This is a quick look at the Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista PAS, stereo power amplifier. It is not a review of this PAS at this stage as I have little to compare it to that is equivalent but can I discuss the overall sound and excitement of having a premium piece of HiFi equipment?
The Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista PAS sits in a range of products that includes the 800.2 integrated amplifier, a Nu-Vista preamplifier, and matching PAM monoblocks.
The range features old-school NuVistor tubes, invented in the late 1950s, to improve reliability and consistency in tubes that were previously difficult to achieve. This Nu-Vista PAS, stereo power amplifier is partnered with an off-board power supply (that weighs 40 kilos).
Design
The Nu-Vista PAS has a fully balanced architecture and it features eight 6S51N nuvistor valves in a class A buffer stage that support five pairs of ‘high output devices’ providing the class B power amplification over 5W. There are 4 inputs to the PAS, 2x RCA and 2xXLR, with fully balanced circuitry on the XLR inputs. Power output is an astonishing 300W into 8 Ohms (500W into 4 Ohms) with a 5 Hz to 50kHz claimed frequency response.
The dedicated PSU takes advantage of the extra space in it to set up inbuilt mains and output filtering. The idea is to quieten the mains supply, and this results in almost no mains-borne artefacts getting into the audio circuitry. The milled aluminium case acts as a Faraday cage additionally for the electronics enclosed. At the front of the PAS, the display has optional VU meters that dance around to the signal.
Quality
The units are genuinely high-end massive and require thought before positioning, I made the mistake of unboxing them onto the floor with their flat feet, thinking I’d just slide on the spikes as and when, but I was unable to move the units after this which was a major error.
However, the build quality is of no compare in my experience, the brushed aluminium finish is so beautifully smooth and the keyword in the MF blurb is the casing is ‘massive’, for a reason.
Prices
The Nu-Vista integrated amplifier 800.2 is £10,999, the preamplifier is £20,499, and this stereo power amplifier PAS is £21,999 incl. PSU and the monoblocks are £20,499 each incl. PSU.
The dimensions of the PAS (W x H x D) are: 483mm x 187,5 x 475 (494 with connectors) and the PAS weighs in at 27kg the PSU is 40kg.
Performance
As I said, it is difficult to put the performance of this Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista PAS into words as I have no real comparator, even though I’m used to epic Moor Amps Angel 6 Amplification. I can say that the PAS is driving the thirty thousand pounds Node Audio Hylixa Signature three-way loudspeakers, which are quite inefficient (82dB (2.83V/m) sensitivity), with total ease. In the Hylixa review, we said of the PAS x Hylixa partnership;
This is pure music, pure pleasure…
With even a basic streamer and the top-end T+A DAC 200 (which is doing the digital conversion and preamplification as well), the sound I have is just about as open and clear and resolving as any I’ve experienced in my listening room. The sound, the music, is endless, there are few words for it.
Artists like Dominique Fils-Aimé, Jorja Smith and Laufey have vocals as close to silk and a crystalline texture and the Nu-Vista presents absolutely everything available with unerring resolution. It helps that I have the precision and delivery of exemplary T+A DAC 200.
It is, however, not just vocals that are effortlessly delivered here, I found the more complex and percussive tracks from Radiohead to be peerlessly delivered in a manner, I described in the Hylixa review as close to fine dining. Tracks like Everything in its Right Place (all these Qobuz tracks are FLAC 16-bit, 44.1kHz), Subterranean Homesick Alien (XL Download FLAC 24-bit, 192kHz), Codex (Qobuz) and House of Cards (Qobuz) are delivered with studio rendered musicality.
Thoughts
I have to say that after extended listening to the Hylixa Signature loudspeakers with both Moor Amps and this Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista PAS amplifier I have ended up reverting to my own Moor Amps Angel 6 as the preferred amplifier with the tricky Hylixa. I rationalise this in my mind as being comfortable with my setup and the thought that I have high current delivery through all loads.
Overall
…the sound I have is just about as open and clear and resolving as any I’ve experienced in my listening room.
The experience of the Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista PAS amplifier reminds me that the audiophile journey will and can never end, except for the limits of the bank account. Nonetheless, this has been a very enjoyable experience and I am quite clear the combination of this amplifier with the Hylixa Signature loudspeakers and the T+A DAC 200 is likely to be as good a reference as I’m ever going to experience here at HF&MS. I don’t have a badge for effortless, outstanding will have to do it.
Specification
Full details are on the company’s site.
