The New Valve Order SPA one phono equalizer review is now live at Positive Feedback Online here!

A few snippets from the review:

"Back in Issue 57 I introduced you to a talented fine audio constructeur, Andreas Hadjiminas, working out of Nicosia, Cyprus. Andreas is one of the brightest new lights in the firmament of vacuum tube circuit design, and I was particularly impressed with his New Valve Order Audio SPA-II (Stereo Phono Amplifier-II) that contained an astonishing twenty-two vacuum tubes! Along with its twenty-two vacuum tubes lighting up the darkness of my listening room, the SPA-II also lit up my heart & soul with its sonically astute, musically superb, and emotive presentation of the music ... Andreas has once again been busy designing vacuum tube circuits, and has now released a 'real world' version of the SPA-II that he calls the SPA 'one'. You can think of the SPA one as a simplified version of the SPA-II that is housed on one chassis instead of the two chassis of the SPA-II ... the SPA one's vacuum tube count has been reduced down to 13 from the SPA-II's 22 vacuum tubes. The SPA one still has more vacuum tubes at 16 than any other phono stage I am familiar with, and it is an awesome sight in a darkened listening room! Vacuum tubes rule!"

As I alluded to a few posts ago, I have been particularly awed at the SPA one's ability to create an emotional connection with the music - it is a very special musical device in that regard:

"No small part of my satisfaction with the Ring Cycle was due to the NVO SPA one. Like the NVO SPA–II, the SPA one gripped my heart & soul with its sonically astute, musically superb, and emotive presentation of Die Walkure. In fact, before the SPA one I don't think I ever really got Wagner, and here I went off the deep end after listening to Leo's Die Walkure and ordered the $600 USD box set! And I'm a jazz guy, not an opera guy!"

The SPA one's 16 glowing vacuum tubes make for quite a sight in a dark listening room, and the music you'll hear through it will not be soon forgotten!

"The SPA one is all about feeling the music and the experiencing the emotions the musicians intended to convey in the music. When I listened to music with the SPA one—any music—I got the feelings the musicians intended to convey through it. This is one of the SPA one's great strengths as a musical device, it allowed my emotions to come alive through the music. The SPA one is the most musically satisfying phono equalizer I have ever listened to, bar none."

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy the review of the NVO SPA one!