MF Gear!

Hi Guys!

Can you tell me why there are so many (cheap) Kw550 forsale everwhere?
I use to have the Kw500 and i really liked it.But sold it because the value drop big time in no time.
Is it because MF comes out with new products all the time???

Regards
hsam

 

Good Question, The Reason I Heard Is That The Export Market Went Down On Orders And The U.k. Market Is Following Suite. European Also, That Does Not Mean The Product Is No Good, It Is But As A Manufacturers Point Of View They Have To Get Rid Of Stock, I Think's
Regards Nando, Sorry About Capital's Just Need A New Keyboard.

 

For me, that is the biggest issue with MF. They churn out "new" products like there is no tomorrow and they claim/imply that their newest designs is better than their top of the range outgoing model. It means heavy depreciation and low customer loyalty. I have in the past liked and bought some of their products, but for the reason mentioned above I'm unlikely to do so again.

 

Do they make keyboards without Shift keys?

 

I've taken advantage of the depreciation in the past and really enjoyed my time with MF gear. However when looking to upgrade I considered some mods like upgrading connectors etc. Other than being tricky because the internals are attached to boards etc what really put me off was if anything goes wrong with a part boards need replacing and MF arn't keeping spares past 6 mths from the end of the products life (according to the dealer I spoke to ) and we know how quickly that can happen. That said dealers have said as a rule MF stuff lasts well. The loyalty bit isn't overstated, lots of product going for a song, company struggling? Its a shame because the gear sounds great, they really have screwed up thier marketing as far as I can see.

I got more than I paid for my MF and put the money to very good use! For all MFs wittering about thier amps being unbeatable no matter what price the competition, sorry I beg too differ. The A5 pwr isn't a patch on a Chapter 2 (not heard a KW750 but I doubt it is either!). It doesn't do to slag off the competition, just makes you look silly when your claims are so unjustifiable. Ces't la vie.

I hope they can turn it around.

 

quote

i wish, they do not last long, hope this one does,
nando

 

well done mike from chapter , i agree, with the way mike's amps sound, how ever hi did agree with me that the best int. m.f. made was the kw550, chapter amps are very good, indeed.
nando

 

My local dealer here in Denmark just sold 4 Kw750 for £1999 each and 4 The Kw Pre for £999 each.I missed it.All sold in less that 2 hours..(

 

..And How will you guys compare a MF Kw 550 against a B.A.T Vk300x Se?
Im looking for a Re-placement for my Rouge Audio M150's

 

Like tubes? interested in solid state? if you can find them where you are have a listen to Chapter amps, some have said they're a best of both. Not had enough experience with tubes to comment properly, they do make great music...

 

HI hsam

To answer your question about MF ,this is how they react to poor sales they dump the product and then undervalue the ones already sold by doing this. However they do make good products (if you like the sound).

Bat vk300se is a fantastic amp if used with balanced products and if you hear one it needs to be well warmed up ,in my experience for at least a week(you will need a home loan). If this isn't done then it can sound a bit matter of fact and slightly cool,but once its on song it is very musical . The MF for my taste is a wee bit to relentless in its sound,(to forward),reviewers have called this the mailed fist in a velvet glove.I hear to much of the mailed fist in the sound.

Chapter Audio is very good but in the wrong set up can sound a bit bland and boring and lacking in presence .However if everything is right it is very good and the sound has a bit in common with the American Boulder products. Very silent backgrounds,excellent detail and amazing imaging.Well worth a listen but again it needs to be well run in and on for a couple of days(stand bye) and in my opinion used in balanced mode(amp to pre and cd to pre.If its the integrated then i would also use it hooked up in balanced mode ).

Hope this is of help D Louth.

 

I am looking at a KW550 to go with my new 802D's.

I have KW250s at the moment and that sounds pretty nice.

 

Nobody buys hi-fi equipment for any reason other than to listen to music. Do they? And if the kit works and continues to work and gives enjoyment, why sell it? So what if the market value plummets, it works and does the job you bought it for. Only change something if it is expensive to repair it after a faulit or another product is very significantly better. But changing one element of a decent balanced system unbalances it and you end up changing almost everything. Not a road I want to go down again. Ever!

 

I agree with Rocker ,there is to much panic and paranoia in this hobby . So what if it didn't sell well ,that does not mean its bad and if it works in your system and you like it ,DON'T GET RID OF IT FOR THAT REASON !!!!!! Rather in the case of the MF amp if you like the sound view it as a bargain and if it suits you ,well you have saved yourself a load of money EXCELLENT!!!!!

MF gear is generally very reliable (they did have a problem with their TRI-Vista Sacd player ,but so did every one else who used that Philips mechanism.) The amplifiers work for many years and even if its a Nu-vista/Tri-vista amp with valves,even if MF didn't have spares (valves)which they do (these can be got easily,so much for all the stock being bought up?)

So if you like the sound go for it ,however i am not sure if the slightly forward sound of the KW550 would suit the B&W 802's,which in my opinion can be to bright and forward themselves . An amp verging to the warmer side of neutral with excellent current delievery would be ,i think a better choice . If you can try a well run in kw 550 with your speakers . The sound of the amp changes as it runs in . I liked it fresh out of the box (warm and musical and sounding quite good) but as it runs in it opens up into a more forward and (potentially relentless sound /in the wrong set up) In the context of my system it was wrong for me .

As MF have followed their current agenda of design ,the sound has grown more lean and less musical,in my opinion. The last MF amp i could have lived with being the NU-Vista design from a few years ago. The TRI-vista and KW models just being wrong for me and increasingly so. Please note in these comments i HAVE SAID FOR ME IN MY SYSTEM.

Hope this is of help D LOUTH

 

Thanks D Louth!
Im going for the B.A.T VK300Se.The price was to good to say NO to...
And i also think it will holds its value alot better than the MF gear.Since i change gear alot. :0)
Regards...

 

Hi hsam The batvk300se is a great amp ,i love the features a lot one of the reasons i bought a Bat Vk31se pre . Two balanced ins,three rca and level control,mono,channel phase invert(for european balanced kit,pin lay out is wired differently,i can hear this.).And a set of RCA and XLR outputs and you can name the inputs as well,this is a great features list.

You can play with the make of the 6h30 valves to ,but i must say i prefer Bats own selected ones . If anyone can suggest options that would be cool ?

I think your right ,with the rising cost of this amp and the fact that it has been in production for a few years ,it will hold its value . I was lucky to pick a slightly tired looking one a few years ago for not a lot of money and i use it in a second system. As i said earlier in the thread it needs to be left in stand-bye once it has warmed up (about a week) and if you have sources that are true balanced ,hook them up that way with good quality Xlr cables.Avoid using adaptors as that will degrade things a bit. Sounds better if you just hook RCA To RCA rather than an adaptor ,though Bat's own are quite good,as the Yanks say suck it and see. Let me know how you get on with it . I use mine with audience Au mains cable and audience AU XLR/RCA cabling a bit dear for some but i like these cables a lot.

Anyway have fun Regards D Louth

 

This comment is definitely not aimed at MF gear as I have no experience of it. However, as a rule of thumb if the market is saturated with second hand kit, I would at least be concerned that this was an indicator that many people were unhappy with its long term performance (and hence were selling it). The stuff everyone keeps hold of - that's what I want to listen to

 

While I'd agree there can be other issues. I worked for a top end mountainbike company a few years back. An industry plauged by small margains and end of season close out deals. Close outs tend to be as a result of poor sales projections. Now that MF are ordering from overseas the'll presumeably order in advance based on what they think they can sell. Get it wrong and you're sitting on a load of stock that you've either paid for or need to pay for - its got to be shifted (or you might need to shift something else to pay that bill) . It gives us all a good opportunity to upgrade hence more s/h gear knocking around in addition to the cheap new products (devaluing the s/h gear). The rub comes when your business plan is based on hitting those sales targets. Shifting stock quickly is all very well but if you make no profit can you cover costs? The implictions then get serious depending on the companies financial situation. No idea about MFs position. My contact with MF customer service was very good when I had a problem. Their long term warranty policy though, not so sure assuming the reports I've heard (mentioned in an earlier thread)are correct?

 

Affraid so! Them blue led's were what I bought my MF kit for!

 

While I'd agree there can be other issues. I worked for a top end mountainbike company a few years back. An industry plauged by small margains and end of season close out deals. Close outs tend to be as a result of poor sales projections. Now that MF are ordering from overseas the'll presumeably order in advance based on what they think they can sell. Get it wrong and you're sitting on a load of stock that you've either paid for or need to pay for - its got to be shifted (or you might need to shift something else to pay that bill) .It gives us all a good opportunity to upgrade hence more s/h gear knocking around in addition to the cheap new products (devaluing the s/h gear). The rub comes when your business plan is based on hitting those sales targets. Shifting stock quickly is all very well but if you make no profit can you cover costs? The implictions then get serious depending on the companies financial situation. No idea about MFs position. My contact with MF customer service was very good when I had a problem. Their long term warranty policy though, not so sure assuming the reports I've heard (mentioned in an earlier thread)are correct?