeable difference, you are correct in your description of more transparency and definition. I used Tool's latest album as a 'test' (although I don't really test listen anymore, sometimes it's a habit) and I can identify a good amount of separation in the recording now.. and well, just more detail, what I like about NVA gear is the honest presentation of recordings.

Saving Friday evening for the main speakers (Rega RX3).

So personal subjective review aside, well worth the cost of the upgrade.

Looking forward to seeing (hearing really) what your phono stages and speaker design for next year.
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https://nvahifi.co.uk/

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Re: NVA Reviews (THIS THREAD IS ONLY FOR STASHING REVIEWS)

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by montechristo358 » Sun Jan 05, 2020 4:38 pm

having recently swapped out the AP10P for an AP10H with external PSU my next plan was to reuse the AP10P in my office rig.

This was always going to be interesting as I've never tried NVA amplification with speakers only headphones.

The office rig was previously

PI base Squeezebox
Arcam AV9
NVA MK1 SSC
Rotel 970BX Power Amp
NVA LS5
NVA Cubettes

I've always really liked the Rotel so swapping in the AP10P was not something I expected to do a lot.

Holy cow, I've heard and used the expression like removing a veil, like pulling back a curtain. Well this was like knocking down a wall in those terms.

I am truly amazed at the difference
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Re: NVA Reviews (THIS THREAD IS ONLY FOR STASHING REVIEWS)

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by TheMadMick » Mon Jan 06, 2020 3:39 pm

LS7

I had been using Atlas Mavros bi-wire and it was the best I'd ever come across - and I've had a few through my system.

The LS7 immediately improved the bass. It seemed to stretch down about another half octave and it gained a little weight. There are a slight improvement in the high treble (or at least as high as I can hear at my ancient age). I thought to myself, this stuff doesn't need running it. How odd.

Well, this simply shows how wrong you can be. It has been in my system for just over a month and it is still improving. The stereo image is to die for. I can hear stuff I've ever heard before e.g. two voices singing in unison now sound like two voices not a single voice double tracked. It is also much clearer how the music was recorded - work through the Fleetwood Mac catalogue and you can clearly hear the step changes. Notes now have greater shape as well as pitch and volume. Overall a very pleasant musical experience. I now play stuff I have passed over for ages and I enjoy rediscovering these old pieces.

One niggle. The Mavros is fitted with right angle plugs which means that expensive cable doesn't need to go round in a curve twice to reach between the amp and the speakers and so less is needed. Fortunately, the straight plugged LS7 is a little over stated length otherwise it would have had to go back.

Is it worth the high cost? I think so but I am in the fortunate position that I can afford it.

Anyone want to buy a 2.5m bi-wire Atlas Mavros speaker cable set? Answers on a wad of £100 notes please. :P :P
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Re: NVA Reviews (THIS THREAD IS ONLY FOR STASHING REVIEWS)

Unread post by eagwok33 »

TIS

Finally, here are my listening impressions of my new TIS interconnect pair (delivered end of October 2019).

I compared my TIS interconnect with my SSP Mk2 and also with my DIY silver solid core cable with silver Bullet Plugs. So what did I hear:

Although the TIS had no real break-in time when I made the first comparisons (after just some hours of playing music over it), there was an improvement over my SSP from the start. There is more detail, a fuller bass with more shading, more dynamic impact and more life-like realism in reproducing acoustic instruments as well as voices in comparison to the very good SSP Mk2. Music feels more alive with the TIS. 8-)

I did all of my comparisons with the cables connected between my CD player (a Gerald Gessner upgraded Marantz CD 67SE) and my tube line stage (EAR 868). I have never heard this excellent CD player with so much musical drive and energy as with the TIS being the link. The amp in my system at the time of comparisons was my DIY clone of the First Watt M2. The DIY interconnects between preamp and amp are made of 2.5m runs of silver solid core wires with KLEI Absolute Harmony RCA plugs. Speaker cables to my horn system are my treasured NVA TSCS / LS7.

The only “weakness” I noticed playing CDs in my system at this stage was a bit too much energy in the treble range, which I would describe best as a slight hardness in the top range of reproduced music: for example, well-recorded string music. As the TIS is made of quite a few thin solid core wires for hot and return afaik, it seemed logical to me that this could be a matter of not enough run in-time at this stage.

As the improvement over the very good SSP Mk2 was clearly noticeable from the start, my SSP went back to NVA headquarters in November 2019 for a refund.

At around four weeks of run in time of my TIS interconnects, I did a further comparison - this time with my 1.2m DIY silver solid core interconnect pair. For my DIY cables, I used thin runs of Jupiter solid core silver in silk wire for hot and return. I preferred these DIY cables over the SSP MK2 due to the former’s superb tonal colors and reproduction of finest (inner) details of acoustic instruments (to be fair, material cost of this build alone at the known audio parts suppliers is about 2/3 of the price of a 1m set of SSP).

When comparing the DIY cables to the TIS after four weeks in my system, the TIS excelled with regard to bass impact and dynamics. Everything else has been close between the two with a slight advantage of my DIY interconnect in the upper mids to treble range, which sounded slightly more natural in comparison to the TIS. The TIS still had a bit of hardness in this area but definitely better resolution which resulted in more air around acoustic instruments. As said before, with bass rendition and dynamics the TIS was definitely in its own league. :)

In the meantime, this slight hardness is mainly gone, so it seems the TIS burn in-process is nearly complete. The TIS is now an extremely open and revealing interconnect in the treble range, which makes well-recorded CDs a listening pleasure; in contrast, it is easier to discern poorer recordings.

Lately, I switched my M2 clones to my pair of 2A3 SET mono amps and CD replay made another step up, as TIS and 2A3 treble magic are a match made in heaven. Wow! :grin:

To sum up, my TIS interconnects are definitely the best and most musical interconnects I own. They allow me to fully enjoy music from my CD collection in my system. :dance:

In the world of small and diminishing returns, I’m very happy to have found the NVA top of the line cable range (TSCS/LS7 and TIS). For me TSCS/LS7 and also TIS are the true stars in an excellent product range of NVA products. Highly recommended cables, indeed! :clap:
Norbert

Tubes and Vinyl rule, Music rocks! :icon-wink:

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Re: NVA Reviews (THIS THREAD IS ONLY FOR STASHING REVIEWS)

Unread post by savvypaul »

New P50SA/A60MkIII review
Post by Pottyp19 » Mon Jan 27, 2020 12:18 am

I love music and periodically lust after HiFi. But I don't change my kit much. I know very little about electronics or the science of sound. I just want to hear music on a quality system that makes me want to listen.

In 1997 I walked into Doug Brady's in Warrington, having read the magazines, intending to buy an Arcam Alpha to replace my blown Creek 4040 s2 (I played it way too loud for too long at university with a Rega Planar 2 and Royd A7s). After listening to about 5 amps I came away with an NVA AP30, a brand I'd never heard of, exceeding my budget I recall by about £200. Just like my Creek had blown, I was blown away by the AP 30's sound.

Last month after much deliberation I decided it was time to upgrade. A hard decision because my AP 30 was still going strong and in daily use. I found out that Richard Dunn had recently passed but that the company was still going and that it had set out an ambition for the future. I decided to drop any worries about the long term sustainability of the company and follow my heart. I just wanted another NVA after all the pleasure that the AP30 had given me, remembering the incredible superiority the AP30 had over everything else I listened to 20 odd years ago.

I now live in Lancashire so toyed with the idea of going to Durham to audition. But in the end I decided it was a little far and I thought that if I didn't like the p50/A60 I could always return it.

So I ordered and received the new kit and plugged it in earlier this week. I have Royd Minstrel Loudspeakers (a "new" addition which are a massive improvement over my previous EPOS M5s), LS3 cable (I think), and sources being a Rega Planar 6 , and an Onkyo 6130 network player plugged into a Rega DAC. I listen from the Onkyo through the Rega DAC either from a USB stick, audirvana from my iMac, or using Tidal, as the mood takes me.

My reaction in the first 10 minutes was that it sounded brighter than I was used to, harsh even. I thought I might have made a mistake. I went to make myself a coffee and let the amp warm up.

After an hour or so I came back in. I sat down. I played various different tunes representing all the genres I like:folk/americana/jazz/classical/indie/electronic/classic rock, using the Onkyo and Rega. The harshness I perceived was gone. The sound was fuller, beefier, with much more defined bass than my AP 30. There seemed was more space between the instruments. I felt connected more than I ever had before. I went to bed relieved that I had not made a mistake after all.

Over the last week I can't stop listening. It seems to get better and better. I don't know how a couple of simple black boxes can set my spine tingling or make such a difference but they do. Words I would use to describe include transparency, space, engagement, attack, emotion. I am so happy I went with NVA again and am absolutely delighted with my purchase. One day I will tell my wife what the money was spent on...

My old AP 30 had a phono stage built into it which was much better than my Rega fono mini (which I use for recording a large collection of vinyl). I was going to buy a Rega or Graham Slee but now think I am going to wait and buy a new phono stage until later this year when the NVA one becomes available. I trust the quality. Of all my hifi stuff, my only emotional connection is with NVA (though the Royd Minstrels are now seducing me). It's that good. And I really like the "less is more" philosophy.

If anyone reading this is wavering over whether to buy the P50SA/A60Mkiii, I can assure you that you will not be disappointed! Spend and enjoy!
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Re: NVA Reviews (THIS THREAD IS ONLY FOR STASHING REVIEWS)

Unread post by CN211276 »

NVA A80 Mk3 upgrade

Have played a lot of albums since the now completely silent mono blocks arrived back. After a few hours they were sounding very good and the improvement is far from subtle.

Most noticeable was a greater sense of separation and space in respect of everything I played. This stands out when electric guitars and other lead instruments are accompanied by acoustic guitars providing rhythm, as on Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust album. It was also very noticeable with piano on the 70s Queen albums I played. When the power chords enter the mix the increased separation allows the piano to remain distinct more so than before, examples being “We are the champions” and “Spread your wings”. The improvement also applies to the acoustic guitar on the latter. There is a similar improved separation effect with lead and backing vocals exemplified on tracks such as “Long away” where Freddie Mercury’s prominent backing vocal to Brian May’s lead vocal contributes so much to the mood, emotion and dynamics of the song.

Over more time it became apparent that there was an improvement in dynamics. Tracks would start off similar to before but when things got louder, they were louder than previously. Alone in the detached house, on favourite albums by Black Sabbath (Sabotage) and AC/DC (Powerage), I found myself reducing the volume by one or two notches with no decrease in the sound level on peaks.

The A80s look the same but the components inside are obviously superior and the music has never sounded so good. On the basis of what I am hearing I highly recommend the Mk 3 upgrade.
Main System
NVA BMU, P90SA/A80s (latest spec), Cube 1s, TIS, TISC(LS7)
Sonore OpticalRendu, Chord Mscaler & Qutest, Sbooster PSs
Network Acoustics Eno, ifi iPurifier3, AQ JB FMJ, Cisco 2940 & 2960
DH Labs ethernet, BNC & USB cables, Farnells cat 8 ethernet cable

Second System
NVA P20/ A20, Cubettes, LS3, SSP, SC
Sonore MicroRendu, Chord Mojo 2 MCRU PSs, AQ Carbon USB cable & JB FMJ

Headphones
Grado SR325e/Chord Mojo, Beyerdynamic Avetho/AQ DF Colbat

RIP Doc

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Re: NVA Reviews (THIS THREAD IS ONLY FOR STASHING REVIEWS)

Unread post by savvypaul »

LS7 revisited
Post by TheMadMick » Sat Feb 15, 2020 5:24 pm

I posted my 1st review quite a while ago and I was impressed with this cable. Now it's run for a time, I'm even more impressed. Whether that's because I've learned how to get the best out of my system or a real improvement I'm not certain.

The most obvious improvement is in the bass response. It is even more articulate and has greater weight than ever - it was never lacking anyway. The top seems smoother and more articulate as well. Imaging is to die for on the right recording. It's the old cry "removing veils".

It's difficult to express how surprised I am. I have spent years and lots of £ on cables but nothing has come close to TIS / LS7 - and I've had some really expensive and unusual cables in my time. Looks like I've found system synergy and I trust the P50, A80 change will only improve this.
kW550, MA PL200, BMU, LS7, Blusound Vault, TIS.
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Re: NVA Reviews (THIS THREAD IS ONLY FOR STASHING REVIEWS)

Unread post by savvypaul »

P50SA & A80's - 1st impressions
Post by TheMadMick » Tue Mar 03, 2020 7:36 pm

I had a windfall from the tax man and managed to acquire a P50 second hand for upgrading. This gave me a top of the range NVA system as shown above and I declared it as my 2020 ambition in one of the threads here (I've quite forgotten which one). These are initial impressions as the kit arrived at lunch time today.

My expectation varied from "this is going to start out excruciating until it settles down" to "it's not going to be any better than my kW550". Well, wrong on both counts.

I let the kit warm up to room temperature before connecting it in case there was any condensation - it came out of a freezing cold van as I arrived back from my Pilates class. I connected it all up with a second, new, shorter, set of TIS, selected the 1st album (Abba) and went to get my lunch - my wife was out trudging around the Merseyside sand dunes. By the time I had my lunch, Abba were history and so I thought - "lets try something a little more subtle". Rumer - well it wasn't wonderful to start but as the album progressed it got better and better. As many will know, it got to one album after another, Classic FM and now, before compete run in it is simply marvelous. Music all the way - yes the definition is there, the stereo image to die for, the big, well defined bass when called for. But it is a simply a pleasure to listen to it either intently or as background.

I couldn't be happier. Audio Nirvana. It's simply a joy to listen to. Expensive? - yes. Value? - priceless. If it improves more it's going to be orgasmic!! Watch this space. :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin:
Blusound Vault 2, P50SA, A80's, BMU, TIS, LS7, MA PL200.
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