[AKSA]

Folks,

Last night I demonstrated the NAKSA to 90 members of the Melbourne Audio Club.  The night was a great success.

Source was a phonograph (heritage unknown, but a Cambridge Audio MC preamp), a Nelson Pass preamp (X2500 ring a bell?), my NAKSA 70 and the VSonics.  Room is large, seating for 110 people, about 12 metres wide, 15 metres deep, tall ceiling.

There was more than sufficient volume.  Material was a Jazz selection by era starting with the 1930s, mostly big band and Brit.  Come to that, we even had some Astor Piazzola!   

The amp took its usual 20 minutes to warm up.  It didn't strictly sound like a tube system, but it certainly was vivid yet transparent, and very quiet, and with astonishing bass from those two 8" Peerless drivers in the VSonics.  I counted numerous nodding heads and closed eyes, got the impression there was real engagement.  Graham and Paul, two fantastic engineer friends both in audio who have been extremely helpful, came along.  Laurie was there, listening as intently as me.....   

Like every designer, I inwardly winced each time the music grew loud, but the amp never let us down.....  it delivered clean, powerful, well controlled music without a hitch.  Three people approached me asking for purchase details, all seemed amazed at the low cost, very pleasing (but no phone calls today yet!!).  All in all a great night, and one which demonstrated the extraordinary presence of this amp, it seems to me to punch well above its weight.   

I printed out fifty brochures which included Francis' review, and by night's end, all had been taken up, good sign.

Cheers,

Hugh

[Rom]

Hi Hugh,

I can only picture you with a in your face.

Sounds like you did have a good time.

Rom

[EdwardWest]

Hugh,

Do you feel any pangs of guilt when you spread the Audiophilia Nervosa virus to such large groups of people?

Think of all the deleterious effect on their bank-balances, productivity and relationships.

 

Edward

P.S. Congratulations on the outing and I wish you great success with your N(ew)AKSA!

[gaetan8888]

Hello Hugh

Wen you told me that you was doing a demonstration at the Melbourne Audio Club, I was impatient to know how it did goes.

Excellent to know that all the demonstration did goes very well.

The Naksa amp strike again and did it super well.

Bye

Gaetan

[AKSA]

Hi  Ed, Gaetan,

I really have a long way to go to catch any of the luminaries in the field, like NP or JC, I am a bit player, and a long way from my primary markets!   

I have a notion that because of the complexity of human hearing and its curious and controversial relationship with perception, the design of melifluous audio gear is art as well as science.  Distortion is much maligned;  it is in truth the principal tool in the design of musical instruments, and dare I say it, instrument amplifiers like Fender and Marshall.  I am always struck by the explanations of pop musicians when they describe the particular 'sound' they are striving for.  Who can forget the unique sounds of Led Zeppelin, Coldplay, Frank Zappa and even the resurgence of baroque instruments amongst classical musicians?

As for prizing scads of dollars from the unsuspecting audiophile wallet, Ed, I can say that I've not noticed any drift towards conspicuous consumption in the Dean domicile;  my daily indulgence these days is a large mug of Chai Latte!!  BUT, I'm working on it....  the object of the exercise is to keep my buyers happy, and at a pinch, my wife as well!   

My honest thought is that the new AKSA, the NAKSA, is something unique and is competitively priced, even with recent hikes in the AUD.  I hope to sell lots of them, my best description of the sound quality is vivid and unforgettable!   

Thanks for your posts!

Cheers,

Hugh

[lonewolfny42]

Hugh....

Last night I demonstrated the NAKSA to 90 members of the Melbourne Audio Club.  The night was a great success.

NICE !!!   


So.....where are the photo's of the event ?????    (I like photos... )





Off topic....just checked the MAC website from their April 2010 meeting....

April 2010            System AKSA with Hugh Dean

Over the past eight or nine years there have been many opportunities for members to hear and assess the quality of Aspen Amplifiers developing range of products. It all started with the now fondly remembered AKSA 55 wpc kitset amplifier, which quickly established an impressive price performance ratio both here and, even more so, overseas.

It wasn't long before perfectionist Hugh Dean added another and then yet another upgraded or radically redesigned model to his series of amplifiers each one surpassing its predecessor in performance. Then he applied his diverse talents to a signature pre-amplifier closely followed by kitset speakers.

The question now on everyone's lips is "has he reached finally reached the end of his long development series?" Is this his Nirvana? In our April MAN we detailed the key components of Hugh's new amplifiers and speaker system so let's focus on delivery.

What did it sound like? Impressive indeed. Here was a package that from the very first note spoke with authority. The Maya power amplifier is exceptionally clean with dazzling resolving ability and the tripartite speaker system (two transmission line floor-standers, with an independently powered summed sub in the middle) not only dug deep when required but also gave us one of the most articulate stereo images heard in the Willis Room.

Hugh's consummate presentation skills complemented by Laurie's highly informative explanation of the considerable design effort which went into the speaker system plus a diverse selection of quality music tracks made for thoroughly engaging evening.

James Hill

[AKSA]

Chris,

I didn't take a camera, but there were two there from memory.

I will speak with James Hill, the convener, see if I can get a photo.....

Thank you for your interest, you are a champ mate!

Cheers,

Hugh

[Johnny]

Good show Hugh