Power amplifier
well below typical
Among the 25 power amplifiers in the catalogue, this one is well below typical.
A band places a component against its peers and carries no price. It is deliberately the only price indicator on this page: a second one, measured against a different set, would narrow the two together far enough to give the figure away.
NVA stereo power amp. NO output protection/filtering by design; MUST use low-capacitance cable (<200pF/m, NVA LS series) — wiring constraint, not a score. Driven by an NVA passive preamp = the designed NVA chain.
Assessed against 18 rivals across the sixty systems: 5 head-to-heads won, 47 lost.
The dimension the engine names as the weakest link, counted across every head-to-head it lost.
13 lost · Anchored, Artisan, Characterful, PRaT, Reference, Romantic
Against the Anchored brief, the Longdog Audio P6100M Biamp 2x2 (4 units) keeps the slot decisively.
With the Emmae Reginae (custom), the pairing gives up most on bass control.
On its own merits the NVA S80 Stereo is the weaker power amplifier for that brief.
5 lost · Anchored, Characterful, PRaT, Romantic, Silent Path
Against the Characterful brief, the Audiolab 9000P keeps the slot decisively.
With the Audiolab 9000Q, the pairing gives up most on vocal presence.
With the Neat Petite Classic, the pairing gives up most on bass control.
On its own merits the NVA S80 Stereo is the weaker power amplifier for that brief.
deep, tight, controlled bass without overbearingHiFiMART user review + Audio Tailor review
4 lost · Cavity-Native, Characterful, Romantic
Against the Cavity-Native brief, the Leema Hydra II keeps the slot decisively.
With the Emmae Reginae (custom), the pairing gives up most on bass control.
With the Leema Neutron, the pairing gives up most on vocal presence.
On its own merits the NVA S80 Stereo is the weaker power amplifier for that brief.
Hydra II reference Leema stereo power ampLeema Hydra II positioning
4 lost · Artisan, Cavity-Native, Intimate, Reference
Against the Intimate brief, the NVA S300 Stereo (Artisan) keeps the slot by a whisker.
On its own merits the NVA S80 Stereo is the weaker power amplifier for that brief.
3 lost· 1 won · BBC Sound, Twin Arms
Against the Twin Arms brief, the Sugden ANV 50 keeps the slot decisively.
3 lost · Intimate, Silent Path
Against the Silent Path brief, the Audio Note P1 SE keeps the slot by a whisker.
With the Emmae Reginae (custom), the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.
With the Music First Audio Baby Reference V2, the pairing gains most on quietness at rest.
On its own merits the NVA S80 Stereo is the weaker power amplifier for that brief.
simplest possible circuitNVA house character
3 lost · BBC Sound, Vocals-First
No completion of this shape fits that slot's budget.
3 lost · Artisan, PRaT, Reference
Against the Artisan brief, the Exposure XM9 Biamp 2x2 (4 units) keeps the slot decisively.
With the Emmae Reginae (custom), the pairing gives up most on timing and drive.
With the Exposure 3510 Preamplifier, the pairing gives up most on vocal presence.
On its own merits the NVA S80 Stereo is the weaker power amplifier for that brief.
2 lost · Intimate
Against the Intimate brief, the EAR Yoshino 890 keeps the slot decisively.
With the EAR Yoshino 868L (Line), the pairing gives up most on midrange truth.
With the Emmae Reginae (custom), the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.
On its own merits the NVA S80 Stereo is the weaker power amplifier for that brief.
simplest possible circuitNVA house character
1 lost· 2 won · Vocals-First
No completion of this shape fits that slot's budget.
1 lost · Cavity-Native
Against the Cavity-Native brief, the Chord ULTIMA 6 keeps the slot decisively.
With the Emmae Reginae (custom), the pairing gives up most on bass control.
On its own merits the NVA S80 Stereo is the weaker power amplifier for that brief.
It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the power amplifier position.
Ultima 6 stereo with high-frequency feed-forwardChord Ultima 6 stereo positioning
1 lost · Anchored
Against the Anchored brief, the Longdog Audio P6100M (pair) keeps the slot clearly.
With the Neat Petite Classic, the pairing gives up most on bass control.
With the NVA P50SA MKII, the pairing gains most on vocal presence.
On its own merits the NVA S80 Stereo is the weaker power amplifier for that brief.
1 lost · Twin Arms
No completion of this shape fits that slot's budget.
1 lost · Vocals-First
No completion of this shape fits that slot's budget.
1 lost · BBC Sound
No completion of this shape fits that slot's budget.
1 lost · Silent Path
Against the Silent Path brief, the Quad Artera Stereo keeps the slot by a whisker.
On its own merits the NVA S80 Stereo is the weaker power amplifier for that brief.
0 lost· 1 won · Twin Arms
Against the Twin Arms brief, the NVA S80 Stereo takes the slot decisively.
0 lost· 1 won · BBC Sound
Against the BBC Sound brief, the NVA S80 Stereo takes the slot decisively.
simplest possible circuit NVA house character· Harmonic texture
| power class | AB |
|---|---|
| power 8ohm w | 80.0 |
| accepts rca | True |
| input impedance rca kohm | 47.0 |
| input sensitivity rca mv | 775.0 |
| gain db | 30.0 |
| dimensions mm | 240/160/240 |
| sold as pair | False |
| notes |