AVA Vision Set 400 v Belles SA-100

I'm about to jump on a used SA-100. What did you end up getting?

I ended up getting the Belles SA30 class A power amp, great sound, only problem is a bit of a gain mismatch with my Supratek Cabernet pre, it sounds great, only my volume control is a bit hampered by both being high gain amps, so still interested in the Set 400 as Frank can match the gain to my pre on request. Am waiting a bit as Frank and the guys are refreshing their lineup, interesting what will be coming down the line.

Turn the gain down on the Cabernet to about 11 o'clock and you won't have any issues with volume.  I am running the .60 volt Nuforce STA-200 at 10 o'clock with no issues.  That's why the gain adjustment is there.

I wish that was true, turning the gain all the way down I can only use 15-20% of the volume knob.

Also the gain only can be turned down on the 300B output.

Didn't realize you have bought the Dual, some of those quirks plus my stash of 6SN7's is why it didn't interest me.  I just bought the 6SN7 version where turning the gain down does work and same with my Chardonnay.  

@gryphongryph 

If your back toggle switch is flipped to the rear and the gain control turned all the way to the left your gain should be practically zero with whichever of the two outputs it controls.  If you have decided you prefer the 6SN7 output and have no control over it you might want to consider selling the Dual and buying the standard model or a Chardonnay.  

I like to be able to change between them, the 6SN7 is more detailed, but the 300B can sound very nice with small assemble jazz.

It is useable, but could be interesting trying an amp better suited to the gain of Supratek. Accuphase has some class A power amps that one can change gain in 3 levels I think, but unfortunately they are out of my price range.

@gryphongryph 

So you can adjust the gain to a correct level with the 300B output?  For the fixed 6SN7 output have you thought about trying a pair of Rothwell attenuators or something similar.  They will let you take 10db off of the maxed out gain for the 6SN7 outputs. There are also other makers but I have used the Rothwell's and they work.  Their company specializes in MC phono preamps in the UK.

I use two Rothwell’s at my power amp inputs which helps a little bit, no the 300B is still too high, I asked Mick if the power amp would work with the Cabernet and he said no problem!!!

I didn’t think I would have this problem, so never looked for it, after doing some research it seams this is getting to be a common problem with high gain pre amps, as most power amps today can be driven with passive pre amps!

AFAIK, the Benchmark AHB2 has the most range of adjustable gain of any currently available power amp.

@gryphongryph 

If you cannot turn one of the outputs down to zero (back toggle flipped toward the rear) then your preamp is not functioning as it should and you need to contact Mick.  If the adjustment is on the 300B output and you are trying to use the full 26db gain output on the 6SN7  output with the Belles then even with the Rothwell's you are still getting 16db gain which is to much for that amp.  There are plenty of amps on the market that will work with your preamp/speaker combo but if the Cabernet Dual is not operating as advertised then you need to contact Mick or at least reach out to Johnny @jslateiv and see if he has any suggestions. 

jackd is correct..   the gain adj. knob, when activated with the toggle switch,  will reduce the gain to zero,.  ie, mute.   it shunts all the output to grd.    something is amiss if you are if you turn it fully counterclockwise and still get output.  You should confirm this with Mick as there is some very remote possibility he wired this particular unit differently but I doubt it.   He's pretty consistent with that aspect of the builds.   Also make sure the rear (back panel/jack) toggle is towards the RCA's if you are using RCA's,..   positioned away from the RCA's if you are running balanced.

If you decide to change preamps, I believe that some of the current AVA preamp offering have a high and low gain switch so they can work with a wider range of amplifiers and sensitive speakers. 

Sorry guys I made a mistake in my last post, too much red vine, the gain is too high on the 6SN7 output, the adjustment works on the 300B, but unfortunately I loose the right channel when activating the gain switch, have sent pictures to Mick of the inside of the pre, but have not heard back from him, I could see nothing wrong inside, but I am no expert.

I have had problems with this pre since I got it, it was also shipped back to Mick because of hum, unfortunately getting it back it still hums and when using the gain switch on the 300B output I loose one channel !!

Feel like I have moved the discussion on to Supratek, which was not my intention, please let us go back to AVA and Belles.

Be interesting how the new 400 will look.