Musical Fidelity A1008 amp - which speakers to use?

[admin_exported]

Hi all, I have more money to spend on a new amp and speakers then my previous post

http://community.whathifi.com/forums/t/239578.aspx

So I'm going for the A1008 amp £1400 ex demo ( have not seen one bad word said against it ) now the big question is which speakers, they will need around 80dB sensitivity so won't come cheap, but I seen a pair of ATC SCM35 secondhand for £800 which would handle the A1008. Would this pairing work or can anyone suggest other speakers.

 

[matengawhat]

i think lintone audio are/were selling the A1008 for 1099 - might be worth a call!

 

[Anonymous]

Spend the same if not twice as much on the speakers as you spent on the amp. This puts you into Sonus Faber territory, which is a good place to be.

 

[Kevin Stephens]

Monitor Audio GS10 (£800 ex dem) may be a good match, or GS20(£1400 ex dem) to do the amp justice

 

[matengawhat]

monitor audio are a good match for mf - a lot of ppl use the combination

 

[mikeinbrum]

Good choice of amp! and if you can get it from lintone, you could also get the matching CD player for £1000 too (if they have stock left). As for speakers. I have a pair of Dali Helicon 800s with mine. Super matchup, otherwise Monitor Audio would get my vote.... but go as high up the lineup as you can as your amp deserves it!

 

[Anonymous]

mikeinbrum, so how do you find the MF A1008? What size room do you have it in? and what is sound quality like at low levels?

Sorry for all the questions I just want to get an idea of how it will sound in my dinning room which happens to be my vinyl room, size of the room is 18ft by 10ft not a big room but its all I'm allowed ( kids and wife have the lounge for TV and games ).

By the way I listen to 60's and 70's progrock and rock so would you go for the Dali or Monitor Audio?

Thanks for any help

 

[mikeinbrum]

The Dali Helicon 800s are monsters, so you may wish to see if you can find a pair of mk 1 Helicon 400s. They would go ideally with your room. They were going for about £1700 not so long ago, and if there's any left at this price it would be a steal. My room is (from memory) about 14ft by 22ft, and the Helicon 800s are just about on the limit even in this larger space!

The MF A1008 is a superb amp, in combination with my Helicon 800s it produces a big, grand, attention grabbing sound that makes you want to stop what you're doing and start listening. It's also surprisingly detailed at low volumes.... At this point i will say that I don't know how much of this is down to the speakers, and how much down to the amp..... but it sounds great to my ears. The amp itself is pretty large. It looks better in the flesh than it does on paper though. It runs quite warm, and takes up a lot of space.... rather like the sound it produces. I imagine with a decent vinyl setup you will find it completely immersive

I am pretty certain that at the price you can find a new A1008 (around £1.1k) you won't be able to performance to £££ ratio. Let us know how you get on and what speakers you eventually go for!

 

[mikeinbrum]

One other thing.... I'd still aim for speakers with decent sensitivity if low volume listening is your thing. In my experience, and i have no scientific explanation to back this up, high power amp + sensitive speakers = great low level listening.