As Udo Besser told us, we now have the 14th (!) generation of AVM mono power amp in front of us. They use MOS-FET power transistors and their circuitry are sourced directly from the AVM flagships SA 8.3 and MA 8.3. The same applies to the special AVM capacitors.

The development team increased the output power of the new MA 30.3 compared to the M30 significantly. Instead of around 200 Watts per channel at 4 ohms, nearly 300 Watts are reached now, all made possible by the new 550 VA transformer.

The enormous bandwidth, absolute control and fast current delivery capability even at a very low impedance were the focus of the development.

Balanced connections are a given; the up-to-date Bluetooth receiver allows streaming from smartphone or tablet, and thanks to the 4.2 standard practically in CD quality; headphone jack and the usual AVM comforts such as tone control, home theater preparation or adjustable input sensitivities are on board.

What about the Sound?

In short: Phenomenal. You can easily hear the ‘acoustic fingerprint’ of the original immediately. Thanks to what was borrowed from the circuitry of the Ovation Line, the – already quite convincing – sound image of the ‘30’ series has become even more sovereign and finer. Still, it also sounds richer and more full-bodied, more authoritative and bigger, the sound even detaches itself from the speakers better and thus provides a great sense of opulence of the stage.

It also seems impossible to not hear the increase in power. This entry-level series almost comes indecently close to the best that stems from AVM´s workshop in Malsch, Southern Germany. If you listen to Supertramp’s ‘Crime Of The Century’ these AVM devices show what the trio has up its sleeve, for example with ‘School’. More delicate to explosive classical tones fully unfold themselves when you listen to the ‘Symphony from the New World’ by Dvorák, conducted by Mariss Jansons. The spirited AVM monos had to stand in for THX power amplifiers equipped with three to four times as much power. To my own surprise, they managed this task with distinction and esprit.

Everything lives, breathes, flickers and rumbles, bringing nothing but pure joy. Very impressive. This also means that the value for money, which was outstanding with the original ‘30’ trio, remains intact. You have simply got to see – and hear – this!

Tom Frantzen, STEREO Magazine, December 2020

Click here to read the full review.