[Spirit]

Good day from a brand new Circle Member! This is my first post.
I have been thinking of replacing my Hafler 220 Power Amp.
I had a nice talk this morning with Frank and he seems like a very
knowledgable and dedicated audio man.
My speakers are Meadowlark Shearwater HotRods and I am using a tubed preamp.
I really know nothing about the Van Alstine line, but reading about the Ultra 350 intrigues me.
I would love to read your comments on Van Alstine in  general (build quality, sonics, etc.)
and the 350 as a mate for the Shears.
Let's get it going!!

[TheChairGuy]

I'm sure there will be legions of AVA fans responding to your post...but there simply isn't enough audiophools over a 40 years time period for AVA HiFi to still be in business if there was bad sonics, bad construction quality, mediocre service or value issues. 

That's how long Frank's been in business, give or take a few; you can take great solace in the fact that time can't be your only guide, but it is a relevant one to seriously consider.

In other words, AVA is around because they provide the goods folks want and appreciate....year after year, time after time 

Good luck on your prospective purchase...and a hearty welcome to Audio Circle.

[mark funk]

Spirit, I guess I well be number 2. I have been playing with hifi for 30 years or so. I heard about Frank and Paul back in the early 70s. I have one of Franks preamps in a Pat5 from I think 1981 and I put it in from time to time and it still sounds good! As for Franks new equipment I do not have or heard the Ultra but I have a 550EXR6 witch is the revision just before the Ultra, Transcendence 5SLR witch the T8 replaces and a Transcendence R DAC that has been replaces by the Ultra DAC. If the Ultra sounds better and that's what they say, its hard to believe things could sound any better then what I have. As for build quality, built like a tank it should last a life time. I would put Franks equipment up there with the vary best the world has to offer. And it does not cost $15 or $20,000! All I can say is its nice to sit down and listen to music and not equipment! I thing AVA is a win win. And welcome to the Circle

[tonyptony]

I'll be number 3 (hmm, I like that better than being number 2 ). I've been involved in searching for great sound since the mid 70s, and even back then heard about the modded gear that Frank was offering. As time went on and I was able to move along in the high end I had a chance to hear many fine amps, preamps, speakers... you name it. The classic amp names of the 70s, 80s, and 90s: ARC, CJ, Krell, Melos, VAC, Bryston, MF, Threshold, McIntosh, Phase Linear, Plinius, Klyne, Levinson, Perreaux, etc... Many great amps have been tried in my system. In the late 80s my audio buddy beat me to finally getting an AVA FetValve amp. I heard it and was floored by how good it was for the money. But dummy me I held on to my all SS amp (which was quite good, but I was hard against any kind of tubes back then - regardless of how good it sounded).

Time marches on and I had to finally consider a new amp. Well my friend was still happy as a clam with his FetValve almost 15 years later; I finally got smart and tried one in my own system. Haven't looked back. Is it the best amp in the world? Not sure; I've heard a lot of great amps. But I can say with reasonable certainty that there are very few amps for even many times its price that can make music the way it does. In my system the FetValve is a wonderful match. No fancy bits or eye candy, but built meticulously well. You can be sure that nothing will happen to it because it's built out of some kind of unstable nuclear material.

[Spirit]

In my system the FetValve is a wonderful match. No fancy bits or eye candy, but built meticulously well. You can be sure that nothing will happen to it because it's built out of some kind of unstable nuclear material.

Tony:
What it is in your system.
Also, can you describe what the AVA does soncially for you?

[tonyptony]

Spirit, the crown jewel of my system is a pair of Shahinian Diapason speakers. Well, they're not quite Diapasons. They're actually a cross between the Hawks and Diapasons. I use the Hawk modules over the Double Eagle subwoofers (take a look at the Shahinian website if you are unfamiliar with these speakers). As per my last post, one of my good fortunes over the years in this pursuit has been in meeting many of the great names in the high end. I met Dick Shahinian in the early 80s and we have become good friends. After living with and listening to a lot of speakers it became clear to me that Dick is among the small group of speaker designers that knows how to make music. Like Frank he's been around forever, and like Frank his stuff is pretty much better than just about everything else out there - even for many times more than the asking price (IMO, of course).

It turns out that I preferred the sound of the Hawk module / Double Eagle combination over the stock Diapason design, so that's what I listen to.

The FetValve is being fed by a Pass X1 preamp. Absolutely transparent without being edgy or zingy. My only complaint with the X1 is that I wish it had the same volume control as on the X0.2 (finer steps in between each click position). But the X0.2 is out of my price league.

Sources are either a Proceed PDT3 transport or a Squeezebox 3 feeding an EAD DSP7000 Mk.III D/A. You may be getting the sense at this point that I don't switch things out arbitrarily! The only transports I've heard over the years that I think are better than the PDT3, again, cost way more money. Both the SB3 and the DSP7000 have been modified - the SB3 by Bolder and the EAD by Boelen. Heard a bunch of the newer D/As: I'll keep my EAD.

Also have an AR ES-1.... modded  with a lot of the upgrades offerred by Merrill back in the day. That is maybe the one piece that I would consider replacing, maybe with a VPI Scoutmaster if I could swing it.

Interconnects center primarily around Acoustic Zen Silver Ref II and PAD Venustas. Cables are still good old Kimber 8TC, although I'd love to trip across a set of BiFocal XLs!

What does the FetValve do sonically??? Well, take a look at this post

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=25432.msg225719#msg225719

I'm not sure I could add much to my original observations.

[Zheeeem]

I have a 350 EXR and love it.

I used to have a DH220.  Frank turned it into an AVA MOSFET 250 - predecessor to the Omega line.  I still have and use that amp.  Sounds great, even 20 years later.  That might tell you a little about Van Alstine build quality.