[I.Greyhound Fan]

Sorry guys, my son just graduated from a Nuclear Medicine program in Kansas City this past weekend, so my wife and I flew there and 1 day after returning I came down with COVID.  I am doing OK but the fatigue and cough are awful.  I will try and review the remaining gear on Monday or Tuesday.

Mary, let know if you need the equipment back.


Best Regards,

Larry

[dlparker]

Sorry guys, my son just graduated from a Nuclear Medicine program in Kansas City this past weekend, so my wife and I flew there and 1 day after returning I came down with COVID.  I am doing OK but the fatigue and cough are awful.  I will try and review the remaining gear on Monday or Tuesday.

Mary, let know if you need the equipment back.


Best Regards,

Larry

OH NO! Where? UMKC? KU? I'm in Kansas City. I'm old. I don't like being sick.

Hope you're better soon!

[I.Greyhound Fan]

OH NO! Where? UMKC? KU? I'm in Kansas City. I'm old. I don't like being sick.

Hope you're better soon!

Thanks, I am doing better since I started the drug Paxlovid.  It remains to be seen if I get rebound covid once I finish the drug in 3 days.  I got rebound covid the first time I took the drug but I am high risk and it is worth the risk of getting rebound to take the drug.

My son graduated the Nuclear Medicine program at Reseach Medical Center.  It is a great program.  He graduated tops in the class and will be coming home in 14 days.  I have to fly back down to KC and help him pack up and move.  We will be driving a 20' U haul and a towing a car.  I hope to be full strength by then or else it is going to be a long trip

[AllanS]

Sorry guys, my son just graduated from a Nuclear Medicine program in Kansas City this past weekend, so my wife and I flew there and 1 day after returning I came down with COVID.  I am doing OK but the fatigue and cough are awful.  I will try and review the remaining gear on Monday or Tuesday.

Mary, let know if you need the equipment back.


Best Regards,

Larry

Some things are more than others.
Congrats to your son!  And I hope you recover quickly.  Being sick just plain sucks.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Good news,  I am feeling a bit better today so I hooked up the CA1 and so far so good.  It sounds similar to the NP1 but also different which I has more to do with the NP1 being paired with my BAT preamp.  The NP1-BAT pairing sounds better as it should be with the BAT being a $10K that Stereophile called one of the best in the world in 2003.  With that being said, the CA1 stills sounds fabulous.

I will post more in the next 1-3 days.

[gene9p]

there's an NP1 up for sale if anyone is interested

https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/650133788-audio-van-alstine-np1-power-amplifier-with-free-shipping-in-conus/

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Ok, here is my review of the CA1 integrated amp now that I have recovered from COVID.

My initial impressions were the same as the NP1 which was WOW!  The CA1 and the NP1 have to be two of the best values in HiFi for the price to performance ratio.  The CA1 is just a wonderful sounding piece.  It has the air, transparency, detail and dynamics that I would expect from a $5K integrated amp.  It also does not sacrifice midrange depth like I have heard on other amps that are this transparent (I love a deep, rich midrange but it also has to have some air and transparency).  Last year we took my son's Cary Audio SL300.2d integrated amp ($6K new and a great sounding integrated) and compared it to a $10K Luxman at a local mom and pop shop and the Luxman's midrange sounded thin in comparison and I did not like it.  Back to the CA1, it also has good texture to voices, acoustic guitar and other instruments.  Eva Cassidy's voice on the "Live At Blue's Alley" album is sublime.  Bass has good slam and is fast.  Cymbals sound real and the top end is smooth without being harsh or grainy. The sound stage is huge without sounding vague.  My son found it almost holographic and just loved the CA1. The CA1 just like the NP1 had no issues driving my Magnepan 1.6's to very loud levels indicating that they have robust power supplies.  Dynamics certainly did not suffer.  Overall, the sound is neutral with maybe a bit of warmth just like the NP1.

Now if I had to nitpick, I would say that the resolution was not as top notch as say my son's Cary or some other higher end gear that I have heard.  The resolution is very good so don't get me wrong especially at this price point.  I found that the resolution of the NP1 paired with my BAT preamp was better and it should be considering the BAT cost $10K new years ago.

Overall, with the CA1 or NP1 you are getting audiophile quality sound at a budget price. They would be bargains at twice the price.

If anyone has any questions, PM me and if you want to talk leave your number.

Mary or Frank, I would like to keep the gear for another 7-10 days so I can review the DAC/preamp.   I have to work the next 3 days, then I fly down to Kansas City on Saturday again to help my son move back to the Twin Cities now that he graduated Nuclear Medicine school.  Wish me luck driving a 20' truck and towing a car.

Larry

[sean619]

Very nice review. Thank you. I would love to get an engineering breakdown and detailed specs...but that's not going to happen 

[AllanS]

Many thanks for your review Larry! The time and effort you put into it is greatly appreciated.
I hope the move is uneventful.

[TomBo]

Nice review Larry! Expected greatness and the CA1 delivered. Thank you for taking the time to do this as you have a lot going on. Thanks again, Tom

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Thanks for the kind words.  It is always fun doing reviews of new gear.  Too bad I got COVID as I would have liked to invite some of my audiophile friends over for their opinions.  I was lucky that my son had to fly home for the weekend so that he could get a physical exam and finger printing for his new job at the University of MN hospital (he had to get fingerprinted because he has the highest security clearance at the hospital working with nuclear material).  His opinion on the CA1 was the same as mine.

If AVA lets me keep the gear for another 2 weeks, I will review the DAC/preamp and try and have some friends over.  I really want to hear it in my system as I would like to eventually sell my BAT preamp and buy another DAC and preamp. 

[Mary]

Hi Larry,

Thank for the review. We do value your input on our equipment. I am sorry you have had a miserable last month. You can certainly keep the equipment for a while longer to share with others as well as get a good feeling for the digital preamp.

Mary

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Hi Larry,

Thank for the review. We do value your input on our equipment. I am sorry you have had a miserable last month. You can certainly keep the equipment for a while longer to share with others as well as get a good feeling for the digital preamp.

Mary

Thank you Mary! 

[GregoryP]

Newbie here, so I'll introduce myself.  I have had Van Alstine gear for 40 years.  Started out with Dynaco and Hafler gear and went through a number of Van Alstine mods, ending up with Transencence series tuner, preamp, power amp and Celestion SL6 speakers..  Have lived with that happily for many years until the Great Flood wiped out my senior living apartment.  I spoke to Frank and Mary and put together the CA-1 with Philharmonic BMR-2 Bookshelf monitors.  The sources include a Samsung Smart TV, a Panasonic UB820 4K Blu-Ray player and a Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200.  All connected with Blue Jeans cables.

I listen to classical music and light jazz and attend concerts here in the Boston area.  The CA-1/Philharmonic is a sweet combination, ideal for classical/acoustic material.  Definately non-fatiguing!

I am looking for a music streamer and am considering a Bluesound Node with a Tidal or Qobuzz subscription.  Any thoughts out there about the services or MQA or FLAC formats?

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Newbie here, so I'll introduce myself.  I have had Van Alstine gear for 40 years.  Started out with Dynaco and Hafler gear and went through a number of Van Alstine mods, ending up with Transencence series tuner, preamp, power amp and Celestion SL6 speakers..  Have lived with that happily for many years until the Great Flood wiped out my senior living apartment.  I spoke to Frank and Mary and put together the CA-1 with Philharmonic BMR-2 Bookshelf monitors.  The sources include a Samsung Smart TV, a Panasonic UB820 4K Blu-Ray player and a Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200.  All connected with Blue Jeans cables.

I listen to classical music and light jazz and attend concerts here in the Boston area.  The CA-1/Philharmonic is a sweet combination, ideal for classical/acoustic material.  Definately non-fatiguing!

I am looking for a music streamer and am considering a Bluesound Node with a Tidal or Qobuzz subscription.  Any thoughts out there about the services or MQA or FLAC formats?

I will bite first.  MQA is a gimmick and has its fans.  I like both  Qobuz and Tidal.  I am not a fan of the Bluesound node.  It is midfi sounding.  A friend of mine and I auditioned the BS Node and compared it to a Lumin D3 and the Node sounded muddy and like crap in comparison.   But the Lumin costs $2500.   FYI and no big deal but this is a thread for a review of the CA1 and NP1.

[dlparker]

Newbie here, so I'll introduce myself.  I have had Van Alstine gear for 40 years.  Started out with Dynaco and Hafler gear and went through a number of Van Alstine mods, ending up with Transencence series tuner, preamp, power amp and Celestion SL6 speakers..  Have lived with that happily for many years until the Great Flood wiped out my senior living apartment.  I spoke to Frank and Mary and put together the CA-1 with Philharmonic BMR-2 Bookshelf monitors.  The sources include a Samsung Smart TV, a Panasonic UB820 4K Blu-Ray player and a Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200.  All connected with Blue Jeans cables.

I listen to classical music and light jazz and attend concerts here in the Boston area.  The CA-1/Philharmonic is a sweet combination, ideal for classical/acoustic material.  Definately non-fatiguing!

I am looking for a music streamer and am considering a Bluesound Node with a Tidal or Qobuzz subscription.  Any thoughts out there about the services or MQA or FLAC formats?

I'm not familiar with the BMR-2. I believe there was an upgrade to the original BMR monitor but it's still called the BMR monitor on the website. Is that what you're referring to?

[GregoryP]

DL Parker wrote:

I'm not familiar with the BMR-2. I believe there was an upgrade to the original BMR monitor but it's still called the BMR monitor on the website. Is that what you're referring to?

Yes, you are correct.  I got the second iteration but is still called BR Monitor on the Philharmonic website.
GregoryP

[Crummwoody]

Listened extensively to the NP1 as with system as described on previous post.  I also added a Schiit Freya+ in front of the NP1 for comparison.

If anyone is interested in my opinion and review, I would be happy to write a summary.

Rob

[sean619]

If you have comparisons to other amps I would love to hear.

[AllanS]

Listened extensively to the NP1 as with system as described on previous post.  I also added a Schiit Freya+ in front of the NP1 for comparison.

If anyone is interested in my opinion and review, I would be happy to write a summary.

Rob

I’d definitely be interested in any “insert preamp” + NP1 reviews especially the Freya+.  I’m on the fence but, in the spirit of Larry’s earlier point, it might be a good topic for a separate thread.