Which Amp

[Geoffcin]

Geoffcin,

I see you have the Arcam 72 CD player. What do you think of it and how do you feel it compares to others in the price range?

As for the amps, I think I'll have to A/B/C Parasound Halo A23 or A21, Bryston 3B SST, and the PS Audio HCA2, as that has gotten excellent reviews. Any thought on Musical Fidelity, or are those generally not all that great?

But what else did you expect me to say? I've listened to some VERY expensive CD players (Meridian, Linn, ect.) and I decided that I would much rather put my budget into speakers instead of trying to get the very best CD player. I don't regret the decision, but there are better CD players out there that with a VERY limited amount of CD's you can hear a difference. (with the right setup)

Musical Fidelity makes some of the best amps in the world. Their KW series can be considered one of the few "world class" reference amps. My A3cr amp is a giant killer, and you would be hard pressed to top it for less than 3X the price. My speakers require an amp that can deliver a LOT of current into 4 ohms, and this amp can do it. It does have it's limit though, and in my room it's about 100db before it runs out of steam with my speakers. For me this is not a compromise, as I rarely listen that loud. It also doesn't have the rock sold bottom end of a Krell, or a large Classe amp. For me this is also not a compromise as my main speakers don't have an extended bass response. I make up for it by having two powered 15" subs. As you can see this amp is well matched to my system, and as such works BETTER then some amps costing much more. Is it the amp for your system? Only you can tell, but I would recommend at least trying it to see.

[92135011]

But what else did you expect me to say? I've listened to some VERY expensive CD players (Meridian, Linn, ect.) and I decided that I would much rather put my budget into speakers instead of trying to get the very best CD player. I don't regret the decision, but there are better CD players out there that with a VERY limited amount of CD's you can hear a difference. (with the right setup)

Musical Fidelity makes some of the best amps in the world. Their KW series can be considered one of the few "world class" reference amps. My A3cr amp is a giant killer, and you would be hard pressed to top it for less than 3X the price. My speakers require an amp that can deliver a LOT of current into 4 ohms, and this amp can do it. It does have it's limit though, and in my room it's about 100db before it runs out of steam with my speakers. For me this is not a compromise, as I rarely listen that loud. It also doesn't have the rock sold bottom end of a Krell, or a large Classe amp. For me this is also not a compromise as my main speakers don't have an extended bass response. I make up for it by having two powered 15" subs. As you can see this amp is well matched to my system, and as such works BETTER then some amps costing much more. Is it the amp for your system? Only you can tell, but I would recommend at least trying it to see.

"But what else do you expect me to say"

Maybe it isnt the best to ask someone who actually owns that piece of equipment, Musicguy. It's no doubt that Geoff likes his gear or else he would never buy it. And if he spent thousands on some gear he didnt like...well you know...I have also heard other opinions on MF being too bright or just not hifi, but as long as he's happy with it then thats the most important thing. But then you have people saying those things about all brands in the world no matter how high or low end. So it depends on your preference really, just like how you hated the rotel/B&W combo while I thought it was pretty good.