HI,

I obtained a loan of the NVA Phono 2 stage ( MM version setup for my 2m Blue )with external PSU last week and as per the loan arrangement here are my thoughts.

My current setup is:

Source: Technics 1210 Mk5, standard arm, TT upgraded with Mike New Bearing, SDS IsoPlatmat, Ortofon 2m Blue cartridge fitted to ADC Magnesium Headshell, tracking at 1.75g as recommended by Ortofon, Mark Grant cables left over from another setup.


Amplifier: Tellurium Q Claymore


Speakers: PMC Twenty.21 Standmounts on dedicated PMC stands.


Demo albums:


                                 

                                   

                                

                                                        


Please note that I didn't listen to whole albums I mostly cherry picked tracks that I loved and knew well, although one or two of them did get a full play.


NVA Phono 2 with external PSU

Stock Image from the NVA eBay page - I couldn't get decent pic without reflections due to the high gloss finish

Rear Shots



Showing the PSU connections



PSU Power Switch




Arty shot



Let's get to it.....

Build Quality is excellent, the High Gloss Acrylic cases look and feel great ( a bugger to photograph though lol ), dust magnets for sure, but they look great and in our house dust doesn't lie around too long, the cases being identical size makes them nice and neat on the shelf with large NVA emblazoned on the right side being the only markings on the front, along with a subtle single red Led on the same edge the stage and the psu, which again looks tidy and understated.

Each box is 250mm wide by 70mm high and 210mm deep.


So I hooked it all up, simple enough, very good fit on the PSU connectors to the stage itself, RCA socket the same quality of fit, with a toggle switch for Power On/Off - love the toggle switch, much prefer them to push buttons, they just feel sturdier. Upon switching on you get a little internal thump as the psu kicks in with very low amount of internal hum to begin with but this soon disappears into the background, so far so good. First up was Thin Lizzy's Fighting, one of my favourites and one I bought on release in 1975 so it's had a bit of play over the years, however it's is an album that I still really enjoy and is quite a powerful recording. My TQ amp has a built in phonostage and has been mentioned in a few reviews that it is very good too, I don't disagree, I had previously tried a Trigon Vanguard II, a Whest 2.0 and a Firebottle ( Built by a hifi enthusiast - see AoS forum for more info ) the Firebottle easily beat the Trigon AND the Whest as well as my amp's internal one, however my wife's redundancy put any purchase of the Firebottle well and truly on the back burner. So I was stuck with the TQ internal stage, this gives me something to base this review on, although I do remember the qualities of the Firebottle that I liked so will mentally refer back to that in comparison too.

The first thing that struck ( literally ) me on the opening track was the power and attack of the guitar chords, then the drums kicked in, wow, I thought, now that's a rock record, I hadn't heard it this good, ever! The Phono 2 sounded much more powerful and direct than the inbuilt stage, probably a bit more gutsy than the Valve based Firebottle but marginal. I think the Firebottle is cleaner more precise but I'm not sure that's not always a good thing for rock.

Now you know what it's like when you get a new hifi toy, you flick through tracks/albums ( possibly not as much as my wife does with the TV remote but you know what I mean), over the next few days when I had time, I ended up jumping through the various albums above and enjoyed them all. My collection dates back to 1975 and as you can tell by the choices I listened to I'm a rocker, but I also like Electronic ( Tangerine Dream, Kraftwwerk etc ) although that type of music was hard to come by in the mid 70's on LP unless someone imported them and they cost a bomb, so I don't have many early version, Kraftwerk's Man Machine probably being my earliest Electronic LP.

The key elements of the sounds I was getting from the Phono 2 at least playing Rock anyway, were:

It seems to match very well with the 2M Blue, it was setup for this ( I sent the info to  NVA prior so they could match it ) and it is spot on, the soundstage is about the same as my TQ amp stage, slightly less than the Firebottle, but only a little. The music seems to fill my room better with the Phono 2, I sit at the opposite and of the room from the speakers and using the TQ stage the sound is only driven about 1/3 rd of the way into the room, using the Phono 2 its increased by about another 3 or 4 ft to halfway ( does that make sense? ), the Phono 2 has more impact on guitar and especially drums, my PMC's aren't very efficient at 87db, but the Phono 2 gave them a lot more drive and impact. They HAVE to stay as my wife picked them and likes the size of them as they don't dominate the room, I'd like bigger ones ( don't we all lol ), but for now they are here to stay, the phono 2 made me think, that's not a problem, mind you I have thought of changing to the PMC 22's as they aren't that much bigger but would give 90db and I'm pretty sure the wife wouldn't notice  

I then tried a Shure 97Xe cartridge on the TT which made the sound a good bit warmer than the 2M Blue, but not as clear on the top end, it didn't stay on long, I preferred the 2m Blue.

The only thing I wasn't sure about on the Phono 2 was the sound of the drums, yes they had impact/slam/drive whatever you weant to call it, but they sounded different to how they sounded on the TQ internal stage and the Firebottle, for some reason I wasn't convinced they sounded right, strange thing to say I know, and its very subjective, but I'm of the opinion that if it sounds good and you like it, does it matter if it's right? I listen to music not HiFi ( although I'm dangerously close to losing the ability to just listen to the music and I blame Forums  ) The drums might not sound right on my TQ amp stage or on the Firebottle, but I preferred how they sounded on them rather than on the Phono 2, but the Phono 2 was better overall which I think is more important.

I also tried the Phono 2 into my Inca Tech Claymore 2 amp ( recently bought off eBay ), now there's a rock setup if ever I heard it, probably as 'live' as I will ever get in my house unless the wife relents and lets me buy Floorstanders, it's ALL I'm going to get, subtle no, genteel, not in a million years, I like my music fairly loud a lot of the time but can listen at low levels if reading or browsing  t'internet, but the Clay 2/Phono 2 combo had me there! The fullest I've heard my room with music since buying the various bits, the 100w Claymore drive my PMC's better than the TQ version, however the TQ is the better all round amp.

The Claymore 2 is heading down to Colin's this week for a service, it's a pity I won't have the Phono 2 by time it returns as I am sure it would sound even better.
 
Right, I've waffled enough, it's a damn sight easier to talk about this than type it, but hey ho life's a bitch.

In summary:

Pros:

Build Quality
Looks
Size ( I like how the PSU and Stage match )
Sound Quality
Price ( £490 with PSU )


Cons:

Drums ( but only a tiny bit )

Would/will I buy one, not sure to be honest, it is difficult for me to demo anything near me, so having the opportunity to try out the Phono 2 is greatly appreciated, I think my biggest issue with my Vinyl setup is that I haven't decided which cartridge to go with yet and I should no doubt test cart and stage together but that's all but impossible for me, I just have to buy to try, then sell on if I don't like. A Phono stage that covers both MM and MC with switchable settings would be more practical until I settle on my final setup ( if I ever ).

Sorry if I've bored you, thanks very much to Dave for organising the demo ( and for kicking my ass - (in a nice way) -  to get this written lol )

Mike. ( still as lost/confused as ever)