[G E]

AVA gets acknowledgement for being one of the long term survivors in the audio industry,  in the VMPS forum here:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=101973.0

Frank, have you met Brian Cheney?

And BTW, congrats on being a survivor.  There must be something to the direct to consumer business model even if we are a direct pain in the butt sometimes!

Greg

[rcag_ils]

I am not surprised at all. Magic caps, pure silver wire, silver fuse, $10,000 power cable, and $5,000 speaker and patch cables can only fool people for so long. Old school engineering will last forever. It's impressive for a company to survive in a shrinking market, AVA must have been doing something right all along.

[dB Cooper]

High grade customer service and high grade ethics have something to do with it too. And yes, AVA's direct business model was ahead of the game. Not only do you not only have to pay for the art deco half-inch-thick faceplate, you don't have to pay for the storefront either.

I do lament the passing of the retail specialty hifi shop though; most people now are just price shoppers with no loyalty at all for quality service despite their claims to the contrary.

[Minn Mark]

 

+1 on all previous comments, guys.

Mark

[coke]

I had an issue with some of my AVA equipment in the past. I spoke with Frank and he more than took care of it.  I was shocked by what he offered to resolve the problem, and will continue to be a customer as long as they are in business.
 
AVA also made a mistake in my favor.  When they built my Ultra 550, they accidently built a double 550 but didn't charge me for the mistake.
 
 They have also upgraded my preamp and amp.  Excellent customer service and very quick turn around time.
 
I found some used AVA equipment online but was hesistant to buy.  I spoke with Frank about the warranty and exchanged emails concerning the products.  Frank took the time to answer every question I had even though he wasn't making any money from me buying the used equipment.
 
I would expect to have to pay more for the ability to pick up the phone and speak with the owner of the company, amazing customer service, and quality products, but with AVA they are actually cheaper than most other similar audio products.
 

[rcag_ils]

I have similar experience. I purchased a Delta 120B built in 1992, and The unit ran very hot. I contacted Frank, went there and picked up the parts we thought was wrong, I purchased the Exicon transistors from Frank as an upgrade. After I installed all the parts. I took it back to Frank's and he checked the unit out and adjusted the bias for me, meanwhile he explained to me how certain adjustment should be done and why.

Now I am using this amp driving my Sonographe SW-1000 sub, listening to it now as I am typing.

[trebejo]

(excellent round up of excellent experiences)
 

 

I have similar experience. I purchased a Delta 120B built in 1992, and The unit ran very hot. I contacted Frank, went there and picked up the parts we thought was wrong, I purchased the Exicon transistors from Frank as an upgrade. After I installed all the parts. I took it back to Frank's and he checked the unit out and adjusted the bias for me, meanwhile he explained to me how certain adjustment should be done and why.

Now I am using this amp driving my Sonographe SW-1000 sub, listening to it now as I am typing.

I kinda had to quote that one verbatim. I don't like the quick-buck artists, they exemplify how the mixing of money and art is usually an ugly affair--specially from the ethical perspective.

Fortunately, with Frank and AVA, we have an example of an ensemble of slow-buck artists. Frank is also an audio design artist. And, from various reports, an ensemble of customer-service artists.

I'm just happy that when I rolled the used audio dice, it landed on AVA. The first time I ever emailed Frank, it was about buying a used 550 on audiogon. I got a quick reply that addressed my concerns about "upgrading" the beast to a proper XLR input stage, etc. (the word "audioflake" came up), then concluded by congratulating me on my upcoming purchase and well wishing on what I'd be obtaining. I never bought that amp, and I never forgot that email. When a local chance to get another 550 came up, I was ready.

Yes, I'm sure glad AVA has been around long enough for me to get around to them.