About Audio by Van Alstine

Founded by Frank Van Alstine over 50 years ago, AUDIO BY VAN ALSTINE (AVA), adheres to a design philosophy centered on engineering excellence, simplicity, musical fidelity, and delivering high value without unnecessary complexity or hype. We prioritize creating audio equipment that reproduces music accurately and engagingly, drawing on over decades of experience to produce state-of-the-art systems at affordable prices through direct sales, avoiding retail markups and frivolous accessories. We value Musicality over specs — our goal is transparent, linear, fast, and emotionally engaging sound that avoids enhancement or degradation of source material, with the belief that standard static specifications don’t reliably predict real-world musical enjoyment.

 

HIGH-FIDELITY AUDIO PRODUCTS DESIGNED AND ASSEMBLED IN THE UNITED STATES

All of our products are designed and assembled in Minnesota to our strict standards using utilitarian chassis to keep costs down via a direct-to-consumer model, making state-of-the-art performance accessible. We offer a three-year warranty on all new products but support our customers and products decades after the sale with technical support by phone, email, and on select message boards. 

 

FUNCTIONAL DESIGN OVER FLASH

We concentrate on the sound, not the unnecessary features, following the design philosophy "as simple as possible, but no simpler". While flashing lights may impress some people, serious audio listeners know it's the sound that counts. AVA rejects audiophile delusions, focusing on honest value, thorough engineering, and customer guidance.

 

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IS AT OUR CORE

Our class-leading analog preamplifiers, power amplifiers, DACs, phono preamplifiers, and related accessories consistently receive accolades from the audio press: but it is our approach to customer service of which we are most proud. Our clients get our ongoing expert consultation and guidance. Most of your questions are answered in our website, but of course if you call us at 651-330-9871 we will take the time to listen and give you the best guidance we can. We personally respond to emails as soon as we are able as well – often consulting multiple employees to provide balanced and comprehensive responses. By phone or email, you get to talk to a real person, not an electronic switchboard or AI chatbot.