Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista PAM Power Amplifier

Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista PAM Power Amplifier

Based on the excellent Nu-Vista 800 circuit, Nu-Vista PAM takes the Nu-Vista range fully balanced. It features the tried-and-tested Nu-Vista stage with 6S51N nuvistor tubes in a discrete Class A amplifier buffer, followed by a balanced configuration circuit and a balanced-input, high-power, low-distortion bridged output amplifier stage. As part of Musical Fidelity's PRE/PAS/PAM separates system, it's designed to pair with the corresponding Nu-Vista preamp and phono/DAC components. As an authorized Musical Fidelity dealer in Toronto, Canada, Vinyl Sound can help you build a Nu-Vista separates system around this power amplifier.

Key Features

• 6S51N nuvistor tubes in a discrete Class A amplifier buffer
• Fully balanced configuration and balanced-input bridged output stage
• Greater than 600W into 8 ohms, 1000W into 4 ohms, 1500W peak into 2 ohms
• Based on the TITAN 1000W stage, with separate bulk supply capacitors and one capacitor per output device
• Chokes added for improved supply ripple and pulse current spike reduction
• Biased for over 5W of initial Class A operation before transitioning to Class B
• 2x 5 pairs of high-power, thermally compensated output devices per channel
• Dedicated external power supply (Nu-Vista PAM PSU), housing transformers away from the sensitive amplifier circuits
• 4 fully independent inputs (2x RCA, 2x XLR), 2 loop-through outputs (1x RCA, 1x XLR)
• Trigger input and output
• Massive extruded-aluminium front and side panels

TITAN-Derived Power Stage

The power stage is based on the TITAN 1000W design, using separate capacitors for bulk supply plus one dedicated capacitor per output device, reducing output impedance and improving dynamics. Chokes are added for further ripple and pulse current spike reduction. Bias is set for more than 5W of initial Class A operation, after which the stage transitions into Class B at a point Musical Fidelity states is easier to manage than standard crossover distortion.

Dedicated External Power Supply

Nu-Vista PAM ships with its own dedicated Nu-Vista PAM PSU. Moving the AC mains power supply out of the main chassis and into its own matching box frees up space for built-in mains and output filtering, quietening the supply and reducing mains-borne artefacts reaching the sensitive audio circuitry — it also keeps transformers, which generate mechanical vibration and radiate electromagnetic fields, as far as possible from the critical amplifier circuits. The external supply has ON/Standby LEDs controlled from the main unit's front panel, plus a rear-mounted mechanical rocker switch for full mains isolation.

Nuvistor Tubes

Nuvistor tubes were invented in the 1950s to solve the shortcomings of conventional tubes, offering high reliability, low microphony, low noise, batch-to-batch consistency, small size, and low power consumption. They saw limited but notable use in studio equipment of the era, including the Ampex MR-70 tape recorder and the AKG/Norelco C12a and Neumann U47 studio microphones. The transistor's invention largely ended further development of nuvistors until Musical Fidelity created its first Nu-Vista series around fifteen years ago — a limited edition that sold out within months and now commands high secondhand prices.

Technical Specifications

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this include the power supply?
Yes, Nu-Vista PAM ships together with its dedicated Nu-Vista PAM PSU as a two-chassis system, controlled from the main unit's front panel.

What is this designed to pair with?
Nu-Vista PAM is part of Musical Fidelity's PRE/PAS/PAM separates system, designed to pair with the corresponding Nu-Vista preamp and source components for a full separates system.

Can I connect multiple sources directly?
Yes, it has 4 fully independent inputs (2x RCA, 2x XLR) plus loop-through outputs for daisy-chaining to another amplifier or zone.