The Musical Fidelity AMS 35i thread

[CnoEvil]

What a great shame that this amp, along with the AMS range, is now discontinued.

There are few enough genuine Full Class A amps left, so the loss of even one, let alone a Series, leaves the breed nearer to extinction.....inevitable, I suppose, given that half its power is given off as heat.

I won't be giving mine up any time soon....unless of course I hear something that is easy to run, and sounds as good (Devialet?)

If any of you want to hear one, you better be quick!

 

[Singslinger]

I agree Cno that it's a shame that the AMS range isn't being made any more. I only heard the AMS 35i amp once - paired with top-of-the-line Dali floorstanders - and it was a wonderful, fluid presentation that I never forgot.

 

[Macspur]

A real shame indeed... it begs the question, what will happen to a Company like Sugden who tend to concentrate on Class A alone?

Mac

www.macsmusic.blogbubble.net

 

[Infiniteloop]

What a great shame that this amp, along with the AMS range, is now discontinued.

There are few enough genuine Full Class A amps left, so the loss of even one, let alone a Series, leaves the breed nearer to extinction.....inevitable, I suppose, given that half its power is given off as heat.

I won't be giving mine up any time soon....unless of course I hear something that is easy to run, and sounds as good (Devialet?)

If any of you want to hear one, you better be quick!

Cno,

I am in the market for an Amp at this level and am interested in the Devialet 200. (The potential for upgrading, bi-amping - perhaps if I later slide another one in under the first one, Mrs Infiniteloop might not notice....., SAM speaker matching, Cartridge matching, etc, etc, make for a very exciting proposition.) I was getting interested in the AMS 35i, but as it is now discontinued and don't really want to stump up another £2K for its successor, Is there anything you can think of that I should be listening to before I pull the trigger on the Devialet?

P.S. I'm going to keep the S8. It's a lovely bit of Italian design, sounds big and cosy, and keeps me warm in winter.

 

[matt49]

Cno,

I am in the market for an Amp at this level and am interested in the Devialet 200. (The potential for upgrading, bi-amping - perhaps if I later slide another one in under the first one, Mrs Infiniteloop might not notice....., SAM speaker matching, Cartridge matching, etc, etc, make for a very exciting proposition.) I was getting interested in the AMS 35i, but as it is now discontinued and don't really want to stump up another £2K for its successor, Is there anything you can think of that I should be listening to before I pull the trigger on the Devialet?

P.S. I'm going to keep the S8. It's a lovely bit of Italian design, sounds big and cosy, and keeps me warm in winter.

While Cno's having his much-needed beauty sleep, I'll chip in and say: No, you can't beat the Devialet 200.

The AMS 35i is/was a great amp. Superb sound. Another amp that competes sound- and price-wise is a Pass Labs INT30A. It's a similar design: 30W Class A.

If you're prepared to spend more, Accuphase is a great option, but sadly they're hugely overpriced in the UK. I was also impressed by the Lavardin IS, but it's an old design and maybe not competitive now. Electrocompaniet are also well worth considering.

But the Devialet 200 is outstanding. Plug in a PC or Mac via ethernet and you have an unbeatable digital system for the price.

:cheers:

Matt

 

[aahonari]

Cno, I am now a proud owner of an AMS 35i. It should arrive tomorrow! Exciting times!

 

[CnoEvil]

Cno, I am now a proud owner of an AMS 35i. It should arrive tomorrow! Exciting times!

:bounce: :rockout:

Be sure to let us know what you think.

 

[CnoEvil]

Cno,

I am in the market for an Amp at this level and am interested in the Devialet 200. (The potential for upgrading, bi-amping - perhaps if I later slide another one in under the first one, Mrs Infiniteloop might not notice....., SAM speaker matching, Cartridge matching, etc, etc, make for a very exciting proposition.) I was getting interested in the AMS 35i, but as it is now discontinued and don't really want to stump up another £2K for its successor, Is there anything you can think of that I should be listening to before I pull the trigger on the Devialet?

P.S. I'm going to keep the S8. It's a lovely bit of Italian design, sounds big and cosy, and keeps me warm in winter.

Will put some thoughts together this evening.

 

[iceman16]

Cno, I am now a proud owner of an AMS 35i. It should arrive tomorrow! Exciting times!

:cheers:

 

[matt49]

Cno, I am now a proud owner of an AMS 35i. It should arrive tomorrow! Exciting times!

Nice: enjoy!

Matt

 

[CnoEvil]

Cno,

I am in the market for an Amp at this level and am interested in the Devialet 200. (The potential for upgrading, bi-amping - perhaps if I later slide another one in under the first one, Mrs Infiniteloop might not notice....., SAM speaker matching, Cartridge matching, etc, etc, make for a very exciting proposition.) I was getting interested in the AMS 35i, but as it is now discontinued and don't really want to stump up another £2K for its successor, Is there anything you can think of that I should be listening to before I pull the trigger on the Devialet?

P.S. I'm going to keep the S8. It's a lovely bit of Italian design, sounds big and cosy, and keeps me warm in winter.

Will put some thoughts together this evening.

Right, I'm back from work.

First of all, please take into account 3 things:

1. I haven't heard a Devialet

2. I haven't heard anything better than the AMS35i under £10k

3. If you are hanging onto the Focals, they will (imo) need careful matching, especially as you are used to them with the S8 (I'm delighted you're keeping it).

Here are a list of brands you might want to consider (some have been mentioned):

Sugden Masterclass

Pathos

Accuphase

Luxman

Croft

Icon Audio

Plinius (SA-103)

Mastersound

McIntosh

Electrocompaniet

Audio Research (VSi 60)

Lavardin

Pass Labs

Audio Analogue

Unison Research Unico (pre/power)

If you can bag a 35i for under £4k, I would certainly consider it.

If you hear a Devialet, I would like to get your opinion, as it has a lot of things going for it......I just have a personal (theoretical) reservation with it's match with Focal.

 

[Infiniteloop]

Cno,

I am in the market for an Amp at this level and am interested in the Devialet 200. (The potential for upgrading, bi-amping - perhaps if I later slide another one in under the first one, Mrs Infiniteloop might not notice....., SAM speaker matching, Cartridge matching, etc, etc, make for a very exciting proposition.) I was getting interested in the AMS 35i, but as it is now discontinued and don't really want to stump up another £2K for its successor, Is there anything you can think of that I should be listening to before I pull the trigger on the Devialet?

P.S. I'm going to keep the S8. It's a lovely bit of Italian design, sounds big and cosy, and keeps me warm in winter.

Will put some thoughts together this evening.

Right, I'm back from work.

First of all, please take into account 3 things:

1. I haven't heard a Devialet

2. I haven't heard anything better than the AMS35i under £10k

3. If you are hanging onto the Focals, they will (imo) need careful matching, especially as you are used to them with the S8 (I'm delighted you're keeping it).

Here are a list of brands you might want to consider (some have been mentioned):

Sugden Masterclass

Pathos

Accuphase

Luxman

Croft

Icon Audio

Plinius (SA-103)

Mastersound

McIntosh

Electrocompaniet

Audio Research (VSi 60)

Lavardin

Pass Labs

Audio Analogue

Unison Research Unico (pre/power)

If you can bag a 35i for under £4k, I would certainly consider it.

If you hear a Devialet, I would like to get your opinion, as it has a lot of things going for it......I just have a personal (theoretical) reservation with it's match with Focal.

Thanks Cno and others for your replies and sorry for the delay in getting back to you, I'm travelling on business, currently in Istanbul.

The other thing I ought to mention is that I'm attracted to the Devialet, not just because of its SQ, which by all accounts is exemplary, but because of the tight intergration between Amp and its on-board DAC. That, plus all the other upgrade potential, seems to be unbeatable.

The reason for the Amp change is because, although I love my S8, (its great for intimate chamber, jazz, vocals and acoustic instruments) it just doesn't have the transparency, scale and insight that I know the Focals are capable of. (Not to mention a slightly 'flabby bottom' with anything other than very simple, preferably acoustic, music). I also know that the Qute is not the final word in DACs and was bought simply to test the waters as I moved away from CD player to a Mac Mini source. So if I don't go for the Devialet, a DAC upgrade is going to be necessary too.

It all starts getting very expensive very quickly and Mrs Loop will only allow me so much rope before getting tetchy.

The Devialet will also allow me to add a Turntable in the near future.

Focal sometimes get a bad rap for being 'too bright'. I don't believe that they are, I think they're just neutral and honest. They give you pretty much the truth about whats coming from the source and Amp. The Devialet has never been described as bright, so I am hoping the match will be good.

I certainly intend to listen to the Devialet soon, hopefully with the Focals and will report back.

 

[CnoEvil]

The reason for the Amp change is because, although I love my S8, (its great for intimate chamber, jazz, vocals and acoustic instruments) it just doesn't have the transparency, scale and insight that I know the Focals are capable of. (Not to mention a slightly 'flabby bottom' with anything other than very simple, preferably acoustic, music). I also know that the Qute is not the final word in DACs and was bought simply to test the waters as I moved away from CD player to a Mac Mini source. So if I don't go for the Devialet, a DAC upgrade is going to be necessary too.

It all starts getting very expensive very quickly and Mrs Loop will only allow me so much rope before getting tetchy.

The Devialet will also allow me to add a Turntable in the near future.

Focal sometimes get a bad rap for being 'too bright'. I don't believe that they are, I think they're just neutral and honest. They give you pretty much the truth about whats coming from the source and Amp. The Devialet has never been described as bright, so I am hoping the match will be good.

I certainly intend to listen to the Devialet soon, hopefully with the Focals and will report back.

I believe the Devialet will give you all of those things.....and I think Matt and Doc will agree (as owners).

I hope it works for you (if it doesn't, change the speakers

)

Cno

 

[matt49]

Focal sometimes get a bad rap for being 'too bright'. I don't believe that they are, I think they're just neutral and honest. They give you pretty much the truth about whats coming from the source and Amp. The Devialet has never been described as bright, so I am hoping the match will be good.

I certainly intend to listen to the Devialet soon, hopefully with the Focals and will report back.

I've no idea how the Devialet and Focals will work together. I've heard Devialets with quite a few speakers: Harbeth, Sonus faber, Proac, B&W, PMC, Paradigm, Audiovector, Martin Logan, Dali, Spendor, Marshall Choong, Vivid, Audionote. And maybe one or two others I've forgotten. The only speakers that really didn't work well at all were some very expensive Audionote AN-Es.

One thing you can be pretty sure of is that the Devialet will be capable of driving the Focals properly. Also the Focals may also soon benefit from the Devialet SAM treatment.

Matt

EDIT: my post crossed with Cno's.

 

[CnoEvil]

Cno, I am now a proud owner of an AMS 35i. It should arrive tomorrow! Exciting times!

oke: How's it working out for you?

 

[manicm]

Only realised now MF have disconintued the AMS35i, will they not release new Class A amps?

 

[CnoEvil]

Only realised now MF have disconintued the AMS35i, will they not release new Class A amps?

Probably not at this time. They are going back to their " The more the power, the better it is" philosophy, as well as throwing some Valves into the Pre for good measure as well.

 

[Electro]

Only realised now MF have disconintued the AMS35i, will they not release new Class A amps?

Probably not at this time. They are going back to their " The more the power, the better it is" philosophy, as well as throwing some Valves into the Pre for good measure as well.

They probably have a shed load of Nu Vista's to get rid of left over from a few years ago

 

[aahonari]

Cno, I am now a proud owner of an AMS 35i. It should arrive tomorrow! Exciting times!

oke: How's it working out for you?

Cno,

First and foremost, I have to admit that I am genuinely grateful to you for introducing me to this amp. :clap: I am purely in love with it after only 2 days of listening to it .. What a sense of gratification! Next to this amp my vincent pre/amp sounds like a 200 quid AV amp. The bass is tight, the midrange is astonishingly clear and accurate, and the whole range is so detailed. And, I am absolutely baffled by how this amp, with only 35 watts, grabs my speakers by the scruff of their neck and drives them with such ease.

OK, on the downside of being overly fastidious, there's one thing I need to share: I now find my Focal 836V speakers a tad bright and lacking a little bit of that punchy bass at the low end of the volume band (from 10 % up to 30%). A long while ago, I switched to digital format music (Lossless music only). My NAS that I store my digital everything on transfers the data to my Mac Mini and my Arcam irDac transfers the analogue signals to the AMS 35i. I dunno if I should first upgrade my DAC, or go straight to upgrading my speakers (and naturally my dealer is jumping at the occassion telling me to invest in Focals Electra 1038Be [remember, I live in a country that does not offer too many options])... I should mention I am listening to my songs in flat mode via Vox player. Maybe I'm doing something wrong here, I dunno! But there is this nagging sensation that keeps creeping under your skin that this amp has so much more potential and I must let it loose!

Oh, btw, read a post here that someone jokingly said he was thinking about making a grilled cheese sandwich on his 35i amp , he could've! This amp gets insanely hot!

Anyway, two words: Thank you

 

[CnoEvil]

Cno,

First and foremost, I have to admit that I am genuinely grateful to you for introducing me to this amp. :clap: I am purely in love with it after only 2 days of listening to it .. What a sense of gratification! Next to this amp my vincent pre/amp sounds like a 200 quid AV amp. The bass is tight, the midrange is astonishingly clear and accurate, and the whole range is so detailed. And, I am absolutely baffled by how this amp, with only 35 watts, grabs my speakers by the scruff of their neck and drives them with such ease.

OK, on the downside of being overly fastidious, there's one thing I need to share: I now find my Focal 836V speakers a tad bright and lacking a little bit of that punchy bass at the low end of the volume band (from 10 % up to 30%). A long while ago, I switched to digital format music (Lossless music only). My NAS that I store my digital everything on transfers the data to my Mac Mini and my Arcam irDac transfers the analogue signals to the AMS 35i. I dunno if I should first upgrade my DAC, or go straight to upgrading my speakers (and naturally my dealer is jumping at the occassion telling me to invest in Focals Electra 1038Be [remember, I live in a country that does not offer too many options])... I should mention I am listening to my songs in flat mode via Vox player. Maybe I'm doing something wrong here, I dunno! But there is this nagging sensation that keeps creeping under your skin that this amp has so much more potential and I must let it loose!

Oh, btw, read a post here that someone jokingly said he was thinking about making a grilled cheese sandwich on his 35i amp , he could've! This amp gets insanely hot!

Anyway, two words: Thank you

Welcome to the club!

I think it's worth experimenting with the source because:

- I have found this is one of the very few Solid State amps that didn't make Focal sound a little too forward.

- It seems to have a whole octave of extra bass compared to anything else I've owned.

The amp is incredibly revealing, as are the Focals, so any deficiencies upstream (music or source), will be laid bare.

FWIW. I use a Linn Majik DS.

BTW. What cables are you using - I find pure copper is best.

EDIT. I gave a bit of a rushed answer as I was heading out to work.

Whether you go source or speakers will depend on system balance, which will require experimentation. I am not a fan of Focal speakers, so if you go the speaker route, make sure you try some alternatives from the likes of Kef, PMC and ProAc.

What other speaker brands do you have access to?

 

[iceman16]

Cno, I am now a proud owner of an AMS 35i. It should arrive tomorrow! Exciting times!

oke: How's it working out for you?

Cno,

First and foremost, I have to admit that I am genuinely grateful to you for introducing me to this amp. :clap: I am purely in love with it after only 2 days of listening to it .. What a sense of gratification! Next to this amp my vincent pre/amp sounds like a 200 quid AV amp. The bass is tight, the midrange is astonishingly clear and accurate, and the whole range is so detailed. And, I am absolutely baffled by how this amp, with only 35 watts, grabs my speakers by the scruff of their neck and drives them with such ease.

OK, on the downside of being overly fastidious, there's one thing I need to share: I now find my Focal 836V speakers a tad bright and lacking a little bit of that punchy bass at the low end of the volume band (from 10 % up to 30%). A long while ago, I switched to digital format music (Lossless music only). My NAS that I store my digital everything on transfers the data to my Mac Mini and my Arcam irDac transfers the analogue signals to the AMS 35i. I dunno if I should first upgrade my DAC, or go straight to upgrading my speakers (and naturally my dealer is jumping at the occassion telling me to invest in Focals Electra 1038Be [remember, I live in a country that does not offer too many options])... I should mention I am listening to my songs in flat mode via Vox player. Maybe I'm doing something wrong here, I dunno! But there is this nagging sensation that keeps creeping under your skin that this amp has so much more potential and I must let it loose!

Oh, btw, read a post here that someone jokingly said he was thinking about making a grilled cheese sandwich on his 35i amp , he could've! This amp gets insanely hot!

Anyway, two words: Thank you

I would suggest to try a different source first. IME I never felt the AMS35i lacking in punchy bass apart from really horrible recordings. Also try to experiment with the speaker position by moving them a little bit more further from the back and side walls. Focal speakers are very good when matched properly.

 

[CnoEvil]

I would suggest to try a different source first. IME I never felt the AMS35i lacking in punchy bass apart from really horrible recordings. Also try to experiment with the speaker position by moving them a little bit more further from the back and side walls. Focal speakers are very good when matched properly.

Yup, the big difference with your set up is:

1. A wonderfully musical CDP

2. Very good cables

3. Room treatment

These factors will remove the rough edges.

 

[aahonari]

I would suggest to try a different source first. IME I never felt the AMS35i lacking in punchy bass apart from really horrible recordings. Also try to experiment with the speaker position by moving them a little bit more further from the back and side walls. Focal speakers are very good when matched properly.

Yup, the big difference with your set up is:

1. A wonderfully musical CDP

2. Very good cables

3. Room treatment

These factors will remove the rough edges.

Hi Cno,

I had been been meaning to reply sooner, but I was out of town for work.

1. For me this is not really a useful option. The reason is -- as stated before -- I live in a country that does not offer the luxury of purchasing whatever CD I wish. And whatever that exists, it's not to my taste. Hence, my reason for switching to FLAC and MP3 formats as I can buy them online without any hassle.

2. I talked to the dealer, he is preparing a list of cables (including a new power cord) and should get back to me by tomorrow.

3. I wonder what I can do for room treatment as my flat is pretty much open space (unfortunately I don't have a man cave to my own).

Furthermore, I wanted to ask you if you have placed your amp on an open rack. I have placed it inside a decently spacious shelf of my entertainment center. The amp has about roughly 5 cm in every direction (naturally except the bottom) to breathe. I have drilled three pretty big round holes in the back of the amp's shelf as to let the air circulate, but after about 40 minutes I can feel even the front buttons getting really warm to the touch. Does the amp by itself get so hot that the front panel also gets warm or even hot? For the time being, this is my immediate concern!

If you know a way that I can post a picture of my setup, please let me know, as it seems that feature is not available to this forum!

-Aa.

 

[matt49]

If you know a way that I can post a picture of my setup, please let me know, as it seems that feature is not available to this forum!

-Aa.

You will need to upload the photos to a site like Flickr, then you can insert a link in your post here.

Concerning room treatment, can I ask what you have on the floor?

Personally, I'd be a bit worried about keeping the amp in a cabinet, even if it has a bit of space around it and holes in the back panel, but Cno will be better informed about this than I am.

Matt

 

[aahonari]

If you know a way that I can post a picture of my setup, please let me know, as it seems that feature is not available to this forum!

-Aa.

You will need to upload the photos to a site like Flickr, then you can insert a link in your post here.

Concerning room treatment, can I ask what you have on the floor?

Personally, I'd be a bit worried about keeping the amp in a cabinet, even if it has a bit of space around it and holes in the back panel, but Cno will be better informed about this than I am.

Matt

^^^ Me too!

Here you go:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/25169252@N04/14572358553/

......

https://www.flickr.com/photos/25169252@N04/14550689014/