Musical Fidelity ams35i

[acalex]

Another one joining the club...I might need to get an AMS soon as well not to feel excluded!

:cheers:

 

[iceman16]

I was thinking of getting a valve amp(integrated) before..Yes I was impressed with the result on some classical and jazz but not with rock and metal hard hitting bass unless you spend more than you can think you can afford.

 

[acalex]

I was thinking of getting a valve amp(integrated) before..Yes I was impressed with the result on some classical and jazz but not with rock and metal hard hitting bass unless you spend more than you can think you can afford.

I have been wondering for a long time if choosing the AMS35i or the Jadis DA50RC Signature which I have now...in the end I preferred a little bit the sound of this valve amp...but indeed I do not have any hard rock/metal :boohoo:

 

[iceman16]

Im looking for a cd player preferably with balanced output. In my shortlist are

Pathos digit

Unison Reaseach unico cde

If you have any recommendation apart from these two will be much appreciated.

 

[tino]

Im looking for a cd player preferably with balanced output. In my shortlist are

Pathos digit

Unison Reaseach unico cde

If you have any recommendation apart from these two will be much appreciated.

Yamaha CDS2000 .. Also plays SACD .. Very good prices for ex-dem and superb build. Smooth sounding.

 

[CnoEvil]

Electrocompaniet ECC-1 or EMC-1UP (ex-dem)

FWIW. My order of preference is EMC-1UP; Digit; ECC-1

 

[Electro]

Electrocompaniet ECC-1 or EMC-1UP (ex-dem)

FWIW. My order of preference is EMC-1UP; Digit; ECC-1

You have superb taste and judgement

 

[iceman16]

Electrocompaniet ECC-1 or EMC-1UP (ex-dem)

FWIW. My order of preference is EMC-1UP; Digit; ECC-1

Cno, Does the later model of Electrocompaniet emc-1up already fitted with 24/192 dac? I have read some reviews from owners that they upgraded from the original 24/96 to 24/192.

 

[iceman16]

Electrocompaniet ECC-1 or EMC-1UP (ex-dem)

FWIW. My order of preference is EMC-1UP; Digit; ECC-1

Cno, Does the later model of Electrocompaniet emc-1up already fitted with 24/192 dac? I have read some reviews from owners that they upgraded from the original 24/96 to 24/192.

I will pass that to the resident expert (above)!

Oh sorry..I did'nt notice Electro owns one.

 

[CnoEvil]

Electrocompaniet ECC-1 or EMC-1UP (ex-dem)

FWIW. My order of preference is EMC-1UP; Digit; ECC-1

Cno, Does the later model of Electrocompaniet emc-1up already fitted with 24/192 dac? I have read some reviews from owners that they upgraded from the original 24/96 to 24/192.

I will pass that to the resident expert (above)!......I would really be advising you down the Linn Majik DS route!

 

[CnoEvil]

Oh sorry..I did'nt notice Electro owns one.

So does Mac (Macspur), who selected it after listening to some very exotic players.....and heard it with the 35i.

It would be my pick if I can't talk you into a DS!

 

[CnoEvil]

Electrocompaniet ECC-1 or EMC-1UP (ex-dem)

FWIW. My order of preference is EMC-1UP; Digit; ECC-1

You have superb taste and judgement

Aw-shucks!

 

[Electro]

Electrocompaniet ECC-1 or EMC-1UP (ex-dem)

FWIW. My order of preference is EMC-1UP; Digit; ECC-1

Cno, Does the later model of Electrocompaniet emc-1up already fitted with 24/192 dac? I have read some reviews from owners that they upgraded from the original 24/96 to 24/192.

Sorry to jump in on this but I can answer you question .

All EMC1 UP players in the from early 2003 onwards came factory fitted with the 24 /192 Dac with upsampling .

Personally I would avoid any upgraded 24/96 EMC1's unless the 24/192 UP upgrade kit was fitted by the Electrocompaniet importer NSS LTD in the UK or the official importer of the country you live in , I have had experience of upgraded players that have been worked on by others and they are rarely done properly so it is best to stick to a factory built unit !

http://www.nsslimited.co.uk/contacts.html

That said they are a superb player that equals or betters most of the best digital sources of any type or resolution and are built to last a lifetime especially the best quality Phillips CD PRO 2 mechanism that is used.

Here is a review that says it all better than I can , it is a bit long winded but worth the effort .

Here is the first review .

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue47/emc1.htm

and a follow up .

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue51/Electrocompaniet.htm

 

[iceman16]

Electrocompaniet ECC-1 or EMC-1UP (ex-dem)

FWIW. My order of preference is EMC-1UP; Digit; ECC-1

Cno, Does the later model of Electrocompaniet emc-1up already fitted with 24/192 dac? I have read some reviews from owners that they upgraded from the original 24/96 to 24/192.

Sorry to jump in on this but I can answer you question .

All EMC1 UP players in the from early 2003 onwards came factory fitted with the 24 /192 Dac with upsampling .

Personally I would avoid any upgraded 24/96 EMC1's unless the 24/192 UP upgrade kit was fitted by the Electrocompaniet importer NSS LTD in the UK or the official importer of the country you live in , I have had experience of upgraded players that have been worked on by others and they are rarely done properly so it is best to stick to a factory built unit !

http://www.nsslimited.co.uk/contacts.html

That said they are a superb player that equals or betters most of the best digital sources of any type or resolution and are built to last a lifetime especially the best quality Phillips CD PRO 2 mechanism that is used.

Here is a review that says it all better than I can , it is a bit long winded but worth the effort .

Here is the first review .

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue47/emc1.htm

and a follow up .

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue51/Electrocompaniet.htm

That was an interesting review

 

[Macspur]

Hi Iceman,

Electro is the man when it comes to any technical questions with regards to the Electrocompaniet players, but what I can tell you and at risk of boring those who have read my previous posts... Before buying the EMC1UP, I had home demoed some pretty high end players and more expensive; Wadia 381, Audio Research CD5, Sugden Masterclass PDT-4F, Esoteric DV60, Krel Evo 505 SACD and for me, in my set up, the EMC1UP ticked all the boxes... Depth, resolution, detail and musicality.

As Cno, mentioned, I did hear one with the AMS and can confirm it was a superb match.

Cheers

Mac

 

[iceman16]

Hi Iceman,

Electro is the man when it comes to any technical questions with regards to the Electrocompaniet players, but what I can tell you and at risk of boring those who have read my previous posts... Before buying the EMC1UP, I had home demoed some pretty high end players and more expensive; Wadia 381, Audio Research CD5, Sugden Masterclass PDT-4F, Esoteric DV60, Krel Evo 505 SACD and for me, in my set up, the EMC1UP ticked all the boxes... Depth, resolution, detail and musicality.

As Cno, mentioned, I did hear one with the AMS and can confirm it was a superb match.

Cheers

Mac

Thanks Mac..I do really appreciate that. I will be looking for one in a couple of days. Sadly my local dealer don't have a stock to demo.

 

[iceman16]

Thanks Cno.. Now I know whats the difference bet detailed and bright..

 

[Macspur]

Thanks Cno.. Now I know whats the difference bet detailed and bright..

Sorry Iceman, not sure what you're referring to here.

Did you ever get a demo of the EMC1UP?

Mac

 

[aahonari]

Yesterday, for the first time I pushed the amp and set the volume between 7-8. There was so much distortion, I was shocked, as I could barely hear anything. I was playing a 24 bit flac track using Audirvana Plus which feeds my Arcam IrDAC. For those of you who need to know more about my setup, I own an AMS 35i and a pair of Focal Electra 1038s.

Cno, Matt, Iceman, and others: I need your advice on this. What is happening here? Why the distortion? What am I doing wrong? Am I expecting a lot out of my setup?

BTW: By gradually reducing the volume down to 5 the distortion faded away, and I again could hear a refined (although loud) presentation.

 

[aahonari]

Yesterday, for the first time I pushed the amp and set the volume between 7-8. There was so much distortion, I was shocked, as I could barely hear anything. I was playing a 24 bit flac track using Audirvana Plus which feeds my Arcam IrDAC. For those of you who need to know more about my setup, I own an AMS 35i and a pair of Focal Electra 1038s.

Cno, Matt, Iceman, and others: I need your advice on this. What is happening here? Why the distortion? What am I doing wrong? Am I expecting a lot out of my setup?

BTW: By gradually reducing the volume down to 5 the distortion faded away, and I again could hear a refined (although loud) presentation.

The amp has 35W, with a volume knob that pushes up the loudness very quickly, and I suspect the max volume is somewhere around 12 o'clock. I have never had it past 11 o'clock, as with my speakers it's simply too loud for me. Normal listening for me is 9-10 o'clock on the dial, where 10'o'clock is pretty loud.

If you have turned the volume to 2 o'clock, I think you are pushing the amp further than it's 35w can take reach....with your very sensitive speakers, that must have been crushingly loud.

Be careful, as if I'm right, you could damage your speakers.

The 9-10 o'clock (volume knob set on 3-4) is the sweet spot for me as well. At 12 o'clock the sound (vol. knob set on 5) already becomes too loud. And, you're right the volume increases at exponential rate as opposed to progressing linearly. It didn't take more than 20 seconds to let the volume at 7 (2 o'clock positioning), as the speakers were without a doubt suffering.

Anyway, ultimately, based on what you're saying, and if my understanding is correct, the amp can't simply handle high volumes, hence the mass distortion, and that I should let the matter drop.

 

[hifikrazy]

The 9-10 o'clock (volume knob set on 3-4) is the sweet spot for me as well. At 12 o'clock the sound (vol. knob set on 5) already becomes too loud. And, you're right the volume increases at exponential rate as opposed to progressing linearly. It didn't take more than 20 seconds to let the volume at 7 (2 o'clock positioning), as the speakers were without a doubt suffering.

Anyway, ultimately, based on what you're saying, and if my understanding is correct, the amp can't simply handle high volumes, hence the mass distortion, and that I should let the matter drop.

I think in most setups unless your speakers are terribly low sensitivity or you're sitting far away in a huge room, 12 o'clock is already hitting about 100db which is really loud. As you admitted yourself, at that level it already becomes too loud so I don't see why you should even consider pushing it up to 2 o'clock or 3 o'clock.

You're lucky you didn't blow your speakers.

 

[iceman16]

Yesterday, for the first time I pushed the amp and set the volume between 7-8. There was so much distortion, I was shocked, as I could barely hear anything. I was playing a 24 bit flac track using Audirvana Plus which feeds my Arcam IrDAC. For those of you who need to know more about my setup, I own an AMS 35i and a pair of Focal Electra 1038s.

Cno, Matt, Iceman, and others: I need your advice on this. What is happening here? Why the distortion? What am I doing wrong? Am I expecting a lot out of my setup?

BTW: By gradually reducing the volume down to 5 the distortion faded away, and I again could hear a refined (although loud) presentation.

The amp has 35W, with a volume knob that pushes up the loudness very quickly, and I suspect the max volume is somewhere around 12 o'clock. I have never had it past 11 o'clock, as with my speakers it's simply too loud for me. Normal listening for me is 9-10 o'clock on the dial, where 10'o'clock is pretty loud.

If you have turned the volume to 2 o'clock, I think you are pushing the amp further than it's 35w can take reach....with your very sensitive speakers, that must have been crushingly loud.

Be careful, as if I'm right, you could damage your speakers.

I have nothing to add here. Cno is spot on. BTW I never get pass 11 o'clock on the volume knob. 9-10 is the sweet spot for me and my room.

 

[CnoEvil]

Yesterday, for the first time I pushed the amp and set the volume between 7-8. There was so much distortion, I was shocked, as I could barely hear anything. I was playing a 24 bit flac track using Audirvana Plus which feeds my Arcam IrDAC. For those of you who need to know more about my setup, I own an AMS 35i and a pair of Focal Electra 1038s.

Cno, Matt, Iceman, and others: I need your advice on this. What is happening here? Why the distortion? What am I doing wrong? Am I expecting a lot out of my setup?

BTW: By gradually reducing the volume down to 5 the distortion faded away, and I again could hear a refined (although loud) presentation.

The amp has 35W, with a volume knob that pushes up the loudness very quickly, and I suspect the max volume is somewhere around 12 o'clock. I have never had it past 11 o'clock, as with my speakers it's simply too loud for me. Normal listening for me is 9-10 o'clock on the dial, where 10'o'clock is pretty loud.

If you have turned the volume to 2 o'clock, I think you are pushing the amp further than its 35w can take reach....with your very sensitive speakers, that must have been crushingly loud.

Be careful, as if I'm right, you could damage your speakers.

 

[CnoEvil]

The 9-10 o'clock (volume knob set on 3-4) is the sweet spot for me as well. At 12 o'clock the sound (vol. knob set on 5) already becomes too loud. And, you're right the volume increases at exponential rate as opposed to progressing linearly. It didn't take more than 20 seconds to let the volume at 7 (2 o'clock positioning), as the speakers were without a doubt suffering.

Anyway, ultimately, based on what you're saying, and if my understanding is correct, the amp can't simply handle high volumes, hence the mass distortion, and that I should let the matter drop.

The AMS 35i has as powerful a 35W (@8 Ohms) as you are likely to find, but it is still 35W. The reason it sounds like a lot more, is down to a very robust power supply, which doubles its power as impedance halves, is stable at 2 Ohms and has enough headroom to properly cope with those sudden, loud dynamic peaks.

It likes speakers of high sensitivity and low impedance to make the most of its talent, and your Focals are ideal, with a Sensitivity of 93 dB and an Impedance that drops to 3.3 Ohms.

My speakers are 90 dB, and the amp can certainly go loud enough to damage hearing in a big room.....and yours will be considerably louder than that.

The amp is so clean and distortion free, that it is very easy to push it to higher volumes than you realize...a bit like a fast smooth car where you don't feel your speed.

Provided the amp goes loud enough for your needs, anything more than that is academic.....and assuming that dial position is an accurate guide to volume, is a common mistake.

My biggest complaint with the amp is the speed with which the volume goes up, which makes fine adjustment difficult...using the remote it's either just too loud or too soft.

 

[Kubs]

Morning All,

Has anyone compared / listened to the AMS and M6500 .... It would interesting to know how they differ sound wise ... And does anyone know what class the M6 is?