The Musical Fidelity AMS 35i thread

[matt49]

I was thinking that you would be able to arrange home dems, even if it was with one amp at a time.....you might even be able to mooch some Harbeths for the dems as well. :shifty:

Yes, my thought too. I might me able to fix home dems for the AMS35i and Pass Labs, and I might be able to 'mooch' the Harbeths for the purpose, but the Accu? Unlikely. I'll look into it next week.

Thanks, as ever, for your advice!

Matt

:cheers:

 

[CnoEvil]

I was thinking that you would be able to arrange home dems, even if it was with one amp at a time.....you might even be able to mooch some Harbeths for the dems as well. :shifty:

Yes, my thought too. I might me able to fix home dems for the AMS35i and Pass Labs, and I might be able to 'mooch' the Harbeths for the purpose, but the Accu? Unlikely. I'll look into it next week.

Thanks, as ever, for your advice!

Matt

:cheers:

It's amazing what you can mooch, if you have a good relationship with a dealer.

 

[matt49]

It's amazing what you can mooch, if you have a good relationship with a dealer.

AMS35i arriving on loan next Wednesday. I plan to get in some Harbeth Super HL5s at the same time.

It would be really helpful, Cno, if you had any suggestions for other speakers that'll work well with the MF. The constraints are: not wider than 300mm or deeper than 350mm. Im not keen on B&W. These are some of the models I'm considering, to give you a sense of budget:

Proac D30

Spendor D7

PMC OB1i

PMC Fact 8

Harbeth Super HL5

Neat Ultimatum XLS (a bit big)

Matt :cheers:

 

[CnoEvil]

AMS35i arriving on loan next Wednesday. I plan to get in some Harbeth Super HL5s at the same time.

It would be really helpful, Cno, if you had any suggestions for other speakers that'll work well with the MF. The constraints are: not wider than 300mm or deeper than 350mm. Im not keen on B&W. These are some of the models I'm considering, to give you a sense of budget:

Proac D30

Spendor D7

PMC OB1i

PMC Fact 8

Harbeth Super HL5

Neat Ultimatum XLS (a bit big)

Matt :cheers:

Matt, that's good to hear.........when I did that, I found that the bloody thing got under my skin, and I ended up getting it 6 months after I sent it back, as I missed it every time I put on some music.

I love the presentation with Kef Reference, but they look a bit too deep.....though they do have boundary compensation.

You could try the R Series (R500 / R700 [a little too deep]), which are hard to beat for the money......but you would need to check the Bass isn't too much in your room with the 35i (which as you have heard, seems to have an extra octave).

A couple of "off the wall" suggestions (which I haven't heard):

- Diapason Adamentes 111 (a touch too deep)

- GamuT Phi 7

There is also:

- The Spendor A9, or indeed something from the Classic Series (SP1/2R2 or SP2/3R2).

- Kudos Cardea C30

 

[matt49]

Matt, that's good to hear.........when I did that, I found that the bloody thing got under my skin, and I ended up getting it 6 months after I sent it back, as I missed it every time I put on some music.

I love the presentation with Kef Reference, but they look a bit too deep.....though they do have boundary compensation.

You could try the R Series (R500 / R700 [a little too deep]), which are hard to beat for the money......but you would need to check the Bass isn't too much in your room with the 35i (which as you have heard, seems to have an extra octave).

A couple of "off the wall" suggestions (which I haven't heard):

- Diapason Adamentes 111 (a touch too deep)

- GamuT Phi 7

There is also:

- The Spendor A9, or indeed something from the Classic Series (SP1/2R2 or SP2/3R2).

- Kudos Cardea C30

Whoah, Cno, some left-field stuff there! But very interesting. I'll do some research on them. Many thanks!

Matt

 

[Singslinger]

Hi Matt Since you're already considering the Harbeth SHL5, then perhaps stretch your budget a tad and have a listen to the new Monitor 30.1s? Like all Harbeths they work very well with class A amps - I should know, mine have only recently arrived (after a 6-month wait!). Typical Harbeth sound - I believe their website describes it as "fresh and natural'' which I think is spot on. One last thing - my dealer tells me there's not a great deal to choose between the SHL5 and 30.1except the SHL5s work better in a larger room and the 30.1s in a smaller room. Might be useful to bear in mind if you do audition them. Good luck !

 

[matt49]

Hi Singslinger,

that's really helpful. I'll definitely give them a try.

I hope you're enjoying yours now, after waiting so long!

Matt

 

[iceman16]

Musical Fidelity and Focal's are very well match IMO.

 

[CnoEvil]

Whoah, Cno, some left-field stuff there! But very interesting. I'll do some research on them. Many thanks!

Matt

Just came across this post, which you might find interesting, as it briefly compares B&W 803D, Harbeth 40.1 and Kudos Cardea C30....all on the end of McIntosh amps (post 49): http://www.avsforum.com/t/1427686/speakers-less-than-10k-preferably-not-veiled-smokey-dark-mysterious-laid-back-neutral/30

IMO. The AMS 35i seems to work well with almost all speakers, especially those that one might normally consider too forward (especially if you listen to very different musical genres).....For you that was Fact 8s, and for me, that was the Focal Utopia range.

Harbeths work well with all Classes of amp, provided you like the presentation.

The comment you made on your other thread about amp/speaker synergy being key to the success of a system, is spot on......Personally, I think the 35i works well with clean, detailed and musical speakers; and I can easily see why the Harbeths worked so well with Devialet.

 

[matt49]

Just came across this post, which you might find interesting, as it briefly compares B&W 803D, Harbeth 40.1 and Kudos Cardea C30....all on the end of McIntosh amps (post 49): http://www.avsforum.com/t/1427686/speakers-less-than-10k-preferably-not-veiled-smokey-dark-mysterious-laid-back-neutral/30

Thanks for the link: interesting comparison. I've been much taken with the Harbeths, but they may well not be the right choice for the AMS35i. (Though that's assuming I plump for the AMS35i, which isn't a done deal yet; the Devialet 170 is arriving on Monday, I'm told, and I hope to demo it with the Harbeths, and will see if the dealer will let me take the AMS35i along for a comparison.)

IMO. The AMS 35i seems to work well with almost all speakers, especially those that one might normally consider too forward (especially if you listen to very different musical genres).....For you that was Fact 8s, and for me, that was the Focal Utopia range.

I'm coming round to this view. Having disliked PMCs on the end of bright and edgy Class AB amps, I can see that with a Class A amp they're an altogether different proposition. Unfortunately I fear the Utopias are just a bit too bulky for my room.

The comment you made on your other thread about amp/speaker synergy being key to the success of a system, is spot on......Personally, I think the 35i works well with clean, detailed and musical speakers; and I can easily see why the Harbeths worked so well with Devialet.

Yes, synergy is the key. After all the uncertainty of the last few months (lost count of the demoes I've done) I'm feeling more confident that I made the right decision in choosing the amp first (it's the heart of a system) and then finding exactly the right speakers to match it.

Musical Fidelity and Focal's are very well match IMO.

Cheers, Iceman!

How would you describe the sound? And what other speakers did you demo before deciding on the Focals?

Matt

EDITED: managed to sort the quotes out in the end: it's been a long day ...

 

[iceman16]

Matt

The AMS 35i and Focal 1028be are well balanced for me. I must admit that most Focals are on the forward side of neutral esp. on the mids and highs. But when partnered to an amp like the AMS, the forwardness is very well controlled and what you'll hear is very clean, detailed, smooth and fluid. I did'nt liked warm sounding speakers with the AMS. The source also plays a very important role to have a balanced sound to get the best from the amp and speakers. I have heard and demo a few amps at home(Chord electronics/ Bryston/Plinius etc..) and speakers(PMC/ Monitor Audio/Spendor/B&W) and my ears still prefers the system I have in my sig.:rockout:

 

[CnoEvil]

Thanks for the link: interesting comparison. I've been much taken with the Harbeths, but they may well not be the right choice for the AMS35i.

Unless I am mistaken, Kudos originally made fine speakers but were then taken over by Neat. Recently they seem to have come into their own under Derek Gilligan (formally designer at Neat).....so some good pedigree there.

I suspect the Harbeths will go really well with the 35i; but whether you ultimately choose them may depend on whether you own music that you like presented with more of an edge to it.

 

[toyota man]

Hi Cno how's your Back these days ? . Do you think the 35i will work well with my Atc scm 40s ,when I get a minute I am going to have a dem of the 35i ans the m6 pre power combo I just love the mf sound :cheers:

 

[CnoEvil]

Hi Cno how's your Back these days ? . Do you think the 35i will work well with my Atc scm 40s ,when I get a minute I am going to have a dem of the 35i ans the m6 pre power combo I just love the mf sound :cheers:

You are playing with fire (so to speak), my friend.

With an 85 db sensitivity and (I believe) a benign impedance, they are not ideal.......but it's certainly worth a shot.

Up to the limit of the amp, I would expect it to sound very good indeed, as the ATCs will pass on it's wonderful Class A sound......the "35 club" awaits.

My back is very slowly improving.....thanks for asking.

 

[iceman16]

The ATC 40s are very good speakers as I used to own a pair. But I don't think they'll work well with the AMS 35i as they need more juice to perform at their best IMO.

 

[matt49]

the forwardness is very well controlled and what you'll hear is very clean, detailed, smooth and fluid. I did'nt liked warm sounding speakers with the AMS.

That makes good sense and tallies with my experience: a forward and detailed speaker creates a window for the fluidity and dynamics of the amp.

:cheers:

Matt

 

[matt49]

I suspect the Harbeths will go really well with the 35i; but whether you ultimately choose them may depend on whether you own music that you like presented with more of an edge to it.

Yes, that's a helpful way to think about it. My listening is very catholic, though I do have a particular preference for classical music, especially symphonies and operas, which Mrs49 and I will settle down with after dinner. 'Edge' is good, but separation of instruments and a deep and wide soundstage is probably the priority.

Matt

 

[CnoEvil]

I suspect the Harbeths will go really well with the 35i; but whether you ultimately choose them may depend on whether you own music that you like presented with more of an edge to it.

Yes, that's a helpful way to think about it. My listening is very catholic, though I do have a particular preference for classical music, especially symphonies and operas, which Mrs49 and I will settle down with after dinner. 'Edge' is good, but separation of instruments and a deep and wide soundstage is probably the priority.

Matt

Then I suspect the Harbeths may well win out.....and you should also try some big Spendor Classics. I would also consider some TQ Black cable, or possibly some Atlas, if this is the direction you go.

 

[Ben K.]

when I get a minute I am going to have a dem of the 35i ans the m6 pre power combo

Id be interested to hear your thoughts on how these compare to each other and your M6i.

 

[iceman16]

Matt

Make sure that the AMS is fully warmed up before making decisions. The hotter it gets the more I'll perform at it's best.

 

[toyota man]

when I get a minute I am going to have a dem of the 35i ans the m6 pre power combo

Id be interested to hear your thoughts on how these compare to each other and your M6i.

Hi Ben k I love my m6i and would love a bit more of the same I am hoping that the pre power combo improves on what to me is a realy great amp the 35i is due a dem as Cno and co really sing its praises and I havn't to my knowledge heard a class a amp I am not sure it will have the power to deliver the goods I may if I realy like it go up to the 50w or even the 100w AMS power amp with the ams pre amp but thats a lot of ££££££££ and would not please she who must be obeyed I think she would notice some thing which was heating the house

 

[matt49]

the 35i is due a dem as Cno and co really sing its praises and I havn't to my knowledge heard a class a amp I am not sure it will have the power to deliver the goods I may if I realy like it go up to the 50w or even the 100w AMS power amp with the ams pre amp but thats a lot of ££££££££ and would not please she who must be obeyed I think she would notice some thing which was heating the house

Toyota man,

I have a hunch that when you hear the AMS35i you'll find its current delivery gives you power and dynamics in spades. I heard the new Krell S-550i, which is 275W per channel, and the AMS35i easily equals it in terms of punch and grip. Also its bass goes really deep.

Happy hunting!

Matt

 

[plastic penguin]

I suspect the Harbeths will go really well with the 35i; but whether you ultimately choose them may depend on whether you own music that you like presented with more of an edge to it.

Yes, that's a helpful way to think about it. My listening is very catholic, though I do have a particular preference for classical music, especially symphonies and operas, which Mrs49 and I will settle down with after dinner. 'Edge' is good, but separation of instruments and a deep and wide soundstage is probably the priority.

Matt

These are worth a listen with the MF 35i. http://wilson-benesch.com/2010/05/arc-loudspeaker/

Have heard the cheaper Square Ones with a Caspian monobloc set-up and sounded stunning.

 

[CnoEvil]

Hi Ben k I love my m6i and would love a bit more of the same I am hoping that the pre power combo improves on what to me is a realy great amp the 35i is due a dem as Cno and co really sing its praises and I havn't to my knowledge heard a class a amp I am not sure it will have the power to deliver the goods I may if I realy like it go up to the 50w or even the 100w AMS power amp with the ams pre amp but thats a lot of ££££££££ and would not please she who must be obeyed I think she would notice some thing which was heating the house

If you like the amp, but it doesn't have enough power, it would be cheaper to change the speakers than going 50W Class A.......and I know just the ones.

 

[matt49]

These are worth a listen with the MF 35i. http://wilson-benesch.com/2010/05/arc-loudspeaker/

Have heard the cheaper Square Ones with a Caspian monobloc set-up and sounded stunning.

Cheers, PP, that's another very interesting proposition.

Now I have to find a dealer near London that stocks them ... argh! :wall:

Matt