From Mithat's Desk

I was gifted a copy of the Keller Quartett's performance of Bach's Die Kunst der Fuge on ECM shortly after it came out in 1998. I gave it a serious spin several times before concluding that it was overly studied and somewhat bland, perhaps bordering on tedious. I filed it away, pulling it out occasionally only to admire the cover artwork.

Last week, while working on some potential circuit refinements (it never ends), I wanted to hear a recording that was relatively fresh. I more or less randomly selected this one and thus discovered that I was wholly and entirely wrong.

In this post, I'd like to discuss a design and marketing practice that's common in the audio industry that I feel ultimately hinders meaningful progress. I call this, "phenomenological audio."

Frank Van Alstine, the founder of this enterprise that we love so dearly, passed away on January 29th at the age of 87.

In my mind, Frank's greatest contributions to audio were his core principles of no b***s*** and honest product value. These provided a refuge for people seeking an alternative to the bewildering and often delusive culture that characterizes much of the high-end consumer audio industry. This is what I foremost want to remember him for.

As for the business he started, I can say with absolute confidence that everyone who works for AVA is committed to the principles he built the company on. In the years that follow, I hope the only difference you'll sense is that it won't be Frank's voice you hear when you call or send us an email. His values are deeply enshrined in this business and will endure.

Frank was a legend. We, like you, will miss him very much.

Many folks agree that the DVA Digital Preamplifier DAC is something special.¹ Clients who have them love them. Last year, The Sound Advocate proclaimed, "The Van Alstine DVA Digital Preamp is unquestionably recommended!" And most recently, Part Time Audio included it in one of their "best of 2025" lists, stating, "My entire system sounded faster, cleaner and more powerful with the Van Alstine DVA Digital Preamplifier."

We've kind of grown used to this kind of praise. :-)

There are myriad details that make the DVA Digital Preamplifier what it is, including the high-performance discrete gain circuits that we covered previously, the carefully balanced reconstruction filter design, and the use of low impedance active voltage references for the DAC IC. This post is about another subtle yet important detail: How the DVA Digital Preamplifier resolves a dilemma regarding support for both XLR differential and RCA single-ended outputs.