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In Reply to: RE: REVIEW: Musical Fidelity A308cr Amplifier (SS) posted by readargos on August 08, 2014 at 19:48:08
Nice review but I would definitely hesitate to call any Musical Fidelity gear "tube like"...even the Nuvista amp didn't sound particularly tube like and it was a hybrid design. I have also heard a number of the Kw series and I would agree with the detail and somewhat bright sound but this is not really what top tube amps sound like from experience.
What tube gear have you compared the A308 with? Just curious to know where the seemingly contradictory statements are coming from.
Follow Ups:
I've had a few changes in the system lately - had the amp recapped (my capacitors finally went bad) and acquired a new-old-stock kW phonostage, which led me to revisit AudioQuest interconnect cables. It also underscores the importance of system context. With AQ, the system sounds almost inescapably solid-state; with Cardas, more tubelike. Others have observed that Cardas cables share traits with the sound of tube amps, so I'm not alone in my observation.
Some people don't like the Musical Fidelity sound from this era. That is not a wrong choice, but with amplification this open and transparent, you cannot disregard the importance of cabling and system context. I'm continuing to find that I can "tune" the Musical Fidelity gear to sound almost any way I want with cabling choices. That speaks to highly transparent electronics with a see-through quality.
I don't mean to suggest the A308 is all things to all people. That's why there is so much diversity in our hobby - so many paths to musical truth in the home. However, for those who are more on the fence about fully committing to valve technology, I think the Musical Fidelity gear of this vintage is a viable option, particularly the A3, A3.2, and A308. I've not had experience with the A3.5, Nu-Vista or Tri-Vista gear, but I understand they share the same basic circuit topology - these are all "variations on a theme", with better build quality and less compromise as you move up in price.
With the kW line, I think Musical Fidelity went a different direction sonically. I don't find the kW phono dark or closed in, per se, but it is weighted more to the bass than the product lines mentioned above, which causes a shift in our perception.
Thanks again for all the comments, and sharing of experiences, on this thread.
include T+A V 10 integrated and D 10 CD (may have the models wrong); Aesthetix Callisto + Atlas, Rogue Hera + Apollo; BAT VK-D5 CD + VK-3 + VK-250; BAT VK D5 CD + BAT VK300se. I’ve owned the Ah! Njoe Tjoeb 2000 CD player (kinda low-end on this list) and the BAT VK-60. I had the VK-60 not long before the A308 driving the same Electra 915.1 speakers. I’ve heard other stuff, including some McIntosh and Audio Research among the more popular brands, but not enough to have much opinion.
It may depend on what one listens for. Ayre is another brand of solid-state equipment reputed/intended to sound tube-like (to capture the "air" of tubes). I understand what Ayre is going for, and I like what I've heard, but I would call it less tube-like than the MF gear. However, I don't mean to suggest that either MF or Ayre would satisfy listeners who really want the tube sound.
well all i can say is i would never classify the MF gear as tube like sound. I have even heard their AMS series, which is kind of soft and warm sounding but not in the wayof good tubes. OTLs sound much less soft but still like tubes.
it's clear you have more experience with tubes than I, and for that I'm mildly jealous. Have you heard any transistor designs you'd classify as tubelike?
Well the Threshold T series was somewhat liquid in a tube(ish) like manner but lacked that 3d something and inner glow you get with good tubes (particularly SETs).
Also the BAT VK200 and VK500 were sort of tubey like...they were even designed kind of like OTL tube amps. However, they are somewhat overly dark sounding.
THe one thing I have found, especially now with my NAT single ended hybrid, is that if there is a transistor driving the output of an amp it will never sound like a tube. The transfer function and the distortion generated seem to be just too different.
For a long time I had a hybrid Sphinx Project 14, which is still one of the better hybrids I have heard. But as soon as I hooked up a pair of KR Audio Kronzillas to my system (also a hybrid but with tube output) it was game over for anything push/pull although not necessarily tube output.
THe NAT does everything you could think from a single ended amp and an OTL amp...except generate that inner lit sound and the last word in holographic 3d imaging (still very good but not reference in that area). It is so close to perfection...and so far.
THe final topology for me to try at this point is a true single ended OTL (SEOTL) that is all tube. I know of only one at this point and it is a kit but that doesn't bother me.
I agree BAT solid-state is a little dark. I haven't heard Threshold, NAT or Spinx Project. I believe Tim de Paravicini's EAR/Yoshino M100A was another solid-state design intended to sound tubelike, but another I've not heard. De Paravicini, like Victor Khomenko, gravitates toward tubes, but both designers claim they can get the sound they want from either topology.
Re: getting solid state to sound tubelike, I find fascinating an older article from Stereophile, "The Carver Challenge". You can do an internet search for carver challenge stereophile if the link doesn't post.
Thanks again for sharing your experience.
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