Not so Musical Fidelity

[Dope]

I recently auditioned a stack of hi-fi equipment and ended up going home with a X-Ray and a X-150. I was won over by the incredible detail and the big sweet open sound made by the amp and CD. It blew away the competition but I still felt that something wasn’t quite right and this view was reinforced when I got the gear back home.



As impressive as the quality of sound is from the X-Ray and X-150, there’s something missing, it doesn’t seem to swing, rock, or boogie. The sound just isn’t exciting; the music from my Tivoli radio makes my foot tap more. I can recognise the exceptional technical skills of my new stereo but the music coming out of it is soulless and listening to it leaves me cold.


Please reassure me that it just needs a really long running in period and that it will get livelier and more exciting in time, or just tell me that this is the Musical Fidelity sound so thatI canmaybe flog thestuffand get on with finding a system that will make me happy.

Dope wrote:

or just tell me that this is the Musical Fidelity sound so thatI canmaybe flog thestuffand get on with finding a system that will make me happy.

oLder MF stuff sounded a bit soft and laid back, newer stuff is supposed to be better, I doubt running in will helo that much, perhaps you want something livlier.



What speakers are you using it with?

[Hawk]

How long have you had it???? and what speakers and cables etc are you using??? You can tweak the sound with cables and make quite an impact on the sound by changing or repositioning the speakers... Once you've tried everything you can to get it to work then if the MF house sound is not for you then your best off changing..

Maybe your dealer will take it back and let you exchange it for something else?


Hawk

[earl of sodbury]

Had no appreciable change in the amp when I bought it; my CDP was 2nd hand when I got it. That said I would never describe my kit as you do. It isquite analytical and detailed, and with speakers of that sort (anything french!) or lacking in bass, that tendency could overwhelm the boogie factor I guess.

Very strongly recommend you get one of Effem's cables for the amp (I use a Mercury FWIW) - do that before all else as you can use it with whatever kit you finally settle-on. I find the CDP responds better to a mains conditioner - (again FWIW I use an Isol-8 MainLine2), but there, the main change is improved tonality and soundstaging. The X-10V3 also warms things up nicely, especially in the bass.

What speakers are you using, and have experimented with repositioning them? What are room conditions like?

Otherwise suggest a change to one of the "usual suspects": Naim or Exposure - the latter especially, as the current crop of Naim is not radically different sounding compared with MF IMHO.

churz, eofs

[Duvet]

MF is generally a civilised sound but paired with sllighty forward sounding speakers it can be an exciting listen

[nixon_fiend]

I would suggest it's your speakers... what are you using?

I'm using the x-80 (little bro of x-150) and with some old AR18s speakers (until the end of the month) And I can't keep my foot still!

Maybe you're listening to the wrong music?





j/k!

Try some speakers with doped paper cones.. nice and quick.. not badly-woven kevlar

[gaul]

Do like me

Plug your Tivoli Audio Model One into your... X-150

[Picard]

Dope wrote:

I recently auditioned a stack of hi-fi equipment and ended up going home with a X-Ray and a X-150. I was won over by the incredible detail and the big sweet open sound made by the amp and CD. It blew away the competition but I still felt that something wasn’t quite right and this view was reinforced when I got the gear back home.



As impressive as the quality of sound is from the X-Ray and X-150, there’s something missing, it doesn’t seem to swing, rock, or boogie. The sound just isn’t exciting; the music from my Tivoli radio makes my foot tap more. I can recognise the exceptional technical skills of my new stereo but the music coming out of it is soulless and listening to it leaves me cold.


Please reassure me that it just needs a really long running in period and that it will get livelier and more exciting in time, or just tell me that this is the Musical Fidelity sound so thatI canmaybe flog thestuffand get on with finding a system that will make me happy.

I am sorry to say the title of the this thread says it all. Have you listened to a Naim system?

[Dope]

That’s a strange coincidence, the speakers I have at home are an old pair of AR18s! I’ve also tried the MF with Focal 741’s + 716’s, B&Ws and with Spendor S5es, which incidentally are a fantastic pair of speakers. They are all fairly lively sounding speakers, apart from maybe the Spendors. I’m not sure if changing cables around will help either, as the problem to my ears, seems quite fundamental.


Maybe it is in fact my taste in music which is incompatible, I like hip hop and soul, but I’ve also tried themwith lots ofjazz, and Coltrane and Dolphy just sound flat compared to the sounds they make on my much more old and modeststereo. Or maybe I’m a bit of a Hi-Fi philistine and the complexities of your modern fancy stereo are beyond me and that I can only appreciate a more coloured and in your face sound


Anyhow I can appreciate how good the MF gear is, but I don’t think it’s my cup of tea. I never realised quite how subjective the world of Hi-fi is, if you buy a quality telly, everyone will agree that it’s good. However, in the world of Hi-Fi there seems to be so many different ways of presenting music in spite of the fact that the music is only ever recorded in one way.

[gaul]

Picard, go back to http://forums.naim-audio.com/evewhere you belong... ;)

[Picard]

gaul wrote:

Picard, go back to http://forums.naim-audio.com/evewhere you belong... ;)

You've got some gaul ;)

[notaclue]

Maybe it is because the MF 'kit' is silver and called the X-Ray that you feel it has "exceptional technical skills"but "doesn’t seem to swing, rock, or boogie".

I wonder if you would feel the same if the MF 'kit' was brown and called the Fruitbowl or the Lentil or something more earthy? Hmmmm. I wonder....

[Glens of Antrim]

Hi Dope

I'd give them a wee bit of time.

In my experience is that new amps need about a week to start sounding their best. My X-Ray was ex dem stock so I don't know aboutits run in time, though a couple of reviews I read suggestedit neededa couple of daysto firm up the bass.

Dope wrote:

Maybe it is in fact my taste in music which is incompatible, I like hip hop and soul, but I’ve also tried themwith lots ofjazz, and Coltrane and Dolphy just sound flat compared to the sounds they make on my much more old and modeststereo. Or maybe I’m a bit of a Hi-Fi philistine and the complexities of your modern fancy stereo are beyond me and that I can only appreciate a more coloured and in your face sound


I think the X-Ray is excellent with all types of music (though as you may have guessed I'm a bit of a convert ) because it's essentially neutral. Maybe you are used to hearing your tunes ina certain way so a different presentation doesn't sound right?

If you are going to change don't forget Linn or Cyrus.

Cheers GofA

[Duvet]

Burn in of components can be a contentious issue but its one i believe in. Let them bed down for a bit. If not happy try them with some MA or PMC if you want a livelier sound

[Dannish]

Can you take the MF gear back to the dealer? If not, give yourself a good couple of weeks to get used to the sound. Some other Green hifi user's become beguiled with their gear over a period of time. This is incorectly IMO attributed to burn in. Lots of happy MF user's here so i guess it must be pretty good kit.

[Davewhityetagain]

http://forums.naim-audio.com/eve

I get the message :dude:

We're sorry, but your IP address has been banned by this community. This means that you may not login or register as long as you are online with this IP address.

[Dope]

I’m sure what you say is true, part of my reaction is because the sound is so different from anything I’ve heard before. I guess I could probably get used to the sound after a while, but ultimately the problem is that I don’t really like it. So I think it’s going to go back, the dealer doesn’t mind so I’m probably going to change.



The shop stocks Arcam and Primare gear so I’ll be checking them out soon, and I think I might have to get myself a pair of those Spendors, they’re the one thing I’ve enjoyed above all else since I’ve started listening to shinyfancy pricey Hi-Fi stuff.

[Picard]

Dope wrote:

I’m sure what you say is true, part of my reaction is because the sound is so different from anything I’ve heard before. I guess I could probably get used to the sound after a while, but ultimately the problem is that I don’t really like it. So I think it’s going to go back, the dealer doesn’t mind so I’m probably going to change.



The shop stocks Arcam and Primare gear so I’ll be checking them out soon, and I think I might have to get myself a pair of those Spendors, they’re the one thing I’ve enjoyed above all else since I’ve started listening to shinyfancy pricey Hi-Fi stuff.

Spendors don't rock.

Give Naim a go. There are other options, of course.

Picard wrote:

Dope wrote:

I’m sure what you say is true, part of my reaction is because the sound is so different from anything I’ve heard before. I guess I could probably get used to the sound after a while, but ultimately the problem is that I don’t really like it. So I think it’s going to go back, the dealer doesn’t mind so I’m probably going to change.



The shop stocks Arcam and Primare gear so I’ll be checking them out soon, and I think I might have to get myself a pair of those Spendors, they’re the one thing I’ve enjoyed above all else since I’ve started listening to shinyfancy pricey Hi-Fi stuff.

Spendors don't rock.

Give Naim a go. There are other options, of course.

gosh, I'm agreeing with a naimie

[Glens of Antrim]

Dope wrote:

I’m sure what you say is true, part of my reaction is because the sound is so different from anything I’ve heard before. I guess I could probably get used to the sound after a while, but ultimately the problem is that I don’t really like it. So I think it’s going to go back, the dealer doesn’t mind so I’m probably going to change.

The shop stocks Arcam and Primare gear so I’ll be checking them out soon, and I think I might have to get myself a pair of those Spendors, they’re the one thing I’ve enjoyed above all else since I’ve started listening to shinyfancy pricey Hi-Fi stuff.

Hi D

IMHO Arcam is much more laid back than MF. Don't know Primare stuff. Another thought, see if you can get your hands on QED Silver Spiral interconnects, they will definately bring a bit of bling to your system - don't under estimate the effect cables have. Good Luck GofA.