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Review 3 of 3
Price Paid:
$1800.00
from MF dealer Summary:
I had been planning to buy a new amplifier for weeks, but this Musical Fidelity X-80 integrated did not even feature on my shortlist until the very day I bought it! I had been oscillating for months between an Exposure Titanium integrated (2010 or 3010) and a Cyrus (6VS or 8VS).
I had not given Musical Fidelity's amps any thought because of my previous experiences listening to my brother's MF X-A1. I found the X-A1 too cloyingly sweet and over-warmed. Professional reviews had touted its supposed dynamic ability, but I was greatly amused to discover that it could not drive my brother's little Tannoy Mercury MX2.5s to reasonably loud levels without suffocating! The MX2.5s strangled the life out of the X-A1 at volumes above 10 o'clock. This poor performance lowered my expectations of MF amps as credible contenders for my money. I like dynamic amps. Also my fingers receive a slight electrical tinge each time I handled the X-A1's metal volume knob.
The X-A1's replacement X-A2 was on my shortlist when I shopped for my own amplifier. Although it was more powerful, there was a noticeable lacklustre quality to its sound. It sounded grayer than the colour of the stunning NAD C370 I bought instead.
Thus, when I gave the X-80 a quick listen in the store, I was pleasantly taken aback to hear the noticeable sonic departure MF has made from the safe, boring sound of the X-A1, X-A2, and even the A3 series. The X-80 is a great step forward for MF. While its midband performance retains that unmistakably detailed delicacy and lusciousness one associates with the MF sound, it discards the coloured warmness and treacly slowness of the older MF amps.
Although rated a mere 55W, the X-80 is a very dynamic and powerful performer, sounding far bigger, more vibrant, more tonally varied, and more musically realistic than my two previous amps the NAD C370 and Marantz PM7200 (120W and 105W respectively). Whatever music you put through it is reproduced with such vibrancy, harmonic richness, and quicksilver dynamics - it amazes. Of course the C370 and PM7200 both go subjectively louder, but the X-80 _sounds_ bigger in comparison thanks to its abovementioned audiophile qualities. I do not miss the shortfall in RMS power at all. Also, the X-80 handles all genres of music so immaculately and
faithfully, it's positively addictive. Orchestral music and opera sound true to life; rock, like rock; and jazz, jazz like it should be.
To sum it up, I bought the X-80 because it combines most of the virtues of the Cyrus and Exposure amps I had shortlisted, with none of their vices. While the X-80's bass control is not as tight as the Cyrus 8VS, deep bass notes are still well-shaped, never flabby, and
fine-detail retrieval is comparable too. The fleshier sound of the X-80 is also kinder to my thin-sounding 1960s, 1970s-era classical cds than the lean mean Cyrus. And while the X-80 cannot match the Exposure amps' immaculate rhythmic timing, roller-coaster dynamics and
well-spaced soundstage, it remains a fast dynamic amp in its own right and throws a respectably airy and atmospheric soundstage. Plus, it has better focus and none of the Exposure amps' slight mistiness.
If you do not require that much power and do not listen to vinyl, the X-80 may be a better value buy than the X-150(80W). It has more than enough omphh to fill a normal sized living room with sound, and has one more line input than the X-150. Although the X-150's vault-like volume knob is very fancy, I personally prefer the X-80's bigger, thicker, unetched plain steel knob. More macho.
The only flaw of the X-80 is the motorised volume control. MF does not have a track record for fitting excellent motorised potentiometers at all. If you keep pressing the Vol buttons repeatedly on the remote just to play with your X-80, the motor will assert its autonomy and keep rotating the knob down or up (non-stop!!!) even after you have taken your finger off the remote's buttons. You should tap the Vol buttons lightly to nudge the knob, and do so only very intermittently. Even then, the incremental shifts of the volume knob are not uniform and imprecise (Cyrus must be laughing away). If this bug really puts you off, you will need to consider buying a rival amp instead. For me it does not matter. I like the X-80's minimalist approach, and even if it weren't remote-controllable it would still be an audiophile bargain. Besides, you know, a person burns 1 calorie each time he reaches out to adjust the volume knob, and that reduces the chances of him turning into a couch-potato. With such a nice big steel knob on display, every X-80 owner really should be reaching out to handle it more anyway. I have stored away the remote and resorted to manual volume adjustment. Strengths:
Produces a big, dynamic, beautiful, detailed audiophile sound full of harmonic richness and subtlety that keeps you transfixed, listening and listening. Elegant and sturdy half-box
minimalist construction. Runs very very cool. And the snazzy blue LEDs look great on the buffed steel fascia. Weaknesses:
Temperamental motorised potentiometer is a real diva and needs to be spanked. Similar Products Used:
Exposure 3010, 2010, Cyrus 8VS, 6VS and Audio Analogue Primo Settanta.
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