NuForce AVP-16, Gift of Simplicity

AUDIO REVIEW

NuForce AVP-16

The Gift of Simplicity
Tof
here’s an old hymn that	the least amount of money. To grasp
proclaims “’Tis a gift	what the $995 AVP-16 is about,
to be simple” and that	picture it as a high-performance
line fits the personality	7.1-channel analog audio preampli-
NuForce’s AVP-16 7.1-channel	fier that provides just enough basic
A/V controller to a “T.” Where many	surround sound decoding and video-
controllers tout auto-this, micropro-	switching functionality to serve as a
cessor-controlled that, and HDMI-	solid A/V controller. What the AVP-
equipped everything, the afford-	16 is not is a features-rich controller
able AVP-16 is headed in the other	equipped (or, depending upon your
direction with one main objective	point of view, burdened) with the
in mind: namely, achieving superb
sound quality—especially for high-
resolution multichannel music—for

latest and greatest video processing op-		at once, the game plan is to select the
tions, or with elaborate custom installa-		source component first, and then to use
tion-oriented features. On the contrary,		the AVP-16’s video input switches to
this controller turns back-to-basics		choose which sets of video input you
engineering into some-
thing of an art form.	Solid-state preamps sometimes have a cold, sterile

Keeping It Simple	quality that distances listeners from the music,but the
The AVP-16 provides	AVP-16 does not. Instead, it offers a delightful combi-
simple and effective			]
pass-through switching[nation of clarity and natural, organic warmth.
for composite, S-video
and component video signals but pro-		want to use. You might think this sort of
vides no video upconversion or format		manual switching would be a pain, but
transcoding features of any kind. This		in fact it is literally child’s play. My kids
means all incoming video signals remain		had the AVP-16’s operational protocols
in their original formats as they pass		figured out in a matter of minutes with
through the controller. When using the		zero instruction from dad. Works for me.
AVP-16 with source components that		On the audio side, the AVP-16 is a
output video signals in multiple formats		straightforward solid-state 7.1-channel
		analog preamp, with single-ended (RCA
		jack-equipped) outputs for all channels
		and a set of balanced (XLR-type) outputs

TPV March 2007