[NIGHTFALL1970]

I didn’t know that. However, my XLR connections go to my AVA M225 monoblocks.

[Dart87]

Do you need differential inputs as well? If not the R2X will "differate" an AVA analog preamp output better than anything else.

Yes I have an R2X I use when I want to play my old tube kit preamp and tube phono pre.  Again it adds another set of single ended cables and potential for noise and coloration.  I have a couple of turntables.  One I have converted to XLR for use with a phono preamp with XLR in/out for LOMC cartridges.  I also have a DAC with XLR output.

The thing is,  since I committed to XLR connections from my preamp by purchasing the M750s (my old power amp had SE and XLR) I want to keep that signal intact from source to speakers.  Unfortunately I cannot do that with an analog source with an AVA preamp.

I currently use a Schiit Kara preamp but an upgrade is on my radar.

[jandrews]

What do you mean by a "soft start power switch"? We can't control how other gear starts up, and the DVA Digital Preamp starts up as gently as anything, with only a faint relay click to let you know it's turned on.

Sorry Mithat, I just mean a version of the dac in the older chassis that looks like this

[Mithat]

What do you mean by a "soft start power switch"? [snip]

Sorry Mithat, I just mean a version of the dac in the older chassis that looks like this

Thanks for clarifying!

[Tone Depth]

I love all of the innovation in developing new higher performing AVA products! It seems a pity that parallel effort in developing upgrades to existing and former AVA products was dropped some years ago, and I would welcome seeing that effort restarted. I have an analog preamp, DAC and power amp that I would invest in upgrades to improve their performance.

[Mithat]

It seems a pity that parallel effort in developing upgrades to existing and former AVA products was dropped some years ago.

Frank decided several years ago to phase out "in-place" hardware upgrades when they stopped serving our clients' best interests. Over the years, as our circuits grew more sophisticated and as labor costs increased, things reached a point where it was almost always more cost effective for a client to sell an older piece on the used market and buy a new unit than it was to strip their existing unit and install new audio electronics. It was a difficult decision to make, but the right one for both AVA and our clients.

So, a question for those who miss these upgrades: Do you want to have new circuits in your existing box because you love the box and want to continue to use it in your system? Because the existing box has features our new units lack? Because you want to save money (which you now know won't be the case)? Something else? Let us know.

[Tone Depth]

I have a DVA Digital Preamp, which replaced an AVA Vision Hybrid DAC. I sent the old DAC back to AVA to sell, and the prospective purchaser returned it saying there was a slight hum in one channel. I asked Frank for AVA to diagnose and repair the old DAC, and he replied that he didn't know where to start. In over 50 years of owning AVA components, I have never before had that level of support, previous repairs have always been completed promptly. I wonder if existing employees no longer have the necessary skills that AVA had in the past.

Frank decided several years ago to phase out "in-place" hardware upgrades when they stopped serving our clients' best interests. Over the years, as our circuits grew more sophisticated and as labor costs increased, things reached a point where it was almost always more cost effective for a client to sell an older piece on the used market and buy a new unit than it was to strip their existing unit and install new audio electronics. It was a difficult decision to make, but the right one for both AVA and our clients.

So, a question for those who miss these upgrades: Do you want to have new circuits in your existing box because you love the box and want to continue to use it in your system? Because the existing box has features our new units lack? Because you want to save money (which you now know won't be the case)? Something else? Let us know.

[DecibleDude]

An article posted today to Stereophile outlines some challenges both the audio industry and audio consumers are currently facing. To help our valuable clients, instead or raising prices, we have recently:

• Reduced the price of the "DVA Digital Preamplifier" DAC from $2,499 to $2,199.
• Initiated a summer sale on many core system components: 15% off all analog preamplifiers, the DVA Digital Preamplifier, DVA M225 and DVA M750 Power Amplifiers, and the CA1 Control Amplifier.

Is there anything else AVA can do to keep the audio love flowing for you? Please let us know. But no politics, please. There are more appropriate places for that. This is about helping all of us -- consumers and manufacturers alike -- to continue doing what we love.

 I have a suggestion not for myself, but for others who might be considering a new stereo power amp. I don't know if it makes sense to you from a business point of view, but I would suggest that you design another stereo power amp to sit between the DVA set 500 and the NP1 at perhaps around 110-120 wpc. I say that because the gap between the two is quite large. When I was trying to decide what company's power amp to buy recently I almost went with another brand because the NP1 wasn't powerful enough, and the DVA set 500 was quite a bit more than I needed. I decided on the set 500 because ultimately there's not really a downside to more power than you need, but I suspect other potential customers might think differently. In any event, it's just a thought, and you of course will have a better handle on whether or not it makes sense from your perspective.

[Mithat]

I have a DVA Digital Preamp, which replaced an AVA Vision Hybrid DAC. I sent the old DAC back to AVA to sell, and the prospective purchaser returned it saying there was a slight hum in one channel. I asked Frank for AVA to diagnose and repair the old DAC, and he replied that he didn't know where to start. In over 50 years of owning AVA components, I have never before had that level of support, previous repairs have always been completed promptly. I wonder if existing employees no longer have the necessary skills that AVA had in the past.

I'm not entirely sure I'm following what you're asking about here. As I pointed out in my earlier reply, the decision to phase out "in-place" upgrades wasn't (and isn't) about available skills but rather about real-world economics. It's no longer cost-effective for either our clients or ourselves to offer "all new circuits" in user-provided chassis -- which is I think what you wanted to see return. In fact, one of the reasons we started our Brokerage service was to help ease the transition for our clients, and we'll continue to support it as long as it works for everyone.

If you're introducing a new thought with this post and are questioning whether we have the needed skills to repair the gear we sell and have sold, we do! Our service lead has been with AVA for decades and is a veritable walking encyclopedia of all things AVA. Sometimes, however, when something is really, really old, suitable replacement parts may no longer available in our inventory or from suppliers. In these cases, there's no reasonable way to bring a unit back to working order.

However, the Vision Hybrid DAC isn't all that old. If Frank had difficulty resolving what was ailing it, I don't know why that would be. It's possible that a small amount of right channel hum was endemic to the design. (This is pure speculation. My involvement with this unit was limited to designing and laying out the solid-state DAC core, which I did while I was living overseas. I had nothing to do with the hybrid output stage layout. By the time I returned, the unit was obsolete.) So, Frank may not have known where to start because it performed no different to previous units, and the noise may not have been an issue for anyone before.

[Mithat]

I have a suggestion not for myself, but for others who might be considering a new stereo power amp. I don't know if it makes sense to you from a business point of view, but I would suggest that you design another stereo power amp to sit between the DVA set 500 and the NP1 at perhaps around 110-120 wpc.

I agree with you 1000%. All I can say, and this is with some trepidation because I explicitly don't want this thread to drift into political waters, is that our product development is being significantly impacted by the issues documented in the Stereophile article I linked to in the original post. I know with certainty that we are not alone in this.

Now is a great time to reach out to the audio companies you love and let them know you value them.