After doing some research into Hovland after one of their preamps came into the used market locally i would say sell it and buy a Pass amp to match your preamp. Hovland had some strange ideas and practices not based in engineering in anyway.
Should I replace my 20-year-old Hovland Radia Amp?
I recently upgraded my speakers to Sonus Faber Olympica Nova V. My preamp is a relatively new Pass XP-30. Ditto my VPI Prime Signature turntable and Moon 280 D streamer. My phono preamp is an older ARC PH-7.
About 20 years ago a friend asked me to help him buy a new system. We took three days and drove all over Southern California. He purchased Wilson Sophia speakers. The dealer recommended the Hovland Radia amp. The Radia was the only solid state amp Hovland ever made. The company cliams it took ten years to perfect it. We tested the Radia against a few other very good amps and both liked it. Several years ago my friend passed away and I inherited the Radia.
Paul Bolin describes the attributes of the amp in a 2004 review much better than I could : "[The] Radia was a delight to listen to in virtually all respects. It consistently displayed a light, limber touch with images and timbres. Dimensionality was surprisingly and delightfully tubelike in its solidity and freedom from too-sharp, unnatural-sounding ultra-definition. The point source of each instrument's body was clearly discernible, but didn't exist in highlighted isolation from the air around it or the sound of the recording venue. The Hovland's overall resolution of detail was very good, bordering on the truly exceptional, and there was never any sense of resolution for its own sake. It always maintained a holistic sense of continuity, embracing all aspects of the music and knitting together the disparate parts of the recorded experience."
I was fifty-eight when I took that three-day jaunt with my friend who purchased a fairly expensive stereo system. I am now 78 and do not have the energy to go looking all over L.A. for a new amp. I could, however, go to a few dealers. The one closest to me carries Macintosh amps.
My question is this: could the superb Hovland Radia now be so out-of-date that I should seriously think about replacing it? Or just "love the one I'm with"?
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glennewdick: You may enjoy this post/tread about Hovland. https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/my-time-at-hovland-hp-100-lore.227913/
DeKay |
Hello B-Dog! I noticed something in your original post that is pretty important in selecting amps, and that is their weight. B-Dog, you're 78, which is fantastic! At the same time, we all lose some strength as we age. My Pass XA-200.5's, it can be a boat anchor at 160 pounds. In short, I'm going to provide some info, and I need you to decide how you're going to get it where it needs to be. For now, I say this, nothing is worth hurting yourself, and I mean throwing your back, or worse yet, dropping your amp on yourself because you lost the "handle" on it. Okay, now some amp weights: 1. 100 lbs - Pass X260.8 Monos (1 amp per channel so 2 amps) 2. 100 lbs - Pass XA-100.5 Monos (2 amps) 3. 62 lbs - Pass XA-60.5 Monos (2 amps) 4. 88 lbs - Pass XA-60.8 Monos (2 amps) 5. 127 lbs - Pass X350.8 Stereo Amp (single chassis) 6. 105 lbs - Esoteric S-02 Stereo Amp (single chassis) Pass X260.8 Amps - $9,000.00 https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/650167152-pass-labs-x2608-monoblock-pair/
Pass XA-100.5 - $7,000.00 Me! I have a pair I'm trying to sell. I'm in CA also.
Pass X-350.8 - $6,500.00 https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/650134627-pass-labs-x3508-power-amplifier/
Esoteric S-02 - $10,500.00 I was unable to find used XA-60.5 or XA-60.8 amps. I threw in the Esoteric S-02. That is a very special amp. I have the previous generation amp, the A-02 and it is a fabulous amp. Very different from the Pass having a warm midrange/lit from within presentation. The Esoteric, it is warm leaning, but very precise, detailed and a fast amp. Anyways, this is just one person's opinion so do with it what you will. Happy amp hunting! |
Lucky_dog7777, thank you for all that information. My Hovland is a heavy amp and I need help from younger, stronger neighbors to put it on the bottom shelf of my audio racks. I have a terrible back getting worse by the minute. Another problem in testing amps. I called the guy who fixed this amp and asked him what he thought about me recapping it. He said don't fix it until it's broken. I think what I have taken out of this discussion is that I will keep my Hovland until it breaks or I can hear deterioration, and then I will look at Pass amps. I'm not going to have a huge budget. Maybe $10K, so hopefully a Pass amp in that price range will sound as good or better than my Hovland. Thank you for your help. |
dekay and glennewick, I enjoyed the post on Hovland and their practices in making amps and preamps. I think I might fall into the kooky audiophile category. My Sonus Faber speakers are tuned by ear, not by specs. Although Paul Bolin gave the Hovland Radia a fantastic review in Sterophile, John Atkins measurements were not nearly as good. I've been an audiophile for a long time and I've learned to trust my ears. When the Sonus Faber speakers were demoed they were compared to a similarly priced Vienna Acoustics speaker. I could hear that the Vienna Acoustics speaker was cleaner and probably would have measured better. But I fell in love with the Sonus Faber speakers. Audiophiles usually fall on one side of this argument or another. I go by how equipment sounds to me. I think the Paul Bolin review, which I posted in part under my first post, is right on. Hovland made a fantastic amp. I've decided to keep it until I can hear a deterioration or until it breaks. Then I'll audition Pass amps. Thank you for weighing in. |
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