It Has Only Taken Me Two Years !

Well guys, I finally did, I upgraded my pre amp !

I have been investigating various models for the last two years, asking you guys (thank you for your help)

I now have a shiny Music First Audio Passive Magnetic Pre Amp

Next step is the power amps, lets just hope this upgrade does not take quite so long !

 

What, to say?

 

confess you've bought it from thorsten

 

Indeed.

Considering his Shanlings, but need to sell the Regas first.

 

yeah, when asking for advice - I find the lack of response a positive thing...

 

So you've had it for a while, how are you finding the differences in your system? Are you still smiling?

 

can't remember what other preamps you considered before you settled on MF.

i am still waiting to hear from someone who dumped a real top class active preamp for TVC.

being impatient as i am, i have just order a top version of promitheus TVC, to get a feeling of a TVC in da house for less money. still wanting to be a on a safe side in case i like it, i decided to pay some extras such as CNC & neutrik connectors, grayhill switch and a supporting plate. i'll report back in 3 weeks.

 

Perhaps the three of us could share our findings - I am very happy to wait & see what you think.
Be aware that your new TVC will take a lot of running in before you hear it at its best. Turn off your power amp (but leave pre connected to it) turn the pre to full volume and put a signal through it 24/7 for a few weeks - that should speed it on its way.
I have done side by side comparrisons with some highly exotic active pres as well as some cheaper ones (though no valve im afraid, hence I'm prepared to wait)

 

i have no problem waiting for months until it starts working at its best. well maybe not for months, but i doubt if more than 2-3 weeks would be needed.

i am wondering if this above is a correct way of running it in. if power amps are switched off, are you sure that signal is passing through a TVC at all? i would rather thought that you need to have power amps on and speakers disconnected.

if i am correct than i have no idea how to run a TVC in with active speakers when i can't keep the amps on and speakers off, especially considering a theory that gain should be in 0 dB position (max gain) in order to have all the windings fully employed.

 

This is how I was told to run my TVC in & it certainly appeared to work.
If you run it in with the power amp 'ON' you will (obviously) have music / test tracks coming through your speakers at the volume level set. The level set needs to be 'MAX' so that the signal travells through all of the windings in the tvc rather than just a lower level. This is how it was explained to me - and as I said, it certainly seems to work. You could always just put a 'resistor' in the way of the output to the power amp, but I was wary of this, but it should do the same job.

 

stephen, what's your TVC and what active preamps you compared it with?

 

My MFA (silver) is now about 12 weeks old, & it has been used in both mine and several of my friends systems.
It has travelled from my Naim 252, to a friends 552 (which was to be my next 'upgrade')
It has also lived in systems from Chord & Krell for a while.

 

I looked, well listened to quite a few, Exposure 14/9, Naim (some older models as well as the modern range) Classe – recommended by someone on here, I forget who, Talk 3.1B, Musical Fidelity, Sugden, Densen, and quite a few others.

I really did like the Exposure setup, but they are rare as rocking horse sh1t, and the Talk was also blisteringly good. If I had not decided on the MFA, I think I would have gone for the Talk. If I decide to stay with solid state power amps, I may even try the Talk mono blocks with the MFA.

Power amp wise, I am still using the Rega Maias (2) not the best power amps in the world, but they are working incredibly well with the MFA. The sound is much more open and relax, plus all the other improvement words !

Running in the MFA, my CD player has the option of altering the output (volume) although not really recommended, so just turn the volume right down on the CD player, and open the MFA right up. I must confess, I did not think of running the CD player with the signal to the MFA, with the power amps switched off !

I would like a silver wound/wired MFA, they are pretty much what Pete and Les recommend in virtually all their systems, however, they are another grand !

If anyone is thinking to upgrade to an MFA, I would really give it my recommendation.