Musical Fidelity A1 integrated amp

MY son turned 18 recently has developed an interest in latin jazz lately. He still listens too R&B mainly. He kept borrowing mY Jazz Cds so I had duplicated him quite a few on TDK CDRs (Music) burned real time using my Pioneer 509 CD Recorder.
8 years ago I'd set up a system in his bedroom using my old hot running class A Musical Fidelity A1 (recently repaired and installed with an Alps volume pot), my old and first ever CD player a Marantz CD50, and a pair of old JPW Sonatas. I had given up listening to Cds a few months after the Marantz purchase, then bewildered, completely rejected digital sound then and returned to my trusty analogue front end. I only started buying CDs again 10 years later and bought a Rotel 971. The MF was bought out of interest upon rave reviews for my second system. Didn't think much of it then and didn't like it running hot. So put it aside for sometime till my son requested I install in his room.
Since he is now into serious music (jazz that is heh, no offence R&B fans) I had his system checked and cleaned and installed new cables last week and we sat and listened. Whaaaaalla! First thing that struck me was how cohesive and synergistic the system sounds on good recordings. Something I never bothered when he was playing R&B discs. Think first of all there wasn't much wrong in the Marantz CD 50, just a case of the early CDs were not well engineered. The Sonatas were from our first AV set up and sounded pretty fulsome and detailed for such small cheapos. Yet I think central to all this is he A1 Which is filling his room with the magical sound.
So with renewed interest I replaced the amp in his room with a Pioneer A400 for a few days and took the A1 and installed in my current second system, a classic Rega 3 TT, Rogers Studio 3 speakers and the A1 replacing the A400 doing the normal duty. Surprise, surprise, the resulting sound is like a major upgrade to say the least.
Now he wants it back, saying the Pioneer looks ugly and he likes the modern look of the A1. Modern?!!!!

haha

I also have the A1 and agree that it sounds very musical & ...... magical to someone. You can feel that the music is swinging! Too bad is it is underpowered, fussy when selecting speakers. Currently I am using the 87db mini monitor with
active sub. Just ngam ngam only.

Sometime ago, I sent for my friend to change new caps (those caps are too old). He also put a switch to to disable the preamp section. Can switch back to integrated mode.

Then I use a passive preamp for the A1. Surprise! the A1 sounded cleaner, more neutral, direct.

Cheers!

Nowadays with the internet you'd find useful write ups on renowned old gear, avid followers and collectors, and numerous modifications to improve these.
Been reading a lot on my beloved Linn LP12 and Spendor SP1/2.
Noted that MF commissioned Tim da Paravacini owner and designer of the famous high end EAR brand to design the AI. Tim was responsible in the production of a few Pink Floyd albums I recall. And I have 3 of Floyd's treasured Lps.
Guess the A1 is destined to be a collectible classic.

yup.. and if anyone ever decides to give up music on the A1, it can be turned into a desktop egg frier too !

Now that's a dual purpose machine!

Mugen,
You having a bad day bro?

nope.. just stating that the A1 gets REALLY hot when played. Caution for people not to get burned (as in physical temperature heat) !

If you think the A1 got hot .... I used to own an A100! Now, that got hot! Physically dangerous if you had kids or pets around ...

Yeah, the heat. They look like normal solid state amps, but you can dry a cat after a bath in minutes on it. I'm making special Raya cakes now by pouring liquid dough over the valves of my Jadis.

Wan Azami Hamzah wrote:Yeah, the heat. They look like normal solid state amps, but you can dry a cat after a bath in minutes on it. I'm making special Raya cakes now by pouring liquid dough over the valves of my Jadis.

hahahahaha!

See .. hifi equipment is not just for hifi only.

the Krell FPB600 can also be used as a welding machine... so says the guy who wrote the review in Stereophile some years back.

Interesting, father and son fighting for the same amp.

well, the A1 does look more unique with its finned exterior housing. Sorta like a space platform deck.


the Pioneer just another plain jane japanese amp.

I will prefer A1 over the Pioneer.

The Pioneer A400 is being admired by some people till today as it was being called a giant killer of its time.
Anyway, I think those were days and now, other brands have moved on.

A400 still sounds better than many new amps cost below RM3k

if set up properly plus little modification, can be today's giant killers!

sure .. if you're referring those those kind of giants like some ancient Sugdens or VTL-type hunks of metal (for example) , then its an easy feat to do.

But don't put a A400 up against something like a Jeff Rowland or a Conrad-Johnson... oh, u get the idea!

mugenfoo wrote:sure .. if you're referring those those kind of giants like some ancient Sugdens or VTL-type hunks of metal (for example) , then its an easy feat to do.

But don't put a A400 up against something like a Jeff Rowland or a Conrad-Johnson... oh, u get the idea!

I think after listening to this system, you will have different idea

http://klaudiodoctor.blogspot.com/2009/04/mind-boggling.html

I dont know about Mugen but the link will not change my judgement on the A-400.
I have heard the Pioneer A-400 in my room.
Someone brought one over to pair it with my ES11.
Errr.. Power is ok but it can never give that kind of 'feel' which I like about the Exposure.
Nevertheless, the A-400 is still a decent amp.

M7 wrote:

mugenfoo wrote:sure .. if you're referring those those kind of giants like some ancient Sugdens or VTL-type hunks of metal (for example) , then its an easy feat to do.

But don't put a A400 up against something like a Jeff Rowland or a Conrad-Johnson... oh, u get the idea!

I think after listening to this system, you will have different idea

http://klaudiodoctor.blogspot.com/2009/04/mind-boggling.html

Sure ... I'm all game if i can get to listen Mr. KL Audio Doctor's system. Always open to new experiences.

So are you gonna hook us up anytime soon? Like some hi-fi blind date situation. hahaha

sure

let me know if u want

want

Hi, I have an old A1 that needs some service. There is some scratchy sound when I turn the volume knob.

Where is the best place to send it to?

Had same problem, sent to Octave Audio in PJ ( see their website) and had it changed to Alps. Works perfectly until today.

jchong wrote:Hi, I have an old A1 that needs some service. There is some scratchy sound when I turn the volume knob.

Where is the best place to send it to?

Or try this at home ...
turn all equipment off,

then rigorously turn the knob left and right over the entire range in quick successions, repeat for a couple of times ... then turn the knob back down low, turn on, try again.

Quick fix

if it doesn't work still, go Octave.

if the knob breaks, go Octave.

Either way ... nothing to lose.

Thanks for the tips. Any idea how much Octave charges to change the volume pot to Alps?

You can call them to get a quote. Think it was a couple of hundred I cannot remember.

hi, scratchy volume? try this, power off the unit and spray some alcohol (contact cleaner) into the volume drum, after few minutes power on n try. No guarantee but it works with mine.

*don't cari me if anything bad happened*

As a last resort, before you go and get them to change the volume pot, try to dismantle the amp, and spray just a little WD40 into the volume pot and then rotate vigorously a few times from min to max. Wipe off any excess WD40, put the cover of the amp back on and take it for a spin. It has worked for me in the past.

*don't cari me too if anything bad happened*

WD40? Will it damage the circuit board inside?

I covered everything else up very carefully and ONLY sprayed very little into the volume pot and nothing else. Works fine (for me).
AFAIK, there is no circuit board inside the volume pot.

BTW, mugenfoo is right, you should do this first, if the problem is not too bad, sometimes this will fix it:

mugenfoo wrote:

Or try this at home ...
turn all equipment off,

then
rigorously turn the knob left and right over the entire range in quick
successions, repeat for a couple of times ... then turn the knob back
down low, turn on, try again.

hi guy any idea for x-a1?thanks

hi,

i have just hook up a A1 in my system.It really teach me something about tonal balance.A very good amplifier. I would say a high-end sound on a budget.It a very good amplifier that i don't mind own and good as referral even after you have go in to high end.

And i also own a A400 previously but i sold to my buddy not long ago.
The high is dirty and i have to re bias so that the mid sound much sweeter.


KLau
www.h1f1.blogspot.com

M7 wrote:haha

I also have the A1 and agree that it sounds very musical & ...... magical to someone. You can feel that the music is swinging! Too bad is it is underpowered, fussy when selecting speakers. Currently I am using the 87db mini monitor with
active sub. Just ngam ngam only.

Sometime ago, I sent for my friend to change new caps (those caps are too old). He also put a switch to to disable the preamp section. Can switch back to integrated mode.

Then I use a passive preamp for the A1. Surprise! the A1 sounded cleaner, more neutral, direct.

Cheers!

Got round to doing it at last! Hard to find time moving things around and fiddling but done it at last. MF A1 driving super efficient Missions 752 (non Freedom) speakers, Systemdek 2X900/RB300 at the front end, in my living room.

Super! Who said the A1 is rolled of at the frequency extremes? Nonsense. With these Missions there's plenty of sweet extended treble- ride cymbals ring and decay ever so naturally. Loosy bass? who said that too? There's plenty of grip and extension even with upright bass on jazz albums. And thrives at loud volumes too through the Missions.

There were many who were amazed during my Raya open house, some audiophiles, being that these are antiquated gear. The rest, yeah, the huge, fulsome and dynamic sound from a meagre 20 watts but methinks more so seeing old wax spinning machine still survive hehehe.

Cheers

There is a reason why Class-A operations is the desired way for hi-fi. And why many high-end manufacturers go to a lot of trouble to try to maintain Class-A operation even during high-power. And why manufacturers like Krell designed their sustained plateau circuitry.

Thanks for the opinion WongKN, me planning to go along that route and not my familiar teritory. New house will have big living room. Just that I'm not familiar with Krell nor heard them. Any other brands? I've never had living rooms bigger than say 24ft x 30 ft till this forthcoming house.

Cheers

How about some Gryphons ?

Hiya Mugen,

Still owe you an lp. Been busy with work. Sorry. Gryphons, Krells and what else and where can I hear these in KL? I could go to the Adelphi one of these days I guess on one of my Johor business trips.

Oh by the way tried solid core speaker cables with the A1 just now. Sounded even better than stranded wires.

Well, there's always the Soulutions.......

Anyway, for good powerful 'strong' amps at good value for money, I think the Odyssey range is quite unbeatable. The Khartiga, Stratos, and Kismet are all very good amps at their respective price point. Go ask one well known reviewer what he thinks of his Odyssey amp...

For Krells, I like the older generations, around KAS/KAS-2 vintage. The FBP/MRA era is very good as well. The modern ones have tonal qualities that are bit too skewed towards digital sound IMHO.

Mark Levinson, Jeff Rowland, Pass-Lab, FM Acoustics, Spectral, Audio Research, these are all the proven names in high end amplification.

BTW, just my personal opinion. You sound like you plan to play in the living hall. Does that mean you don't have the luxury of a dedicated hifi room ? FWIW, I am of the opinion that you should not mix family space with personal hobby space. There are lots of domestic requirements you need to comply with in a living hall. It's not only about keeping the other half happy, it's also about your duty as a husband and father. Yes, we can indulge in our passion but we also must not forget our duty as head of the household. Any hifi or AV in the living hall should be subtle and low-keyed and never dominate the area. So from this aspect, if you can dedicate a room for your hifi, you will get a lot better sound simply because you can afford to forgo any concerns about decor for sake of absolute sound quality. Even a smaller but dedicated hifi room will function better than a large living hall. Especially if you intend to spend/splurge quite a bit on the system, then it makes even more sense to have a dedicated listening room. Or at least a dedicated area where you can do as you please without any domestic concerns. Or else, it is simply not maximizing your money (used to buy the system).

My lima sen (1 sen no longer legal tender in Malaysia) !

Wan Azami Hamzah wrote:Hiya Mugen,

Still owe you an lp. Been busy with work. Sorry. Gryphons, Krells and what else and where can I hear these in KL? I could go to the Adelphi one of these days I guess on one of my Johor business trips.

Oh by the way tried solid core speaker cables with the A1 just now. Sounded even better than stranded wires.

thanks uncle Wan .....

do take a listen at the Oddysey Amps around town as WongKN mentioned if you're in the market for big sound without breaking the bank. They don't cost an arm-and-a-leg but will give you almost like 95% to the big-name amps as mentioned. Looks like its all about best bang for buck here.

Anyway, some recent Googling has shown that the founder of Krell has gone to set up his own outfit called "D'agostino Inc" and is looking to sell a USD42K monoblock amp at year's end. Look what "high end" is today. Just totally out of this world already.


C'mon Dan .... you gotta be sh!tting us here.... USD42K for a pair of 300 Watter monoblocks???


http://www.twice.com/article/457724-Krell_Founder_Starts_New_Company.php

http://www.dagostinoinc.com/

As expected, Dan will set up his own company after being forced out of Krell. But... Never expected the amplifiers to cost so much!!