AVA Omega 240 Series II Power Amplifier

The $ensible Sound
Helping audiophiles and music lovers to spend less and get more.

Manufacturer: Audio by Van Alstine, 2665 Brittany Lane, Woodbury, MN 55125; 651/330-9871 http://www.avahifi.com/ info@avahifi.com
Price: $895 new unit, $695 as rebuild (see note below -FVA)
Source: Manufacturer loan
Reviewer: Karl W. Nehring

With this amplifier, AVA has really put it all together. The AVA Transcendence Series Two power amplifier was a good-sounding unit, very clean, but with a vestige of brightness and a hefty price tag. With the introduction of the Omega Series, the price went down appreciably and the performance went up incrementally. The Omega amplifier was remarkably clean sounding, but there was still that last touch of brightness (some would say transistoritis). Now, with the Omega Series II, the slight brightness has been excised from the sound, leaving only the clean, clear reproduction of music. This, folks, is one remarkable amplifier.

The version we auditioned was built in what was originally a Dyna St-150 chassis. This chassis has had many AVA circuits installed over the years (and has logged countless thousands of UPS miles - too bad UPS does not have the equivalent of a "frequent flier plan," because we would probably never have to pay to ship it again!), but this incarnation is the best yet. In this chassis, the unit is rated at 120 watts per channel. The same circuitry can also be put in other Hafler and Dyna chassis for those who might need more current and/or voltage capability. In addition, AVA is now producing chassis of their own, so there are many ways that this circuitry can be obtained.

A look under the hood of this unit reveals that the amplifier is built like a high-end product, not a budget unit. Circuit boards are thick, ground planes are employed, the voltage section has its own large, dedicated power supply, the transistors are typically metal case, in many instances with heat sinking - all in all, quite a contrast from the typical unit built in the Orient. The Marantz SM-80, for example, may be prettier on the outside, and is actually pretty nice on the inside for an amp of its class, but the SM-80 circuit board looks downright anemic when compared to that of the Omega Series II.

When I installed the amp in my system, it took the place of the Carver Silver 9ts, monoblocks that cost per side more than the Omega 240 Series II (but are rated at about five times the power). I was somewhat concerned that because I was used to all that power on tap to drive the Carver Platinums, I would find that the little (relatively speaking, that is) AVA would be in over its head, and I wouldn't be able to give it a fair audition. I should have known better - plugging in the Omega brought a smile to my face. Now, the Carver 9ts are excellent amps (reviewed in detail in Issue #46), but the Omega was able to produce slight improvements in some areas of the sound.

In particular, the AVA sounded more detailed, with nothing escaping its resolving power - but this was no huge surprise, given the sound of previous incarnations of this amp. What I expected was that this impression would wear off, that what I was really reacting to was the slightly brighter sound of the AVA caused by its low output impedance when compared to the higher output impedance of the 9t. Given that previous versions of the AVA had tended to come across as detailed but just a little bit zippy, I waited for the sign of zippiness to show up - a fatiguing quality on closely-miked vocals, for example.

But no, it never happened. I never got tired of the detail, the Omega 240 Series II never did sound bright to me, and I finally found myself realizing that the amplifier just seemed perfectly balanced from top to bottom. Looking at the single pair of power output MOSFETs per channel, I wondered whether the bass would be controlled. If anything, bass seemed definitely tighter and every bit as deep as on the 9ts.

My next hypothesis was that perhaps I had become so used to the Carvers' high output impedance softening the sound that maybe any other low output-impedance amplifier would sound the same. To test this idea, I plugged in the Marantz SM-80, a nice amp in its own right. I found that the Marantz sounded more like the Carvers - smooth, clean, a bit warm on the bottom - than like the AVA. The 9ts had a more convincing illusion of depth than the Marantz, but both the Carvers and the Marantz fell short of the AVA when it really came down to sounding real. The AVA simply seems to have less of a sonic signature than any other amp I have put in the system.

Yes, these differences are still subtle, and all three of these amplifiers are worthy of recommendation. Still, if I had to choose one of these units to live with, it would be the AVA. (Or actually, since I have been spoiled by the power of the Carver, which really comes into its own on the big music that I revel in, I would like to look into one of the higher-powered variants of the Omega Series II circuitry).

No, $895 is not cheap for 120 watts per channel: but for this kind of sound and this level of construction quality, $895 seems reasonable, and I recommend the AVA Omega 240 Series II with enthusiasm and without reservation.

- KWN

Excerpted with permission from Issue #47, Winter 1993, of The $ensible Sound. Subscriptions to The $ensible Sound are available for $29 per year (6 issues) by check to 403 Darwin Drive, Snyder, NY 14226 or through Visa/MC by phone (800-695-8439). You may also purchase a set of all available back issues (currently 45+ issues) for $89.00, shipping included.

Products: The most similar current production amplifier is the OmegaStar 260. We can also build a OmegaStar 240 into your Dyna St-150.