Well Built,Musical, Nice to look at

remote is cheap, but it works fine.

Well, my mother passed away and left me a little bit of cash and in her honor, I decided to spend it on what I love the most; music making equipment. My previous rig consisted of Adcom GFP565 pre and GFP585 amp (250 watts, special limited edition). Not having a decent dealer locally, I looked in Atlanta and haunted the used audio sites on the Internet. I decided to look at Integrated amps to get the most for my money. I searched for a Krell Integrated and found several, but missed the boat. I was intrigued by the A300 and looked up all the reviews I could find to find a common thread. I ordered one from Audio Advisor and got a demo (?) unit. The first unit arrived and there was a strange rhythmic thumping through the speakers which made listening impossible. I called up Audio Advisor and they offered several possible solutions, none of which worked. They then sent me another unit (also demo and $50 cheaper!). Same problem. I finally discovered that my CD recorder apparently has a leaky capacitor, which only caused problems when the unit is shut off. So I left it on and have had no further problems. The main point of this diatribe is to point out the great service I got from Audio Advisor.

The unit sounded better than my Adcom gear out of the box. It makes good recordings sound better, but won't help poor recordings. I have enjoyed each and every listening session. A point which I should disclose is that I listen almost exclusively to vinyl. Why? I've got a lot of it (over 1,000) and I like it. I do not use the A300 phono section. I have a N.E.W. mm phono stage with Telefunken N.O.S. tubes and it sounds much better than the Musical Fidelity (and it should considering the price). The 150 watts delivered by the MF is unbelievably clean. I can turn the unit almost to the maximum volume level without painful distortion (However, the ringing remains for some time (in my ears that is)). I listen primarily to blues, pop and rock (not heavy metal) and this unit does an outstanding job on each. I have also listened to classical and the soundstage is much better than my own unit.

The record which really showed the capabilities of this unit was the 45rpm Classic Records 12 inch single "Satchmo plays King Oliver". The cut "St. James Infirmary" is totally unbelievable. This record was made well over 30 years ago, but sounds more real, more alive than any other I have heard. The A300 matched it step for step. I was immersed in the illusion that I was there and listening to Louie live. If you play vinyl, get this recording.

This unit out performed my separates which cost over $2000 thirteen years ago by a wide margin. Buy it, you'll like it.

Ken Floyd

Similar Products Used:

None

Build,speaker terminals,looks.

Remote, smooth top end doesn't blend in with the huge bass.

I initially purchased the A300 on the good reviews I had read in Hi Fi News, Stereophile and the reviews I have read here on these pages.When I recieved the Amp I was dissapointed the sound was far too warm, the midrange shut in, the bass was huge and wooly but I did realise that the Amp needed time to burn in. So after four days I was expecting big things to happen, the midrange did open up but the treble to me was far too rolled off.It sounded fine on simple single vocal CD's like Chris Rea,Tony Joe White Jennifer Warne ect.
But put on some rock music like Match Box 20 and the sound was far too warm and slow with this big bass, I kept on wanting to turn the treble up or the bass down but couldn't.I hate bright sounding Amps but this Amp was far too smooth it couldn't cut through the mix with Rock music at all. I use the A300 with B&W CDM 1SE speakers Rotel 970 CD player and use Audioquest Cables.
I wanted to upgrade from my Rotel Pre & Power hometheatre Amps.as I thought the Rotels weren't that good in straight 2channel stereo.They may not be perfect but they do sound pretty good with most kinds of music, unlike the Musical Fidelity.
So don't do what I did and take audio reviews as the gospel truth, make sure you have a good listen with your own ears, to me the Amp was a big dissapointment.Maybe the Amp is only suitable for people who listen to classical music.

Similar Products Used:

Arcam Alpha 10, Rotel Pre&Power Amps.

Let me count the ways......air, detail, ease, speed, grip,
smoothness, power.........

Only one pair of speaker terminals

I was well prepared to like this amp after ST's love letter
in Stereophile, and the 30-day money back guarantee made it
a "must audition" proposition.

CAUTION!!! This system absolutely requires a MINIMUM of 100
hours burn-in. The unit sounds O.K. right out of the box,
but really gives little hint of the magic to come for at least 72 hours. Let it run continuously for at least 3 - 4
days before you begin to listen critically.

The top end IS a bit rolled off at first, but don't fret,
it opens up, up, up, to reveal a delightfully airy and
detailed (not harsh) treble.

This amp also has lightning-quick speed. Notes just
appear RIGHT NOW out of the black background. Any fast
transients or musical attacks will startle you. Songs I
have heard umpteen times have taken on a whole new life!

Bass is tight, well-controlled and not at all "flabby" or "shy". Mid-range is smooth, liquid, and grain-free.
The one word that really seems to fit is "effortless"
It seems to do everything with ease and finesse.

In summary, this amp is a steal at this price point. You could easily spend 3 - 4K on an amp and gain very little. CAUTION #2! DON'T make a mistake and match this unit with "decent" speakers or a "good" front end.

If you want a slice of high-end heaven, make sure you feed it high-quality input and pair it with some revealing speakers, otherwise you'll be handcuffing this unit!


My (minimalist) Rig:

Musical Fidelity A-300 amp
California Audio Lab CL-15 CD
B & W 805 speakers
PSS Quartet Silver interconnect
Kimber 8-TC speaker cable

Dynamics, tonal quality, cost,cd input,bass, volume control

high end roll off

If you buy another amp, for $500 or $5000, without listening to this unit you are making a mistake. I have listened to a
number of Stereophile reccommended amps in my home and in stores and I could'nt find anything that comes close to what this unit offers for the price.

What sets this amp apart from others is the combination of the tonal quality of tubes with the detail and control of
solid state. The dynamics and bass of this amp is addictive.
The souped up CD input really does help. I tried a broken
in Musical Fidelity X-10D with my current player through
the Bryston and it didn't do anything for me. With this
amp I like my CD's as much as my vinyl collection. With the
light in the volume control you can see how much you moved
the voulme in total darkness with the remote.

There is high end roll off. Time for new cables.

If you are looking for the hot tip to run your Maggies,
this is it. A screamin' deal.

Current system:
Fully updated Linn LP-12
Benz-Micro Glider cartridge
Lehmann Black Cube phono pre-amp
Marantz DVD-930
M.F. A300
Magnapan 1.6's

Similar Products Used:

Bryston B60R

POWER & BUILD QUALITY

BURN-IN TIME, CANNOT FIND SPADES THAT WOULD FIT THAT MONSTER BINDING POST

FOR ITS PRICE & PERFORMANCE THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST UNIT OUT THERE, I SAY A REAL BARGAIN!!!!I'M LOOKING FOR SEPARATES BEFORE BUT WHEN I READ THE REVIEWS ABOUT A300 ON BRIT MAGS AND LATELY ON STEREOPHILE I HAVE SECOND THOUGHTS AND DECIDED TO GIVE THIS SYSTEM A TRY..MAN WAS I IN FOR A BIG SURPRISE.. THIS BEAST REALLY LIVE UP TO MY EXPECTATIONS AND ITS GLOWING REVIEWS...I GIVE IT FIVE STARS FOR PERFORMANCE AND VALUE ...

Similar Products Used:

MARANTZ PM17

Price,performance,features,looks and sound

Comes with a scrawny power cord,toss it for a better one.

I bought one in November and raved about it out of the box.I called Audio Advisor that night to thank them.I have asked for this model to be listed to post a review.It has just been glowingly reviewed in the 3/2000 issue of Stereophile by Sam Tellig.Everything he says is true.This thing gets you most of the way to the top for peanuts.It is truly edge of the art.It has a very sweet phono stage and the cd stage really does have a warmth and presence which can be changed to a lighter,crisper sound by switching to the aux.If it sold for twice the $ most wouldn't blink.Run it in for 100 hours or more for best sound,run it hard and really burn it if you can.Really great with jazz,but if equally enjoyable on all types of music.It is also great looking.If I could, I would give it 6 stars for value.

Similar Products Used:

Classe',CJ,Accuphase

everything!

huge speaker posts! no headphone jack

i previewed many integrated amps by makers like conrad johnson, nad, rogue audio, dyi, rotel and yba. i found nothing that surpassed the mf a300 - neither tube nor solid state. anything that even came close to its quality usually cost (at least) twice as much. do yourself a favor and listen to this amp at home before you buy anything else. i don't think you will be let down, and you may save yourself a lot of money!

delivers plenty of deep bass and stunning high end. i think that the styling is fantastic, and the simplicity of the design is wonderful. i could not be more pleased with my purchase. the guys at audio advisor were very helpful and i recommend checking out their web site.

the speakers posts are so big! this is the only fault with the a300 - and i think it is true of other mf products, too. there are no spades out there that fit there monsters - i did a lot of looking around. i had to use banana plugs for my speaker cable - no big deal. just makes me wonder what mf was thinking about when they designed this thing.

my system:

mf a300 integrated amp
b&w n805 speakers
rotel 991 cd player
kimber select 1030 interconnects
kimber bi-focal "x" speaker cable / bi-wire
sony je20es minidisc player / recorder

Similar Products Used:

conrad johnson, nad, rogue audio, yba, dyi, rotel

Very musical and non-fatiguing. It really sounds much more $$ than it is.

Token phono-stage should have been omitted. Compared to the competition, a slight light lack of weight in the bottom few octaves.

This is a hot integrated. At first, the sound seems soft and slightly muted but it then becomes clear--in short order--that this piece really is quite neutral and adds few artifacts that I can detect. The A300 creates a very black
(read: dead silent) background from which the music ebbs and flows forth in an effortless manner. Sound staging and imaging are quite stunning, and among the best I've heard--due in no small part to the totally dual-mono design of the A300. Recordings with explosive dynamics from that of a full symphony orchestra, can sound as real and as emotive as I've ever heard through top-notch separates. The only nitpick I can muster regarding the A300, would be a slight lack of weight in the bottom two or three octaves.

In short, true lovers of music only need apply here. Detail freaks and those audiophiles who can't sit through more than two or three bars of a particular 'demo cut' will most likely be bored with the A300.

Ancillaries:
Well-Tempered/Benz Micro/Klyne
Rega Jupiter 2000
Spendor SP100/Sound Anchors
Kimber cable

Similar Products Used:

Electrocompaniet ECI-4, Krell KAV 300iL, Audio Research CA-50, Primare A20, Arcam A85, Rowland Concerta

Style, Sound, ease of use.

The remote is very cheap and does not do a lot

This is wonderful intergrated amp for 2 channel listening. It has plenty of power to drive power hungry speakers and has a very neutral sound.

Is capable of producing deep bass and excellent mid-range right out of the box.

The engineering and build quality are solid. There is absolutely no hum nor hiss to this amp.

There is not much more to add that hasn't been said previously.

Don't hesitate to buy this intergrated amp. For the money, there is none better. (except for the remote)

Similar Products Used:

Adcom

Build quality, gobs of power, superb sound.

None other than plastic remote (nitpicking).

My quest began when I decided it was time to trade in my Rotel RA985. Although generally content with the Rotel, I felt I needed more. My first thoughts were to try out Rotel's seperate pre and power amps. Again, being happy with the Rotel up to this point I thought it might be the best way to go. Until recently, I truly belived that one must move into separates to truly enhance your sound. On the surface it makes sense: separate the high voltage from the low, separate power supplies, upgradability, expandability, flexibility...
Then comes the higher end integrated: only one box to pay for, no interconnect to buy, upgrade or worry about, takes up less room (in some cases). Due to the fact that most higher end integrateds come with pre outs, upgradability, expandability, flexibility are really a non issue. So I tossed this idea back and fourth for a while and thought that a good listen would probably answer my question for me.
Now, I'm a music lover first and foremost. I love listening to music. So although specs, reviews and the salesperson's recommendations are all relevant, in the end, I'm the one forking over the money and I have to live with this piece of equipment, so my ears will be the final judge.I quickly realized that the most bang for my buck would come in the form of an integraded.
Instead of pointing out all the pros and cons of each amp I auditioned, I'll just mention what the Musical Fidelity did that the others didn't. The MF had an incredible rightness to the sound. (I'm not great with superlatives but I'll do my best). It just seemed at ease, even at high volume levels. It pumped out tons of information without any effort at all. All the detail is there but at the same time seems relaxed. Soundstage and imaging were noticably better than the others. It's build quality is spectacular (heavy, surdy, solid) from the casing and controls to the quality of the connectors, all of it seemed more substantial than the competition. Initially I was only interested in an amp but I was so impressed with the MF line that I left with their A3 cd player aswell. The two together seem almost magical. To sum up, this amp looks incredible, built like a brick outhouse and above all sounds spectacular. With home theater gathering such momentum and popularity it may be difficult for some to justify spending alot on a system that ony plays two channels. If you're at all like me, where you enjoy a movie from time to time but would much rather listen to your favorite music, a good two channel system is the way to go. Team the A300 up with a good front end, hi resolution speakers and I think this will clue most people in on what hi fi is all about.
Some notes on reviews below:
Those monsterous binding posts in the back are somewhat of a pain if you have spades. I picked up some new ends (banana) for my Cardas cable and they work great. Note: you must remove the protective plug on the back of the nut. I understand they do this so the Brits don't electrocute themselves.
The remote works fine but is made from plastic. Some of the competition have machined aluminum remotes which are cool but at the same time probably add a couple hundred dollars to the price. Which is another aspect I loved about this amp. You're not paying for bells, whistles or anything that doesn't directly improve the sound. No tone or balance controls, no output meters or display.

Equipment:
MF A300 Amp
MF A3 CDP
PSB&Mission Speakers (next on upgrade list)
Kimber Hero Interconnect
Cardas Crosslink Speakercable

Similar Products Used:

Arcam A85, Bryston B60, Classe CAP101-151, Rotel separates.