Musical Fidelity A1 (2008) Amplifier

[sthomas048]

Hello there,

Anyone own one of these A1s or know what its like, its characteristics ? Its another stop on my never-ending search for a sweet, warm un-digital sounding amp. Help please !

 

[idc]

Can't comment on that amp in particular, but the 'house' sound of Musical Fidelity is an emphasis on a full midrange and a clear but not heavy bass line with a treble that is good at reducing annoying sibilance (the Musical part) and high clarity and separation between instruments with an emphasis on realism, so badly recorded music sounds badly recorded and vice versa (the Fidelity part). That is how I would describe my MF amps.

 

[sthomas048]

Thanks idc. Your description sounds spot on, this is what im looking for in my setup.

I currently own a Rega Apollo cd player and i am desperately searching for suitable partners. I currently have an old Rotel RA931 amp and B&W DM601 speakers and the sound is way too bass heavy and boomy for my tastes. I can hear the quality of the Rega but its being drowned under harsh treble and thumping bass.

So im trying to rebuild a system around my new Rega Apollo basically. I thought of the Musical Fidelity A1 due to its lovely character in sound. Then theres speakers to consider... sigh ! Maybe Dali Lektor 2s ? Anyone have any ideas for a good speaker to partner a potential Rega Apollo/Musical Fidelity combo ? Please !

I know it all boils down to listening to kit, but if i could come up with some ideas/a shortlist of kit that would help.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Dannysigma]

Depends on budget. My proacs are lovely with the MF stuff (£600 s/h). The Quad 11Ls they replaced were also pretty good, though not close to the Proacs in terms of clarity and detail. Then again, they're only about £200 s/h.

 

[idc]

Re speakers, I would keep the B&Ws for now till you decide on the amp and listen to them with it. They are well rated and I liked my smaller B&Ws which had a good solid bass (blu tacked to sand filled Atacma stands spiked through the carpet).

Re the MF amp. I had a look on the web and it has a USB DAC in it. So you can plug your PC into it with a USB A to B cable and listen to any music (itunes, Spotify) you can access on a PC. I use the DAC in my MF amp and it is a great feature and it sounds excellent.

Musical Fidelity - why do you keep quiet about the DACs in your amps? They are excellent for the money and a great feature.

 

[sthomas048]

Dannysigma:Depends on budget. My proacs are lovely with the MF stuff (£600 s/h). The Quad 11Ls they replaced were also pretty good, though not close to the Proacs in terms of clarity and detail. Then again, they're only about £200 s/h.

I like the look and description i found with the Quad 11Ls - but dont they need quite a powerful amp ? Then theres the 11L2s.

 

[sthomas048]

idc:
Re speakers, I would keep the B&Ws for now till you decide on the amp and listen to them with it. They are well rated and I liked my smaller B&Ws which had a good solid bass (blu tacked to sand filled Atacma stands spiked through the carpet).

Re the MF amp. I had a look on the web and it has a USB DAC in it. So you can plug your PC into it with a USB A to B cable and listen to any music (itunes, Spotify) you can access on a PC. I use the DAC in my MF amp and it is a great feature and it sounds excellent.



Okay that seems like a sensible idea, its tough to know where to start when rebuilding a system isnt it ? Further swotting up on the MF A1 is needed i think and i could consider other amps around the £600-1000 mark. The Puresound A30 seems interesting too. Thanks.

 

[Anonymous]

Might be on my own here, but you should spend as a minimum what you spent on the amp on the speakers, otherwise you'll be pushed to hear the benefit.

Unison Research/Sonus Faber are a good mix, and should give you the non-digital sound you're after. If you want to try an amp that's less expensive, just as musical but with a bit more (actually, a lot more) PRAT, try a Naim Nait 5i/Sonus Faber combination.

 

[sthomas048]

Tarquinh:
Might be on my own here, but you should spend as a minimum what you spent on the amp on the speakers, otherwise you'll be pushed to hear the benefit.

Unison Research/Sonus Faber are a good mix, and should give you the non-digital sound you're after. If you want to try an amp that's less expensive, just as musical but with a bit more (actually, a lot more) PRAT, try a Naim Nait 5i/Sonus Faber combination.

Well the Unison Research are completely out of my league, im sorry ! I almost had a baby when i saw the prices.

Undoubtedly nice kit though. Yes so i will start with the amp and from there find some good speakers to match. Thanks.

 

[Anonymous]

Thought the A1 and the Unico P were both around the 1200 pound mark, sorry.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm also interested in the A1 (to drive my MA GR20's, input from pc). I now have the VDAC that I like a lot and it would not surprise me at all if it shares the circuitry with the A1. An alternative would be the valve xcanv8p as pre amp with a power amp. I do not need the other inputs of the A1 and a headphone output would be nice. Unfortunately, MF does not make a matching power amp. Any comments on the comparison, or recommedations on a suitable power amp?

 

[Kevin Stephens]

Ther'e always the MF Superchargers, monobock power amps designed to take the speaker ouputs from a low power integrated amp and boost them to silly levels at the speakers, good ex-demo deals arount at the moment

 

[Anonymous]

Kevin Stephens:Ther'e always the MF Superchargers, monobock power amps designed to take the speaker ouputs from a low power integrated amp and boost them to silly levels at the speakers, good ex-demo deals arount at the moment
I think the Superchargers were made to go with the A1

 

[lordmortlock]

What about Quad Stephen ? Kind of sums up the sound you want

 

[sthomas048]

lordmortlock:What about Quad Stephen ? Kind of sums up the sound you want

Yes, i do like a bit of Quad. I like their style. Proper hifi. What Quad kit would you recommend ? Would you recommend a Quad amp with Quad speakers ? Cheers.

 

[sthomas048]

Tarquinh:Thought the A1 and the Unico P were both around the 1200 pound mark, sorry.

Im the one whos sorry mate, just checked and indeed the Unico P is around £1200. I will investigate further.

 

[idc]

Pete10:

I'm also interested in the A1 (to drive my MA GR20's, input from pc). I now have the VDAC that I like a lot and it would not surprise me at all if it shares the circuitry with the A1. An alternative would be the valve xcanv8p as pre amp with a power amp. I do not need the other inputs of the A1 and a headphone output would be nice. Unfortunately, MF does not make a matching power amp. Any comments on the comparison, or recommedations on a suitable power amp?

Hi Pete10. The USB DAC used in the V-DAC, the X-DACV8 and the X-CANV8P is the same Burr-Brown PCM 2706. I think that it will be the same in the A1. There are obviously lots of other components in each which means the sound will differ. But I am happy to bet it will not be by much as Musical Fidelity have their 'house sound' as I posted above.

The V-DAC into the X-CANV8P should be a good upgrade. But if you only use the USB part I do wonder by how much. So much so, after reading through loads of reviews I have decided to go elsewhere for an upgraded USB DAC. It certainly makes for a very good headphone amp. As for the preamp, MF are really pleased with that part of the circuitry and push it at every opportunity. Their clear intention is to pare it with one of their, rather expensive power amps. I would honesty try phoning MF details here; clicky and ask for suggestions in your budget. I found them to be very helpful and bought headphones based partly on their recommendation.

 

[lordmortlock]

sthomas048:
lordmortlock:What about Quad Stephen ? Kind of sums up the sound you want

Yes, i do like a bit of Quad. I like their style. Proper hifi. What Quad kit would you recommend ? Would you recommend a Quad amp with Quad speakers ? Cheers.

I can only speak from experience but my 909 is getting better every day. The Quad classic lls sound lovely too if valves are your thing. Others here (especially Ig) will have had more experience matching speakers to the quad sound but the 11Ls sound nice - as do the 22Ls I hear.

OR... there's a sugden a21a in black on the bay at the mo. That would be right up your street!

 

[Anonymous]

idc:

Hi Pete10. The USB DAC used in the V-DAC, the X-DACV8 and the X-CANV8P is the same Burr-Brown PCM 2706. I think that it will be the same in the A1. There are obviously lots of other components in each which means the sound will differ. But I am happy to bet it will not be by much as Musical Fidelity have their 'house sound' as I posted above.

The V-DAC into the X-CANV8P should be a good upgrade. But if you only use the USB part I do wonder by how much. So much so, after reading through loads of reviews I have decided to go elsewhere for an upgraded USB DAC. It certainly makes for a very good headphone amp. As for the preamp, MF are really pleased with that part of the circuitry and push it at every opportunity. Their clear intention is to pare it with one of their, rather expensive power amps. I would honesty try phoning MF details here; clicky and ask for suggestions in your budget. I found them to be very helpful and bought headphones based partly on their recommendation.

Thanks. The upgrade would be for the pre amp + headphone part, and selling the vdac again. Indeed the power amps are expensive. The discontinued XP200 would be a good match I presume? They are not easy to fnd here (Netherlands). I aim for a major leap from my NAD320BEE especially in more demanding classical music.

 

[sthomas048]

lordmortlock:
I can only speak from experience but my 909 is getting better every day. The Quad classic lls sound lovely too if valves are your thing. Others here (especially Ig) will have had more experience matching speakers to the quad sound but the 11Ls sound nice - as do the 22Ls I hear.

OR... there's a sugden a21a in black on the bay at the mo. That would be right up your street!

I have since had a good read-up on Quad amplifiers and im impressed, they are obviously very highly regarded and well reviewed too. The Classic IIs are now on my shortlist ! I like the 909 combo/pre/power but how much do they normally cost ? Now lets see about a Sugen a21a, mmm. Thanks mate you are very helpful indeed.

 

[lordmortlock]

sthomas048:I have since had a good read-up on Quad amplifiers and im impressed, they are obviously very highly regarded and well reviewed too. The Classic IIs are now on my shortlist ! I like the 909 combo/pre/power but how much do they normally cost ? Now lets see about a Sugen a21a, mmm. Thanks mate you are very helpful indeed.

Are you happy with your current cdp? If not the quad 99cdp2 is a pre, cdp and dac in one box and sounds good plugged into the 909 power. Don't pay too much attention to the rrp (£2100 for the two) as you'll certainly find it cheaper than that, especially if you don't mind silver. I paid less then 75% of that in black, brand new with a 5 year warranty. Sweet deal!

Check out sugden threads on here and tinternet generally. The good folk of what hifi forum will have had experience and I'd almost guarantee they'll have all been good.

I was thinking of going valve until I found the 909. The natural sound I wanted but nice and quick.... less maintenance too.

Happy hunting!

 

[Dannysigma]

Any opinions on the Quad 303? I'm considering biamping my speakers. Obviously MF power amp would be the way to go, but I've been offered a 303 at a decent price...

 

[sthomas048]

lordmortlock:Are you happy with your current cdp? If not the quad 99cdp2 is a pre, cdp and dac in one box and sounds good plugged into the 909 power. Don't pay too much attention to the rrp (£2100 for the two) as you'll certainly find it cheaper than that, especially if you don't mind silver. I paid less then 75% of that in black, brand new with a 5 year warranty. Sweet deal!

Check out sugden threads on here and tinternet generally. The good folk of what hifi forum will have had experience and I'd almost guarantee they'll have all been good.

I was thinking of going valve until I found the 909. The natural sound I wanted but nice and quick.... less maintenance too.

Happy hunting!

Yes im very happy with my Rega Apollo, just the right sound and i have a good idea now what kind of amp and speakers i need to partner with it. Good valve amps seem to start at £1500 which tbh is slightly above my budget. What i have to bear in mind is the amp is the most important upgrade right now but eventually i will probably need to upgrade to new speakers. My plan at the moment is to keep a keen eye for ex-dem kit for bargains. I may lower my budget slighly. For new kit i may aim for something between £600 - £800.

Ive shortlisted these -

Icon Audio Stereo 25
Pure Sound A10
Musical Fidelity A1
Yamaha AS1000
Rega Mira 3
Creek Evolution 2

The trick now is how to test all these different amps !

 

[chebby]

A Naim Nait 5i fits nicely into your budget and will work well with the Apollo.

The Quad 303 would be a disaster.

Out of your list I would go for the Yamaha A-S1000.

 

[sthomas048]

I just discovered the Yamaha yesterday, i had completely ignored/,missed it ! From what ive read about the amp via reviews and on the Yamaha site, it seems an ideal choice but i will have to try it out first. I had considered the Naim, but having owned a Naim amp before and on reading people's comments on the Rega Apollo - Naim Nait 5i combo on this forum ive decided to give it a miss.