I had the original back in the 80’s, within a year had to change the volume control that was covered under warranty and for the next 20 years I never had any issues. To own a piece of gear that long you do have to love it. Sold it for what I paid $500. I’m sure the new and improved version will have people talking for years to come.
It sounds better than the original. Less grainy, more detailed, more refined and it drives speakers better. It does have the same overall colour and character though.
A footnote to my story, after 10 years of running high wattage McIntosh gear I’ve returned to the low wattage Class A world in a Luxman 590axII. If the A1 2.0 was available earlier I would have jump on one. I’ve never gotten listening fatigue from Class A amplification. From my experience the warmth of tubes without the hassle.
I love hearing you talk about the experience of listening to music from the heart. The thought that someone spends their life dedicated to creating music and our endless Pursuit for the Perfect System to somehow preserve and enjoy their work. I am happy to exist. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You.
I just wanted to note that Terry's audio quality in these videos is top notch. The production skills in YT vids these days is very good to be fair, but this is par excellence in voice recording. vocals sound like your in my living room.
I had ma50 monoblok versions of a1/a100 back in the 90's. Had a monster a370 class a for a while too with atc scm40. Amazing. Moved to active atc 50's but still have a soft spot for mf class a. Lovely to see tim de paravaccini's class a designs are pleasing lots of people.
As an insurance clerk in the early 90s, the best I could afford was the A1's little brother the B1, which I loved - until my own little brother blew one of the channels while I was out one day! I still have a soft spot for Musical Fidelity kit, so a new A1 may well find it's way into my house in the near future!
Great review Terry as always. I will say that I find the amp oddly revealing of the source, I use a Chord Qutest but also usually rotate a Rega dac and a meridian dac but for sure the Chord gives the best result by far. Additionally on the direct button I think it is worth trying with and without I think the dynamics are better with the extra 10db gain but there is a little grain added to the top end so it depends on the music as to what is best. To be clear I think the amp is incredible it sounds like it is 10 times as powerful as the numbers suggest so my Rega Brio and Rega Elicit have not been used since I've had this amp and I do really like the Rega amps. For anyone curious the speakers I have used are Harebth P3ESR and M30.1 Wharfdale Denton and Linton plus Neat Iota and Alpha. For anyone extra curious it makes the Denton's sound really good almost to the point that I would say they become the poor mans end game speaker.
8:31 "So, would the more expensive Mission speakers show me some different, maybe shortcomings, of the A1? ... No" At the point I nearly fell off my chair laughing. Literally 30 seconds of laugh out loud amusement. Thanks man, that made my day 👍
Outstanding as always Terry. I Love your passion in these videos and this was no exception. And, the fact that you want an A1 shows me this is one fine piece of audio equipment. Kudos to Musical Fidelity and I better start saving up for one. Thank you and keep up the great work.
13:05 -- spot on. I accidentally had mine set to "direct" mode one weekend and was wondering why the sound was so "meh", until I found out. Still, in some chains "direct" mode might be the better choice, maybe.
Thanks Terry for another comprehensive review, the superb sound and ultra high quality video, keep doing what you do. The quality of your work makes me enjoy even stuff I'm not in the market for.
Yes I owned A 1 and A100 bought in 86 amazing sound perhaps the best deal ever. Reliability was an issue then however . Still worth every penny of the 1200 dollars and 800 dollars I spent on both. Owning both of these amps converted me to class A . The Amps I use now are still class A . Musical fidelity was originally called British fidelity when I bought them in Canada in 86 .I originally also used them on mission speakers the 737 s another great bang for the buck Audio product from England
Direct button just takes out part of the preamp gain circuit. You loose 10db of voltage gain and you get a bit better S/N ratio for a cleaner signal. No effect on current delivery. Choose the gain that suits your source. 32db of gain with the Direct button engaged should be fine for all digital sources of 2V or more of max. output, just adjust the volume control to suit. I'm not sure I get what you're saying regarding this , you're the first one to say such a thing and my personal impression does not agree either. Some say it sounds a tad better with Direct engaged, others say it sounds the same. Which is how it should be by design. Maybe you tried the direct button just with your vinyl? Maybe you have set your Hugo to output too low voltage (like 1V)? Direct is also useful if you use a separate preamp (like in an integrated DAC/AMP). Just set the A1 volume to max. in that case and use it as a power amp.
@@PursuitPerfectSystem I love it! I had to wait about 3 weeks due to demand. Do you think it's worth upgrading the caps? This is a toe-tapping piece of kit!
I have a mint, all-original £300 1990 MF B200 (34 years old at time of writing). I had to return it to MF in rhe 90's, after I burned-out the toroid in a blasting competition with the neighbour! The new toroid repair cost just under £100 IIRC. Perfect condition, still working great! EDIT: You CAN'T wave my B200 around in the air, like the A1 in the video, unless you're Superman! ... It weighs a ton! The controls on my B200 are smooth and positive, and not "clunky." I don't like the captive mains lead. I prefer detachable (as on the A1) as it's easy for the end user to replace the cable, if necessary.
Great review. Thank you. This is a good price point to experiment with class A….. as compared to say a Pass Labs. I’ve been wanting to try, you may have just convinced me….. without breaking the bank. I may give it a go with my Klipsch Cornwall iv’s ! Thanks again.
It benefits from a bit livelier speakers in the top end or inversely it tames a bit too crunchy speakers nicely. Perfect match with the ribbons of my Proac D2R.
Excellent review thank you. I have ended up using a classic class AA integrated amp which sounds amazing so I would recommend class A to anyone over the more common AB types.
Perfect timing, thank you. I’m in the market for an amp to match my Mission 770 speakers. Seems I need to consider the A1. However, I have wondered about pairing the Missions with a Naim amp. Any thoughts, please?
I had a MF 3A/P140 pre/power back in the mid nineties. Lovely class A sound - rich, velvety, gorgeous, and you could fry eggs on it. I would've/should've kept it but got tempted by a more powerful Audiolab 8000C/8000P, which I never enjoyed as much. Not the most 'hifi' of amps but a great listen. I'd worry about long-term reliability though.
I WOULD want one if the lights were eye-friendly green or orange - instead of the terrible eye-killing blue that manufacturers just seem to have to push on us.
The power LED light is very bright and the old me in my very dark room would have found that too bright, but the new me in the new room where there is light it was ok
Unpopular opinion, but I do like to "hear" some bits of music through the gear. Otherwise, it's just the path Robinson takes: just hearing himself talk.
There are so many pitfalls with taking that approach, I did for about 4 years and it’s not straightforward at all. For starters you have copyright issues that you cannot control and also you don’t get paid for those video. So you’re asking people to put in a week or two worth of work for free. I don’t know anyone who can do that sustainably
Considering one of these with my JBL 4349s, currently using an amazing Marantz PM-10 but looking to try another flavor. My only worry is the phono stage, most reviews of these seem to give the same impression of so-so performance in that function. I have external phono gear, but it kind of defeats the purpose of having an integrated if you don't use the built-in features. Was your gripe mostly with the MC input? It seemed like adding the step-up transformer, which I have, helped bump the performance. Thanks for the review!
It's funny that you should mention about the clicky buttons - The downside of recreating a 40-year-old product with.the biggest elephant in the room being it was only ever supposed to be a genius, bargain, entry level, piece of hi-fi at £300, not the £1,600 product it is now.
Says who and why do you think the transistors themselves get hotter than any other Class A amp or indeed many high powered A/B amps when worked hard? The output devices get up to max 65C and this is a decent operating temperature for such devices. The top plate is a heatsink thermally coupled to the output devices, that's why it get hot, to about the same temp the transistors do. Btw the original one burned its potentiometer and rarely destroyed some other things in there but nobody has complained all these years that its output devices die out. So be careful what you're parroting from the internet..
I recently listened to it at a retailer paired with Focals at around €1k (which I was expecting would be a good match - open/ agile sound and lively highs) vs similarly priced integrated amps from Cambridge Audio, Marantz and Denon; not impressed to be honest. It sounded certainly warmer but not bolder and "smaller" more constrained in terms of space and detail. Could it be that the Direct button was pressed? Not sure, tbh, so worth going back to check based on this review!!
Its highlighted on their website - "The A1 is built around a completely discrete and symmetrical Class A topology. It‘s able to output 25W of pure Class A power @ 8 ohms load with 25A of maximum output" Its why it runs so hot
@@PursuitPerfectSystem I'm very confused. (I'm engineer) The data sheet specifications, no the commercial sheet, says: "Amplifier: • Power: 25 Watts per channel into 8 Ohms • Voltage: 42.5 Volts peak to peak • Current: 25 Amps peak to peak • Damping Factor: 150 Please, go numbers... By the way, no consumption numbers at the PSU. Thanks for you reply. I would like test it on laboratory. I'm not a believer after 40 year on sound engineering. Thanks a lot.
Great review Terry! Did you find that the A1 could play loud enough for your liking (understanding that you like to play loud on occasion) driving your Mission 770 speakers?
So how loud did the Missions really get? Do you suspect it slid into B? 25W Class A isn't confidence inspiring for 85/86dB sensitive or 4 & 6 Ohm rated speakers.
I only listen loud so that was not an issue at all, if it slid into class B I couldn't tell so that wouldn't worry me, however you are right on paper you wouldn't think it would be suitable for low sensitivity speakers so that is a common sense consideration - but from my testing 88db seemed ok. 90db with impedance dips like the bowers do seemed ok too so that is a lot of speakers should be fine, but maybe not all.
It actually has a nice feature. On first press it just moves a little, just a twitch. You have to continue pressing for it to start moving smoothly and quite slowly.
I have owned one in, first edition, don't want to own class A today, to expensive in use and you don't need radiator with this one, get really hot. Class D today, use almost no electricity, can have them turned on 24 houers without big bills.
A 100w class d amplifier with a 70% efficiency will use about 133watts of electricity I think, did a google search and that is what came up. So that is the same as the a1
@@PursuitPerfectSystem Maybe, but only when it produces 100 watts not when it doesn't.. The big issue with Class A is that it consumes high power even if it's idle. Btw the new A1 does not consume 130W all the time, I think it is about 80-90 watts. 130W is the max and at that point it is working in Class B.
That was only for the built in phono stage and not for my digital so nothing to do with the 25 watts as that is the same for both. Its more to do with the demands of the cartridge I am using but I dont fully understand this yet to explain it :)
In general max amp power and how much you have to turn the volume control have very little to do with each other. The latter has to do with a. The voltage level of the input signal b. the voltage gain structure of the amp and c. The voltage sensitivity of the speakers. Turning the volume up = sending higher voltage to the speaker = more power is required from the amp. How much power is required for a particular voltage level depends on the current the power consumer (e.g. speakers) demands for the voltage which in turn depends on the impedance of the power consumer (e.g. the speakers) with lower impedance requiring more current (thus more power) given the same voltage. Try to understand all this and you will avoid making ignorant head down - feet up comments in the future.
Everyone's so busy falling over themselves to defend low watt amps that you missed the actual point of the comment. The size and weight simply aren't surprisingly considering the power rating.
No, been through that in real time, original period. Closed my Omeletterie and pancakes shop. It was great then, formidable. Let things be original, no need to have better fakes or re-builds. I won‘t buy heaters anymore, certainly no new ones. doesn‘t fit the time we‘re in. There‘s big sound available with existing or lesser waste of Wattage.
I would consider this amplifier if it wasn't so damn hideous and old looking! If even you can't remember this from the past who did they make this amp for, mummies?
The original A1 WAS STILL CRAP BACK THEN , and CLASS A doesn't mean a damn thing today in audiophile amplifiers . Nothing much changes in hifi audio , including all the usual bull crap reviews of audio products . Wouldn't buy a new one , 25 Watts still goes absolutely no where , The A1 still doesn't sound as good as the old AVI S2000MI amplifiers especially when you use the AVI S2000MI as two separate amplifiers together in a separate left and right mono configuration . Having been in audio for years , nothing much changes in the audiophile world of the hifi game . Yes i tell it as i see it really is , and yes it is just my true opinion .
I had a 300 watt McIntosh here last year and didnt get above 12 watts with it - to keep things in perspective. I have a 50watt amplifier here now that seems more powerful than most hundreds of watts amplifiers.
I love my A1 more and more.
Outstanding amp
I had the original back in the 80’s, within a year had to change the volume control that was covered under warranty and for the next 20 years I never had any issues.
To own a piece of gear that long you do have to love it. Sold it for what I paid $500.
I’m sure the new and improved version will have people talking for years to come.
It sounds better than the original. Less grainy, more detailed, more refined and it drives speakers better. It does have the same overall colour and character though.
A footnote to my story, after 10 years of running high wattage McIntosh gear I’ve returned to the low wattage Class A world in a Luxman 590axII. If the A1 2.0 was available earlier I would have jump on one. I’ve never gotten listening fatigue from Class A amplification. From my experience the warmth of tubes without the hassle.
I love hearing you talk about the experience of listening to music from the heart. The thought that someone spends their life dedicated to creating music and our endless Pursuit for the Perfect System to somehow preserve and enjoy their work. I am happy to exist. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You.
I just wanted to note that Terry's audio quality in these videos is top notch. The production skills in YT vids these days is very good to be fair, but this is par excellence in voice recording. vocals sound like your in my living room.
Thanks Peter for noticing the extra effort I go to, I appreciate it
You gotta ask him how many hours he sits in front of the computer just to edit. Must be nuts!
That was my first amp many years ago! I used to listen to music whilst cooking eggs on the surface of the amplifier. Good souvenirs!
Good point about the use of the direct button! Very thorough review, thanks!
I had ma50 monoblok versions of a1/a100 back in the 90's. Had a monster a370 class a for a while too with atc scm40. Amazing. Moved to active atc 50's but still have a soft spot for mf class a. Lovely to see tim de paravaccini's class a designs are pleasing lots of people.
As an insurance clerk in the early 90s, the best I could afford was the A1's little brother the B1, which I loved - until my own little brother blew one of the channels while I was out one day! I still have a soft spot for Musical Fidelity kit, so a new A1 may well find it's way into my house in the near future!
Great review Terry as always. I will say that I find the amp oddly revealing of the source, I use a Chord Qutest but also usually rotate a Rega dac and a meridian dac but for sure the Chord gives the best result by far. Additionally on the direct button I think it is worth trying with and without I think the dynamics are better with the extra 10db gain but there is a little grain added to the top end so it depends on the music as to what is best. To be clear I think the amp is incredible it sounds like it is 10 times as powerful as the numbers suggest so my Rega Brio and Rega Elicit have not been used since I've had this amp and I do really like the Rega amps. For anyone curious the speakers I have used are Harebth P3ESR and M30.1 Wharfdale Denton and Linton plus Neat Iota and Alpha. For anyone extra curious it makes the Denton's sound really good almost to the point that I would say they become the poor mans end game speaker.
Hey I am using the Qutest with A1 as well, for a little over a month or so. Love the set up.
8:31
"So, would the more expensive Mission speakers show me some different, maybe shortcomings, of the A1? ... No"
At the point I nearly fell off my chair laughing. Literally 30 seconds of laugh out loud amusement. Thanks man, that made my day 👍
Outstanding as always Terry. I Love your passion in these videos and this was no exception. And, the fact that you want an A1 shows me this is one fine piece of audio equipment. Kudos to Musical Fidelity and I better start saving up for one. Thank you and keep up the great work.
Thanks very much, I didnt purchase one but I have been thinking about it but I have some bigger fish to fry at the moment
I had to replay that part and edit my comment. Thanks again and keep up the great work Terry @@PursuitPerfectSystem
Yeah no worries I just thought it was important to be honest with you
13:05 -- spot on. I accidentally had mine set to "direct" mode one weekend and was wondering why the sound was so "meh", until I found out.
Still, in some chains "direct" mode might be the better choice, maybe.
Thanks Terry for another comprehensive review, the superb sound and ultra high quality video, keep doing what you do. The quality of your work makes me enjoy even stuff I'm not in the market for.
Yes I owned A 1 and A100 bought in 86 amazing sound perhaps the best deal ever. Reliability was an issue then however . Still worth every penny of the 1200 dollars and 800 dollars I spent on both. Owning both of these amps converted me to class A . The Amps I use now are still class A . Musical fidelity was originally called British fidelity when I bought them in Canada in 86 .I originally also used them on mission speakers the 737 s another great bang for the buck Audio product from England
i like how you prepared this Review. There are all the Points in your Video that are important for the User! 😊 I say: gut gemacht! 👍🏼
Thank you so much Terry! Your reviews are my favorite!
Would you consider reviewing the Emotiva BasX TA1 or even the TA2?
Direct button just takes out part of the preamp gain circuit. You loose 10db of voltage gain and you get a bit better S/N ratio for a cleaner signal. No effect on current delivery. Choose the gain that suits your source. 32db of gain with the Direct button engaged should be fine for all digital sources of 2V or more of max. output, just adjust the volume control to suit. I'm not sure I get what you're saying regarding this , you're the first one to say such a thing and my personal impression does not agree either. Some say it sounds a tad better with Direct engaged, others say it sounds the same. Which is how it should be by design. Maybe you tried the direct button just with your vinyl? Maybe you have set your Hugo to output too low voltage (like 1V)? Direct is also useful if you use a separate preamp (like in an integrated DAC/AMP). Just set the A1 volume to max. in that case and use it as a power amp.
You AND Tarun LOVED this one! 👍🏼
As well as all other reviewers..
Just got mine! Driving a pair of Martin Logan Motion 40i speakers.
How are you liking it?
@@PursuitPerfectSystem I love it! I had to wait about 3 weeks due to demand. Do you think it's worth upgrading the caps? This is a toe-tapping piece of kit!
Superb review. You describe 25 watts of class A very well. Doge 10b is my main amp.
i am considering this against the Vincent and Circle Audio A200 hybrids. very happy with my Rega Elex MK4
I have a mint, all-original £300 1990 MF B200 (34 years old at time of writing). I had to return it to MF in rhe 90's, after I burned-out the toroid in a blasting competition with the neighbour! The new toroid repair cost just under £100 IIRC. Perfect condition, still working great!
EDIT: You CAN'T wave my B200 around in the air, like the A1 in the video, unless you're Superman! ... It weighs a ton!
The controls on my B200 are smooth and positive, and not "clunky." I don't like the captive mains lead. I prefer detachable (as on the A1) as it's easy for the end user to replace the cable, if necessary.
Hi thanks for another great rivew, love this A1. any chance to see you at Bristal Audio Show next week ? Thanks .
Great review. Thank you.
This is a good price point to experiment with class A….. as compared to say a Pass Labs. I’ve been wanting to try, you may have just convinced me….. without breaking the bank. I may give it a go with my Klipsch Cornwall iv’s ! Thanks again.
Just grabbed mine. Grabbed the Rega P3 50th TT as well. Havent run it much. It does sound excellent.
You can place a pan on A1 top and fry eggs.😂. I loved how it sounds ❤.
Cracking video, Terry 👍. Love my Musical Fidelity gear too.
Had it in my system. It’s got a warm robust presentation but if it only had a bit more on the top end, it would be really an amazing buy.
It benefits from a bit livelier speakers in the top end or inversely it tames a bit too crunchy speakers nicely. Perfect match with the ribbons of my Proac D2R.
I have this amp and I’m so impressed with it… powers my towers pretty damn good
Best looking amp out there, never heard one though, its still a lot of wad, cheers for your review ,
A very nice amp and George Foreman grill into the bargain
Excellent review thank you. I have ended up using a classic class AA integrated amp which sounds amazing so I would recommend class A to anyone over the more common AB types.
Had one of these in the 90s. Fried an egg on it
It always feels good when you're the first one to crack a particular joke..
Perfect timing, thank you. I’m in the market for an amp to match my Mission 770 speakers. Seems I need to consider the A1. However, I have wondered about pairing the Missions with a Naim amp. Any thoughts, please?
Excellent design, looking really great.
I had a MF 3A/P140 pre/power back in the mid nineties. Lovely class A sound - rich, velvety, gorgeous, and you could fry eggs on it. I would've/should've kept it but got tempted by a more powerful Audiolab 8000C/8000P, which I never enjoyed as much. Not the most 'hifi' of amps but a great listen. I'd worry about long-term reliability though.
Still have my 3A/P140 but switched over to a Circle Labs A200, I thought the MF was wonderful until I connected the A200.
People dont realize that 10 watts is a pretty loud volume level.
Makes sense this time of year, bit cold out😂
Why does Pass Labs charge 5 time more for the same amp???
I WOULD want one if the lights were eye-friendly green or orange - instead of the terrible eye-killing blue that manufacturers just seem to have to push on us.
The power LED light is very bright and the old me in my very dark room would have found that too bright, but the new me in the new room where there is light it was ok
@@PursuitPerfectSystem It is quite bright but only if you face it directly is it any annoying.
I used to own the original, and it was excellent into a pair of Castle Chester's, until I had a party 🎉
Unpopular opinion, but I do like to "hear" some bits of music through the gear. Otherwise, it's just the path Robinson takes: just hearing himself talk.
There are so many pitfalls with taking that approach, I did for about 4 years and it’s not straightforward at all. For starters you have copyright issues that you cannot control and also you don’t get paid for those video. So you’re asking people to put in a week or two worth of work for free. I don’t know anyone who can do that sustainably
Considering one of these with my JBL 4349s, currently using an amazing Marantz PM-10 but looking to try another flavor. My only worry is the phono stage, most reviews of these seem to give the same impression of so-so performance in that function. I have external phono gear, but it kind of defeats the purpose of having an integrated if you don't use the built-in features.
Was your gripe mostly with the MC input? It seemed like adding the step-up transformer, which I have, helped bump the performance.
Thanks for the review!
It's funny that you should mention about the clicky buttons - The downside of recreating a 40-year-old product with.the biggest elephant in the room being it was only ever supposed to be a genius, bargain, entry level, piece of hi-fi at £300, not the £1,600 product it is now.
I've bought one for testing purposes (30 day return warranty). I'm so very badly torn between this and the Leak Stereo 230.
Yep this amp is better for a saturday night the Leak will be better for a lazy sunday
Worth considering that for every 10 degree Centigrade increase in the temperature of the output transistors. their life expectancy halves.
Says who and why do you think the transistors themselves get hotter than any other Class A amp or indeed many high powered A/B amps when worked hard? The output devices get up to max 65C and this is a decent operating temperature for such devices. The top plate is a heatsink thermally coupled to the output devices, that's why it get hot, to about the same temp the transistors do. Btw the original one burned its potentiometer and rarely destroyed some other things in there but nobody has complained all these years that its output devices die out. So be careful what you're parroting from the internet..
I recently listened to it at a retailer paired with Focals at around €1k (which I was expecting would be a good match - open/ agile sound and lively highs) vs similarly priced integrated amps from Cambridge Audio, Marantz and Denon; not impressed to be honest. It sounded certainly warmer but not bolder and "smaller" more constrained in terms of space and detail. Could it be that the Direct button was pressed? Not sure, tbh, so worth going back to check based on this review!!
Thanks
Please, how many wats are really "A class". We know all the marketing tricks about class A that goes into B... 1 watt RMS? Thanks in advance.
Its highlighted on their website - "The A1 is built around a completely discrete and symmetrical Class A topology. It‘s able to output 25W of pure Class A power @ 8 ohms load with 25A of maximum output" Its why it runs so hot
@@PursuitPerfectSystem I'm very confused. (I'm engineer) The data sheet specifications, no the commercial sheet, says: "Amplifier:
• Power: 25 Watts per channel into 8 Ohms
• Voltage: 42.5 Volts peak to peak
• Current: 25 Amps peak to peak
• Damping Factor: 150 Please, go numbers... By the way, no consumption numbers at the PSU.
Thanks for you reply. I would like test it on laboratory. I'm not a believer after 40 year on sound engineering. Thanks a lot.
Great review 😍
Thank you! 🤗
Great review (and very nostalgic for me as my dad had one of the originals) but by golly, that styling is ugly - especially the blue lettering!
Instrument separation poor Lax detail. But weirdly enough it did make a few recordings sound great.
Not with the right speakers, you have very low sensitivity hard to drive speakers - its the speakers not the amp - the combo
Hi, please review the Magnat signature 703
Great review Terry! Did you find that the A1 could play loud enough for your liking (understanding that you like to play loud on occasion) driving your Mission 770 speakers?
I only listen loud and louder on the missions than the bowers actually, no problem in that regard
@@PursuitPerfectSystem Thank you.
Can hook up an Arendal 1723 monitor to this amp, and rock out to Van Halen?
Is it powerful enough for 3/5A ?
The return of the George Foreman grill.
Sound … yes please
Reminds me of my old Van Medervoort
So how loud did the Missions really get? Do you suspect it slid into B? 25W Class A isn't confidence inspiring for 85/86dB sensitive or 4 & 6 Ohm rated speakers.
I only listen loud so that was not an issue at all, if it slid into class B I couldn't tell so that wouldn't worry me, however you are right on paper you wouldn't think it would be suitable for low sensitivity speakers so that is a common sense consideration - but from my testing 88db seemed ok. 90db with impedance dips like the bowers do seemed ok too so that is a lot of speakers should be fine, but maybe not all.
@@PursuitPerfectSystem I'll probably decide between the Heaven 11 mk2 and the 8300A! Thanks for the response (looking to drive 2.2, Argon3S + T7x's)
Whould this am pair well with the Evo 4.2?
Yes defo
no XLR and no headphone :(
Is it detailed-but-anemic like the Audiolab or detailed-and-substantial?
It is far from anemic matched with appropriate speakers.
@@razisn Can hook up an Arendal 1723 monitor to this amp, and rock out to Van Halen?
How touchy is the volume adjustment from the remote? I have a denon integrated that is very touchy. Either too high or too low
Fine for me but this might be a personal thing
It actually has a nice feature. On first press it just moves a little, just a twitch. You have to continue pressing for it to start moving smoothly and quite slowly.
I wonder how it will drive my arendals towers 1723s?? Have you reviewed the MF m6si??
89db at 4 ohms might not be the one for them but test it of course to seen
I had a b2oo x❤🎉
I wonder how the A1 would stack up against something like the Unico Primo? Looking for a warmer sounding integrated without losing much in detail.
It’s tremendous value for money, if you prefer a more warm sounding, but less analytic amplifier. It’s definitely not my cup of tea.
Good point well made, its quite analytical with these speakers I tested it with
Pair it with somewhat sparkly speakers and it works wonders.
🙋♂️THANKS TERRY,GREAT NEWS FOR MUSCAL FIDELITY LOVERS 🤗…BUT MY MONEY WOULD GO TO THOMAS’ NEW GALION 75 😁💚💚💚
That’s a power amp not an integrated so not the same
🥹😅SORRY MY MISTAKE …I am old 👨🏻🦳😁
I have owned one in, first edition, don't want to own class A today, to expensive in use and you don't need radiator with this one, get really hot.
Class D today, use almost no electricity, can have them turned on 24 houers without big bills.
A 100w class d amplifier with a 70% efficiency will use about 133watts of electricity I think, did a google search and that is what came up. So that is the same as the a1
@@PursuitPerfectSystem Maybe, but only when it produces 100 watts not when it doesn't.. The big issue with Class A is that it consumes high power even if it's idle. Btw the new A1 does not consume 130W all the time, I think it is about 80-90 watts. 130W is the max and at that point it is working in Class B.
good point well made
In Germany 1600€ - it must prove a huge improvement to convince me… will test it thanks.
Improvement against the original? It definitely is.
No. Against what I have now (an AVR)
@@MasterofpuppetsBS Pretty sure it sounds better than ANY AVR out there.
No. I really wouldn't. Too many bad memories of the original.
That I understand, but this is not the same amp as in 1985 of course, its has to live up to modern expectations.
Would it be over warm sounded if pairing with Linton ,kindly pls advise
Depending on your dac maybe but probably not
Musical Fidelity A1 is actually biased for class A only for the first few watts. It's a widely spread misconception that its "class A".
Its says clearly on the website - 25 watts class pure class a 8 ohms, I dont see why they would lie about something like that.
They don’t call it class A for nothing
I had an A2, I'm sorry I sold it
This thing - 25W? It aint big enough to dissipate 200w continuously for it to be class A, or it runs hot AF.
Another great video Terry.
Which components of the system do you own?
Why is it so expensive?
Could not drive my Buchardt s400s II
87db @ 4 ohms yeah it wont be ideal for them
How could you tell?
lol, I still have B200
"Turning the volume up quite a lot more" because it's only 25 watts.
That was only for the built in phono stage and not for my digital so nothing to do with the 25 watts as that is the same for both.
Its more to do with the demands of the cartridge I am using but I dont fully understand this yet to explain it :)
In general max amp power and how much you have to turn the volume control have very little to do with each other. The latter has to do with a. The voltage level of the input signal b. the voltage gain structure of the amp and c. The voltage sensitivity of the speakers. Turning the volume up = sending higher voltage to the speaker = more power is required from the amp. How much power is required for a particular voltage level depends on the current the power consumer (e.g. speakers) demands for the voltage which in turn depends on the impedance of the power consumer (e.g. the speakers) with lower impedance requiring more current (thus more power) given the same voltage. Try to understand all this and you will avoid making ignorant head down - feet up comments in the future.
Um, you can hold it in one hand because it's a measly 25 watts.
How many watts are you currently using? Not what the amp can do, how manby are you using?
What's the weight of 1 watt?
Class A power is a different animal...my sugden @ 30 watts is plenty....
😂
Everyone's so busy falling over themselves to defend low watt amps that you missed the actual point of the comment. The size and weight simply aren't surprisingly considering the power rating.
I have heard so many good and bad things about this amp, and without getting a chance to hear them before buying, Im left dangling on the fence.
I haven't heard ANY bad things about this particular amp. Where did you hear those? For 1600 bucks it's a steal.
No, been through that in real time, original period. Closed my Omeletterie and pancakes shop. It was great then, formidable. Let things be original, no need to have better fakes or re-builds. I won‘t buy heaters anymore, certainly no new ones. doesn‘t fit the time we‘re in. There‘s big sound available with existing or lesser waste of Wattage.
For more money maybe but at this price I am not so sure
I would consider this amplifier if it wasn't so damn hideous and old looking! If even you can't remember this from the past who did they make this amp for, mummies?
Sugden A 21 es mejor
Not in my experience
I already own a Constellation Inspiration integrated amp, so respectfully, no I won’t want one.
The original A1 WAS STILL CRAP BACK THEN , and CLASS A doesn't mean a damn thing today in audiophile amplifiers . Nothing much changes in hifi audio , including all the usual bull crap reviews of audio products . Wouldn't buy a new one , 25 Watts still goes absolutely no where , The A1 still doesn't sound as good as the old AVI S2000MI amplifiers especially when you use the AVI S2000MI as two separate amplifiers together in a separate left and right mono configuration . Having been in audio for years , nothing much changes in the audiophile world of the hifi game . Yes i tell it as i see it really is , and yes it is just my true opinion .
The new one is not Crap Ian, its awesome for the money - the end
NOTHING IS ABSOLUTELY AWSOME , especially when it comes to passive audio systems full stop , and that is the true end .
$1700 for 25 watts? No. I don't want one.
I had a 300 watt McIntosh here last year and didnt get above 12 watts with it - to keep things in perspective. I have a 50watt amplifier here now that seems more powerful than most hundreds of watts amplifiers.