NVA AP30 and speakers

[Deleted User]

I have an AP30 purchased (I believe) from some one on this site, also I believe a few here have used NVA amps before? My question is with the ap30 what speakers suit them best in your opinion. There is a lot of stuff on there own forum, but unfortunately I'm not allowed on there (long story) it seems they are quite insistent that 6ohms and complicated crossovers will damage the amp, something that I don't want to do as I like it. This appears to rule out my Dynaudio audience 62s. It does appear however to get along with my 40+ year old Arcam 2s and of course the Nva Cubetts  that I have, I also have there cables. I am not competent to look at specs etc and judge, just curious to know what anyone here might have found. whilst I feel its doing a good job I believe its not giving its best, the cubetts are revealing (lacking bass) and the arcams are very listenable but lacking top end. Any ideas?

uglymusic

Being banned from the NVA is a rite of passage for many hi-fi owners 

You could try some Royds. Simple crossovers. Musically wonderful.

Minstrels are a good place to start and should be easy to pick up. There are two downsides. They get better and better with more expensive amplification. And they are getting older.

Otherwise, I have an inkling that my Q Acoustics 2020i s would go well with the AP30, but I've no direct experience of the pairing. 

[Deleted User]

You could be right, despite being banned it seems they are quite happy to use my positive reviews of the products on there forum? Royds could be the answer can't accommodate floor standers in my small room maybe the smaller bookshelf models? In principle they seem to fill the bill in terms of told requirements. thought about the Q range as they are relatively cheap S/H but seem to be low impedance? 4ohms. something the original NVA man was much against. Prefer not to do it any damage  (I really like this little amp) as it would be unlikely they would repair it as I was informed this by the current owner.

uglymusic

My Q 2020i s are 6 ohms, minimum 4 ohms (see https://www.qacoustics.co.uk/q-acoustics-2020i-bookshelf-speakers-pair.html), but I understand your concern. NVA amps can be very pernickety. I used most of the range over a period of years.

I wonder if someone could recommend something more modern than Royds?

I'd be inclined to go back to the source and join the NVA forum again. Use a new username and a different email address for registration, and you should be OK.

[Deleted User]

Thank you, didn't think about getting a new Email address. Will give it a go!

uglymusic

[Deleted User]

Thanks for your advice, but I thought about it and came to the conclusion that whilst I enjoy most of the "posters" on the forum, I just cant stand the "Headmasters" hubris, it would only end with the same result I'm sure, so best avoided! But thanks.

uglymusic

Sounds like the forum has stayed with the spirit of RD.

Docfoster

ordinaryman said:

I have an AP30 purchased (I believe) from some one on this site, also I believe a few here have used NVA amps before? My question is with the ap30 what speakers suit them best in your opinion. There is a lot of stuff on there own forum, but unfortunately I'm not allowed on there (long story) it seems they are quite insistent that 6ohms and complicated crossovers will damage the amp, something that I don't want to do as I like it. This appears to rule out my Dynaudio audience 62s. It does appear however to get along with my 40+ year old Arcam 2s and of course the Nva Cubetts  that I have, I also have there cables. I am not competent to look at specs etc and judge, just curious to know what anyone here might have found. whilst I feel its doing a good job I believe its not giving its best, the cubetts are revealing (lacking bass) and the arcams are very listenable but lacking top end. Any ideas?

I used Dynaudio Audience 62s and 82s with NVA amplification for years.
Absolutely no problems.

cj66

So if you use the wrong ohmage speakers your amp will get Dunn-in?

[Deleted User]

Nice to hear from someone who has used audience 62s with nva, seems a great waste not using them as I always found them decent speakers for the money. Thanks.

Docfoster

Yes indeed.
The floor standers in that Audience range were superb. The 62s were especially good value. The 82s I upgraded to were more pricey, but I picked up a pair second hand so that made them affordable to me. Big buggers.

[Deleted User]

Well, Audience 62s connected this afternoon. Playing a Cd at low level at the moment and keep checking that the AP30 is not getting hot, though I have never checked it before, paranoia I know! No smoke or fireworks so far. Will let it run and have a proper listen later.

uglymusic

You already had the Audience 62s?

[Deleted User]

Yep, purchased new a good few years ago. Wanted to try them with the little ap30 but unsure due to hfs forum seems to think that this type of speaker could cause the amp to fail, along with the speakers.

uglymusic

Ben!!

[Deleted User]

Its ok, once I smelt/saw the smoke, I managed to get close enough to turn the mains off. Will revue the damage another day.

[Deleted User]

Only joking!

[Deleted User]

Well, I'm happy to say that I've had Audiance62s running now for a few days now and and happy that nothing bad happened. They seem to have done what I had hoped for, increased the bass over cubetts and a clearer top end than my arcams. I think they would need a bit more power than the littleAP30 can produce? to really make them sing as I've heard them. Also having sized down I now listen in a bedroom nowhere near the size of my old living room and simply cant accommodate them. I have owned them since new, as with the majority of my stuff. So, I think the time has come to box them up and sell, I hate selling stuff! but with all the cupboard full, 7amps, 4sets of speakers, 4 cd plyers and numerous accessories, its time. Once I have sold some stuff I can concentrate on finding "that speaker"

uglymusic

I was about to suggest you sell the superfluous stuff and buy some Wonfor watts 

[Deleted User]

I have thought about that a bit, being on a fixed pension and the way things are selling stuff to raise funds is the only option. The other thing is I would probably have to sell the majority of it to fund something new, or go s/h which is always a lucky dip.

[Deleted User]

I have given some thought to my previous post. Most of the "stuff" I have came from listening in my home before purchase, when such a thing was possible, and affordable! Times have changed. I have to admit I'm a bit of a hoarder, my wife has been saying this for years, no one would feel comfortable in my loft or garage. At my current age maybe its time to start reducing. Why I have such a emotional regard for bits of stuff, I have no idea, other than the pleasure it gave at the time. So there by lies the conundrum, I have a soundbite of how these disparate bits sound, no idea of how Mr Wonfor products do (no disrespect intended). I  understand there is a lot of praise here and elsewhere. I guess the only option is, try it and  see/hear. I would truly like to find that system that can see me out. Now, that Would be nice.              

quickie

Ive got a real problem getting rid of things too. 

Some of it is purely down to laziness, but mostly because of what was listened too on that equipment, and the associated memories/emotions connected with the piece, even more so if I owned it for any length of time which is a given really, as if I didn't like it, would have been long gone anyway. 

I've inherited my parents hifi as they have both gone into a care home recently. 

Nothing fancy, but all good equipment that was originally mine, and can't bare to part with it, but with no room here, I really do need to sell stuff.! 

[Deleted User]

Memories and emotions are hard to get past, I don't own anything special, other than to me.  To let it go for an unknown, is for me hard. Unfortunately in my mid seventies my kids have no attraction to what I own , or they grew up with. I'm sure when I pass they will end up in landfill, if I don't sell. Rock and a hard place.

uglymusic

I sold a load of stuff around 15 or 20 years ago. Now, I have a couple of superfluous DACs, which would not go for anything secondhand, and an NVA Phono 2 and twin PSU that RD prevented me from selling. Long story that I'm not going to relate in public.

Otherwise, there's most of a bedroom system awaiting a digital front end (better than my superfluous DACs), a garden system that hopefully will get installed this year and a Raspberry Pi Zero that will probably drive a ceiling speaker in the bathroom once it gets redecorated in a few weeks.

justshoemark

Some things i really enjoy and will never sell. My children are still young and they both seem to enjoy music so one day they may enjoy the bits I have. I still only use vinyl cd and FM radio so stuck in the old times. One day I will have to make the move but I am happy for now. 

[Deleted User]

My 500+ LPs in landfill feels me with horror, so does selling them!

uglymusic

I sold about the same number because I'd moved to digital and never played them on my then-given away turntable. And I was skint.

Unfortunately, I've not been able to replace some of the music