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In Reply to: There was a lot of his gear at AK Fest last weekend posted by Quint on March 29, 2007 at 03:55:01:
Over the last ten years I have had a number of pre-amps including the Cary SLP-94 and 98 as well as a Bel Canto Pre 2p and a Sim Audio P-5. After trying a friends AVA pre-amp, I ordered a Trancendance 7ec and Frank upgraded for me to the r version. Quieter, more neutral, tranparent and much more dynamic than any other pre that I have owned. I like having the tone control, although I rarely use it. And, I like the generous number of imput. I also think the headphone amp is better than any of the stand alone headphone rigs that I have used. Only downside is that phone stage is average.I've also owned many amps including a pair of Cary V12R monoblocks, PASS LABS x250 and the 14b ST. I had them at the same time, and I switched them in and out. Could have kept any or all of them as money was not much of an issue. But I kept the AVA 550 amp (and I added a second for biamping)as it sounded better with my speakers than any other setup. The other stuff was, in my opinion, just a waste of money.
I still occasionally try other pieces for a month or two out of curiosity, but nothing has replaced my AVA gear. If you just want excellent sound without a lot of flashy lights, shiney gear and big names, than you have to consider AVA. If you tend to judge equipment based primarily on how much it costs, I would look elsewhere. (I do wish their stuff was balanced, however)
Follow Ups:
AVA? Well to be honest I am not looking at anything super fancy but good sounding music. Just because certain audiophile gear is super expensive doesnt mean that is that good. Spending more doesnt mean you have a better system, however, some tend to disagree.Personally I own the Jolida 1000RC and the JD 100 with a pair of VSA VR2 speakers, dh labs cable products and some other tweaks etc. I love tube and the sound for sure and I just wanted to see if I could find something with more power since it seems that when I raise up the volume at loud level my sounds tends to sound grainy, however at medium levels everything sounds good. Was thinking about replacing my speakers trying to see if their was something wrong but after careful review I do believe that I dont have the proper power, imo. I like the 550 from AVA I placed a called to them the the gentleman that I talked to was raving about his product, dont recall his name. Also, one thing that got my attention was the fact that you dont see his gear for sale which is a super good sign. Jolida, Cary, Mcintosh, MF and so many others are usally for sale on the "used" market.
are your speakers or cables, based on the prior posts here. I strongly suggest you have a bit of patience and enjoy the medium loudness for now. Also, remind me, you play pop and jazz, correct? Latin Jazz? If you want impact and loud volumes with tubes, get horn speakers.
Though I don't know his sales figures, Van Alstine is a much smaller company than either Cary or McIntosh. I'd be willing to bet that Cary easily sells 50 times more units per month than AVA. This is not meant to comment on the relative merits of the products they sell. It is just to inform you why there are more Cary's, etc. in the used market - there are many mote in circulation.
Mark
But even so, there is 73 Cary products on audiogon right now, 71 Musical Fidelity products and 141 McIntosh products. There are 0 AVA products. I bet it is likely we see several hundred more Cary, MF and McIntosh units before we see one AVA unit for sale.So, even if the ratio is 50:1, I bet AVA people hold onto their gear more often than that of other manufacturers.
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