MF A308 / M3 NuVista

Simple question (or 2 ) folks.
I have an A308,NuVista cd player + B&W CDM9nt's.
Anyone had experience of the A308 and M3 NuVista?
In your humble opinion,is the M3 worth an extra £1000 over the A308? (This is the deal i've been offered).

Any opinions greatly appreciated.

 

Just a bump in case you've missed it ;-)

Even if you've not compared both,any opinions on the M3 Nuvista in general also appreciated.

 

GrahamN used to own an M3 and its not bad, if you like things smooth and sumptuous sounding. Have heard the 308 and am not a fan at all - too sophorific. So, the M3 might be worth a try, but if your tastes are for a more lively presentation I'd look somewhere else.

Robbo

 

Agree with Robbo's comments on the NuVista M3. The MF A1000 blows it out of the water though and can be had for a lot less money (only second hand of course)

Michael.

 

Having owned an M3 & 308, Both of which for a VERY short time, nuff said (M3 is better though)

 

GrahamN and I agree that the M3 wipes the floor with nearly everything up to £3000 and beyond but others will disagree; personally I could not live with Naim, others could not live with MF. What the M3 does is musicality, naturalness, bass, grunt, detail, finness etc. I do not know how it compares to the A308 but it was a massive step up from the E100 that I owned and over the Quad 909 that I have just spent the weekend with. I'm selling the M3 because I need something that will sit on top of a sideboard and does not take up much space so it is up for sale. Obviously I have an axe to grind but have always supported this view since I bought the M3 from new. You have a PM. Best of luck.

Dominic

 

I have heard both (although the 308 only in other dealers'/people's systems), and would tend to agree with the views on the 308 expressed above - it seemed to be fairly accurate but rather non-involving. I think the M3 an excellent amp though, although haven't actually used it for about a year.

As Robbo said, it's quite lush but has plenty enough bounce for me (I'm almost exclusively a 'classical' listener). The only true back-to-back with other famous amps I had was with the Gamut D-200, and I much preferred the warm meaty sound of the M3 to the D-200 (people who notice these things do consider the D200 much faster though). It also has a depth that I didn't get from other (admitedly rather cheaper) SS amps I was listening to at the same time, which was only matched by some decent valve amps. My main criticism of it would be that the treble does harden somewhat at high volumes (which doesn't happen with my 100W class-A amp).

So in my book, the M3 is a much better amp than the A308 (although MF reckon the 308 measures better). I now have something significantly better - but also rather more expensive, at RRP, but it came up at a ridiculous price on eBay. I still have the M3 - sort of in case the current amp, with rather dubious service opportunities, pegs it...but frankly just because I've not got my finger out to sell it, and I certainly never expected to move on from it quite so quickly (I used it for about a year). £1000 better? I guess it depends how you view £1000.

(BTW: WM hates just about everything MF stand for).

 

I havent heard the M3, and therefore cannot comment.

The A308 I have heard however. I wouldnt buy one new or second hand personally, finding it ....sort of boring sounding.


Cheers
Chris

 

Thanks for the replies.
They have given me cause to ponder !

Bottleneck,while I have no reason to doubt your experiences I do find your post somewhat unhelpful - I already own the A308 (as stated) so wether you'd buy one,new or used,is rather irrelevant

Thanks for the PM's I've received - I will give it some thought and get back to you.

Thanks,
LegzR1

 

I have now had a listen to both the tri-vista and nu-vista amps
and appear to be in the minority {again} I quite like the pair of them,though i do think they are both over priced on the 2nd hand market, Id say they suit my type of musical taste i.e. jazz,female vocal,accoustic stuff

 

Hi Legz

I missed the comment about you already having one, so sorry - my comment wouldnt have been there if I'd seen that.

Cheers
Chris