HiFi Pig chats with Paul Tiernan (left) of NVA (Nene Valley Audio).

HP: You took over Nene Valley Audio (NVA) after the death of Richard Dunn which is a tough act to follow. He had his quirks, but personally I always sort of admired his unswerving desire to plough his own furrow and do business his own way. What made you want to take over a business where the man was very much the brand?

PT: At the heart of NVA is a very, very good-sounding amplifier that deserves to get heard. I felt we could improve build quality and customer service and I know that there is an opportunity to get NVA to a wider audience without sacrificing the brand’s principles, by using e-commerce and social media.

In any case, I like businesses (and people) with a strong mindset. The industry is not advanced by those who always conform to what has gone before. And, I’m comfortable with NVA’s history; regardless of personalities, the amps have always had a good following and even those who disliked the old ‘NVA way’ will be curious about what’s happening with it now. I think it’s fair to say that the company will be more accessible, to a wider audience, than it might have been in the past. I’m excited about what is possible…

HP: Richard left a solid range of products, what have you done to build on the existing products in the range? How have the amps changed?

PT: To start with, we simplified the range. There were seemingly infinite options, but such a large ‘menu’ is costly to implement and confusing for potential customers. We looked for universality of significant parts – transformers, capacitors, cases – and implemented a range where points of entry and options for upgrade would be obvious. Most of the amps can now be upgraded without the customer needing to part exchange.

Visually, we have just introduced a new satin-matt finish that is both elegant and easy to care for. Inside the cases, there is a big leap forward in quality; Toroidy Audio Grade transformers, Vishay capacitors, Seiden attenuators, silver plated wiring, and new amplifier boards that are made in the UK using the latest ‘selective soldering’ technology. This quality of parts is only usually found with far more expensive price tags, and I’ve no doubt that the amps that are now coming out of the NVA workshop are the best that the company has ever produced.

HP: What have you not touched with regard to the products?

PT: The principle of the simplest possible circuit with very high-quality power supplies, remains, and always will. The only components that we changed on the new amplifier boards were either to upgrade specification, e.g. for longer life, or to replace component values that had become obsolete. The open, extended, and pure sonic signature of NVA is very much intact and, thanks to the numerous improvements in component quality, it’s the best it has ever sounded.

We’ve also retained the Class II construction and captive mains leads.

HP: Which is your favourite model and why?

PT: It’s a toss-up between our £995 starter bundle (P50 pre-amp, S80 power amp, interconnects, and speaker cables) and our SA (stepped attenuator) version of the P50. The new integrated is also pretty special – but you already know that!

If you use easy-to-drive, reasonably efficient speakers, then the starter bundle is possibly all you’ll ever need – the sonic signature of NVA is consistent throughout the range, and the quality of parts is no less than those in the amps with larger power supplies. There’s nothing more satisfying than hearing from someone who is loving life with their £10k horn speakers driven by our starter bundle!

Further up the range, the stepped attenuator option that we are now fitting in our passive pre-amps is one of the most transparent that we have ever heard, at any price. We’ve had several people tell us that they have sold their very high-end passives to buy the P50SA, instead. It took hundreds of hours of listening to come up with the best combination of components and it is one that is made only for ourselves.

HP: NVA has a very loyal customer base built up over the years, how will you continue to service these customers and what will you be doing differently?

PT: We’ve been able to provide service and repair for all of the earlier NVA amplifiers and, wherever possible, we’ve offered upgrade options that bring older amplifiers much closer to the current models. This has been very popular. We’ve also offered some very special limited edition models for members of our forum, in recognition of their long-term support of the brand.

Digital media now makes it easier for us to stay in touch with our customers, and we talk regularly, through our website blog and newsletters, through our forum, and through our Facebook and Instagram pages.

Our new website is an excellent resource for existing and new customers; including user instructions for each model, an extensive archive for heritage models, plus articles that explain how to optimise and upgrade your system.

HP: Will you be continuing the same business model as Richard and selling only direct to customers, or will you look at using a more traditional distributor-led business model?

PT: Currently, all our sales are direct, with a 30-day home trial and the option to ‘buy now, pay later’ which means that you can hear NVA in your own system, in your own listening room, without upfront payment. However, we don’t rule out partnering with dealers – our new integrated amplifier has just gone on demonstration at Hi-Fi Sound, in Stockton. And, in view of the changes to UK-EU trading arrangements following Brexit, an EU distributor is also on the cards, with servicing/repairs being carried out at the Polish workshop that we opened in 2021.

You can also check us out at the leading UK shows; we were at the North West Audio Show and the UK Audio Show in Daventry in 2022, and we’ll be back at both of those in 2023, plus we’ll be supporting the WAM forum’s enthusiast show.

HP: I recall some particularly quirky speakers that NVA produced called The Cubes – I heard them and have to say that I was wholly underwhelmed at the time. Do you have any plans to bring these to market and if so will you be changing their makeup?

PT: When you hear Cubes in a suitable room, then I promise that your ‘whelm’ will overflow! We will have our upgraded version of the Cubes on demonstration at shows, this year, featuring a more efficient mid/bass driver and a choice of two finishes. They are a sealed box, minimalist crossover design that delivers a large and ‘alive’ soundstage and deep but controlled bass; they have plenty of meat on the bone!

HP: Looking at your current website, NVA still demand that you use only NVA speaker cables or risk voiding any warranty. Can you explain the reasoning behind this? How do customers react to this demand?

PT: The speaker cable is part of the NVA amplifier circuit, and our own low capacitance cable is the perfect electrical match; NVA amps sound and operate at their optimum with NVA cable. We have deliberately not tried to create an amplifier that is unconditionally stable; we don’t deem that necessary or desirable for domestic HiFi equipment, but that means if you use a high capacitance cable it can send the amp into oscillation.

Richard previously published a list of compatible cables from other manufacturers, but he found that customers could have difficulty with this, not least because not all manufacturers express their specifications to the same parameters. When Richard changed the warranty conditions to specify that NVA cables must be used, warranty claims dropped by 90%.

How do customers react? If they get what NVA is all about, then the cable stipulation makes sense to them. They use the cables that we supply with their amp (all our amps now come supplied with free speaker cable), they sell their existing cables and they pocket the cash. I did the same when I bought my first NVA amp! The speaker cable stipulation is there to achieve the best sound quality and ensures the maximum lifespan of the amplifier.

HP: Do you have any new products lined up for the NVA range of products?

PT: We have an all-new integrated amplifier (which HiFiPig has just reviewed), a new preamplifier and monoblocks in the same satin-matt cases (due in April 2023), and last but not least is the launch of our upgraded Cube speakers.

The new integrated amplifier is a 70-watt design in a wide acrylic case, with a black satin matt finish that is easy to care for and looks very elegant. There are 3 versions; one with a single 250va power supply, a twin 400va power supply model, and the latter can also be fitted with a step attenuator volume control. Customers will be able to upgrade between models, at any time, by paying only the difference.

The new monoblocks take advantage of our new, wider cases to incorporate twin 400va power supplies, and will be capable of driving a wide range of speakers.

The Cube speakers will be available in our traditional gloss black acrylic, and also in satin-matt acrylic to match the new integrated and monoblocks. We have sourced a mid/bass driver that is designed to work at its best with a very simple crossover – just a high-grade capacitor and a padding resistor to protect the tweeter – which gives remarkable levels of clarity for a box speaker. Come along and hear all of them at the North West Audio Show, Stu!

HP: Lastly, do you have any tips for other enthusiasts who might want to get into the HiFi industry?

PT: To make a small fortune in the hi-fi industry…start off with a much larger fortune!