Club Musical Fidelity

[nektarios]

...
I replaced the speaker ends with what was supposed to be high quality spade connections and found the difference to be Unsatisfactory and I will be getting the airlocks put back on when i get the chance. Not sure how to describe the difference as i am new to the HIFI scene, but the clarity of the music seemd to have gone. Never thought the connections on the cables could make that much difference but i did notice the change Unfortunately for the worse.
...
CoCo

Hi CoCo.

I have the Monitor Audio's speaker cable biwired with airlocks. I bought an extra pair of these cables but with no connectors on the speaker side (plain wire). By pure chance I connected (biwired) them to my Monitor Audio S6 speakers and the sound changed completely - stronger bass but tight, more highs, plus clearer more insight into the mids. When I put back the speaker cables with the air lock connectors the sound went back to the more "civilised" character, not as much in your face.

Did you try that at all with your system? Of course it's not a good idea braking the rest of the air locks! Just wondering if you had any experience with plain wire on the speaker ends.

Thanks,
Nektarios.

[unkhman]

Musical Fidelity A5.5 update

Hi everyone,

some more information on the MF A5.5 can be found here:

http://whathifi.com/hi-fi/archive/2007/10/22/news-musical-fidelity-upgrades-its-a5.aspx

cheers!

[nick.h]

Hello Nicolas,

I would just like to know whether you are using the MF A5 Integrated amplifier or the Pre & Pwr amp ?

Also what do you think of it's sound quality?

Do you have a specific musical interest?


Thanks

Yas

Hi,

Yes I'm using the Pre & Pwr version.

Not sure of the sound quality yet as I have not received everything, only got the CD player and cables.

Music is: Jazz, Blues and House

[nick.h]

Hi everyone,

some more information on the MF A5.5 can be found here:

http://whathifi.com/hi-fi/archive/2007/10/22/news-musical-fidelity-upgrades-its-a5.aspx

cheers!

Does look like its changed that much, I'll stick with my A5.0 version!

[unkhman]

Another A5.5 update

http://blog.listencarefully.co.uk/?p=1516

cheers!

[Aechmea]

with no connectors on the speaker side (plain wire). By pure chance I connected (biwired) them to my Monitor Audio S6 speakers and the sound changed completely - stronger bass but tight, more highs, plus clearer more insight into the mids

I use bare wires at the speaker end (magneplanar MG3.6), and prefer it, however it is a bit more of a fiddle to do a connection; but then you don't have to do connections very often. Worthwhile to expose new wire every 6-12 months and reconnect.

[hifidez]

Small X Series

Has Musical Fidelity stopped production of all the small X-series (V3) now?

Regards,

Derek

[Yasvanth]

Hello Derek,

I don't think so, but have you tried looking on the Musical Fidelity website.

Yas

[Yasvanth]

Musical Fidelity A5 Integrated and A5cr Pre & Pwr amps

Hi

What do other members think of the MF A5 Integrated sound quality?

Also if you own the MF A5cr Pre & A5cr Pwr amps like myself, let me know what you think of them and the source, cables, and speakers that you use?

I would like to your own personal opinions on these fabulous amplifiers.

Yas

[CoCo]

Hi CoCo.

I have the Monitor Audio's speaker cable biwired with airlocks. I bought an extra pair of these cables but with no connectors on the speaker side (plain wire). By pure chance I connected (biwired) them to my Monitor Audio S6 speakers and the sound changed completely - stronger bass but tight, more highs, plus clearer more insight into the mids. When I put back the speaker cables with the air lock connectors the sound went back to the more "civilised" character, not as much in your face.

Did you try that at all with your system? Of course it's not a good idea braking the rest of the air locks! Just wondering if you had any experience with plain wire on the speaker ends.

Thanks,
Nektarios.

Nektarios,

Did not have the chance to try anything different. My son broke off 3 connectors on the speaker side. I cahnged all the speaker terminals for spades. I have the airlock spades into the amp and the new make into the speakers. The base loosened, not the same control. Vocals are not as defined. The music was not as clear as before. The sound quality is still there but not to my liking?????

[Yasvanth]

Hi

I have read so many great reviews on upgrading the mains pwr cable. So I am thinking of changing my bog standard pwr cable for my MF A5cr Pre amp to a Nordost Shiva or maybe the Vishnu. Can somebody give some advice whether there will be a noticeable difference in the sound quality?

Also do any of you guys use a Nordost Shiva or Vishnu with your MF gear and are there any benefits to be gained by this ?

Also one last point do you think it would be a good investment or a complete waste of money?

Your advice would be great

Yas

[sanogueira]

I do own a pair of 803s b&w speakers, and I am planning to buy Musical F. TriVista ıntegrated Amplifier.However I have a question, The recommended Ampl, for 803S is 50-250Watts 8Ohm, whereas the power output of the TriVista is 350 watts per channel into 8 ohms
Does this cause any technical problem? or Can I run 803s with Trivista without any problem?

And TriVista Owners, Can you please share your comments on if 803s and triVista could be a good match or not. because I will not have the chance of testing them together I will buy depending on the comments as the dealer does not allow me to take the ampl. home..and I can not carry 803s to the dealer

Thanks very much..

[Yasvanth]

Hi

Your Trivista 350 amp has more than enough power to control the B&W 803's so there will be definitely no technical problems there.

I wouldn't worry about it, just enjoy the wonderful sound from your sound system!

Happy Listening.

Yas :T

[sanogueira]

Thank you Yasvanth, I have never owned Musical Fidelity equipment before therefore I only can search from the internet or listen at the dealers, I read some opinions about trivista saying that valves in the amp. could finish easily. Can I get your opinion whether this matching would be a good choice or not.
And also if there are people using Trivista I will be pleased to have your comments as well.
Thanks

[alebonau]

Thank you Yasvanth, I have never owned Musical Fidelity equipment before therefore I only can search from the internet or listen at the dealers, I read some opinions about trivista saying that valves in the amp. could finish easily. Can I get your opinion whether this matching would be a good choice or not.
And also if there are people using Trivista I will be pleased to have your comments as well.
Thanks

the trivistas's are milspec valves with a very long life I understand.

have heard mf and b&w before and reckon it makes a nice match. ofcourse hifi is such a pesonal preference thing so to know whether its best for you you really need to check out the combination yourself to decide.

[Yasvanth]

Nordost Pwr Cables And MF Gear

Hi There,

DOES ANYBODY USE NORDOST SHIVA OR VISHNU POWER CABLES WITH THERE MUSICAL FIDELITY EQUIPMENT AND DO YOU THINK IT IS A WISE INVESTMENT OR A WASTE OF MONEY?

I'M THINKING OF CHANGING THE CHEAP FREEBIE CABLE THAT CAME WITH MY MF A5cr PRE AMPLIFIER TO ONE OF THESE CABLES, AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF YOU HIFI ENTHUSIASTS HAVE GOT ANY IMPROVEMENT OUT OF THIS?


P.S IN AN EARLIER THREAD THAT I POSTED, I SAID I SWAPPED MY NORDOST RED DAWN FOR VDH D102 111 HYBRID, I HAVE NOW DECIDED TO SWOP BACK TO MY ORIGINAL INTERCONNECTS AS I FIND THE MIDRANGE TOO SMOOTH AND BOOMY WITH SOME PARTICULAR STYLES OF MUSIC. YOU JUST CAN'T BEAT THE SPEED,DETAIL,EXCITEMENT AND TIGHTNESS OF BASS OF NORDOST CABLES.


Also I wish to change my Van Den Hul Cleartrack Biamped Spk cables to Nordost as I am suffering from overbearing midrange bass when listening to R'n'B music eg Usher, Toni Braxton, Alicia Keys etc. Does anybody else use Nordost Speaker cables with there MF amps and will this cure the problem?

Your advice will be most useful.

Yas

[Yasvanth]

Arcam FMJ A32 & P35 Amps V's MF A5 Pre & Pwr Amps

[B]

Hi

Just out of interest, how would the Arcam FMJ A32 & P35 Pwr amps compare against the more expensive MF A5cr Pre & A5cr Pwr amps in an all out battle for sound quality?

Has anybody demoed both these amps as I would like to know?


Happy Listening
Yas

[Lagare Lout]

Hi All

New to the forum, so hello. I recently purchased an A5 player and have been very impressed, nice piece of kit. I was in the market for a 2 ch preamp (was using a Krell HTS as the pre) and went for an A5cr. There has been a few posts on the issue of hum with the A5 amps, and preamp is audible from a meter away. Not much in the way of hum coming from the speakers though. Has anyone found any answers that work on the hum issue?

ps - Using VdH mainstream power cable.

Cheers

DRC

[Yasvanth]

Hi All

New to the forum, so hello. I recently purchased an A5 player and have been very impressed, nice piece of kit. I was in the market for a 2 ch preamp (was using a Krell HTS as the pre) and went for an A5cr. There has been a few posts on the issue of hum with the A5 amps, and preamp is audible from a meter away. Not much in the way of hum coming from the speakers though. Has anyone found any answers that work on the hum issue?

ps - Using VdH mainstream power cable.

Cheers

DRC

HI THERE,

Welcome to the MF Club,

I also own the A5cr Pre & A5cr Pwr amplifiers. I do get a very slight hum when I place my ear next to the speaker cone. But I cannot hear anything from a metre away.

Like you I'm also using a VDH Mainsstream Pwr cable on the A5cr Pwr amp. It makes a world of difference.

Yas

[alebonau]

Hi All

New to the forum, so hello. I recently purchased an A5 player and have been very impressed, nice piece of kit. I was in the market for a 2 ch preamp (was using a Krell HTS as the pre) and went for an A5cr. There has been a few posts on the issue of hum with the A5 amps, and preamp is audible from a meter away. Not much in the way of hum coming from the speakers though. Has anyone found any answers that work on the hum issue?

ps - Using VdH mainstream power cable.

Cheers

DRC

both the pre and the pwr have choke regulation on their power supplies, with a pair of frame transformers as chokes. frame transformers are more susceptible to hum than torroidals. as are the larger torroidals as they get bigger and the A5 power has a decent sized one in place.

my experience in regards hum is pretty similar yas's where a tiny little hum is audible if you put your ear near the speakers or near the amps.

[Yasvanth]

Hi Al,

Do you think the hum will increase over time or will it be the same?

Also is there anything that can be done ?

Thanks

Yas

[alebonau]

Hi Al,

Do you think the hum will increase over time or will it be the same?

Also is there anything that can be done ?

Thanks

Yas

not something thats going to increase over time yas.

what can be done ? you could go have the psu's and chokes resin dipped and fully encased / encapsulated as some manufacturers do I guess. but would be a bit extreme and a costly exercise I reckon especially since not something audible at listening distance to really be worried or concerned about.

[Yasvanth]

Hi Al,

Have you ever listened to an Arcam FMJ amp and how does it compare with Musical Fidelity amps?

P.S I've just started a Club Arcam site but so far there doesn't seem to be much interest, not as much as the Club MF so maybe listeners prefer the sound and build quality of Musical Fidelity products.

Thanks
Yas

[alebonau]

Hi Al,

Have you ever listened to an Arcam FMJ amp and how does it compare with Musical Fidelity amps?

P.S I've just started a Club Arcam site but so far there doesn't seem to be much interest, not as much as the Club MF so maybe listeners prefer the sound and build quality of Musical Fidelity products.

Thanks
Yas

I have yas, the place I bought my mf gear sells the arcam as well. I'd take the mf a5 options anyday. but thats only a personal preference thing and I'm sure there will be others who think otherwise with different tastes and system plus speaker preferences. I've always had a good respect for the arcam gear regardless and would always suggest it as an option for people to consider if its in the price range of gear they are considering.

[p.s]

Hi folks, I'm new to the forum and interested to read about experiences with MF gear and the A5 series. I tried the integrated and loved it's sound, so involving, like being there, drew me in, gorgeous highs, and wonderful piano. Alas, circumstances changed and I got the A308 integrated. Not nearly as involving and took some time to adjust to but the build quality is great. (I've got the A3.5 cdplayer and agree with an earlier post that the selector buttons seem a bit flimsy - enjoyable sound though). The A5 integrated seemed to fit into my system very easily. Of course, it's an expensive game this upgrading and my current thoughts are towards the A5 or A 5.5 when it gets to the shops. But I'm wondering about getting an A5 power amp and using the A308 integrated as the pre. Any thoughts on that from forum members would be read with interest.
Regarding cabling, I've got Nordost Heimdal interconnects and find them good, lots of detail, not overly bright. I'm also using the Audioquest NRG2 power cable to the amp and a Belkin power board / conditioner. I've also got the QED Quinex 2 and Quinex 3. I much prefer the 3. It's got so much more going on and not expensive either. Maybe it's the touch of silver which I like.
Also have SlinkyLinks cables and interconnect, silver again. Good, but from the cd player I prefer the Heimdal, less aggressive. Tried some Wireworld and that was 'wow' but chose the Heimdal because I like to go towards the music rather than have it in my face too much.
Ah, that said, any thoughts on how to tune this A308 to get some of that A5 magic or is it back to buying hifi? ;-) Thanks.

[Lagare Lout]

not something thats going to increase over time yas.

what can be done ? you could go have the psu's and chokes resin dipped and fully encased / encapsulated as some manufacturers do I guess. but would be a bit extreme and a costly exercise I reckon especially since not something audible at listening distance to really be worried or concerned about.

Agreed the (transformer) hum is not loud, but it is just audible in the listening position. I like this pre amp, but that kind of problem should not be apparent on a $4k modern amp. The Krell HTS that it replaces (as a dedicated 2 ch pre) is deathly silent in operation.

I'll look into some tweaks to get the hum noise floor lowered. MF have made alot of noise (no pun intended) about their power supplies/regulation and the sonic benefits while throwing $hit at other manufacturers selling "snake oil". Why go to great lengths to lower the electrical noise floor by a few (possible inaudible) db while the transformer hum is blantantly audible?

From the MF site -
The A5CR preamp is technically the equal of any at any price, except that its overload margin and peak output capacity far exceeds anything else available excepting our own kW preamp. The A5CR's dual mono double choke-regulated system ensures virtually perfect isolation from mains interference. Its distortion is vanishingly low and its noise ratio is excellent. The A5CR may have a modest price but its performance is right up there with the best. Don't let your "greed glands" fool you; this baby delivers top notch performance at a fair price. The competition, by contrast, sell extremely expensive sets of snake oil lubricated transparent emperor's clothing. If you're after pure performance then the A5CR preamp is for you.

I think Anthony Michaelson should have an objective look at his own products and marketing before throwing stones at other hi end producers. That said, I do think MF are making good products.

[alebonau]

Agreed the (transformer) hum is not loud, but it is just audible in the listening position. I like this pre amp, but that kind of problem should not be apparent on a $4k modern amp. The Krell HTS that it replaces (as a dedicated 2 ch pre) is deathly silent in operation.

I'll look into some tweaks to get the hum noise floor lowered. MF have made alot of noise (no pun intended) about their power supplies/regulation and the sonic benefits while throwing $hit at other manufacturers selling "snake oil". Why go to great lengths to lower the electrical noise floor by a few (possible inaudible) db while the transformer hum is blantantly audible?

From the MF site -
The A5CR preamp is technically the equal of any at any price, except that its overload margin and peak output capacity far exceeds anything else available excepting our own kW preamp. The A5CR's dual mono double choke-regulated system ensures virtually perfect isolation from mains interference. Its distortion is vanishingly low and its noise ratio is excellent. The A5CR may have a modest price but its performance is right up there with the best. Don't let your "greed glands" fool you; this baby delivers top notch performance at a fair price. The competition, by contrast, sell extremely expensive sets of snake oil lubricated transparent emperor's clothing. If you're after pure performance then the A5CR preamp is for you.

I think Anthony Michaelson should have an objective look at his own products and marketing before throwing stones at other hi end producers. That said, I do think MF are making good products.

lout I'm not one to swallow marketing guff no matter from any maker, read any makers promotional material and you'll find it over flowing in all sorts of stuff.

I chose my mf a5 pre-pwr following extensive demoing with a whole range of speakers and in comparison with quite a few other brands, followed finally with an in home demo which made sure it was exactly what I was after.

I would suggest to anyone else to do just the same in considering and choose whatever it is that you feel suits your needs. if it doesnt buy something else more suited.

I know many are pedantic about the likes of hum but frankly its a non event for me, the slight hum is not even audible to me more than a foot away from the speakers let alone back at the listening position.

To me the a5 pre-pwr have a very forthright and explicit sounds thats the best way I can describe it, plus a lovely charecter for the vocals, great grip and dynamics with a wide expansive soundstage that can fill the room with sound. couldnt be happier to be honest ! thats not to say there is no better, I'm sure there is, as is the case no matter what you buy...

[Yasvanth]

MF A5 Humming Issues!

Hi

I totally agree with you. When a well known Hifi manufacturer is producing amps like the A5 Int, A5 Pre & A5 Pwr you expect high end quality. This humming issue has to be soughted out by Anthony Michaelson or he may even loose sales later on it the future. Maybe it was a mistake having his items now built in Taiwan and not in the UK. Again it's all down to cost cutting.

For me this does not prey on my mind, but other A5 owners may find this annoying depending how loud it is. It all depends whether they can hear when they are sitting in there listening position.

Do other MF owners also have a humming problems with there A5 Integrated or A5cr Pre & A5cr Pwr ?

If they do I would advise you to get in contact with your dealer for him/her to sought this matter out.

Yas

[Lagare Lout]

a5 Humming

Just to clarify, I do think the A5cr is a good pre. Unfortunately, a dealer demo does not always translate into the 'right' match once home with different room acoustic, equipment and cabling. The A5 cr pre sounded fine when tried at a dealer a while back, maybe background noise was hiding the hum issues. Getting a loan/trial unit to take home was not going to happen.

And it is not hum being transmitted via the speakers (although there is a small amount of audible hum that is not really bothersome), it is the pre amp itself that is making the brunt of the noise :cry: .

For the record, I am astounded by the A5 cd player, it is an awesome piece of kit for the price .

[Yasvanth]

Hi Lagare Lout,

Can you hear this humming sound from your listening seat or is it only when you place your ear close to the A5 Pre amp?

Just out of interest, do you also own the MF A5cr Power amp as well to go with your MF A5cr Pre amp, and if so what is your own personal opinion on this pairs performance?

Also what sort of speakers are you using?

Cheers

Yas

[meloman]

A5.5 Official on the MF website

Hi Folks,

I'm new to this forum... so hello from Belgium and free beers and/or chocolates to all of you!

The A5.5 has finally made it onto the MF website and browsing the manuals doesn't show much difference. Except for a couple of things :


Integrated : Damping factor 170 vs 140, Overload margin 30dB vs 26, USB
CDPlayer : S/N ratio 117 dB vs 113, ECC88 tubes vs Mu Vista 6112, no specs about the disc drawer though (used to be Phillips and may still be so).


Question : I ordered the A5i A5CDP combo 2 weeks ago but have not received (and paid) it. If you were me, what would you do?
What are a 4 dB S/N ratio improvement, an increased damping factor (whatever that means) and a larger overload margin worth? Is the replacement of the (much talked about, well by MF at least) Mu Vista tubes by ECC88 a step backward?

Thanks for your comments (won't be able to respond before next wednesday)

[Lagare Lout]

Hi Lagare Lout,

Can you hear this humming sound from your listening seat or is it only when you place your ear close to the A5 Pre amp?

Just out of interest, do you also own the MF A5cr Power amp as well to go with your MF A5cr Pre amp, and if so what is your own personal opinion on this pairs performance?

Also what sort of speakers are you using?

Cheers

Yas

Hi Yas

The humming is quite obvious when near the pre-amp, e.g. when changing cds. From the listening position it can also be heard, but only just. There is a slight hum from the speakers, which can only be heard when very close and is not an issue. The speaker hum is not present when the Krell HTS processor is used to directly drive the power amp.

I don't have an A5 power amp, I am using a Krell FPB-300cx driving Spendor S9 speakers.

[alebonau]

Hi Yas

The humming is quite obvious when near the pre-amp, e.g. when changing cds. From the listening position it can also be heard, but only just. There is a slight hum from the speakers, which can only be heard when very close and is not an issue. The speaker hum is not present when the Krell HTS processor is used to directly drive the power amp.

I don't have an A5 power amp, I am using a Krell FPB-300cx driving Spendor S9 speakers.

its likely the frame psus that are used as chokes and they do hum. maybe they just need some tighttening to the chasis. i'm not getting anything like what your saying coming from my pre. I'd get the dealer to compare with another unit.

[alebonau]

Hi Folks,

I'm new to this forum... so hello from Belgium and free beers and/or chocolates to all of you!

The A5.5 has finally made it onto the MF website and browsing the manuals doesn't show much difference. Except for a couple of things :


Integrated : Damping factor 170 vs 140, Overload margin 30dB vs 26, USB
CDPlayer : S/N ratio 117 dB vs 113, ECC88 tubes vs Mu Vista 6112, no specs about the disc drawer though (used to be Phillips and may still be so).


Question : I ordered the A5i A5CDP combo 2 weeks ago but have not received (and paid) it. If you were me, what would you do?
What are a 4 dB S/N ratio improvement, an increased damping factor (whatever that means) and a larger overload margin worth? Is the replacement of the (much talked about, well by MF at least) Mu Vista tubes by ECC88 a step backward?

Thanks for your comments (won't be able to respond before next wednesday)

interesting stuff melo,

the mu vistas were a limted run on the a5 cd so perhaps they finally ran out.

I noticed too it has finally appeared on the mf website. I have an old mf valve dac that runs the ecc88's on the output stage its the same tubes mf also has used in the past in the x10 valve buffer of old and also the same tubes they use in their headphone amp, so somethign theyre quite familiar with as a tube.

I have the a5cd which is a beaut match for the a5 gear but also kept my old valve dac and love its sound too and still use it for my headphone setup.

think in sound charecter terms, theyre quite different valves, he ecc88s are a warmer richer sounding valve whereas the muvistas seem pretty close to clean neutral I'd you with a touch of smoothness and a nice liquid sound. you probably want to have good listen before picking up to be sure for yourself which ever option your considering.

let us know how you find it, which ever way you end up going.

[Yasvanth]

Musical Fidelity And Nordost

Hi

I am thinking of changing my Van Den Hul Cleartrack spk cable for my MF A5cr Pre & A5cr Pwr to a Nordost Blue Heaven. I am already using Nordost Red Dawn interconnects and a Nordost Shiva Pwr cable for the Pre, and it has made a world of difference to the sound.

Are Nordost cables a perfect match for Musical Fidelity equipment?

Does anybody else use Nordost interconnects or speaker cables with MF hifi?


Thanks

Yas

[Aechmea]

A5 Hum

I bought a A5cr Pre/Pwr combo 2 months ago and have never had any hint of hum anywhere. (Magneplanar 3.6r, Velodyne DD15, old Sony CD player, QED interconnects, DH Labs Silversonic Q10 cables).

So it would appear that the hum problem is not universal which suggests that it isn't a design fault.

[Yasvanth]

Hi

Somebody told me it was a ground loop that may be causing the problem, but I'm not that sure. You could be right, it may even be a design fault. Looks like it doesn't sound too good for the Musical Fidelity company. Maybe Anthony Michaelson can put A5 amp owners in the picture.

Otherwise his neck is on the line, big time!

Cheers
Yas

[unkhman]

hum

Hi everybody,

I'm reading the posts of the last few days on this forum and I want to say I too have the a5cr/pw combo. And I too have the hum issue, but only a very slight sound coming from the speakers. Just audible if you are nearer than a few inches in front of the speaker. The amplifiers themselves are deadsilent. I have had the same - slight - problem with my old poweramps, and in that case it was a ground loop, it disappeard after some plugging out / plugging in of the signal cables between the pre en power amps. With the MF gear the hum sounds the same, but uptil now I haven't solved the issue. But it is absolutely not audible when I'm sitting at my listening postition, so I don't bother that much. But on the other hand I do think that hifi gear at this price point has to be clean of hum. You may got the idea that the gear is poorly constructed or designed, and yes, it is the total opposite of the mercandising of MF shouting about how deadsilent their stuff is. But anyway, I really adore the musical insight they do give me, the huge soundstage, their nutral treatment on voices, and most importantly a VERY vivid rythmical composure (just listen to bass drums, I can tell you as I'm a drummer myself). Together with my A5 cd player they make a hell of a music making system!

cheers!

[Yasvanth]

Hi everybody,

I'm reading the posts of the last few days on this forum and I want to say I too have the a5cr/pw combo. And I too have the hum issue, but only a very slight sound coming from the speakers. Just audible if you are nearer than a few inches in front of the speaker. The amplifiers themselves are deadsilent. I have had the same - slight - problem with my old poweramps, and in that case it was a ground loop, it disappeard after some plugging out / plugging in of the signal cables between the pre en power amps. With the MF gear the hum sounds the same, but uptil now I haven't solved the issue. But it is absolutely not audible when I'm sitting at my listening postition, so I don't bother that much. But on the other hand I do think that hifi gear at this price point has to be clean of hum. You may got the idea that the gear is poorly constructed or designed, and yes, it is the total opposite of the mercandising of MF shouting about how deadsilent their stuff is. But anyway, I really adore the musical insight they do give me, the huge soundstage, their nutral treatment on voices, and most importantly a VERY vivid rythmical composure (just listen to bass drums, I can tell you as I'm a drummer myself). Together with my A5 cd player they make a hell of a music making system!

cheers!

Hi Unkhman,

What sort of speakers, interconnects and speaker cables are you using with the MF A5cr Pre & A5cr Pwr amplifiers?

My problem is exactly the same as yours, but it doesn't cause any headaches to worry about. But I do agree when you are paying this sort of money you expect top quality from a reputable Hifi manufacturer like MF.

As you are a drummer, I take it you prefer listening to more beaty driven music like myself, what sort of music are you into?

Happy Listening For The X Mas Season.

Yas

[meloman]

alebonau,

[let us know how you find it, which ever way you end up going]

Will do that. Was in touch with a couple of people today (importer Benelux etc) and hear different versions of when A5.5 will be available. Some say december, others talk about february.

Anyway, will try to audition both on same set of cabling and speakers and post my findings here as soon as the audition has taken place. May be some time ahead though...

Cheers.

[roll - gybe]

Hey guys, first post. Glad I found y'all. I have enjoyed this thread.

I have a A5 integrated, with an issue... basically been resolved, but I can't figure out what the frank happened.

I'm cutting and pasting from my avs post - don't want to miss any details. Maybe someone here has seen something similar!

BTW - my system is A5 Int, Squeezebox, Swan 6.1/Vandy 1b

Everything working great for months. Setup: MF A5 Int, Squeezebox, SA 8300 Cable Box, Panny plasma. (also appliances in other rooms, and a motion sensor for the security system). Gear is 7ft from a window. Nearest house is 200 feet away, at 90 degrees. Power strip nearby.

On Saturday, we introduce 2 new varables: We have a fire in the fireplace (8 feet away) & put up a Christmas Tree (6 feet away). There are no lights on the tree. It is in a stand w/water by the window.

When I try to adjust the volume on the amp, either no response or the volume rises and doesn't stop rising. Ouch.

This was the case with the manufacturer remote and my harmony 880.

This condition persists without the fire, day in day out. I was about to send the amp in for repair, but I decided to try it out on my 2nd system. The remote worked like a charm (used a different sqeezebox). Both of the remotes.

I took it back upstairs, and the problem began again.

I went around unplugging devices looking for interference. No luck. I think I tried everything.

So... I moved some of the gear to another new room and set it up again. Worked like a charm.

Now I'm thinking this is really weird.

So, I go back and put the amp on the opposite side of the TV - Away from the window, fireplace, and tree. (WAF now decreasing with new placement).

Works like a charm.

What the hell is going on? Any thoughts on how I can remove the interference and restore my original locations?

[Yasvanth]

Hi

It could be the reflection off the window when you use the remote control. It's quite possible whenever you use the remote to adjust the volume the infr red rays are bouncing off the window.



Yas

[roll - gybe]

Feasable, but I doubt it. The window is one of the constants. If anything, I would think the tree would block more reflections from the window rather than create them.

[Aechmea]

I'm not sure what I am talking about so you can take this with a grain of salt! But there maybe something to give you a clue.

If your volume either doesn't move or continues to rise then either the amp circuitry is faulty or it is receiving extra signals of exactly the right frequency.

The remote handset and amp IR receiver works on an Infrared frequency range, as does the Harmony and the motion detector. A TV remote is IR as well. Does the Squeezebox have a remote? IR mouse, keyboard, printer? Car keys remote?

I presume that the squeezebox is connected wirelessly to your computer/router/access point but that would use 802.11g wireless which is of course a completely different frequency range (2.4 GHertz or someting like that). Couldn't see how that would have an effect.

Maybe the Xmas tree has a AC/DC transformer producing interference. Hard to imagine that it would produce an IR frequency.

I also thought that IR was directional, so whatever it is, it would be sort of straight on to the IR receptor in the amp, plus or minus a few degrees.

Maybe the move of the amp to the other side of the room has changed the orientation of its receptor so now it can't see the spurious IR signal?

Physical things...
Maybe the move has physically bumped something back into/outof place? - dry solder joint?
Temperature changes upsetting a capacitor/resistor/battery leading to erratic behaviour?

I suspect that it is one of your remotes that is faulty or the amp's IR receptor.

Good luck.

[DM3000 Owner]

Is anyone out there using a CD Pre 24? I finally picked one up for my office system. What an outstanding piece of equipment. My speakers dissappear on my desk and I have this little 5 foot wide soundstage in front of me on my desk. I am using a pair of ERA DEsign 5 speakers (made by the importers of Musical Fidelity equipment). Great little setup.