New from AVA, the Synergy 450 and Synergy 300 power amplifiers.

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic. Read 41008 times.

avahifi

Yes we can build a Synergy 240 into a stock Dyna St-150 chassis.  The cost is $999 and includes new audio circuits, new output circuits using Exicon power mos-fets, and an internal new 4 channel regulated power supply board mounted on a new internal heatsink containing four high current high power transistors supplying regulated plus and minus supplies independently for each channel.  Its a lot of work, uses a lot of expensive parts, but it turns the Dyna St-150 into an amazing 120W/Ch Synergy amplifier, using identical circuits as out big Synergy amps.  We can do it with double die Exicons for an extra $100, but we consider that overkill for this application.

Frank Van Alstine

rez

Has anyone here paired a Synergy amp with Dave Ellis 1801b speakers?  Any thoughts about whether the 300 or the 450 would be the more appropriate power level to drive these?

orthobiz

Yes we can build a Synergy 240 into a stock Dyna St-150 chassis.  The cost is $999 and includes new audio circuits, new output circuits using Exicon power mos-fets, and an internal new 4 channel regulated power supply board mounted on a new internal heatsink containing four high current high power transistors supplying regulated plus and minus supplies independently for each channel.  Its a lot of work, uses a lot of expensive parts, but it turns the Dyna St-150 into an amazing 120W/Ch Synergy amplifier, using identical circuits as out big Synergy amps.  We can do it with double die Exicons for an extra $100, but we consider that overkill for this application.

Frank Van Alstine

Are any parts from an Insight+ 240 Double Die/Dyna ST-150 reusable in the upgrade? Is the Synergy upgrade still 999?

Thanks,

Paul


avahifi

Yes there is, lots of parts.   The Synergy upgrade to an Insight+ 240 in a Dyna 150 chassis is $600, $400 less than from a stock 150.

The Synergy 240 would be an outstanding choice with the Ellis speakers.  I had the chance to run these speakers with an earlier Insight Control Amplifier at a RMAF show a few years ago and that combo worked fine, plenty of power, but without the astonishing musicality of the Synergy,

Frank

dlparker

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 317
  • Dave Parker - KC, MO
    • DontKnowNuthinBoutNoComputers
Yes there is, lots of parts.   The Synergy upgrade to an Insight+ 240 in a Dyna 150 chassis is $600, $400 less than from a stock 150.
...

Frank

WOW! Does this mean I can upgrade my Insight+ 250 in a DH-220 is upgradeable to a Synergy for $600? At one point I'd looked into upgrading my first AVA power amp (Omega II 260, I think) to a Synergy when I could swing the $999 upgrade, but if it's $600 I'm bumping it way up in the queue!  Only downside would be swapping the Insight+ out of my system for the Omega II  while the Insight+ is being upgraded. Since I got the Insight+ I've stopped using my subwoofer.

rlee8394

Nope, the Hafler amps can't accommodate the Synergy cards. Not enough room.

dlparker

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 317
  • Dave Parker - KC, MO
    • DontKnowNuthinBoutNoComputers
Nope, the Hafler amps can't accommodate the Synergy cards. Not enough room.

Bummer. Guess it's back to plan A - Omega II + a G.

Tone Depth

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 605
  • Music Lover
    • SRLPE Wheel Works
Hi Frank,

Do the Synergy amps operate more efficiently overall with the regulated power supplies than the Insight+ series amps, since they run cooler, and thus will consume less power?

Were/are the Insight amps set to operate at rail voltages just past or just below the output device clipping point?

Thanks!

Hi Ray,

It is really hard to assign numbers or percentages to the difference between amplifiers.

We now have a drastically improved and very transparent A-B comparison box built and in daily use here.  It allows us to connect two preamps, two power amps, and two sets of speakers all at once and switch between any combination from a remote control.  Levels between any two components are matched when switching and switching is dead silent.

Using this box has taught us a few things.

For example, different amplifiers react quite differently to different speaker loads.  The speakers we have connected now are a set of original Salk HT3 three way units with ribbon tweeters and a set of older B&W 801 Series Two speakers, with our crossover fix of course, and damped housings for the tweeters.  Both are really good speakers and each has an easy to identify sonic signature.

The new switch box is now transparent enough to not mask differences between amplifiers or preamplifiers.  It is easy to tell one design from another now.

Interestingly, when using the 801 speakers, the difference between the Synergy and Fet Valve amplifiers is more obvious.  Using the HT3s, the differences are minimized.

What this means of course is that what you hear is really going to depend somewhat upon what speakers you use. The Fet Valve always comes across better, but "better worth the extra cost" is a lot less obvious if you are using B&W 801s.

Thus, my "percentages better" have no absolute meaning when the equipment is used with different speakers.

Anyway, we would suggest that the Synergy is probably 50 percent better than the Insight series.  The Fet Valve amps are more like 100 percent better than the Insight series.  The Fet Valve is probably 30 percent better than the Synergy driving the 801s, but 20 percent better driving HT3s.  These are really wild ass guesses here, remember that.

Regarding number of output devices here is the scoop.  Our heat sink sections each hold three TO3 output transistors.  The big amps all use four heat sink sections, two per channel.  Thus max capability is 6 TO3 devices per channel.  The Fet Valve amps all use double die devices, thus adding up to 12 Exicon mos-fets per channel.

However, in the new Synergy and Fet Valve amps, two of the output devices per channel are used for output regulators.  Thus these amps use four mos-fets per channel, double die devices in the Fet Valve 400 and 600, and in the Synergy 450.  The Synergy 300 uses standard devices.  Our long term experience with powerful mos-fet power amplifiers over many years of use tells us that our choice and number of output devices have proven to be very durable in service.

Note that using double die devices does not add to the complexity, actually it makes the layout less complex as there is less wiring needed for the same results.  All of our amplifier will perform as rated with the use of single die devices only.  The double die devices just add an additional safety margin to amplifiers that are rugged and quite fault tolerant in the first place.

Note also that the regulated power amplifiers all run cooler.  The output devices no longer are attached directly to the high voltage power supplies.  They are connected to the regulated power supplies which operate at a significantly lower voltage.  The regulated power supply voltages are set to regulate up to and just past clipping.  The active regulators also do not work very hard.  At idle, when the see full raw supply voltage in, the are passing very little current.  At full power, when the regulators must pass lots of current, the voltage across them is very low as the raw supply voltage drops with high demand.  The regulators and the output devices are always run well within their safe operating windows.

No, there is no upcoming upgrades to the Insight series preamplifiers.  The solid state preamps use completely different technologies than the power amps and there are no common circuit configurations.  They work really well as is and would take completely new design ideas to make them better than they now are.  That will be tough to do.

Finally, the new Fet Valve and Synergy amplifiers we think will make very useful improvements to your audio systems.  Try one.  Remember we offer a 30 day satisfaction guarantee if they do not meet your expectations.

Best regards,

Frank Van Alstine

edmondwolfman

  • Jr. Member
  • Posts: 29
How does the Synergy 450 turn on. Does it sense a signal from the preamp and cycle on?

avahifi

How does our Synergy 450 amplifier turn on?

It turns on when you press the power switch.

Frank

edmondwolfman

  • Jr. Member
  • Posts: 29
So it doesn't have a standby and then come alive when it sees a signal or with a 12v trigger?

avahifi

The Synergy 450 certainly comes alive when it sees a music signal, but you have to turn it on first.   :)

It does not have a 12V trigger or signal sensing circuit as there have been almost no requests for these functions and we don't add the cost to build in "features" that almost nobody wants.

You just have to turn it on, not a really hard thing to do, just like you do with your light switches and toaster.

Frank Van Alstine

edmondwolfman

  • Jr. Member
  • Posts: 29
I understand frank. A wife in this scenario that likes to hit a single button on a universal remote and have everything just "magically happen". It will be in a cabinet so one would have to open a door and hit the button to turn on as well as to turn it off, that is unless it can reside in a cabinet turned on all the time.

kc8apf

  • Jr. Member
  • Posts: 181
  • Are you sure what side of the glass you're on?

avahifi

The Niles remote AC switcher should do the job for you.

Frank

13mh13

Hint: the final comment is "buy it"
Absolutely -- CC# comin' at ya bro ;)