MF Pre and Power X-series dilemma - advice please

[kneesup]

I've got an MF X-A100R amp that I've had since new (75W channel) and I want to add a power amp. I have Roksan Darius speakers, so monumental power isn't required. I just want effortlessness and sound stage.

I'm fairly wed to MF kit, because of the way it looks and its potential for internal upgrading (when it seems to come-good), and I want to keep the A100 R (remote) which was a present, and use it as a Pre (it has a pre-out). I have been looking for an X-AS100 as a Power Amp for it.

My question is this: is using the A100R integrated as a Pre a bad idea? Just because it has a Pre-out doesn't mean it's a good Pre-Amp...! Obviously, MF made the X-P100 as a Pre-Amp, that looks near identical from the outside. But it has very mixed love-hate reviews... I have no idea about the internal functionality, aside from the fact the X-P100 (also with a remote) has a phono stage, (but I have an X-LP for the A100R anyway, so that's not an issue).

Has anyone got any experience of using the pre-out facility on X-series integrated amps? GSrai... you might have...

Secondly, will adding a 100Wpc amp like the AS100 make much difference over the 75 integrated that the A100R is? I don't want to get into Bi-Amping and don't want to spend £250-£300 plus cabling on a X-AS100 to make no tangible difference.

Any insights would be much appreciated. Thanks, Richard

 

[gsrai]

Hi Richard, you've brought back some very fond memories for me with the lozenge MF kit, out of all of it I miss my X-A2 the most, IMHO the pick of the bunch and in no small part to the cool blue led LOL

I tried lots of iterations with pre/power amps and trying to take off my rosé tinted glasses I remember the x-p100 sounding very similar to the XA200r maybe a touch more open but the best pre-amp of all the lozenge kit was the Nu-vista pre, so warm and detailed it just sounded lush with looks to match (its the same shape as the lozenges but with gold trimmings).

rather than an xas100 if you can track down a pair of xa100's I think you will be very pleasantly surprised at the upgrade although do near in mind the xa100's are very long and a bigger diameter than the xa50's.

the thing that worked for me was buying the kit, trying at home and finding out for myself what I liked and the beauty of this kit is it hold its value so well you rarely lose much cash.

In the end I found the MF kit to be quite lean and too biased towards the top end for my liking and i found stereo nirvana in Densen kit and my current Arcam/pmc is a great balance so I have to caveat my comments by saying the lozenges were not the best MF kit IMO but you can't beat the looks even today.

i hope some of that helps and apologise if it serves only to confuse

 

[kneesup]

GSrai. Thanks very much for your kind reply. When you say 'X-A100' I think you mean 'X-A200' - the big amps - no? Annoyingly there were a pair on eBay last week (rarely) for £250 each but I can't quite go there financially at the moment, and thought the X-AS100 would make a fine stop-gap at half that price. But maybe I should just miss that bit!

Also... and here's the rub... For £500 I could have bought (and probably still can) Rick's (bandit pilot) sensational Tema A1 Power amp, which is surely in a different league to the X-A200s... £500 amp money seems to put me in a different category of audio, and I'm not sure that a pair of old X-A200s at that money is the best way forward... even though they do look nice.

Don't you think...?

 

[gsrai]

You're right, my memory fails me it is the Xa200's.

its unfair of me to comment on the tema A1 but all I know is that the XA200's were a proper upgrade but this is the issue, your existing kit is worth a fair amount and if you sold the lot I think you could find an improved sound with the funds you would recover by moving away from MF, Trouble is you would lose the look you so like so its a catch 22 IMO.

If you can get past the looks you'll be amazed what your money can buy you - I don't know if you can but if you hosted a mini bake off with a view to folks bringing along amps to compare to yours it could be a great way of seeing what's possible. If you can't are you able to attend a couple of bake offs or maybe go to the pie fi show, its another place where you can hear the impact different kit has.

Is a move away something you'd consider?

 

[kneesup]

Your comments are all super-helpful, but I've just discovered the NuVista Pre... Thanks to you! I knew nothing about it, amazingly. I've fallen in love... although it still doesn't solve the Power amp issue (the 300 is out of my league). And the Pre's are probably wholly unobtainable...

I guess if I sold the lot I'd have £700, plus add a bit for the power amp I'd have to get... Say £1000 available plus...

Oh gawd. I know it makes sense. I have a headache.... and must go to bed. I'll be buying a Sugden next...

You've been super helpful, GSrai. Thank you for now. I'll get to a show and educate myself, methinks. Any other pearls always welcome.

In the meantime, if anyone knows of a MF Nu Vista Pre for sale, I'll be toast.

- - - Updated - - -

I ought to add that I don't like the square boxed stuff (XT100). And when you refer to the 'modern A1' with integrated DAC, which do you mean? Is that part of the M series? A1s are all 90s items as far as I can see...

 

[gsrai]

The A1 I am referring to is this one and I would always caveat a listen before you buy for gawds sake don't do anything on my say so:


if you can pull together a £1k and want to stay within the musical fidelity fold then an A308 integrated is well within reach but some would say a little hard edged and although the A5 was good the transformers could hum, both would negate the need for a better pre and better power as they are serious powerhouses.

if you consider moving away from MF then the most important thing is they type of music you listen to.

like I said, I'm probably in a minority of 1 when I say i thought the sugden A21 was nothing special and easily beaten by the densen b100 and MF A1 for me (I must stress that).

TBH you could consider valves, my best hybrid valve amp was a pathos classic one MK 2 but if you could pic up a unico I would guess it might just amaze you

 

[kneesup]

Got it. Thanks. Very much. You Tube link absorbed.

And I love majority's of 1! I'm nearly always a majority of 1...!

A good valve pre with Rick's Tema is the job done for under £1000...

Alas, I'm wed to MF for the little lozenges. Vain, but true. The big stuff... Isn't the same aesthetically. Methinks. Which is why I'm a JS upgrade fan....

I've learnt a lot from your posts. Really appreciated. And worry not, I won't do anything on anyone's say so... Except love the Nu Vista Pre. SOLD. ;-)

 

[gsrai]

Got it. Thanks. Very much. You Tube link absorbed. And I love majority's of 1! I'm nearly always a majority of 1...!

A good valve pre with Rick's Tema is the job done for under £1000...

Alas, I'm wed to MF for the little lozenges. Vain, but true. The big stuff... Isn't the same aesthetically. Methinks. Which is why I'm a JS upgrade fan....

I've learnt a lot from your posts. Really appreciated. And worry not, I won't do anything on anyone's say so... Except love the Nu Vista Pre. SOLD. ;-)

I'm that case Nu vista pre and xa200 - the dream ticket (I don't blame you as they do look lovely)

good luck in your search

 

[kneesup]

Great advice. Thanks for your time. The search is on....

 

[unclepuncle]

I've had stacks of the MF lozenge stuff including two Nuvista pre's - wouldn't recommend it in the slightest. The XA-200's are OK and the X-series integrateds are ratehr nice for the money, but with upto £1k in your poket I'd be looking elsewhere for a really decent 2nd hand integrated.

If it small and silver you like maybe something like a Bel Canto S300i.

 

[kneesup]

I've had stacks of the MF lozenge stuff including two Nuvista pre's - wouldn't recommend it in the slightest. The XA-200's are OK and the X-series integrateds are ratehr nice for the money, but with upto £1k in your poket I'd be looking elsewhere for a really decent 2nd hand integrated.If it small and silver you like maybe something like a Bel Canto S300i.

Sorry, just seen your post. Thank you for it. This is really interesting because I've heard nothing but the highest praise for the Nu-Vista Pre, which is high on my shopping list. In your view (and perhaps others), what's wrong with it? I'll check out the S300i. Thanks. I'm a bit of an Alchemist fetishist, but alas, seldom with a remote... And I love remotes.