Club Musical Fidelity

[tonych31]

Why did you convert from Arcam 85 to MF.

[alebonau]

Why did you convert from Arcam 85 to MF.

Yasvanth posted earlier back here tony

http://www.htguide.com/forum/showpost.php4?p=290872&postcount=166

Hi Alebonau,

You won't believe this, but I am using a Arcam CD 72T, Michell Gyrodec/QC Power supply. My speakers are the Kef Ref 1:2, and the sound is just fantastic. I must say when I owned the Arcam A85 & P85 amplifiers I was pretty disappointed with its sound quality, its just lacked the big powerful exciting sound, but it was very good with R'n'B music. That's why I decided to go for the MF A5cr Pre and Pwr after it received fantastic reviews in Hifi World and Hifi News, and I must say it is worth every penny that I paid for on Ebay. There something else that I didn't tell you was, that the person who sold it to me was Mr David Allcock who works for Hifi News so this is the exact pair which was reviewed in the magazine, how lucky I am, so they were only used either for a couple of hours or days.

Yasvanth

[Yasvanth]

Hello Tony,

Well even though the Arcam A85 was highly recommended in What Hifi? and I think Hifi Choice, I just found that it just lacked that big enveloping sound that I wanted. It did have fantastic detail and excitement, but even with the P85 that I also bought at the same time. Being honest it wasn't that good. I used them with a Arcam CD72T and Kef Ref 1:2 speakers and I don't think they were good enough for them.

But now that I have purchased the MF A5 Pre & Pwr amps well the sound quality is just in a different league. Here is the big powerful enveloping sound that I crave for and refinement which is also great with thin and compressed recordings eg Pop and Rock. Its almost perfect except for the speaker cables which I think are holding back the full potential of the true power of this system.

All The Best
Yas

[Blewis]

Hi Yasvanth,

I am rather new on this forum, so I will introduce myself: I am an audio enthusiast from Holland and since one year I own the MF A5 integrated and A5 CD. Actually, I sold the A5 Integrated just 2 weeks ago, because a month earlier I had the A5cr power on demo for a week wich made me realize how good my B&W 803s can sound. I am considering now to buy the A5 Pre/power combo and I will get them most likely this week for demo to find out if the pre-amp can make the sound even better, if not then my NAD T762 surround receiver will remain the preamp.
Anyways, I can advise you NBS Dragon/Fly speakercable. I haven't tested much cables, but this was the best I could find for my taste and budget. It is single wire, and premanufactured with bananaplugs or spade connectors (I have the spade version, not biwired).
The sound is very fast and clean, with smooth midrange and tight, dry bass.
I also have the NBS dragon/fly interconnect for the cd player.

BTW, congrats on your A5 pre/power purchase!
Regards, Louis

[Yasvanth]

Hello Louis,

I have never heard of NBS Dragon speaker cable before. Anyway if you are planning to demo the MF A5cr Pre and Pwr please be kind to tell me how it went as I would love to know what you think of it's sound quality.
Just out of interest, what sort of music do you normally listen to at home?
The other thing that I almost forgot to tell you was that most MF owners that I have contacted always seem to recommend Chord Company or Nordost cables which are best suited for MF amplifers and CD players. Have you tried these?

Happy Listening

Yasvanth (UK)

[Blewis]

Hi Yasvanth,

NBS is an American brand, http://www.nbscables.com. Dragon/fly is not on their website, so I think its only available in Europe?? The dragon/fly cable is the entry level cable of NBS.
I listen to different kinds of music, (slow) rock, pop, some jazz, not classical music.
I don't know Chord Company, I auditioned Nordost Blue Heaven a few years ago, I can remember that it had a rather dry, not very involving sound, a little bass shy. But this was not on MF gear so that will probably not tell much.
Ofcourse I will share my findings on the pre/power demo.
Can you tell me what kind of cable you use between pre and power amp? Is it recommended to use the same brand/type of cable as for CD to amp?

Thanks,
Louis

[alebonau]

Hi Yasvanth,

I am rather new on this forum, so I will introduce myself: I am an audio enthusiast from Holland and since one year I own the MF A5 integrated and A5 CD. Actually, I sold the A5 Integrated just 2 weeks ago, because a month earlier I had the A5cr power on demo for a week wich made me realize how good my B&W 803s can sound. I am considering now to buy the A5 Pre/power combo and I will get them most likely this week for demo to find out if the pre-amp can make the sound even better, if not then my NAD T762 surround receiver will remain the preamp.
Anyways, I can advise you NBS Dragon/Fly speakercable. I haven't tested much cables, but this was the best I could find for my taste and budget. It is single wire, and premanufactured with bananaplugs or spade connectors (I have the spade version, not biwired).
The sound is very fast and clean, with smooth midrange and tight, dry bass.
I also have the NBS dragon/fly interconnect for the cd player.

BTW, congrats on your A5 pre/power purchase!
Regards, Louis

louis thats exactly along the lines of my impressions. Although the A5 integrated does a fine job. And it is a top notch integrated when demoing the pre-pwr instore it really did take things to a good step up, commensurate in the extra price that they command in my opinion.

And yes please do demo the pre vs avr driving the pwr amp. In 2ch I reckon the importance of a pre is very understimated. A lot of it though does come back to the rest of the system/context so really worth demoing for your self and do post back your impressions.

[Yasvanth]

Hello Louis,

Yes you asked me what sort of interconnects I am using between my MF A5's . Well I was using VDH D102 mk111 but just found the midrange too smooth and unexciting for my liking. So I purchase two pairs of Nordost Red Dawn interconnects second hand of course from Ebay. One pair was connected between the A5 Pre & Pwr amps and the other between my Arcam CD72T and A5 Pre, well that boosted the excitement no end, the sound was much more faster, clearer and exciting to listen to.

I would like to buy a pair of Nordost Red Dawn Biamped spk cables but it is just far too expensive for me to afford. Do you think the Nordost Blue Heaven Biamped Spk cable will bring a more faster and exciting sound to these refined sounding amps?

My interest in music is mostly Pop, Rock, R'n'B, Rock'n'Roll, Dance and acoustic music but not jazz and classical as I prefer more beaty driven music.

Thanks
Yasvanth

[peter clarke]

kW500 bi-amped with kW750

I had this player for 6 months then it wouldn't read SACD. It was returned and a new replacement had same problem after 1 day!!!!! I got a refund and am about to replace with T&A D-10 SACD. I need reliability. Dealer in Sydney said " a transport problem". The tray always seemed very flimsy. I have a kW500 with B&W 800D. Hope my new system is OK.

is this a good upgrade with B&W 800D's?????? they love power

[Yasvanth]

hi sugarmedia,

Yes I have, and I own them. But you will have to ask me more detailed questions about the A5cr pre and pwr amps.

I await your reply.

Yas

[Yasvanth]

MF A5cr Pre & Pwr Killer Amps

Has anyone seen ANY Musical Fidelit A5 reviews that have been posted by consumers and not audio magazines?

Hi

I am a consumer and I own both the MF A5cr Pre & Pwr amplifiers and they are just fantastic for my every day needs.
Please feel free to ask me any questions regarding the A5cr amplifiers.

All The Best
Yas

[tonych31]

Hi Yasvanth and Al

How much in musical detail difference is there between the A5 Integrated Amp versus the A5 Pre Pro ?

Percentage wise for Bass, High, Midrange, Soundstage etc.

Regards

Tony

[tonych31]

I am thinking maybe I will get the A5 integrated amp for the meantime, and then later on when funds allow, get the A5 pre and hook it with the A5 Int Amp using its power amp. Would this be a viable option.

[Yasvanth]

Hi Tony

Unfortunately I did not get the chance to demo the A5 Integrated when I listened to A5 Pre&Pwr at my local dealer. But from what I have heard is that it is a far more refined probably smoother sound with less slam and pace then the other two.

Best thing is to await Al's reply as he has listened to both the A5 and the A5r Pre & Pwr in comparison.

All The Best
Yas

[alebonau]

I am thinking maybe I will get the A5 integrated amp for the meantime, and then later on when funds allow, get the A5 pre and hook it with the A5 Int Amp using its power amp. Would this be a viable option.

this wont work touchy. you cant just use the integrated as a power amp. check out the integrated on its own. Its actually a very good amp. another similar price amp to try wiht a ht bypass is the krell kav400 integrated.

[alebonau]

Hi Yasvanth and Al

How much in musical detail difference is there between the A5 Integrated Amp versus the A5 Pre Pro ?

Percentage wise for Bass, High, Midrange, Soundstage etc.

Regards

Tony

the a5 integrated does a fine job for detail, soundstage width and depth, dynamics etc. The A5 pre-pwr is more explicit in detail and clarity and has more slam, dynamics, bite and grip. Both pre-pwr and integrated have a beautiful enveloping and open sound typical of MF. Demo both combos if you can. REally the pre-pwr is twice as much of cost as the integrated. REally need to decide for your self in yoru system if the jump up in price is worth it to you for the sonic returns.

[tonych31]

Krell Kav400 is nice but is $A1000 more than the MFA5.

[tonych31]

My speaker is Sonus Faber Domus Grand Piano with a power handling of 30 - 200w without clipping. Would that be able to handle the MF A5 250 watt ?

[Blewis]

Yasvanth, alebonau,

For the interconnect I completely agree with you, I also have the Van den Hul D102 mk111, I also found it to be slightly unexiting and too smooth. Bass is also not so tight and precise compared to NBS DragonFly. I think that the character of Nordost and NBS cables are similar, where NBS is a bit warmer sounding. I will check out marktplaats or Ebay and try to get a Nordost Interconnect to compare.

BTW, I just got a call from the dealer, the demo set will be postphoned to next week. :cry:

Happy tweaking and listening
Louis

[alebonau]

My speaker is Sonus Faber Domus Grand Piano with a power handling of 30 - 200w without clipping. Would that be able to handle the MF A5 250 watt ?

no probs at all.

[Yasvanth]

MF A5cr PRE & PWR HUMMERS

Hi Al

I Hope You Can Help Me Out As A Fellow Mf A5 Pre & Pwr Owner.

The Last Time I Spoke To You I Mentioned The Humming Noise Coming From Both Speakers Only When I Place My Ear Right Next To The Speaker Cone. You Did Say It Could Be The R Frame Transformers.

I Did Send Both Pre & Pwr Amps Back To Mf And They Did Move The Transformer Further Away In The Pre. But When They Both Came Back That Humming Noise Was Still There.

Is There Any That I Could Do To Rectify This Small Problem ?

Thanks

Yas

[alebonau]

Hi Al

I Hope You Can Help Me Out As A Fellow Mf A5 Pre & Pwr Owner.

The Last Time I Spoke To You I Mentioned The Humming Noise Coming From Both Speakers Only When I Place My Ear Right Next To The Speaker Cone. You Did Say It Could Be The R Frame Transformers.

I Did Send Both Pre & Pwr Amps Back To Mf And They Did Move The Transformer Further Away In The Pre. But When They Both Came Back That Humming Noise Was Still There.

Is There Any That I Could Do To Rectify This Small Problem ?

Thanks

Yas

as I mentioned to you Yas the sound is pretty small and can only be heard by me if putting my right next to the speaker cones. Not audible at all any further or at the listening postion so not been a concern for me. I posted way back early on this thread that I checked this out myself before purchase. I believe it is related to the two choke transformers used in the design on top of the torroidal that is used for main power supply. Need to decide for your self whether an issue for you or not. maybe push MF a bit further if something of concern. For me though just sitting back in the listenign position and taking in its sweet sounds !

[Angioguy]

Anybody out there who wants to sell an MF Tri Vista SACD player?

[Yasvanth]

Hi

Have any other HT members managed to listen to the MF A5cr Pre & Pwr amps?
What is there own opinion?

Yas

[tonych31]

It was actually featured in hifi choice mag (beautiful systems sections) and it was partnered with Monitor Audio Signature Gold series.

[Yasvanth]

Hi Tony,

In what issue of Hifi Choice was this in, because I must have missed it?

Do you know what Hifi Choice said about the MF A5cr Pre & Pwr amps?

Thanks

Yas

[alebonau]

Hi Tony,

In what issue of Hifi Choice was this in, because I must have missed it?

Do you know what Hifi Choice said about the MF A5cr Pre & Pwr amps?

Thanks

Yas

you can read it here Yas. It was in their beautifull system feature.

http://www.musicalfidelity.com/reviews/pdf/a5crpow/HiFi_choice_sept_06.pdf

as with most reviews of mf gear in the press, you'll find a copy in their review section on the MF website.

[Yasvanth]

Thanks Al

Just now read the review, but it didn't impress me that much on the capabilities of the system. I think the reviewer didn't go into much detail on the A5 Pre & A5 Pwr amps and I feel the reviewer was slightly reserved in really describing the quality of this set up. He didn't say what sort of interconnects, speaker cables or power cables that was used. Also he didn't play a wide range of music was a bit of a let down eg Pop, Dance,R'n'B etc.

What do you think of the review that David Vivian did?

All The Best
Yas

[alebonau]

Thanks Al

Just now read the review, but it didn't impress me that much on the capabilities of the system. I think the reviewer didn't go into much detail on the A5 Pre & A5 Pwr amps and I feel the reviewer was slightly reserved in really describing the quality of this set up. He didn't say what sort of interconnects, speaker cables or power cables that was used. Also he didn't play a wide range of music was a bit of a let down eg Pop, Dance,R'n'B etc.

What do you think of the review that David Vivian did?

All The Best
Yas

reviews are reviews yas, I read them more for the interest value. but realy dont read anymore into them. Anyways whats a review matter when you got the real thing in front of you ? hehe

I think it was an ill balanced system to be honest. I've heard the RS8 MA, I would have partnered a more capable speaker to this combo. I think the KW transport/dac didnt belong in there either. The MF A5cd is a perfect partner to the pre-pwr I think and the money saved much better put towards a better speaker I think. As I said though its only a review, and this is jsut my view... hehe

[Yasvanth]

Hi Al,

I totally agree with you that the system was imbalanced. They were using £800 speakers with a £3000 amps, but as you said, if they had used the A5 CD player and speakers in the £1200 - £1500 price range it would have been far more balanced set up.

Happy Listening.

Yas

[alebonau]

Hi Al,

I totally agree with you that the system was imbalanced. They were using £800 speakers with a £3000 amps, but as you said, if they had used the A5 CD player and speakers in the £1200 - £1500 price range it would have been far more balanced set up.

Happy Listening.

Yas

I've heard those amps with quite a few speakers yas some $8,000-$10,000 australian (or~£3000) range and certainly they do a top job and quite capable. Yes I think it would have been well worth allowing more on speakers in that case I reckon.

[tonych31]

Yesterday I had the chance to demo the MF A5 and the Krell Kav 440 (200 watts).
Here is my opinion. The Krell which is $A1000 more is more detailed, better high and excellent slam on the bottom. However, there are some instances that it irritates me especially when it is horns or guitar instruments. The MF on the other hand is on the neutral side, and very smooth. However, It didn't have the punch on the bottom end. One will need a good sub on this one. Krell is suited for fast music such as pop and rock while MF is suited for smooth jazz, vocals, and classical. Since I am now in my mid 40's, my music taste has changed. Therefore I am sticking with smooth amp such as MF. By the way , the speaker was Focal MJ lab and the CD player was MF C5.

[KrisKeen]

Interesting thoughts on the MF vs Krell

Did you listen to this at Len Wallis? if so, I think you listned to my speakers (he had them on display for me, the Focal JMLab 1007 BE) I too listened to the Krell vs MF and thought the Krell was cold, lifeless and harsh.

I turned it off after 5minutes

I am listening to the MF A5i at home at the moment, a member from another forum has been nice enough to let me test it at home. So far its pretty sweet

[KrisKeen]

Hi Guys


MF A5i in with my Focal 1007s. Great so far!

Anyone know the breakin period for the A5i???

Cheers
K

[tonych31]

Mfa5

Yes I had the demo at Len Wallis. The Krell was a bit harsh for my ears as well but it was a bit more detailed. I don't think I can justify the extra $1000 for it.

Interesting thoughts on the MF vs Krell

Did you listen to this at Len Wallis? if so, I think you listned to my speakers (he had them on display for me, the Focal JMLab 1007 BE) I too listened to the Krell vs MF and thought the Krell was cold, lifeless and harsh.

I turned it off after 5minutes

I am listening to the MF A5i at home at the moment, a member from another forum has been nice enough to let me test it at home. So far its pretty sweet

[alebonau]

I came to similar conclusions in regards the krell kav 400 with my speakers when home demoed it few years back. Was a bit dissapointed back then as really thought it might have been 'it' but turned out to really not be my thing. Perhaps with different speakers or for some one with different tastes it might be exactly what theye after. But not for me..

[Yasvanth]

Musical Fidelity A5

Hi Guys


MF A5i in with my Focal 1007s. Great so far!

Anyone know the breakin period for the A5i???

Cheers
K

Hello, Did you also get the chance to listen to the MF A5cr Pre & Pwr amps when you auditioned the A5 Integrated amp?
The A5 Integrated is very good but the A5 Pre & Pwr are in a different league altogether they have terrific poise,slam and power, but also have far far greater power reserves .With 415 watts in 4 ohms to play with. They also come with a MM/MC phono stage.

What sort of interconnects and speaker cables are you using to get the best out of it?
Thanks

Yas

[Yasvanth]

MF A5cr PRE & PWR AMPS COULD BE CABLE DEPENDENT.

Hi Al,

I have just realised why my midrange was a touch boomy or smoothed off with my MF A5cr Pre & Pwr amps. This was due to the pwr cable that I was using. Last night I did an experiment. I have been using a VDH Mainsstream cable which was connected to the Pwr amp and the free cable that comes in the box to the Pre amp, so I decided to swap the Pwr cables round, so now the VDH Mainsstream is now connected to the Pre and the cheap cable is plugged into the A5cr Pwr.
Well the test was dramatic to say the least, the boomy midrange had gone and the music just sounded so much faster and tighter.
So if your a Hifi enthusiast it's always good to experiment with cables.

Just out of interest, what sort of pwr cables are you using to connect your monster A5 CR PRE & PWR AMPLIFIERS together?

Can you recommend any pwr cables that have a very fast and detailed sound, that would be suitable for my A5cr Pwr amplifier?

Thanks once again.

Yas

[KrisKeen]

I some times question a power cable

How can 30cm of power cable make a difference in a power grid of THOUSANDS of kilometers of power cable?

Doesnt make sense...

[Guy]

I some times question a power cable

How can 30cm of power cable make a difference in a power grid of THOUSANDS of kilometers of power cable?

Doesnt make sense...

I agree.

It is better to purchase a power conitioner first or in conjunction with power cables.

The theory is to firstly clean the power coming from the outlet & then transmit it through a good quality shielded power cable.

I don't believe in paying too much for a good quality power cable as I believe you reach the law of diminishing returns very quickly in this area.

[KrisKeen]

Guy

Do you know of any MF A5 CD's going around AU ?

I cant find any on the used market and I'm not paying retail or near retail for them...

Cheers
Kris

[Guy]

Guy

Do you know of any MF A5 CD's going around AU ?

I cant find any on the used market and I'm not paying retail or near retail for them...

Cheers
Kris

I don't know of any retailer who has second hand units for sale. I did not pay full retail for mine. I received approx 15% discount on my purchase which ened up costing $3500 about a yeart ago.

Worth keeping an eye on ebay as I have seen A5's for sale there before.

[alebonau]

theres a guy on ebay that buys mf and marantz stuff in HK and re-sells on ebay oz if you have a look kris, maybe you can get him to get hold of an mf a5 cd.

thats said as per guy, I didnt pay rrp either, with a good bit of arm twisting you'll be suprised what you could get it for.

[Yasvanth]

Guy

Do you know of any MF A5 CD's going around AU ?

I cant find any on the used market and I'm not paying retail or near retail for them...

Cheers
Kris

Hello Kris,

If you are thinking of buying a MF A5 cd player, one word of warning, make sure that the cd tray is not loose or noisey as there have been rumours from owners who have complained about the build quality of the A5 cd player as being poor, but this is only a small percentage of owners.

Oh I almost forgot, there is a chap from Melbourne, Austrailia who is selling a MF A5 CD Player on Ebay if you are interested.

All the best
Yas

[Yasvanth]

Hi everybody,

Is there anybody else other than Al or myself who has heard the MF A5 Pre and Pwr amps or maybe even owns them?

As they are truly wonderful amps that would last a life time with there fantastic build quality.

Yas