[Review] MF x80 amp...

MF x80 amp...

cheers RockHopper for this...

ok, got back last night and had a quick play with this - my initial impressions were very good - the sound stage is much better than my Nad c350, the sound was more in your face too - which isn't always a good thing when you play a lot on ambient style music...

on some records the bass was better, and on other worse, but that was I suspect down to the volume that I was playing it - I don't usually play music that loud when I'm just chilling...
but the amp does play well when I did turn it up...

it does have a different kind of sound to my nad - this was my first initial thought, but it was a good price considering the rrp was 600 (against the nads 350) - I paid 230

I seemed to be able to hear more sounds than my nad(!).

the music I played were -
soundtrack to american beauty - always good to test the bass
chicane - Behind the Sun
KLF - Chill out

there did seem to be a bit harshness on some of the high pitched notes, but I guess most of the problems will disappear when the amp has bedded down more, and its a case of adjusting to it's more upfront characteristics compared to the nad which I'd had for over 18 months...

the volume controls were also better when played low - as the nad (when using the remote) tends to jump from being a bit low (for my liking) to being a tad high and I had to adjust the actual control on the amp...

 

Thats a fine review ......thats what I hear with MF amps, and you have only just got it. I hope its not going to be too in your face as this can get very distracting, taking away the many good points of this amplification.

 

Good to hear you like it.

As you said, it can take time to adjust from one sound to another. I'm sure it'll grow on you more.

Does it work well with the a324 DAC?

 

thanks guys - yeah, it works well with the dac - in fact, I haven't tried it wothout, so can't really compare, but when you get you house sorted, you'll have to pop round and have a listen...

 

thanks for the offer, i'll let you know when i'm sorted

 

further to this review - I've had a play with this over the weekend - I'm mightily impressed with this as it has a lot of punch, however, I'm gonna sell it!

I'm sure someone else will appreciate this better than me, also, I connected this upto my AV amp and wasn't happy with using 2 remotes to control the volume...
so, it will be going in the classifieds...

It kinda like having a one night stand - nice amp to play with, but sadly I couldn't see any long term future for us...

interestingly - I sent an e-mail to Kef this morning asking them to recommend an amp and this is what they said -


Dear Sir,

Quote: I've read that the NAD and KEF aren't a great match?
I don't know where you read that, a forum perhaps?

NAD & KEF have a long-standing relationship that started back to the 1960's, our products work well together, NAD amplifiers have high current outputs and can drive any speaker load due to the PSU topology used. I use a C370 & T762 in my own system at home and I'm very happy with the sound.

KEF & NAD have the same parent company and are built in the same factory...

The C350 is a great match for the Q4's.
A more expensive amplifier may sound a little more detailed, but I doubt it would offer a significant improvement over the C350.

The best equipment combination is the one that sounds best to you.

Best Regards

Support Department

KEF AUDIO (UK)