in the late 80s, we were two or three months into an extended stay in Rochester, MN as the docs from Mayo clinic desperately tried and ultimately failed to keep our six-year-old son alive. Needing a break one day, I drove down to Burnsville to what I assumed would be a shop of some sort. After driving by Frank’s home a few times I finally called and was invited into his basement whre AVA lived. I spent the afternoon in the comfort of Frank’s generosity while bathed in glorious music from his modest system. Yes, I bought stuff from him.
Frank is gone. AVA lives on!
A very sad day:
We are saddened to announce that after a short illness, our founder, Frank Van Alstine, died on Wednesday, January 29th. Frank had been an innovator in the audio industry for over 57 years. Always bringing a “no nonsense approach” to the products he offered, satisfying his passion for creating high quality products with high value was always his primary goal. His greatest joy in business was from the happy letters and feedback he received from his customers.
At the time of his death, Frank had been transitioning toward full retirement. His staff has been skillfully managing the business for the last few years. Daily operations, manufacturing, engineering and product development, and service on AVA products continue without pause.
Many of Frank’s staff have worked with him for decades. We started as his customers and were drawn to his passion for audio. We were audiophiles, and we became his friends. He will be greatly missed!
24 responses Add your response
Frank was a no-nonsense, "traditional" engineer who didn't go for questionable hi-fi tweeks. Though Bill Johnson was considered "the" tube amp designer of the 1970's (and beyond), Frank studied the ARC SP-3 pre-amp and came up with fixes for the weaknesses in it's design (including it's inaccurate RIAA phono compensation curve). His redesign of the Dynaco PAS pre-amp put more expensive pre-amps to shame (I owned both an SP-3 and a PAS3).
|
Sad news to hear of Frank's passing. My condolences to his family and friends. Among the Dynaco amps and their derivatives I currently own is an Audio by Van Alstine Ultravalve. It gets a fair amount of use. I called Frank, and he was quite eager to speak about it. His pride in that product clearly came across. He lamented no longer producing them as the transformer manufacturer which supplied a lot of the North American tube amplifier builders had folded. It feels like it's time to put the AVA back in one of my systems |
Bought my first decent set of speakers from Frank sometime in the early 80's. Went back several times over the years to buy various AVA amps and pre-amps. Always performed way above their price point. Still have a beloved 'fully differential' amp in my living room (might be the only one of its kind, it was some kind of prototype). Glad to hear that AVA will continue. Sad to think that Frank is no longer there to dispense his unique brand of audio wisdom. Those of us who lived in the Twin Cities were lucky to have him with us as long as we did. |
thanks for letting us know, he will be missed I am sure. found this interview from 2012 other links to share? |