AVM PA 8.2 Serie: OVATION

In the OVATION Line traditionally the most complex and costly AVM units are to be found. Consequently the focus in only on the one important thing: Perfect sound reproduction. Just like the musicians intended their compositions to sound like in the original. Reaching this simply phrased goal is a difficult task which requires an enormous amount of musical sensitivity, and exactly this can be found at AVM already since its foundation in 1986. We put our engineering art and creativity to use in order to design and implement this into our components made for music reproduction in your home. AVM has been awarded with countless reference titles and our components are used worldwide as permanent reference instruments for numerous speciality audio magazines.

The OVATION MA 8.2 and SA 8.2 power-amps rank amongst the very best power amplifiers already since many years. This made it easy to phrase the expectations against a matching OVATION Line pre-amplifier: It needs to be the perfect. Starting the realization of our second generation OVATION pre-amp our focus was not only on defending reference titles and to rank amongst the best of the best. Numerous new technologies and components have become available in recent years as well as new circuit designs and architectures were tried out in series of prototypes: Now these concepts were matured to the degree to be ready to be deployed in a reference pre-amp going to regular production. All this followed just one uncompromised path: The best of the best is just good enough.

To push it even further to the extreme, we intended to create a pre-amp that will be versatile in order to keep up with the rapidly advancing ‘computer-audio’ (as we call it). This pre-amp should be able to grow with rising demands in future years. Having this goal in mind, the PA 8.2 sparks a completely new, fully modular design. Similar to it’s predecessor, this modular concept allows additions, exchange and upgrades according to personal likings and changing preferences. The appearance of the PA 8.2 is matching exactly with the power amps of the OVATION Line.

New functions and features of the PA 8.2 in comparison to its predecessor

Technologically the main unit is a completely new development and differs visually only slightly from its predecessor enhancing the typical OVATION Line look. Most noticeable is the glass window in the massive aluminum top cover and the headphone output on the right side of the front panel with its own headphone amp. The PA 8.2 grew 10mm in depth and arrives now in the OVATION line flight case. The new power supply section now shows the correct AC mains phasing with a control LED on the back panel.

The architecture of the PA 8.2 main unit is clearly separated in two sections: In the area behind the front panel the power supplies are to be found. Two proprietary 35VA special torodial transformers supply the positive and negative voltages for all audio circuitries of the PA 8.2. These power supplies are two-fold stabilized. These largely oversized linear power supplies are the biggest change in comparison to the PA 8 of the first generation. For an AC mains independent generation of the high voltages for the tube modules, an independent power supply is well visibly positioned on the top PCB. The area in the back of the unit houses the slots for the modules. Modules can easily be mounted from the back.

The modular concept of the PA 8.2

The PA 8.2 consists of two main parts: The base unit and the separately available Plug-In Cards which may be arranged in any combination the customer chooses. The base unit features a massive and fully linear power supply which is a complete redevelopment by AVM and provides alone three vigorous power feeds in total for the analog (+/-) and digital domains of the audiophile masterpiece. The base unit is also equipped with a smart control unit to manage both the entire device and all functions of the available plug-in cards. The base unit automatically detects which module is plugged in at which slot and adapts its menu functions automatically. For example, menu functions for the FM tuner are only shown if a respective FM Tuner Module is plugged in. This way, changing or adding modules on the rear side of the PA 8.2 could not be easier and is done in no time at all – even by the customer himself. We offer a pre-configured PA 8.2 with one Input card (Tone control+XLR+RCA) and the tube outputstage (XLR+RCA) which is called ‘Best buy option’.

The PA 8.2 now also features an outstanding high-performance Class-A headphone amplifier that drives even the world’s most high-end headphones to new heights. For individual configurations or additional input and output cards, please contact your local dealer for support.

All-new OVATION Plug-In Cards

Our all-new OVATION Plug-In Cards have thoroughly been re-engineered to perfect the unprecedented concept of offering a fully customizable high-end preamplifier with practically no limitations when it comes to combining all different kinds of AVM OVATION In & Output Cards the audiophile connoisseur really wants and needs. All OVATION Plug-In Cards are provided with individual voltage supplies ensuring not only rock-solid operating conditions but also eliminate unwanted interferences with all amplifier stages at any time. An entirely new operating mode of the base unit provides 100% undisturbed listening pleasure by automatically muting non-operating OVATION Plug-In Cards on the fly. This way, even a Digital Card may be placed right next to a highly sensitive Phono Card without experiencing even the faintest disturbance. While all OVATION Plug-In Cards have entirely been re-developed to perfectly play in tune with the all-new base unit of the PA 8.2, owners of the first generation of the OVATION preamplifier will be delighted to hear all brand-new Plug-In Cards are fully backwards-compatible and thus can be used to considerably upgrade an existing PA 8 base unit with the latest audiophile masterpiece technology from AVM!

OVATION Output Cards

The PA 8.2 offers two highly distinctive Output Cards: The Tube Output Card features exclusive AVM 803 T Tube Technology while the Solid-State Output Card is provided with selected and seasoned OVATION transistor technology. Both cards are equipped with a pair of balanced and a pair of unbalanced stereo outputs which can be even operated at the same time, thanks to their individual output stages. They also both feature a high-end volume control unit which is placed on the very last end of the signal transmission flow, thus eliminating even the lowest noise disturbances plus ensuring no influence on the sonic character of the PA 8.2 at all – no matter what extreme high or low volume level is chosen.

Tube Output Card

What provides our all-new OVATION 8.2 preamplifier with its unique and highly distinctive sound character, is the optionally available Tube Output Card – conceived and custom-designed by AVM in Germany. Including exclusive AVM 803 T tube technology and based on a specially crafted double-triode tube with an extra lengthened anode, every tube-driven PA 8.2 preamplifier is set to take every audiophile’s listening experience to a whole new level. The fully symmetrical output card receives its very own tube voltage from a completely independent power supply unit which is pre-installed as a standard in every base unit of a PA 8.2 preamplifier. Thanks to our specially developed circuit protection technologies, all OVATION 803 T tubes enjoy an unexpectedly long lifespan of several 10.000 hours.

Solid-State Output Card

Selected OVATION Solid-State Technology: Based on our seasoned and widely acclaimed OVATION solid-state technology, the transistor-based output card has also been redesigned from the ground up and features an entirely symmetrical and DC-coupled signal flow to deliver high-precision audiophile listening pleasure on a whole new level.

For both types of output cards the volume control is located directly before the outputs which helps us to deliver perfect sound to noise ratio. The PA 8.2 may carry up to 3 output cards of your choice (solid state and tube output stages).

OVATION Input Cards

The PA 8.2 offers a wide range of all-new input cards which have been completely re-engineered from scratch to deliver both utmost flexibility and unrivaled audiophile performance.

Line Input Card

The Line Input Card offers 2 pairs of gold-plated stereo inputs: 1 pair of balanced (XLR) and 1 pair of unbalanced (RCA/Cinch) inputs. Both input pairs can be operated individually and at the same time which offers two independent stereo inputs on a single input card. For use in a home cinema setup, incoming signals of the Line Input Card can also be switched to “ThruPut Mode”.

Line Input Tone Card

The Line Input Tone Card adds comprehensive tone control functionality to the otherwise identical feature set of the Line Input Card (see above). All tone control functions such as Bass, Treble, scalable Loudness, and Balance are not only available for the stereo inputs on the respective card but can be globally applied to the whole unit.

Phono Input Card

The Phono Card is ready for MM and MC systems and may solely and conveniently be configured via the menu on the front panel of the device (no DIP switches on the card itself). A switchable subsonic filter can also be activated in the menu ad libitum.

DAC Input Card

The all-new DAC Card includes the modular OVATION Ultra DAC which well known from other AVM models such as the MP, SD or CS 6.2 & 8.2. The high-precision DAC Card offers 4 digital inputs: 1 x USB (asynchronous), 2 x S/PDIF coaxial, 1 x S/PDIF optical. All digital inputs may be operated at the same time. PCM files are supported until up to 384kHz / 32 Bit, DSD files up to 5,6MHz (DSD128).

FM Tuner Input Card

The FM Tuner Card completes the range of versatile input modules and adds best-in-class FM receiver technology combined with a solid RDS system and many features for stunningly interference-free and pure analog radio pleasure.