Pre/Power Amplifiers

All of which seems like many ways to achieve the same thing, but at least you have the option of leaving the amp permanently on if you wish. You can also set up the power amp to show a bar output display and value in watts, just the value, or nothing, while the ‘load impedance’ selection – 2, 4 or 8ohm – calibrates the display for the speakers in use. It has no effect on the speaker output itself, but just lets the amp give a more accurate representation of what’s going to the speaker. There’s also comprehensive overheat/overload/DC protection.

Connect the two AVM units and power them up, and they go through the usual self-diagnostic checks that are so reassuring with all this company’s products. This is pretty fast on the power amp, but takes a minute or two on the preamp, as the processor has to interrogate all the modular ‘slots’ available, and let the tube stage (if fitted) warm up and stabilise. But it’s all pretty fuss-free, and the system is soon ready to play music.

Slam And Drive
Straight into action, then, with Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin’s 1991 Spin album [Broken Records BRSCLP-04]. This was played on my usual Naim NDS/555PS into PMC OB1 speakers, with cabling from Chord and QED. The AVM amps at once grabbed my attention with the slam and drive of the opening cover of ‘Walking The Dog’, Gaskin’s powerful yet pure voice zinging out into the room while the backing snarled and growled behind it. As with all of the duo’s albums, the production here is exceptional, and the effortless grunt and clarity of the AVM duo really makes it possible to listen deep into the mix, or just kick back and enjoy the dottiness of the whole thing, allied to the sheer musicianship on offer.

The same virtues are also much in evidence with another unexpected joy, Alistair McGowan’s prosaically-titled The Piano Album [Sony Classical 88985396192]. OK, so the comedian/impressionist/actor isn’t the greatest pianist in technical terms, and the set is really an exemplar of what one can achieve coming to the instrument relatively late (he’d studied Erik Satie for a play about the composer’s life), but by any standards it’s beautifully produced. The instrumental sound is on a par with DG’s recent release by ABBA’s Benny Andersson [HFN Feb ’18], which also got a spin through the AVM amps, and the impression of weight, and the ‘piano in a real space before the listener’ was hard not to like.

Top Form Ella
As with other AVMs I’ve enjoyed, the PA 8.2/SA 8.2 combination isn’t the most revealing or ‘obvious’ amp you’re ever going to hear, with a definite warmth and smoothness to the sound, but it’s never dull or over-bloomy. Playing Ella Fitzgerald’s ‘lost’ Live At The Concertgebouw – 1961 [Fondamenta/Devialet; 176.4kHz/24-bit download], the amps do a superb job of conveying the vitality and openness of this (mono) recording, and the playfulness of Fitzgerald completely on top form, and with fine backing from the piano/guitar/bass/drums quartet. It’s all a bit magical.

However, the AVMs can rock out, too, even if it’s not quite with the same abrasive edge one might encounter from more forward amplification – which to these ears is no bad thing. The ‘what dynamic range?’ onslaught of Joe Satriani’s ‘Thunder High On The Mountain’, from his latest set, What Happens Next [Legacy 19075802312] roared out of the speakers, the guitar cutting through the heavy backing. Yes, a brighter balance might unravel things rather better (though not much), but the German combination slams it out in convincing fashion without ever breaking a sweat.

It does an even more convincing job with the swagger and live feel of Lee Ann Womack’s The Lonely, The Lonesome & The Gone [ATO Records ATO0412CD], recorded the old-fashioned way at Houston’s Sugar Hill Studios for a real Texas sound a long way from Nashville gloss. From the stripped-down version of ‘The Long Black Veil’ to the all-too-brief cover of ‘Take The Devil Out Of Me’, the amplifiers reveal all the grittiness of the recording, and with Womack’s fabulous voice shining through the mix. Lovely!

Hi-Fi News Verdict
A fine combination of flexibility – though those extra inputs will add to the cost of the PA 8.2 preamp – solid build and all-out performance, this combo is excellent value for money, easy to get working at its best, and possessed of the power and grip to drive speakers with control and conviction. This is high-end audio made civilised and stylish, so it’s as well suited to the enthusiast as the pure music lover.