March Audio Owners & Discussion Thread

[maziansmarts]

OK apart from convenience I've got nothing against XLR except I only own one pair of cheap XLR interconnects  On a perhaps engineering quality issue why is it you don't use or at least give the option of using Sparkos SS2590, Sound Image or Weiss op amps. I know they are more expensive but you could offer customers the option of using what are generally considered to be superior op amps, each offering a different kind of sound.

[maziansmarts]

andyr I've made no decision yet, still considering. My aim is to find an amp which sounds great but doesn't cause back spasms when you try to move it.  

[March Audio]

17 hours ago, andyr said:

 

Ian ... what a pity you decided to buy an amp which only offers XLR balanced inputs.  In domestic hifi environments - as distinct from recording studios or theatre sound systems - I suggest there is absolutely no reason to need balanced XLR interconnects.  RCAs are fine.

 

Andy, sorry but that's a demonstrably incorrect statement.

 

Also xlr balanced inputs are fully compatible with, and can be used with RCA sources.  Nothing is lost, nothing is made difficult by choosing such an amplifier.

 

There are only benefits, even if you use an RCA source.

 

 

 

Edited September 13, 2022 by March Audio

[March Audio]

8 hours ago, maziansmarts said:

OK apart from convenience I've got nothing against XLR except I only own one pair of cheap XLR interconnects  On a perhaps engineering quality issue why is it you don't use or at least give the option of using Sparkos SS2590, Sound Image or Weiss op amps. I know they are more expensive but you could offer customers the option of using what are generally considered to be superior op amps, each offering a different kind of sound.

The "discrete boutique" op amps simply don't perform or sound any better than the TI OPA1612 we use in our custom buffer design.

 

These options that other manufacturers offer are more about "up selling" and getting the customer to spend more.

 

We don't indulge in such marketing.

Edited September 12, 2022 by March Audio

[March Audio]

23 minutes ago, maziansmarts said:

andyr I've made no decision yet, still considering. My aim is to find an amp which sounds great but doesn't cause back spasms when you try to move it.  

Well, they certainly are light, about 3.5 kg. 

 

Can I suggest that for some independant feedback that you speak to the Sydney Audio Club members who heard our amps and speakers yesterday?

 

They have a thread here somewhe re. John McEvoy is the president, really nice guy

 

Oh BTW in answer to your question, the evaluation 14 days starts from when you receive the amp.  You get 2 full weeks to play.

 

Alan

Edited September 12, 2022 by March Audio

[mboddy60]

Just connect the XLR end of the cables to the amp and then push it into the rack. It is light.

The XLRs lock to the amp. If you need to disconnect then disconnect the RCA end.

 

Or you could spend $6000 and buy the Purifi NAD M23 which has RCAs too.

But the March Audio will measure as good or better, is Australian and only costs $2500. Bargain!

[March Audio]

17 hours ago, mboddy60 said:

Just connect the XLR end of the cables to the amp and then push it into the rack. It is light.

The XLRs lock to the amp. If you need to disconnect then disconnect the RCA end.

 

Or you could spend $6000 and buy the Purifi NAD M23 which has RCAs too.

But the March Audio will measure as good or better, is Australian and only costs $2500. Bargain!

Better according to independant measurements 

Edited September 13, 2022 by March Audio

[andyr]

21 minutes ago, maziansmarts said:

andyr I've made no decision yet, still considering. My aim is to find an amp which sounds great but doesn't cause back spasms when you try to move it.  

 

Aah, OK - sorry I thought you'd already bought.

 

In which case, a March amp shouldn't trouble your back as they are quite light.  

 

[March Audio]

11 hours ago, maziansmarts said:

. One of my power amps, an EAR 534 designed by the late Tim de Paravici and my preamp, an Aesthetix Calypso, both claim to be fully balanced but provide both XLR and RCA input and output connections and offer no views as to which is better only a comment that XLR has more gain. The manufacturer of my other amp, Rogue Audio, uses RCA only. So is there a right answer or like most things in audio is it just a matter of opinion. I guess you pays your money and takes your choice.

@maziansmarts

 

Just to explain this point further, yes balanced amps can have rca inputs but it still does not resolve a fundamental problem.

 

Part of the issue is that noise currents flowing in the rca cable shield are developing voltages across the cable due to its resistance. This modulates the audio signal.

 

If we fitted RCA connectors on the amp  chassis the noise currents would still be flowing in the shield/signal low and the ground loop problem will remain.

 

Hence we don't do so, and why xlr to rca converters are also not appropriate. 

 

An adaptor cable using twisted pair plus shield is the correct solution where the shield wire connects at the far RCA source and diverts the noise currents away from the low signal wire.

 

Edited September 12, 2022 by March Audio

[March Audio]

@maziansmarts

 

I have found this plot of the esl impedance which seems to confirm MLs own spec of 1.6 ohms at 20kHz.

 

 

Whilst 1.6 ohms is fairly pathological, at 20kHz there is in reality very little music content and therefore very little power is required.

 

All our amps will drive this load with ease.

 

At 91dB sensitivity the esl does not require massive amounts of power to achieve good volume levels.

 

How much power you need depends upon the size of room and listen distance, plus of course your own preference as to how loud you like to listen.

 

I would suggest the p262 at 265 Watts into 4 ohms would actually be adequate in a moderate sized room.  The more powerful p422 may provide a more dynamic experience.

 

Alan

 

 

 

 

Edited September 12, 2022 by March Audio

[aussievintage]

10 hours ago, March Audio said:

You don't need to take my word for it.  I'm not basing my views on a personal opinion, it's based on solid engineering fact that can be demonstrated. Facts that are understood and supported everywhere....well apart from in some audiophile circles....

 

Absolutely.  The fact that consumer equipment usually gets away with using RCAs with no problem does NOT make them superior, nor even as good as balanced XLR.  Noise problems from grounding issues when using RCAs occur often enough that in professional situations something better is needed - hence balanced XLR.

[March Audio]

2 hours ago, aussievintage said:

 

Absolutely.  The fact that consumer equipment usually gets away with using RCAs with no problem does NOT make them superior, nor even as good as balanced XLR.  Noise problems from grounding issues when using RCAs occur often enough that in professional situations something better is needed - hence balanced XLR.

 "Get away with" is an apt phrase.  Its more luck than judgement.  RCA will always be noisier in real world situations.  Often it is a noticeable problem,  just go on a few audio forums and search "computer noises" or "ground loop'.

 

It's an easy problem to solve with xlr.

Edited September 13, 2022 by March Audio

[maziansmarts]

Sickness prevented me attending the presentation but I am interested in the March amplifiers, particularly the P262 or P422 (which Alan says sound similar just that the P422 has more power]. I would be interested in the views of attendees on the sound and build quality of the amplifiers demonstrated.

[PKay]

36 minutes ago, maziansmarts said:

Sickness prevented me attending the presentation but I am interested in the March amplifiers, particularly the P262 or P422 (which Alan says sound similar just that the P422 has more power]. I would be interested in the views of attendees on the sound and build quality of the amplifiers demonstrated.

We mainly listened to the Mono Blocks with 3 songs on the power amp.  IMO the amps were very impressive with a neutral sound presentation and both amps did a good job with the 83db efficient speakers.

 

Since Alan has a 2 week trial period it removes the risk of buying without hearing, based on reviews only.  On top of that the best demo is a home demo.  Class D has come a long way and when you look at the price/performance of Alan's amps it is going to prove very competitive.

[maziansmarts]

Thanks PKay but was there any appreciable difference in SQ between the mono blocks and the stereo amp. I'm also considering other Purifi based Class D amps such as Nord(UK) and Audiophonics from France around the same price ( landed ), While I would prefer to buy Australian the others give the customer more options such as different op amps, dual mono and discrete voltage regulators. I realise there is no substitute for a home demo, which gives the March an advantage, but there is a cost I believe if you choose to return it.

[PKay]

1 hour ago, maziansmarts said:

Thanks PKay but was there any appreciable difference in SQ between the mono blocks and the stereo amp. I'm also considering other Purifi based Class D amps such as Nord(UK) and Audiophonics from France around the same price ( landed ), While I would prefer to buy Australian the others give the customer more options such as different op amps, dual mono and discrete voltage regulators. I realise there is no substitute for a home demo, which gives the March an advantage, but there is a cost I believe if you choose to return it.

I was off axis and not really trying to compare between both. The power amp was similar in that they are both neutral. It drove the speakers really well but the mono blocks took it to another level in output with no distortion. In fact it was at the point where it was too loud for me. 
 

Depending on the cost it still seems like a low risk proposition. 

[March Audio]

19 hours ago, PKay said:

I was off axis and not really trying to compare between both. The power amp was similar in that they are both neutral. It drove the speakers really well but the mono blocks took it to another level in output with no distortion. In fact it was at the point where it was too loud for me. 
 

Depending on the cost it still seems like a low risk proposition. 

Thanks to everyone who attended, it was great to meet and discuss hifi and listen to some great music

 

@maziansmarts

Just to mention that if a product is returned under the 14 day satisfaction guarantee there is a small fee (about $50) to cover the inspection and re-testing time and replacement packaging.

 

However after selling thousands of amps, not one single unit has been returned.  Everyone is very happy !

 

5 year warranty, and because the amps  are so reliable, in the unlikely event of needing to be returned for service we pay for all shipping.

 

Cheers

 

Alan

Edited September 14, 2022 by March Audio

[Hilltop Hippy]

Has anyone done a listening comparison to the March P262 against the Nord Acoustics 1ET400A models?

 

Or maybe the P262 v the P422-1 would be a better or more likely comparison.

 

I'm in the market for 3 channels, so that's either 2x the P262 or 1 x the Nord Three 1ET400A MKII (which is a little cheaper)....I hate buying offshore if the same can be had locally.

[March Audio]

6 hours ago, Hilltop Hippy said:

Has anyone done a listening comparison to the March P262 against the Nord Acoustics 1ET400A models?

 

Or maybe the P262 v the P422-1 would be a better or more likely comparison.

 

I'm in the market for 3 channels, so that's either 2x the P262 or 1 x the Nord Three 1ET400A MKII (which is a little cheaper)....I hate buying offshore if the same can be had locally.

Hi @Hilltop Hippy

 

The p262 and p422 fundamentally sound the same. The difference is the power output, so the 422 will be more dynamic.

 

If you need 3 channels the logical solution would be 1x p422 stereo amp + 1x p421 monoblock amp.

 

Alan

Edited September 26, 2022 by March Audio

[ICUToo]

On 14/09/2022 at 9:45 AM, March Audio said:

Thanks to everyone who attended, it was great to meet and discuss hifi and listen to some great music

 

@maziansmarts

Just to mention that if a product is returned under the 14 day satisfaction guarantee there is a small fee (about $50) to cover the inspection and re-testing time and replacement packaging.

 

However after selling thousands of amps, not one single unit has been returned.  Everyone is very happy !

 

5 year warranty, and because the amps  are so reliable, in the unlikely event of needing to be returned for service we pay for all shipping.

 

Cheers

 

Alan

Great strategy, Alan, and that's why I ordered the monoblocks from you the other day

Anyone ever tried these P501s on Magicos!!??

Edited November 16, 2022 by ICUToo

[LordHiFi]

I love my March power amp. My only issue is with the power on/off button. I usually have to make muktiple attemps to power on or off. Does anyone else have a similar problem.

[March Audio]

59 minutes ago, LordHiFi said:

I love my March power amp. My only issue is with the power on/off button. I usually have to make muktiple attemps to power on or off. Does anyone else have a similar problem.

 

Glad you are enjoying the amp 

 

As mentioned in the manual, the power switch is not a "touch switch" in the same way as say your mobile phone screen works.  Being a piezo switch it does require a degree of pressure to operate.  Its is quite deliberately insensitive to a light touch or a brush.

 

Just give the button a short, firm push.  You could try your thumb instead of forefinger.

 

 

 

cheers

 

Alan

 

 

Edited March 28, 2023 by March Audio

[mboddy60]

I just tap it. Once you get the technique it works every time.

[LordHiFi]

Thanks for the tip.

[cazzesman]

@March Audio  Hi Alan,

 

Being Kii3 owner I am a big fan of Bruno and his various products.

 

Re your new UKKONEN speakers, which of your amps do you recommend to mate with them, and if so...why?

 

Regards Cazzesman