New Absolute Sound Fet Valve CF preamp review!

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avahifi

New Absolute Sound Fet Valve CF preamp review!
« on: 3 Jun 2014, 07:51 pm »
The review of our Fet Valve CF vacuum tube preamp is now available on line in the new Absolute Sound Buyers Guide.

Here is a link.  Go to page three (table of contents) to find the review.

The review will also be published in the next paper copy of TAS too.

http://www.theabsolutesound.com/buyers_guides/23/download/pdf/

Enjoy!

Frank Van Alstine

strateahed

Re: New Absolute Sound Fet Valve CF preamp review!
« Reply #1 on: 3 Jun 2014, 09:47 pm »
Yet another stellar review. I read the entire piece, and (tube substitution notwithstanding) it was high praise indeed. Congrats Frank! :thumb:

loving_it

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Re: New Absolute Sound Fet Valve CF preamp review!
« Reply #2 on: 4 Jun 2014, 11:53 am »
I would like to see a shootout between the Fet Valve CF vacuum tube preamp and the NBS NOS Valves Pre Amp

avahifi

Re: New Absolute Sound Fet Valve CF preamp review!
« Reply #3 on: 4 Jun 2014, 01:13 pm »
Actually we did a long and careful comparison of two identical Fet Valve CF preamps, one with our stock JJ tubes and the other with the actual NOS tubes that TAS used for the review using our ABX box, a Fet Valve 600R power amp, Fet Valve DAC, Vision adjustable phono preamp. and a set of Philharmonic Three speakers.

We could not reliably pick out any useful differences between the two preamps.  Any improvements that the NOS tubes are claimed to provide were so small that we could not pick them out.  Our choices came out random.  We even swapped the tubes between the two units to make sure there was no bias between one of the identical preamps or the other.  "Goodness" did not follow the tubes, it remained equal with both.

Would I spend an extra $200 for the NOS tubes?  No.  But if that extra expense makes you feel good, be our guest.

The review is just as meaningful with our standard JJ 12AT7 and 12AU7 tubes as with the NOS tubes.

I am disappointed that the review did not use our stock tubes but the Fet Valve CF remains an outstanding preamp all the same.

Frank Van Alstine

« Last Edit: 4 Jun 2014, 06:55 pm by avahifi »

rlee8394

Re: New Absolute Sound Fet Valve CF preamp review!
« Reply #4 on: 4 Jun 2014, 02:17 pm »
More than likely it is the excellent circuit itself dominating the sound (or lack thereof), and not he tubes themselves.

Ron

avahifi

Re: New Absolute Sound Fet Valve CF preamp review!
« Reply #5 on: 10 Jun 2014, 02:15 pm »
Note that our new split passive EQ phono circuit built into the Fet Valve CF preamp was compared very favorably in the TAS review with a $15,000 Pass Labs phono preamp.

There are no tubes at all in the phono section so there is nothing for you naysayers to poo poo about.

The phono section is also available as our new free standing Vision adjustable phono preamplifier at $599.  It can be set for either MM or MC cartridges and has adjustable gain and loading.  If you don't have $15000 for a new phono preamp, try ours at $599.

Regards,

Frank Van Alstne

avahifi

Re: New Absolute Sound Fet Valve CF preamp review!
« Reply #6 on: 12 Aug 2014, 08:33 pm »
The new review of our Fet Valve CF preamp is now in print and updated in the new issue of The Absolute Sound.

The great review is in the September issue (#245).

The reviewer says that our Fet Valve CF is probably the best full function affordable preamplifier money can buy, and the price is even $200 less then shown in the review with the standard black faceplate.

Frank Van Alstine

avahifi

Re: New Absolute Sound Fet Valve CF preamp review!
« Reply #7 on: 15 Aug 2014, 12:39 pm »
The new review of the AVA Fet Valve CF vacuum tube preamp is available here.

http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/audio-by-van-alstine-fet-valve-cf-preamplifier/

Frank Van Alstine

ricmon

Re: New Absolute Sound Fet Valve CF preamp review!
« Reply #8 on: 15 Aug 2014, 06:49 pm »
Just read the review.  However I just had my T-7 upgraded to Ultra II.  That up grade was so dramatic that even though I would love to purchase the new Fet Valve pre  the upgrades to the ULTRA  are still surprising my ears with gobs of low level information emerging from my speakers.  But I digress.......CONRADE'S ON THE OUT STANDING REVIEW.

Ric

Mark Korda

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Re: New Absolute Sound Fet Valve CF preamp review!
« Reply #9 on: 17 Aug 2014, 09:17 pm »
Hi Frank, that was a great review in Absolute Sound. What I liked that when Olsher gave the phono preamp section a 7.5 out of 10 as the only thing to nit-pick, you went right to work to make it a 10 (manufacturer comments). My Ace Audio preamp,1974 got the same kind of phono section review from High Fidelity mag. Owner John Grauer saw this,correcting it with different resistors, and told so in (manufacturers comments) just as you did proving  your  not resting on your laurels. Would the Ultravalve be a good match? Again, great review!...Mark Korda

avahifi

Re: New Absolute Sound Fet Valve CF preamp review!
« Reply #10 on: 18 Aug 2014, 12:09 am »
Note that was a 7.5 out of 10 compared to a $12,000 Pass Labs phono section.  Not too bad for a $329 option in any new AVA preamp.

Heck, for the price of a few new really good sounding fuses you can have our whole phono preamp. Then you can afford to upgrade it with the best power cord money can buy.

Unfortunately, it will be harder to upgrade the capacitors inasmuch as there are none in the signal path.  :)

Frank

plaf26

Re: New Absolute Sound Fet Valve CF preamp review!
« Reply #11 on: 29 Aug 2014, 06:50 am »
SOLD!  After 9 happy years with my small box AVA T8, I decided yesterday to trade up to the new FET Valve CF with the adjustable phono board option.  Thus there will be no need for the early stand alone version of the the Vision MC phono unit Frank & Co. made for my Denon DL103R, so it's being traded in too.  Vinyl has no right to sound this good.  It's flabbergasting.  Went out and got some more used records today.  Did the LP makers from the 50's on realize how much sound they put onto those records?  It sure never came out from the AMC (local dept. store brand) console we had back then.  Nor from a lot of much better stuff I've had since.  But Frank has found it for us.  It was there all the time, hiding in plain sight, er, sound.  "Who could ask for anything more?" as the song goes. :banana piano:

avahifi

Re: New Absolute Sound Fet Valve CF preamp review!
« Reply #12 on: 30 Aug 2014, 04:23 pm »
There is another rave review of the AVA Fet Valve CF preamp due very soon. No NOS tubes used in this second review and there are full reports of the headphone amplifier section, the phono section, and even detailed bench tests too.

Frank

festuss

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Re: New Absolute Sound Fet Valve CF preamp review!
« Reply #13 on: 21 Feb 2015, 11:58 am »
Would the power switch need an improved audio grade version? Take a few C&K units to a silk screener, and add the optional "audiophile" grade AC line switch labels.  I bet the sound changes.  To a 9.5?  The magazines will never dis the expensive units' since they are a big ad revenuers.  AVA just keeps proving the amount of hype out there in audiophile land.  My several AVA units just keep on impressing, and I am about 4 versions back now.