St3v3
22-02-2021, 11:43
Hello!
So I've finally plucked up the courage to sell my beloved NAF Performance 2A3 mk 1. I've been on the fence for a while now, but my on-going house-move saga is finally going ahead, so it means I definitely don't have the space for it and I'm 'downsizing' to something a little more manageable.
I bought this a year or so ago to replace my upgraded Audio Note OTO SE having been impressed by one I heard one a while back. Having got it back home, I fired it up, and noticed within half a song that the NAF absolutely trounced the AN OTO SE, even with it's upgraded copper caps etc in my all-Audio Note system. The bass grip was tremendous, with even more air to the upper frequencies and a lot more presence in my room. I actually laughed when I heard how good Nine Inch Nails sounded the first time. It felt like I'd had a brand new pair of speakers!
It wasn't long before I got the tube-rolling bug (why can't I just be happy with what I have?!), so got in touch with Brent at Audiotubes and got some NOS 'butt ugly' valves for the pre-section:
2x 5687 Raytheon 'blue tip' black plates made for IBM, and:
2x 12ax7 1950s RCA black plates
Which cost about $400 all in. I enjoyed this set up for a few months, then one of the bleedin' PSVane 2A3 valves decided to blow, so off the amp went to Deco Audio for a replacement, a re-biasing and a quick MOT. I've had the amp back now for a couple of months and it's sounding super again. Even just spotify through a chromecast sounds good enough!
In terms of price, the RRP on this was about £10,000 (and the mk 2 is currently at £11,500), so I think £2800 seems a reasonable amount considering it's capabilities and $400 spent on fancy pre valves. I'm warning you now that shipping is going to be a real pain in the arse because this is 45 kilos, so collection from SE19 in London is preferred due to lack of original packaging. Otherwise I can arrange a man-in-a-van courier which would be about £50+
Any questions let me know.
Cheers
Steve
Edit: this is just an integrated, sorry!!! I can't amend the title...
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50968425438_d901f41ebf_c.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50968425528_f431f3cccc_z.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50969129071_30e8471906_z.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50970715972_5a4a428e76_z.jpg
So I've finally plucked up the courage to sell my beloved NAF Performance 2A3 mk 1. I've been on the fence for a while now, but my on-going house-move saga is finally going ahead, so it means I definitely don't have the space for it and I'm 'downsizing' to something a little more manageable.
I bought this a year or so ago to replace my upgraded Audio Note OTO SE having been impressed by one I heard one a while back. Having got it back home, I fired it up, and noticed within half a song that the NAF absolutely trounced the AN OTO SE, even with it's upgraded copper caps etc in my all-Audio Note system. The bass grip was tremendous, with even more air to the upper frequencies and a lot more presence in my room. I actually laughed when I heard how good Nine Inch Nails sounded the first time. It felt like I'd had a brand new pair of speakers!
It wasn't long before I got the tube-rolling bug (why can't I just be happy with what I have?!), so got in touch with Brent at Audiotubes and got some NOS 'butt ugly' valves for the pre-section:
2x 5687 Raytheon 'blue tip' black plates made for IBM, and:
2x 12ax7 1950s RCA black plates
Which cost about $400 all in. I enjoyed this set up for a few months, then one of the bleedin' PSVane 2A3 valves decided to blow, so off the amp went to Deco Audio for a replacement, a re-biasing and a quick MOT. I've had the amp back now for a couple of months and it's sounding super again. Even just spotify through a chromecast sounds good enough!
In terms of price, the RRP on this was about £10,000 (and the mk 2 is currently at £11,500), so I think £2800 seems a reasonable amount considering it's capabilities and $400 spent on fancy pre valves. I'm warning you now that shipping is going to be a real pain in the arse because this is 45 kilos, so collection from SE19 in London is preferred due to lack of original packaging. Otherwise I can arrange a man-in-a-van courier which would be about £50+
Any questions let me know.
Cheers
Steve
Edit: this is just an integrated, sorry!!! I can't amend the title...
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50968425438_d901f41ebf_c.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50968425528_f431f3cccc_z.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50969129071_30e8471906_z.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50970715972_5a4a428e76_z.jpg