Avondale Audio Reviews 

I’ve been into quality music reproduction for over 50 years ever since a friend’s father introduced me to what was possible with an LP a decent turntable an Armstrong 521 and a pair of Leak sandwich speakers.

I started with a similar system back in 1970 and graduated via Yamaha Nakamichi, Quad, Audiolab and all Naim system to my current hybrid Naim/Avondale systems

My first taste of Avondale was a pair of 821A cards for my Naim 72 way back in 2007. I was so impressed by the upgrade that they were soon followed by a pair of M130 power amps and a TPX1 which are still doing excellent service in one of my systems. A couple of years later Avondale upgraded the Naim 250 in my other system to an NCC200 based dual mono amp which I have just upgraded again with NCC220 Qudos boards again a real improvement.

I have found Les at Avondale a real pleasure to deal with. As a professional engineer myself, I value design integrity and assembly standards very highly.
Les is a master of his craft.

Avondale products are hand assembled using high quality components and the quality control is exemplary. I also believe the product pricing to be very reasonable especially when compared with rip off pricing from some of the big name brands.

I can honestly say that I have never been disappointed with any of the items I’ve bought from Avondale and the service and advice from Les has well exceeded my expectation

I'm new to Avondale. My really old Chrome Bumper 32.5, HiCap and 250 needed servicing - having never been serviced. I heard about Avondale, and Les, and the magic they performed and made contact. Basically for a little more than the price of servicing them Les could upgrade them to better than new. So my HiCap and 250 went up north for TPR4's, NCC220 Qudos' and HCR200's (and new panels and feet!) - the workmanship is fantastic, and I've fitted 821AR's to my 32.5. Have managed a few sessions with the new gear and it all sounds great. I've never had a good ‘memory’ or descriptive ear for music (or good eyes for colour shades according to my wife!) but it sounds really good, and maybe I can hear a bit more in the bass area. Anyway I’ve been foot-tapping and getting the ’tingles’ - so I’m very happy! Thanks

Hi Les hicap recapped and new regulator fitted sounds amazing the Mark Sears vp12 I built earlier this year is sounding fantastic. The 140 and 102 have always sounded a little lean but are now fuller, richer with no loss in the detail
Appreciate all your help a very happy listener regards...

If you have any doubts about Avondale's products, let me dispel them. Firstly, the company is a delight to deal with - Les is knowledgeable and responsive and will come up with the solution that is best for you (and your pocket). Secondly, the products themselves work. I have a number of Avondale boards in my equipment, including a TPR4 in my HiCap, TPR2s in another preamp I built, and Minicap 6s, but using Schottky full wave bridges, in another power amp. Most recently I have installed the Qudos boards in my old Naim 250. One word of caution. There is no rationale in physics - as far as I know - for the contention that electronic components need to "burn in". Yet my own experience has been that the NCC220s will not give of their best until they have been in place for a while. The initial changes over the original boards are impressive, but you might have mixed feelings, because evaluation is so subjective. Once they've settled down, the NCC220s just sound completely natural. Nothing added, nothing taken away, both in terms of the three-dimensional soundfield and the detail of its contents, and in the fourth dimension of time, which is where our brains make sense of music. I had the good fortune to know Julian Vereker a little, and what Les does is entirely consistent with Julian's approach and spirit. Going out and buying a new amplifier at today's prices makes no sense if you have an old one - or can get an old one - and upgrade it to Les's standards. And of course doing that is kinder to the planet, as you're reducing waste and conserving materials. But I've always taken pleasure in keeping old things going, and performing at their best, rather than buying the shiny new latest version, which can so often be a disappointment. That said, there is nothing "old" about the performance of the NCC220s.

The short version of the story is I had an original chrome bumper NAP250 which because of the layout could not be easily upgraded. Les offered excellent advice and swapped my NAP 250 (plus some cash) for a 180 case and all the boards (2 x NCC220 Quodos + 2 x HCR200), transformer, CAPS,etc. It is up and running and blows the socks of my old amp. I'd say better in every department, in a positive way. I loved the sound of my old NAP 250 and was wary of letting it go, but this box sounds like NAIM, just much better. I met Les briefly when we swapped kit, lovely chap, and he obviously knows what's what and understands NAIM kit.

Just to add a bit more praise. I had a few issues doing the job myself, but the support and advice from Les was first class.

I have had two recent dealings with Les at Avondale Audio and both have been a pleasure.
He is very easy to talk to, very knowledgeable and his products are excellent.
I purchased a pair of Minicap 6 units, a serviced pair of Naim Nap 135 boards, a pair of transformers and a pair of Avondale NCC200 PCB`s to be built at my leisure.
I have built a pair of Monoblock amplifiers, initially with the Naim Nap boards but these will be replaced with the Avondale NCC boards when built.
I am truly delighted with the sound and the quality and wouldn`t hesitate to recommend Les and Avondale Audio.

New to Avondale. Met Les yesterday and enjoyed chatting whilst he fitted the TPR4 mod ino my HiCap. Very impressive set up and loved seeing the new momoblocks with their tops off...the wiring is a work of art and makes me want to save up for a pair ASAP. However, my review is for the HiCap mod used to power my CD5x...listening today has been a revelation..seems to have more air and space between the guitars of Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Bass also has a sharpness to it. Steve Earle's vocals were up front in the mix. Impressive mod and so nice to meet Les, a veritable font of knowledge and a gentleman to boot. Looking forward to my next visit..highly recommended..

Superb service and support, in every respect from Les at Avondale. I have had the NCC220 Qudos boards and HCR200 regulators running in my NAP250 for a couple of weeks now and, well, where do I start?....

Beautifully hand-made and effortless to install, after more than 30 years of owning Naim equipment, I am frankly stunned by the magnitude of this upgrade. Their ability to effortlessly unravel complex music is nothing short of majestic and beautiful music now seems to be pouring effortlessly into my home :)

I already had the Avondale TPR4 regulator in my HiCap and that was a great upgrade in it's own right, but the Qudos boards are in a league of their own. Thank you Les, you are a master of your craft.

I've purchased many components from Avondale Audio over the years and have never been disappointed.

The products are built to the highest standard and always perform as described.

These are virtually bespoke products, hand assembled using high quality components and the quality control is exemplary.

The after sales support, warranty and advice is second to none.

In terms of Value for money, Rolls Royce products for the price of a BMW.

Highly recommended.

I'm a 100% Avondale fanboy, having upgraded my Naim NAP200 to Avondale M130 monoblocks, and then later upgrading the standard amplifier NCC200 modules in the M130s to the latest NCC220s.

The difference from the NAP200 to the M130s was ASTOUNDING, at least to my ears. And then the difference from the NCC200s to the NCC220s was ASTOUNDING again.

Les also looked into a problem I had and fixed it for an extremely low price. It was one of those situations in which I could have been charged double or even triple and I would have had no way of knowing whether or not it was reasonable. I was very grateful as I'd had to fork out over £300 to have the drawer mechanism in my CDX2 fixed. Ouch.

I have every intention of upgrading to the NCC300s when I get the money and look forward to other products that Avondale have in the pipeline. I can't recommend Avondale highly enough.

It's been almost a month now since I had the pleasure of spending a couple of hours with Les as he installed a full set of Avondale boards into my Naim NAP250. I take real pleasure from observing a person working at their métier and so it was great to watch Les working calmly and professionally through the upgrade. I hope some of that rubbed off on me so that my next bit of audio diy can be as successful. Although I can now probably consider my amp to be fully burned in I am not sure that a burn in period was really necessary as it sounded bang-on right from the off. Although it's a long time since I first acquired the NAP250, and the memory has faded somewhat of the joy I felt at that time, it seems to me now that my hifi system has never made a better job of putting my heart in touch with my music collection. My wife even remarked the other day how lovely it was for her to see me falling in love with my music all over again. That, basically, is the happy result of the Avondale mods. In the circumstances how could I not recommend it highly ? Thanks Les.

Firstly I’d like to thank Les at Avondale Audio very much for my new Avondale NCC 300 amp (NAP 250 chrome bumper shell). It’s superb in every way, well suited in my system. It drives the Linn Sara speakers, which everybody knows present a difficult load for any amp, with powerful authority and a firm grip across the full frequency range. The highs are sweet, not jangly at all, the bass is very well controlled - tight, extended, not at all flabby. I’ve had it over a week now and had a chance to listened for a whole evening, when the wife did a night-shift, at fairly high volume levels without any listening fatigue, very musical - I’m re-discovering my music collection. Albert Colins - Too Many Dirt Dishes, Joe Cocker - Ruby Lee, George Benson - Give Me The Night, Donald Fagan - The Nightfly, to name but a few tracks which now really shine. At the end of the evening, I put my hand on the top and it was pleasantly warm, not at all hot. The Soft Start Module fitted is a joy, gone is the thump - at last! It complements the NAC 102 perfectly, which Les transformed into a ‘NAC 52 beater’ a couple of years ago, along with its bespoke power supply also built by Les.

 I’ve owned my old NAC 250 since 1982 so I know the ‘Naim sound’ very well, the NCC 300 replacement retains those characteristics but is now transformed with power and grace.

I went to the Bristol HiFi show last Sunday and for the first time ever - I didn’t go into a single demo room and think ‘wow, I wish my system sounded this good’, because they almost all sounded lacking by comparison, some sounded nice but nothing sounded better IMHO.

The 300 is a Master Piece from the Master himself.

Avondale : makes the world a better place to hear music.

I didn’t think that it would be possible to buy affordable upgrades for my Naim Hi Fi separates but I’m glad to say I was wrong. Over the last 6 months I’ve bought upgraded regulator boards and amplifier boards for my Naim olive NAP250 with really excellent results from both - improved 3D soundstage, more detail and more bass. I was so impressed I went on to upgrade an olive HiCap and nonDR Supercap with improved regulator boards, again with impressive results. Les obviously really knows his stuff. I would highly recommend Avondale Audio products!

So many have said it all before, but to repeat, Les is one of those who value customer service and satisfaction no matter how much effort it takes.
I've just upgraded my amp with a pair of Qudos amp boards having never even opened up an amp before. It took almost as long to open the box and wrapping as it did to get them in and working. One hears that they take a while to come on song, but within the first few minutes I could already hear a big improvement over the old boards, which themselves were a huge upgrade over the Naim 250 boards.
Les answered the few questions I had so that I felt guided and like I knew what I was doing. Not something that often happens!
Totally recommended for both excellent products and the best customer service.

Avondale Qudos boards initial and ongoing impressions
The boards have been in now for just under week, and I thought I would get a few early observations out there on the sound of these amazing boards. The general view is they take time to run in, but there have been some clear improvements already.
A noticeably bigger and better stereo sound stage already.
Vocals sound very realistic, especially female vocals. Cara Dillon - The Wanderer album sounded absolutely devine, the piano on the album sounded amazing, it is one of the hardest instruments to get to sound right.
Bass is noticeably deeper, but very well controlled and balanced overall, with the mid range and treble.
Bass guitars and synthersisers on Pink Floyds, The Wall really are impressive in their depth and timbre. Very welcome as my Linn Keleidhs are a little bass light regarding overall depth, this seems to have sorted this area out. The Keleidhs do have the Hiquphon OW92 tweeters which really lift them to another level, even more so now.
Acoustic guitars sound as though the players are actually in the room, you can actually here the strings vibrating. An Acoustic Evening With Foreigner sounded fantastic.
Just finished listening to Eva Cassidy, Live At Blues Alley recording, absolutely blown away by how it sounded, it always sounded good with NCC200, but it really is in another league with the Qudos boards, these are definitely keepers. Listening to it really transported you there, it wasn't just how the music sounded, it somehow managed to convey the atmosphere of the venue, hard to put into words really.
An update, after an accident where some little fingers destroyed the drivers in my Keleidhs, I have purchased a pair of ATC scm19v2 speakers, these speakers sound amazing on the end of the Avondale modified amp, the transparency, the natural sound and improved soundstage has to be heard to be believed. If you are looking for speakers to compliment Avondale amps then give these a go.

Installed a TPR4 in my SNAPS. After a few weeks, I honestly didn't hear any real difference, so I contacted Les. He was kind enough to send me a new capacitor and rectifier for no charge - that's customer SERVICE!
Got them installed a noticed a distinct difference in soundstage and presence. It's only been powered up for 12 hours now, so I'm looking forward to how it sounds after a few days.... Thanks, Les!

Did yesterday the recapping of my Highcap with installing a TPR4, and what should I say - it is unimaginable how good it is now.
I played Eric Clapton 24 nights this morning.
Old love - Eric plays so focused, so clearly it's unbelievable. Every single note is heard as precisely as it slides over the strings, it pulls.
It was like playing in my living room.
Now the quality of this recording is only really bearing on how fantastic the sound engineer has worked.
I could not hear enough and read the disc, next comes Wonderful tonight and what can I say, it's wonderful. The band is clearly positioned the bass is deep and clean, the drums, the ride cymbal sounds soft and clean in the background and Eric's Strat sings like never before !!

THANK YOU Avondale !!

Avondale Audio is a great company to deal with. I have brought a number of items from les over the years, mainly for my naim 72 pre amp and hi cap. I'll just say here that when I had problem with one of my ASR regulator I phoned to ask what I should do les said no worries and just popped a replacement one in the post, at no charge to me, which I thought was pretty good as I live in Adelaide, Australia.
Anyway back to the reason for this post. I was coming over to the UK on holiday and I got les to get two pairs of his HCR 200 and NCC 220, for my two Naim 250's delivered to my holiday address, at no extra cost. I've now installed them, all very easy with all information on a cd, and have been enjoying my "new" system. The Naim 250 amps I've been using for over thirty year's, now, in an active system with my sbl's and I thought it can't get much better than this but I have now discovered it can. Improvement's all round so money well spent.
Anyone thinking of doing this upgrade go for it you won't be disappointed.

I have just had my nap 250 (olive) and 2 old Hi-caps (one is CB the other olive) updated with new caps and Avondale regulator boards in the Hi-caps; and new 220 qudos boards and Avodale regulator boards plus Schotky recifier unit and main capacitors in the 250.
The improvement in the system is an order of magnitude to say the least. I can hear vibrato on a Dire straits album the I had never realised was present previously, and on most albums instruments in the back of the mix that I had not heard before. When I last had my linn upgraded about 2 years ago (Keel for ARO
Tangerine audio top plate and TP tranquility) I was demme'd my deck against against a full klimax ARO linn using the SRV track Tin Pan Ally (45rpm) via a stagline, 282 and an old non DR nap 500. When I got my updated Linn home I listened to my 33rpm sample; there was no comparison, so thought it must be mostly the Klimax that was responsible. Now there is a definate comparison to be made. It seems to me that the cheapest way to get a realy good amp is to buy an old Nap and fit Les's boards.
Many thanks Les.

I have taking Les's hi-fi advice for many years and have a complete Avondale system. I recently sought his opinion on a power amp upgrade and he recommended his new Qudos boards as a cost effective upgrade.
He was right, the Qudos boards are a significant improvement in all areas of the sound, clarity, definition and imageing, on top of the improvements already achieved over my original Naim set-up.
In my system, I rate these boards highly and thanks Les for the recommendation.