[BuddyDave]

Just got this.  Obviously not a stock PAT-5 BI-FET.  Hoping to get a rough manufacture date and maybe (seriously) a user manual and/or schematic.  This unit is different than others I have seen of various vintages, in that this one has lost the two phono cards and retained RIAA via the two AVA PC-190 cards.  This thing looks great on a scope, sine wave and square wave.  I love that you can just take tone controls out of signal path. I'd appreciate any light users could shed on this unit.

[ArthurDent]

Greetings & Welcome to AC    About all I can help with is dating, Frank uses the date of mfg for the serial number. So Sept. 20, 1990, likely the 'A' means it was the first of multiple units completed that day. Give Frank a call, he can give you any info about possible manual, etc.

[charmerci]

Nice. Sure looks like an original PAT-5 to me with upgraded gold connections. Though Frank does think that IC's make a difference, I sure hope you're not listening to it through those crap IC's. Get at least Monoprice if not Blue Jean cables. You'll thank me later.   

[BuddyDave]

Maybe the case and a few other items.  It's gutted.  No Dynaco boards in there.  Those are my bench cables.  I know all about Blue Jean.

[BuddyDave]

Thanks to ArthurDent for the welcome and suggestion.  I'll contact AVA.

[avahifi]

It is a 1990 AVA Omega preamplifier built in a gutted Dyna chassis.  Only things original are the transformer and some of the controls and switches.

The vertical pair of new circuit boards contain new RIAA phono, line, and tone controls.

Cleaning all the switches, jacks, and controls with Caig Labs Deoxit D5 spray contact cleaner should resolve any signal noise or dropouts issues.

It is a nice sounding a durable unit even at 30+ years old.

Frank

[BuddyDave]

Thanks, Frank.  Nice of you to reply.  I have followed your endeavors over the years but never owned one of your products.  I appreciate and admire your contributions to the field.

Any documentation on this one, or should I just use a little D5 and enjoy?  I assume that's a MM phono stage. 

[charmerci]

Maybe the case and a few other items.  It's gutted.  No Dynaco boards in there.  Those are my bench cables.  I know all about Blue Jean.

Oops, I actually meant an original AVA Omega pre.

[G E]

I had one of these back in the day and it was great.

Frank’s designs are.

Case in point:

Cassette tapes(!) are hot items in the used market, as are NOS.

I sold a batch of cassettes including some I made around 1980 when I had its predecessor a PAT-4 Frank had updated.

The guy sends me an email and he is over the moon ecstatic about the sound quality of some of the music!  How did I do it?  Do I mind sharing?

I told him I was using a Pioneer PL-12D turntable, Grace F9-D cart (still in hot demand), the AVA modded PAT-4 and a Sony cassette deck that was a luggable portable. Ran on 4 D cells. Or AC

And I rarely used Dolby — any flavor (I hate it. Kills the life of music) and I ran meters gently into the red zone.

Kinda neat to make an impression on someone who was running an above average system.

Anyway, Frank’s team puts out the real deal.

Buy with confidence.

BTW, I also had one of the PAT-5 AVA like this example and loved it dearly. It took considerable expense to materially best it.

[BuddyDave]

Thanks for the additional information.

Do you recall there being any documentation on the unit?  I don't have anything.