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Reviews 81
Tim Cope
Sep 08,2021As a happy customer of Avondale Audio for a number of years (ncc200 ncc220 and now ncc300) I can only say "Les is a genius" when it comes to making Naim beating products at a fraction of the price Long may he do so
Richard Hughes
Aug 05,2021Following my Hicap upgrade last year asked Les for recommendations for an amp upgrade to drive my new TAD speakers, my pre is a standards 102 so the a 180 was suggested with Qudos cards, as I live in NZ finding a donor not easy. But with a little help and advice Simon Hamnett managed to source one for me but it needed recapping so minicaps suggested by Les which changed a simple drop in mod to pretty well a full rebuild for Simon The amp arrived via Simon yesterday and it’s been playing pretty much since then, the change from my 140 is stunning everything sounds bigger, the bass is as I’ve never heard, stripped back vocals are so moving it’s scary and classical pieces are three dimensional guess my description of sound stage. No if you want to re-life your older Naim gear and improve the SQ for a reasonable cost I can highly recommend Les’s changes, keep up the design work in these days of disposable consumer goods we need high quality solutions rather than marketing hype. Finally thanks to Simon and Mark Sears the VP12 has never sounded so good
Customer
Jul 20,2021I have a pair of Naim Chrome Bumper series Hi-caps. One for a 32.5, the other a Prefix. The entire system had been serviced by a Naim authorized center about 8 years ago. As my LP12 turntable improved I began to think my electronics were not keeping up. If Naim made a DR kit for my equipment I would have gone that route, but they don’t. Enter Avondale Audio. Even Naim devotees praised their regulator boards so I put a TPR4 board in one Hi-cap. After two hours of listening I ordered another TPR4. A very worthwhile investment. I can better appreciate my up to date LP12 and the improved clarity makes the PRAT more evident.
Ian Higgs
Jul 01,2021Les has recently upgraded a 250 amp for me, his advice was if its not an improvement bring it back, I'm sure Les gives this advice to all his customers and I doubt if anyone has ever taken anything back, most will be like me and packing the rest of their system ready for transport down for Les to work his magic, The workmanship is of the highest standards and the sound oh the sound, short pause while I out another record on.. see you soon Les, enjoy the move back into Gods own county Ian
Gary hackett
Jun 23,2021I have recently had my NAP250 upgraded by Hamnett’s vintage audio, using the NCC300’s and NCM1 power supply. All I can say is that Les is a genius, everything sounds so good! This is one of the best upgrades ever, thank you.
Justin
May 15,2021Based on my experience with Les and his products, I would recommend Avondale Audio to anyone. I had purchased a second-hand set of his outstanding 821 preamplifier boards to replace the stock 321s in my Naim NAC72. The difference was immediate and significant. Unfortunately one of them developed minor issue. The boards were over 15 years old and pre-owned, after all. Les stands by his products and repaired the board to wonderful effect, and they sound as beautiful as ever. I am very happy to have exchanged a few mails on related topics and appreciate the knowledge shared as well. Avondale Audio is a unique and valuable part of our British HiFi community.
AlanF.
Feb 28,2021I modified my old Naim Nap180 with NCC220 Qudos boards and my HiCap with the TPR4 regulator both supplied by Avondale, the quality of the build in both is excellent but of course it's what it sounds like that's important and on that count it's a 10 out of 10! The HiCap modification is quite easy to do if you are a bit handy with a soldering iron and the sound difference that it made is huge (I still don't understand why a power supply makes so much difference - but it does). Installing the NCC220 boards is even easier as it's essentially plug and play although the connectors in my amp were smaller than the ones on the Avondale boards but a quick e-mail and equally quick reply from Les at Avondale suggested an easy solution. So what about the sound? well safe to say I am absolutely delighted with the improvement, more separation, greater clarity and hearing things things in my favourite recordings that I have not heard before even with my aging ears. A really worthwhile upgrade.
Simon
Jan 20,2021Bought a complete one box ncc300 stereo amplifier in a chromebumper nap250 case from Avondale via Simon Hamnett, so far excellent service and the amplifier is settling in very nicely and is very musical.
tetarana
Jan 18,2021I recently upgraded my Naim Nap 180 with a pair of Qudos boards. The improvement in sound quality across the board is amazing. Instruments have a resonance I've never heard before, vocals come across with emotion, you can hear harmony and backing vocals distinctly, drums are transformed they truly come alive .... I could go on. I am listening to lots of different kinds of music I would skate over before because now I can hear what the musicians had in mind. Next step: the minicap 6's !!! Thank you Les, we are lucky to have you.
Sammyez
Jan 15,2021Les is a gentleman and hifi genius. I’ve had the pleasure in knowing Les for years and using his custom made monoblocs and revelation speakers. These are outstanding products made with great craftsmanship and technical ability. Les has the ability to eek out great music through his high quality products. He’s also very nice man to deal with! Ailesh
customer
Dec 09,2020I received my NAP250-2 Classic amp box this morning, delivered by Simon Hamnett, lovely chap. Inside the box was an Avondale NCC300 Quattro custom fitted amp by the maestro himself, Les Wolstenholme. I've had very good experiences with Avondale products and was not disappointed with the results of my custom made amp, in fact I was left completely stunned in just how good it is. Now I liked the sound of the NAP250-2, it does has some mixed reviews and is not everybody's cup of tea, the NCC300 Quattro blew it away. The clarity is superb, bass is tighter and the headroom is immense, the amp just grips the speakers and controls them perfectly. I have spent the day playing my music, tapping my feet with the biggest grin on my face, this amp needs to be heard by everyone. I can't thank you enough Les, best Christmas present I've ever had and probably the last amp I'll ever purchase, if you have some time on you're hands I would like two more! All the best and have a lovely Christmas, Kind regards, Andy.
Matt Shoul
Dec 07,2020My first Avondale Audio products were a NAIM AUDIO 42.5 pre amplifier with Avondale Audio pre amp boards + a pre-amp power supply, followed by a S100 dual mono power amp, all of which resulted in quite astonishing hikes in performance. I currently have a NAIM AUDIO modified NAC102 pre amplifier, with Avondale Audio's latest 821AR pre amp boards & further modifications to enable the use of a 6 channel Avondale Audio power supply, which has taken my increasingly Avondale Audio based system into a whole new league of performance. I also have the Avondale Audio crossover for the NAIM SBL - Separate Box Loudspeaker - which has resulted in an absolutely incredible improvement in speaker performance. I intend to eventually replace the S100 dual mono power amplifier with a pair of M180 - NCC300 mono block power amplifiers. Avondale Audio products are truly superlative, in every conceivable regard - build quality & performance levels of every item purchased, over a 15 year period, have been of the very highest order possible. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Avondale Audio to anyone for whom music is an integral part of their lives.
Chris Hayes
Nov 18,2020Excellent products and service. I’ve built 2 power amplifiers based on Les’s modules and then upgraded them with the new Qudos amplifiers. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Avondale.
Eddie Pugh
Nov 09,2020I’ve been into quality music reproduction for over 50 years ever since a friend’s father introduced me to what was possible with an LP a decent turntable an Armstrong 521 and a pair of Leak sandwich speakers. I started with a similar system back in 1970 and graduated via Yamaha Nakamichi, Quad, Audiolab and all Naim system to my current hybrid Naim/Avondale systems My first taste of Avondale was a pair of 821A cards for my Naim 72 way back in 2007. I was so impressed by the upgrade that they were soon followed by a pair of M130 power amps and a TPX1 which are still doing excellent service in one of my systems. A couple of years later Avondale upgraded the Naim 250 in my other system to an NCC200 based dual mono amp which I have just upgraded again with NCC220 Qudos boards again a real improvement. I have found Les at Avondale a real pleasure to deal with. As a professional engineer myself, I value design integrity and assembly standards very highly. Les is a master of his craft. Avondale products are hand assembled using high quality components and the quality control is exemplary. I also believe the product pricing to be very reasonable especially when compared with rip off pricing from some of the big name brands. I can honestly say that I have never been disappointed with any of the items I’ve bought from Avondale and the service and advice from Les has well exceeded my expectation
Terry
Oct 22,2020I'm new to Avondale. My really old Chrome Bumper 32.5, HiCap and 250 needed servicing - having never been serviced. I heard about Avondale, and Les, and the magic they performed and made contact. Basically for a little more than the price of servicing them Les could upgrade them to better than new. So my HiCap and 250 went up north for TPR4's, NCC220 Qudos' and HCR200's (and new panels and feet!) - the workmanship is fantastic, and I've fitted 821AR's to my 32.5. Have managed a few sessions with the new gear and it all sounds great. I've never had a good ‘memory’ or descriptive ear for music (or good eyes for colour shades according to my wife!) but it sounds really good, and maybe I can hear a bit more in the bass area. Anyway I’ve been foot-tapping and getting the ’tingles’ - so I’m very happy! Thanks
Ric
Oct 09,2020Hi Les hicap recapped and new regulator fitted sounds amazing the Mark Sears vp12 I built earlier this year is sounding fantastic. The 140 and 102 have always sounded a little lean but are now fuller, richer with no loss in the detail Appreciate all your help a very happy listener regards...
Charlie Haswell
Oct 07,2020If you have any doubts about Avondale's products, let me dispel them. Firstly, the company is a delight to deal with - Les is knowledgeable and responsive and will come up with the solution that is best for you (and your pocket). Secondly, the products themselves work. I have a number of Avondale boards in my equipment, including a TPR4 in my HiCap, TPR2s in another preamp I built, and Minicap 6s, but using Schottky full wave bridges, in another power amp. Most recently I have installed the Qudos boards in my old Naim 250. One word of caution. There is no rationale in physics - as far as I know - for the contention that electronic components need to "burn in". Yet my own experience has been that the NCC220s will not give of their best until they have been in place for a while. The initial changes over the original boards are impressive, but you might have mixed feelings, because evaluation is so subjective. Once they've settled down, the NCC220s just sound completely natural. Nothing added, nothing taken away, both in terms of the three-dimensional soundfield and the detail of its contents, and in the fourth dimension of time, which is where our brains make sense of music. I had the good fortune to know Julian Vereker a little, and what Les does is entirely consistent with Julian's approach and spirit. Going out and buying a new amplifier at today's prices makes no sense if you have an old one - or can get an old one - and upgrade it to Les's standards. And of course doing that is kinder to the planet, as you're reducing waste and conserving materials. But I've always taken pleasure in keeping old things going, and performing at their best, rather than buying the shiny new latest version, which can so often be a disappointment. That said, there is nothing "old" about the performance of the NCC220s.
Alan Bissett
Jul 20,2020The short version of the story is I had an original chrome bumper NAP250 which because of the layout could not be easily upgraded. Les offered excellent advice and swapped my NAP 250 (plus some cash) for a 180 case and all the boards (2 x NCC220 Quodos + 2 x HCR200), transformer, CAPS,etc. It is up and running and blows the socks of my old amp. I'd say better in every department, in a positive way. I loved the sound of my old NAP 250 and was wary of letting it go, but this box sounds like NAIM, just much better. I met Les briefly when we swapped kit, lovely chap, and he obviously knows what's what and understands NAIM kit. Just to add a bit more praise. I had a few issues doing the job myself, but the support and advice from Les was first class.
Robert Atkins
Jun 27,2020I have had two recent dealings with Les at Avondale Audio and both have been a pleasure. He is very easy to talk to, very knowledgeable and his products are excellent. I purchased a pair of Minicap 6 units, a serviced pair of Naim Nap 135 boards, a pair of transformers and a pair of Avondale NCC200 PCB`s to be built at my leisure. I have built a pair of Monoblock amplifiers, initially with the Naim Nap boards but these will be replaced with the Avondale NCC boards when built. I am truly delighted with the sound and the quality and wouldn`t hesitate to recommend Les and Avondale Audio.
2 Avondale Road Newbold, S40 4TF, Chesterfield, GB
http://avondaleaudio.com
Martin Dent
Jan 20,2022I have a Hi-Cap/62/160 chrome-bumper range running into a pair of nearfield 15ohm LS3/5a's. During C-19 time-out I recapped the lot with like-for-like tants and reservoir caps, setting bias to factory spec and checking offset. All was in order, and after a short period of settling in, the sound was of a magnitude better. Shortly thereafter I purchased a second user Hi-Cap which had had the Avondale TPR4 regulator installed. Subbing this for my stock 'cap was a revelation. Greater texture, separation, bass tunefulness, transient speed, top-end air and even a sense of spatial depth. The lower noise-floor was now revealing the nuance and subtlety that the pre was capable of. Don't let this fool you into thinking that this is all "boom and tish" hi-fi stuff, it isn't. The Naim note is not affected and the overall presentation is one of unforced musicality devoid of fatigue. So impressed was I that I ordered a new TPR4 module from Avondale and installed it into my stock 'cap. I then opened up the '62 and undertook some easy to achieve re-routing of the 24 volt power supply lines coming into the pre such that one 'cap independently feeds the left and right gain stages whilst the other 'cap feeds the left and right input buffers. I'm a single source line-only user so obviously the phono boards had been previously removed and everything was simplified to that effect. Six months ago I had never held a soldering iron. I spent some time lurking on a well respected 'fishy forum to teach myself the "how-to's" and I'm now enjoying a system which has a grace and solidity that I had previously thought impossible. There are few things in the world of Naim separates that constitute a bargain, but the TPR4 module is an exception. Easy to fit, the aural benefits are immediate and obvious and I recommend this product without hesitation.