Neuphonix said:
Hey Cno,
hope that you are well mate.
Just thought that I would provide you with an update of developments with my problematic AMS.
Apparently the solder in this particular unit had not been applied correctly. Hmmmmmm :?
In some regards this is not entirely a bad thing. Given that failures of this nature are so rare, the second incident had left some question as to whether the cause lay with the rest of my system & not the amp itself. So while I do feel particularly unlucky to have landed a dud unit, at least I now know with certainty where the problem lies.
Once the dealer had confirmed what the problem was he presented me with two options:
1) To wait for repairs & take back the same unit
2) To take his demo unit instead
Three weeks later I still hadn't heard anything so rang today to ask for an update. He now tells me that MF has discontinued the AMS35i & they are unable to source a new one for me!!! Sigh. I pretty much lifted the anger level a couple of notches & indicated that this was far from satisfactory.
About two hours later I get another call saying that the distributor had confirmed that the ASM35i was definitely no longer being made & that they could not source one from overseas. However they were able to come up with a concilliatory offer. For an extra $2400 Australian they would sell me a brand new Primo pre-amp & an AMS35P power amp. Full retail on this package would be $27k which I would get for $11,400, less than half price, not bad.
To be honest even though this is a very tempting I would really just prefer to get a new 35i. All of my funds are being directed towards my new Linn Akkurate DS at the moment. But the offer is certainly worthy of consideration.
. Judging by the MF website the AMS35P has been discontinued, so I think that they are trying to get out of the predicament by giving me existing stock rather than having to purchase new.
What do you think? Have you heard about the 35i being discontinued? I wonder if it is worth finding out if it is going to be replaced & if so how long this will take. Maybe a new replacement will have HT bypass?
The Primo is a pretty sweet piece of kit, maybe it's worth going there just because the offer is so good. It will provide greater flexibility in the future if I wanted to change amps (not that I think I would). Just from a resale point of view it should more than cover itself. Maybe there is a silver lining at the end of this after all.
Hi there, it's good to hear back from you.
I rang my dealer today and checked some stuff out, so in case it helps here is what I found out along with my thoughts:
As you have rightly gathered, the 35i has not been discontinued, though I wouldn't be surprised if the 35P was, as I don't think they sold very many.
There is a very good case that can be made for taking them up on their offer of Primo + 35P.
1. Due to the extra gain on the pre-amp, and the 35p having 3 times the current delivery of the 35i, the system should be around twice as powerful.
2. The Diablos are a very demanding load (even more so than the Floorstanders), so the 35P's extra current would drive them even better/safer.
3. The Primo is a stunning Pre, so along with the 35P, there should be a good step up in sound quality (maybe even twice as good!) ie. in control, dynamics and detail.
4. You wouldn't need an HT bypass, as you could connect direct into power amp.
5. I would rather have a Majik DS on the end of the Primo/35P than an Akurate on the end of a 35i.
6. You might be less paranoid if you moved away from the 35i, though you should be OK this time.
So to sum up, if it was me, I know if I turned down that deal, it would eat away at me....so that, combined with the fact that the Diablos would lap up the extra current on offer, I would go for it.
Before committing, can you do a home demo to make sure the gains that I say are there, actually are!
The only down side is you are buying a power amp that might be hard to shift on at a later date, without taking a big hit.
Keep us abreast of how this all plays out
Cno