Silver Audiophile Posted May 16, 2022 Posted May 16, 2022 1 hour ago, betty boop said: as a note if wanting an integrated to just use as a power amp.. why not just buy the power amp version which were available for most f the range? Often, when a used model comes up for sale, and it's at an attractive price but it's an integrated model. New, more integrated models are sold, than their separate counterparts. 1
Tartara Posted May 17, 2022 Posted May 17, 2022 Well thanks everyone for all the information, it’s been great. i do like the feedback on Kw range even though I can’t change the pre amp, Also the M8 500s could be a real possibility as well as it will more available/ accessible & just easier to purchase new & possibly even second hand? I’ll keep a look out online for second hand models & see what comes up. taa db 1
Tartara Posted May 17, 2022 Posted May 17, 2022 Ps one other question If you were to get one of these kw500. / 550 recapped what Would it possibly cost ? & who would you take it too regards db
Silver Audiophile Posted May 17, 2022 Posted May 17, 2022 9 minutes ago, Tartara said: Ps one other question If you were to get one of these kw500. / 550 recapped what Would it possibly cost ? & who would you take it too regards db Dave, depending on the amplifiers use, caps can last up to 30 years. The KW500/550/750 would be approx, circa 2005-2008, hence unlikely they'll be requiring cap replacement. Opinion may vary on cap replacement from 10 years for filter caps to 20-30 years for every other cap. I've own MF amps dating back to the early 2000s, and they all worked fine on the original caps. Nothing wrong with having the caps upgraded and replaced earlier. My go to repairer/upgrader in Sydney is Kimmel Electronics (detail below). Having the caps replaced early, ensure peace of mind and improves the sound quality since you'll be requesting excellent caps like Nichicon Gold, to replace the moderately good caps MF uses. The cost of the caps are very small, even for the best ones. It is the hourly labour of costs which is where the cost facts in. I don't recommend people replacing caps themselves, unless they have extensive knowledge, experience, and testing equipment. Best to leave it to the professionals. Sit back and enjoy the music. Kimil Electronics Contact details (02) 9799 3019 Inside the Musical Fidelity KW500: Inside the Musical Fidelity KW550:
Ronny Schilt Posted May 17, 2022 Posted May 17, 2022 17 hours ago, Silver Audiophile said: . Below is a list of Musical Fidelity integrated amps (with HT bypass), allowing one to bypass the onboard pre amp and using your own choice of separate pre amp. Musical Fidelity A1 Integrated Amplifier Musical Fidelity A1008 Musical Fidelity A308 Integrated Amplifier Musical Fidelity A3.5 Integrated Amplifier Musical Fidelity A5 Integrated Amplifier Musical Fidelity A5.5 Musical Fidelity M2Si Musical Fidelity M3i Musical Fidelity M3si Musical Fidelity M5si Musical Fidelity M6i Musical Fidelity M6si Musical Fidelity M6 500i Musical Fidelity M8XI Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 600 Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 800 6k for a m8xi 6 months old that's a very good deal 1
chaddy Posted May 17, 2022 Posted May 17, 2022 20 hours ago, betty boop said: some of the power amps eg the a5 cr also had the dual switchable inputs .. which meant you could use the power amp off two pre amps - 2ch and AV.. means dont need a ht bypass on the pre amp.. if wanting to use a pre amp without the feature .... That's what I do with my M6sPRX. Denon AVR to RCA inputs, Mytek BB to Balanced inputs. I have an A3.5 in a second system using the HT bypass and streaming into the CD input. If you can do it the straight power amps are certainly the way to go. 1
chaddy Posted May 17, 2022 Posted May 17, 2022 7 hours ago, Tartara said: Ps one other question If you were to get one of these kw500. / 550 recapped what Would it possibly cost ? & who would you take it too regards db Just had some work done on my A300 integrated at Len Wallis Audio. Replaced Caps and did some other work for under $450. 1
bjs Posted May 17, 2022 Author Posted May 17, 2022 I had the A5CR and upgraded to the M8 500s. I use a Primaluna preamp. The upgrade power amp was a significant upgrade. Great extension, bigger stage, very noticeable. 2
betty boop Posted May 17, 2022 Posted May 17, 2022 16 minutes ago, bjs said: I had the A5CR and upgraded to the M8 500s. I use a Primaluna preamp. The upgrade power amp was a significant upgrade. Great extension, bigger stage, very noticeable. agreed, i did the same .. the a5cr is an excellent amp but the m8 500s for me was quite a step up ... i also noticed clarity and just clearer sounding the m8 500s is one awesome amp am sure the mono blocs are better again but am happy with my lot... 2
Silver Audiophile Posted May 19, 2022 Posted May 19, 2022 1 hour ago, Tartara said: Thanks everyone for your responses & advice db Forgot to mention, Mike from Liquid Audio Perth WA. Mike's has upgraded many of my components in the past including my Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista 21 DAC, amongst other component HiFi. Just got notificati on of his latest job, a MF A3 dual mono integrated.
chaddy Posted May 20, 2022 Posted May 20, 2022 (edited) 16 hours ago, Silver Audiophile said: Forgot to mention, Mike from Liquid Audio Perth WA. Mike's has upgraded many of my components in the past including my Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista 21 DAC, amongst other component HiFi. Just got notificati on of his latest job, a MF A3 dual mono integrated. Just watched that video. That's what happened to my A300, broken tracks had to be hardwired. Edited May 20, 2022 by chaddy 1
Silver Audiophile Posted May 21, 2022 Posted May 21, 2022 22 hours ago, chaddy said: Just watched that video. That's what happened to my A300, broken tracks had to be hardwired. 1
specka Posted May 23, 2022 Posted May 23, 2022 (edited) I havent posted to this subforum before but wanted to relay my experiences with my MF products and hear people's thoughts. For many many years I've run the M6i as my main amp, fed by NAD M50 and M51 DAC into Balanced Inputs. It's always been a solid, dare I say warm and easy going sound signature. I have had an A3CD and A300 Integrated in storage for a few years, since buying from a forum member here, in 2019 iirc. I never really used it - it had some crackling in the volume control and input selection was a bit it and miss. I just had it repaired recently, and dropped it into my system over the weekend. To my surprise, I am finding it significantly superior to the M6i. I can't really describe why specifically, just everything sounds more cohesive. One thing I am sure of - the bass is slightly tighter and maybe this alone is what is bringing out such improved clarity. I always found the M6i 'smooth', a bit dull perhaps but never fatiguing and overall a solid performer. I swapped out the C1's for my big old Whatmough floorstanders and I had similar feelings. More control on the low end. Does this result surprise anyone? Cheers Edited May 23, 2022 by specka grammar 3 2
Silver Audiophile Posted May 24, 2022 Posted May 24, 2022 (edited) 11 hours ago, specka said: I havent posted to this subforum before but wanted to relay my experiences with my MF products and hear people's thoughts. For many many years I've run the M6i as my main amp, fed by NAD M50 and M51 DAC into Balanced Inputs. It's always been a solid, dare I say warm and easy going sound signature. I have had an A3CD and A300 Integrated in storage for a few years, since buying from a forum member here, in 2019 iirc. I never really used it - it had some crackling in the volume control and input selection was a bit it and miss. I just had it repaired recently, and dropped it into my system over the weekend. To my surprise, I am finding it significantly superior to the M6i. I can't really describe why specifically, just everything sounds more cohesive. One thing I am sure of - the bass is slightly tighter and maybe this alone is what is bringing out such improved clarity. I always found the M6i 'smooth', a bit dull perhaps but never fatiguing and overall a solid performer. I swapped out the C1's for my big old Whatmough floorstanders and I had similar feelings. More control on the low end. Does this result surprise anyone? Cheers Not in the slightest, Simon. Older MF gear has been described as a 'Iron fist in a velvet glove' by some audio journalists. A rather endearing term for vintage MF gear, I would agree with. Vintage matched with their equally impressive bulky metallic industrial design. When I'm in the mood, sure the 'etched' sounds and balls of a vintage MF is appealing. However, these days, I'm much prefer the more silkier presentation of the modern 'M' line of power amps. Note also, the dual torroids power supply for the vintage A300 integrated Vs the single torroid of the more modern M6i counterpart. Dual parts counts generally delivers more power and fine control (despite the official printed rated output). My M8 700m monos are different beast again. Best of both Worlds - Tons and tons of power/control and finesse. MF A300: MF M6i: Edited May 24, 2022 by Silver Audiophile 1
specka Posted May 24, 2022 Posted May 24, 2022 (edited) 2 hours ago, Silver Audiophile said: Not in the slightest, Simon. Older MF gear has been described as a 'Iron fist in a velvet glove' by some audio journalists. A rather endearing term for vintage MF gear, I would agree with. Vintage matched with their equally impressive bulky metallic industrial design. When I'm in the mood, sure the 'etched' sounds and balls of a vintage MF is appealing. However, these days, I'm much prefer the more silkier presentation of the modern 'M' line of power amps. Note also, the dual torroids power supply for the vintage A300 integrated Vs the single torroid of the more modern M6i counterpart. Dual parts counts generally delivers more power and fine control (despite the official printed rated output). My M8 700m monos are different beast again. Best of both Worlds - Tons and tons of power/control and finesse. Thanks for the reply and info. I was a little surprised that the M6i doesnt have the dual transformers I have to say. I've had the case off the A300 but never the M6i. As you say, on the spec sheet the M6i is significantly more powerful (particularly into 4Ohms which my Dyns' are). It presents me with a bit of a dilemma. I was going to move the A300 on, as the M6i has the HT bypass and I wanted to run it on the Front Channels with my RXA3080, as I move into a dedicated HT room. However getting rid of a superior performing component doesn't sit well, even if its not by a huge margin. It might be a case of back to the drawing board, possibly sell it all and trade up to something higher up the stack! Not that I'm looking for excuses to upgrade Edited May 24, 2022 by specka 1
Silver Audiophile Posted May 24, 2022 Posted May 24, 2022 1 hour ago, specka said: It presents me with a bit of a dilemma. I was going to move the A300 on, as the M6i has the HT bypass and I wanted to run it on the Front Channels with my RXA3080, as I move into a dedicated HT room. However getting rid of a superior performing component doesn't sit well, even if its not by a huge margin. It might be a case of back to the drawing board, possibly sell it all and trade up to something higher up the stack! Not that I'm looking for excuses to upgrade I agree entirely with holding onto gear that you prefer the sound of. If it's a binary decision and you want to sell one of two items, sell the least nice sounding one (even if it is the latest gear). Later, when you have a chance, directly A/B your MF A300 against other amp(s). Once again, the superior sound stays. No preconceived ideas, stay open (vintage or new). Pretty much how I ended up dialing in my system to exactly what I wanted. Applies to streamers, DACs, Pre amps, interconnects, speakers, power cords etc. I ended up, with a system that impresses all whom listen to it, myself amongst them. All components from different brands, not my original intention, but to my ears was the way to go. As my system evolved, I generally found modern equipment, eventually landed into the 'keeper' basket. There are many variables, why this may or may not work in your system- room acoustics, your listening preferences etc. I found having several audiophile friend nearby, was also great for swapping gear and trying out different combinations, sharing ideas. I have a few dealer friends, happy to loan out gear to try obligation free too. Power amp X would move between say three nearby homes for auditioning, and dealer is happy and knows all three of us. The Primaluna Evo 400 Pre amp was an example, where in this case the decision was unanimous (we all bought one each, three in total). Reading audio reviews and SNA is no substitute for a direct home system demo. 2
betty boop Posted May 24, 2022 Posted May 24, 2022 (edited) All for going with what sounds best in setup i myself sold on my a300 that was using in my bedroom setup and kept the little xa1 had instead … just preferred the sound of x series …previous to thst had run nad master series integrated and source, the. full Cyrus rig, then full meridian rig, then retro full Marantz ki sig rig, also a full Mf a3 pre power and source and dac setup. Just exploring options(bought sold 2nd hand) … now I run a valve integrated in that setup now. Fed of Marantz ki player .. still kept the Mf x series … for if ever looking for a change the a300 is a solid performer … well built well made … but just like any other but if hifi needs to be paired well to tastes … Edited May 24, 2022 by betty boop 1
betty boop Posted May 24, 2022 Posted May 24, 2022 Also along with new products above Also apparently new NuVista 800.2 integrated, NuVista monoblocks, new M6XDAC and a series of M6 multichannel amps for home theatre. 1 1
Silver Audiophile Posted May 27, 2022 Posted May 27, 2022 On 24/05/2022 at 8:08 PM, betty boop said: Also along with new products above Also apparently new NuVista 800.2 integrated, NuVista monoblocks, new M6XDAC and a series of M6 multichannel amps for home theatre. Seriously, I'd be interested in looking at getting the Musical Fidelity multichannel amplifier for home theatre. Large high quality power supply and massive caps. Large beefy heat sinks per channel. M6x 250.5 is 5x250W M6x 250.7 is 7x250W M6x 250.11 is 11x250W all at 8Ω Class AB 1
betty boop Posted May 27, 2022 Posted May 27, 2022 1 hour ago, Silver Audiophile said: Seriously, I'd be interested in looking at getting the Musical Fidelity multichannel amplifier for home theatre. Large high quality power supply and massive caps. Large beefy heat sinks per channel. M6x 250.5 is 5x250W M6x 250.7 is 7x250W M6x 250.11 is 11x250W all at 8Ω Class AB i do agree.. they do indeed look very decent also reasonably priced... 4k euro for 11 channels is very good.... i wish he looked inside the case a bit more.. but at least some very decent toroidal and decent heatsinking in what look like mono bloc designs inside.. also what look like their upper spec caps as well with very brief look we got inside.. 11 channells will take care of most folk for 7.1.4 ! 1
Silver Audiophile Posted May 27, 2022 Posted May 27, 2022 43 minutes ago, betty boop said: i do agree.. they do indeed look very decent also reasonably priced... 4k euro for 11 channels is very good.... i wish he looked inside the case a bit more.. but at least some very decent toroidal and decent heatsinking in what look like mono bloc designs inside.. also what look like their upper spec caps as well with very brief look we got inside.. 11 channells will take care of most folk for 7.1.4 ! Watching a few interviews of Musical Fidelity's founder and once owner- Anthony Michaelson, one thing is clear. He will never sit still and stop innovating new products and trying new things. Technically he sold MF to his Austrian friend, Heinz Lichtenegger (Audio Tuning Vertriebs GmBH of Austria ). However, Anthony promised to join the board of Audio Tuning, and still be providing new products under the MF name ... Cool! 1
betty boop Posted May 30, 2022 Posted May 30, 2022 and there is more ... another pic of the mono bloc a turntable. power conditioners, 800.2 integrated that looks very swish ! 1 1
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