 |
| Musical Fidelity A1 |
|
This
is one of those little amplifiers that I've always wanted to hear for
years but didn't get a chance until today. You probably know the
history: designed by Tim de Paravicini, may he rest in peace, this
integrated was very popular in the mid-80s and very hot running, but
providing that Class A magic for a relative bargain. It was apparently
Musical Fidelity's biggest seller. It wasn't without its
well-documented issues with noisy volume controls and switching, but
this particular unit seemed to have held up quite well over the years.
How
does it sound? Like my Aleph J clone, very Class A. But also very
British polite. I would say the phono stage doesn't quite stack up to
my (much more expensive) tubed Audio Research SP8, but the amplification
portion was a real surprise. In my small/medium sized listening room
it had no problem driving the 88dB efficinet KEF R500 towers. Lower
bass, like on my UK pressing of the Bee Gees - Trafalgar - was deep and
controlled. The midrange is quite magical, but the sense of dynamics
work better with Chet Baker jazz albums then say something like AC/DC.
There is a distinct lack of glare and edge in the treble, the overall
sound hewing further to the warmer side than neutral.
So
overall a nice little integrated - that runs so hot that after an hour
of use I can only hold my hand on top for a half a second before I fear
getting burned. Not a good napping place for those with cats, or
children with curious hands! Nonetheless, back in the past I would have
been very happy with this amplifier since it images quite well and does
a very good job with vocals. And it is the sort of sound that makes me
search through my stack of records and pull out some old favorites.
Very much a music lover's amp than audiophile-extremis.
This
is one of those little amplifiers that I've always wanted to hear for
years but didn't get a chance until today. You probably know the
history: designed by Tim de Paravicini, may he rest in peace, this
integrated was very popular in the mid-80s and very hot running, but
providing that Class A magic for a relative bargain. It was apparently
Musical Fidelity's biggest seller. It wasn't without its
well-documented issues with noisy volume controls and switching, but
this particular unit seemed to have held up quite well over the years.
How
does it sound? Like my Aleph J clone, very Class A. But also very
British polite. I would say the phono stage doesn't quite stack up to
my (much more expensive) tubed Audio Research SP8, but the amplification
portion was a real surprise. In my small/medium sized listening room
it had no problem driving the 88dB efficinet KEF R500 towers. Lower
bass, like on my UK pressing of the Bee Gees - Trafalgar - was deep and
controlled. The midrange is quite magical, but the sense of dynamics
work better with Chet Baker jazz albums then say something like AC/DC.
There is a distinct lack of glare and edge in the treble, the overall
sound hewing further to the warmer side than neutral.
So
overall a nice little integrated - that runs so hot that after an hour
of use I can only hold my hand on top for a half a second before I fear
getting burned. Not a good napping place for those with cats, or
children with curious hands! Nonetheless, back in the past I would have
been very happy with this amplifier since it images quite well and does
a very good job with vocals. And it is the sort of sound that makes me
search through my stack of records and pull out some old favorites.
Very much a music lover's amp than audiophile-extremis.
This is one of those little amplifiers that I've always wanted to hear
for years but didn't get a chance until today. You probably know the
history: designed by Tim de Paravicini, may he rest in peace, this
integrated was very popular in the mid-80s and very hot running, but
providing that Class A magic for a relative bargain. It was apparently
Musical Fidelity's biggest seller. It wasn't without its
well-documented issues with noisy volume controls and switching, but
this particular unit seemed to have held up quite well over the years.
How does it sound? Like my Aleph J clone, very Class A. But also very
British polite. I would say the phono stage doesn't quite stack up to
my (much more expensive) tubed Audio Research SP8, but the amplification
portion was a real surprise. In my small/medium sized listening room
it had no problem driving the 88dB efficient KEF R500 towers. Lower
bass, like on my UK pressing of the Bee Gees - Trafalgar - was deep and
controlled. The midrange is quite magical, but the sense of dynamics
work better with Chet Baker jazz albums then say something like AC/DC.
There is a distinct lack of glare and edge in the treble, the overall
sound hewing further to the warmer side than neutral.
So overall a nice little integrated - that runs so hot that after an
hour of use I can only hold my hand on top for a half a second before I
fear getting burned. Not a good napping place for those with cats, or
children with curious hands! Nonetheless, back in the past I would have
been very happy with this amplifier since it images quite well and does
a very good job with vocals. And it is the sort of sound that makes me
search through my stack of records and pull out some old favorites.
Very much a music lover's amp than audiophile-extremis.
Review System:
Thorens TD-309 turntable with Ortofon 2M Bronze
Cardas Iridium interconnects
KEF R500 speakers with Cardas Twinlink speaker cable
