Musical fidelity M6i or Naim Nait xs to drive my B&W 683

Damn bummer I'm sorry man I hope they do the right thing an fix this right for you.

Now it seem not that smart that I left my amp running while I'm at work to speed up the running in proces....

But have to say the sound improves every day bass is getting tighter an the detail is pretty amazing, but I try to explain more in detail this wknd.

Have to be honest I'm kind of looking forward to this wknd when I have a little time for some small propper listening sessions

Just, still thinking about my tweeter problem witch is still bugging me but oké

So almost listened whole the weekend to my music....

So for now I guess the play in time heve been a little more than 50h, I agree it's not much but at this point I can anly sar it's getting better an better.  Actualy I moved the furniture again. So according to the dealer the running in proces restarted from 0, personaly I doubt that maybe you lose a bit but get it back quicker than befor I think. Or is it that my new positioning of my gear is that much better???? True I found a pretty good position for now.

One thing we all know the AMS is getting extreemly warm, but I didn't remember the demo amp was getting that warm.

An on top of that the demo kit was on the floor on a carepet now its on  top of a wooden rack so it should get a little less warm no??? On the left 2cm from it there is my TT an on the right my cdp.... but the top is free so plenty of space to breathe.

Considering the misadventure our friend had this is worieing me a bit.

Now like I said the sound is slowly but shurly getting set to what I'm reaching for.

It's like how more it plays how space I get. the bass is getting tighter an fuller. I have less this horn feeling on the low department it still there on some albums but its getting better.

Eronicly I also noticed that his strongness can be a weaknes.... What I mean is I'm so amazed by the accuratie thz sound can get so real it's superb... really. But than it can also be a weaknes

EX I put up the Daftpunk album Alive 1997. It great it usualy want to make me shake I listened to the cd in the gym on a budget system an it was getting really punchy an you didn't really get the live feeling.

An on the ams I still like the mix but I felt really live an in the process lost a bit of agressivity don't get me wrong everything was there, more than I ever heard before it is like you are in front of the stage, an in they end it still make me shake...an actualy it was not wrong but it was a completly different presentation than what I heard in the week.

So normaly on most of my music I consider  this a ++++

but here can't really tell my first impresion was that it was missing a bit agresivity...

Thats what I mean when I say sometimes it's to good

So to resume my experience of the wknd.

Detail is exeptional I discover subtilitys on almost every recording. (when it is a bad recording aswell )

The mid is getting that space every instrument get his place even on more complicated music they don't stucked to ech other but you still have a nice, sweet harmonic separation between the instruments.

The voices are full bodied an warm already on modt of the albums some of theme still have this harsh peaks but as it's getting better I don't expect it to last to long.

On the bass department like I said it  getting a nice roundy, curvy touch.

Tighter an pacier, like it have more room to express it self.

Altrue it it's still overwelming from time to time an than you get this horn effect, but here aswell as it's getting better I don't expect it to last.

But as you know I'm not the most patient kind of guy next wknd I will get a secound carpet four the woden part who is still naked  in my livingroom in front of my speakers.

See if it improves.

Taking all in considseration I had a pretty good weekend an also start to put my mind at rest with my choice hearing the results. An this on my current gear.

So to be honest I have a good feeling about the future when I upgrade my component's to the capability's of the AMS.

Keep you posted.

Roby, glad things are getting gradually better.....is your wooden floor laid over concrete?....if not, have you isolated your speakers from it?  (eg. with Granite).

My guess is that you are only getting around 40% of what the amp is capable of giving. If you are happy at the moment, things are only going to get substantially better.

I think you need to hear the way it can sound with the likes of Kef Refs, which should bring the excitement to the sound that you feel is sometimes is missing....the source also plays a big part in this.

Cables can be used at the end of the project to slightly change the presentation ie. Nordost are fast and lean; Cardas are organic and analogue sounding; Telurium Q are very neutral, detailed and musical.

I think the 35i reacts well to a decent mains cable......can you borrow one from your dealer friend to see what happens. That alone could help achieve some of what you're looking for.

I think Neuphonix has been incredibly unlucky, and we need to hear the full story before forming an opinion. This amp has been out for a few years, and a consistent problem as serious as this, is likely to have surfaced and be known about before now.

My friend, you are only scratching the surface of where you are going to end up!

Hi Roby,

I have no doubt you have got some really enjoyable hours ahead of you with the AMs.

Not missing the Lavardin at all?

Cheers

Mac

Hi Alex,

glad to hear things are settling in well for you.

Sorry if I just dropped in with such a brief "bad news bulletin" but I hadn't been feeling all that happy about the situation. Didn't mean to detract from the enjoyment you have been experiencing.

The torment I went through justifying such a large outlay on luxury items was really haunting me! Not to mention the hours & hours of research. But anyway a few weeks have allowed me a little distance from the "incident" & I'm thinking a bit straighter.

Thanks for your best wishes as well Cno.

So I heard back from the dealer last Friday & some good news. The distributor will be repairing both the amp & the speaker free of charge. Apparently (& forgive my lack of exact technical detail here) a couple of the transistors had malfunctioned which had caused the output stage to go which in turn had ruined the speaker.

I still can't offer any obvious external reason as to why this might have occured. The amp was the only device turn on at the time & all other parts of my set-up are still functioning perfectly (touch wood). It was mentioned that a power spike may have contributed, but my system runs on its own dedicated power circuit, so given that the other devices remain unaffected I have my doubts on this.

I have been turning the unit on & off each time I use it, the power consumption really put me off leaving it on permanently. The guy I dealt with at the ship says he leaves his A-class on all the time. If I did notice one thing was that as it cooled down after being turned off it did make quite a lot of metallic cracking/cooling sounds. I know that you had mentioned this was normal Cno, but I've got to think that it must put the unit under stress, all that metal expanding & contracting.

Will be looking at a good power filter/surge suppressor soon though. Cno, any thoughts on this? The dealer has two options, the Monster HTS1650 & the Thor PS10.

I have to say that whist I am pleased that the distributor has acknowledged the fault with the amp and are willing to bear the cost I really would have prefered them to completely replace both the speaker & them amp completely rather than repair it. I could be accused of focusing on the negative here but to me for a product in this price range to malfunction in such a way so early in its life....... I want a new one, not a repaired one! I'm still feeling somewhat uncertain about the repair to the speaker. The main driver was the only outwardly visible sign of damage, but given that somke was coming out of the front you would have to think that in internal wiring/cross over has been significantly damaged, not to mention the tweeter. I will be paying extra close attention to the sound, but I am praying I don't get into some drawn out affair.

I couldn't scream too loud because they have decided to repair a speaker which I didn't buy off them & this has been one of the real learning experience in this whole thing. I opted to import the speakers due to the nearly 35% price difference & I still stand by this decision. After all what could possibly go wrong with a speaker!? doh!

Fortunately however I bought the amp in Australia (imported price was only about 10% cheaper) as I felt that the price differential was not worth the risk. Much the same as my experience during the buying process the dealer has been nothing but supportive, so spending that bit extra was really like buying a form of insurance. They didn't get bitter about the fact that I had shopped them on the speakers they stood by me & sorted out the problem with minimal fuss.

The above paragraphs are all sounding reasonably positive so far & I have no real reason to think that this will change, but I haven't yet recieved either product back yet so dont want to count my chickens before they hatch. Will keep you posted.

Alex,

I would try getting your speakers up off the floor. I experimented with floor spikes on paving tiles before spending the extra on granite slabs. I found it really tighted things up & made a big difference to the overall clarity. Still I think you have already worked out that the speakers were going to be the next significant step! Keep saving!

Cno,

if it weren't for this misadventure I would have been trying to wrap my head around a Linn MajikDS by now! I've got a Qnap NAS set up & a new Ipad for the control point (had to buy one for the wife as well to justify this!). The thought of ripping my whole CD collection is pretty daunting. But this purchase has been pushed back for a bit until I come out on the other side. Still the reasearch I been doing so far seems to indicate that there will be a fair bit of time required to learn the ins & outs of the unit, llooking forward to it.

Talk soon,
Michael

Well my guess is that they put the new floor directly on the existing floor because it not even everywhere. My feeling is that in very low frequency’s the floor is trilling this maybe one of the reasons I get this horn effect from time to time.

This will change after my modifications my plan is to put some acoustic wool under the floor that will help absorbing an will make my neighbor happy

In the mean time I will folow you advice an ask my father fore two granite stones (or is there maybe a better material?)

Concerning the speakers I heard the ams on Dynaudio C1, B&W 803 an Avalon Idea all 3 where good an I'm not shore witch one got my preference I might say Avalon but when I heard those it was a long time an I had less experience so that would still be my choice. C1 where also impressive certainly for such a small speaker, but I'm not shore it will be able to bring out the full potential of the AMS. An than well the 803's I still love B&W so not Shure I'm objective here but I was impressed because they sounded light an fast compared to when I heard theme on the Perreaux 250i witch is rated at 250 watt....on the other hand I admit they can get a little boomy some times. I also heard the AMS on 2 pair of Sonus Faber  one floor stander but can't recall witch one (Maybe Alex can help me here) But that I didn't like it sounded flat....An the stand mounds well I tought they were getting to boomy it was like they were trying to catch there breathe.

An I still want to hear Pro arc D28 & D40 because I really liked there presentation with the Sugden IA-4 so I’m curious about the result on AMS.

Then I also want the focal Diablo’s

An of course the Kef ref 205

So at this point my shortlist isn’t really short an I guess the decision will be extremely hard.

The source Well I try not to think about it for now because I thing If I go to that pad with my budget at this moment I might settle for the next best thing witch would be a shame. For all I know, I want a excellent cd player I’m thinking about Electro compagniet, MF M6cd or who know the ams, …..an a TT table provably Clear audio Performance or VPI scout.

I know some of you say streaming is future. But for me having a Squeez box for 2 month’s now it’s just doen’t really fit me at least for now at least for now.

About the cables I thought this should be done on they end no? Well I guess I can borrow some cables from the dealer to try out, See what he have in stock actually he is advising “A-ha” cables you have any thoughts about those?

Rob,

we tried the AMS on Sonus Faber Cremona M floorstanders (at NM) and Sonus Faber Guarneri Memento (in Antwerp).

Well For shure I don't miss the Lavardin. But I admid it was getting better an better certenly afthe I left it on 24/7 as the dealer adviced it wa getting warmer an warmer an very musical. So if I miss smthing about it is tha fact noticing it was getting extreemly good for an amp I didn't like at all at the beginning. Somtimes I was working on my pc an noticed "damn this sound sweet" But honestly it is IMO still far from the AMS or the Sugden, but than again I guess it more depends of the presentation your afther. Beside the fact there was no remote an you had to turn it of on the back was really bugging me. If I had dicided to buy the Lavardin I think I had never put my mind at rest about those 2 negative points. A third one is each time I turned it of (on the back) I heard a enoying cracling sound in my speakers. Thats also one of the reasons (biside the sound d that was getting better an better) that I didn't turn it if anymore.

Hey you experimented with your cd player on the AMS what was your feeling about that? is it a good match? When I look in you treat I recall you giving your thoughts about the AMS VS Sugden but not really about the synergie AMS & Electrocompagniet CDP. This really interest my If you don't mind

Neuphonix

I'm glad to here it looks like it's going to work out.

My personal opinion

well I can understand your doubts an I would have expect theme to send you a new one, because like you said at this price range an you did nothing wrong so....

So if it would happen wild mine I would not leave it untill I'm completly happy with the result. For now if I where you I will give theme the benefit of the doubt. But be on my guard for the results...

keep us in the loop succes.

@Neuphonix

Hi Michael, thank you for reporting in with such a comprehensive reply.

I think that on the whole, you've been treated fairly and are wise not to push for more. It's a dodgy area, but if they were ruthless, they would only have replaced the amp.....though (as already stated) you would be wise to give it a very close assessment when you get it back.

When looking at surge suppression, it's vital that anything you use doesn't "choke back" the available current, as this will badly effect the dynamics of the amp....which needs all the power it can get (my lights dip when I switch mine on)!

IMO The Linn Majik DS will turn your system from a good one, into a great one.....let me know when you get a listen. Linn use competent dealers that are there to "walk you through" the setup of the system, or in my case, do the whole thing for you. There is also a lot of good stuff on their website.

Re the amp:

- I never leave my amp on, and would never consider doing so.

- When I asked about the cracking, I was told this was perfectly normal, as there are 2 different metals used. There is a possible action that can somewhat mitigate this....when the amp's casework is being fitted, the screws holding it, can be a little over-tightened, as it's done mechanically.

The solution is to check them all and slightly loosen any that are over tightened (3 or 4 in my case). This improved the problem by maybe 60-70%.....I got the dealer to do it as I didn't want to take any chances on the warranty.

I hope the next episode of of this tragedy is as positive as the last.

Cno

Agree the Lavardin not in the same league as the AMS or Sugden and certainly I can see the lack of a remote would deter some people.

I cannot speak highly enough of the EMC1UP and in my search I demoed quite a lot of well respected players along the way,... Wadia, Audio Research, Crell, Esoteric and Sugden... the latter being the only rival to Electrocompaniet.

Combined with the AMS35I you will hear a very rich full bodied presentation and superb detail.

Cheers

Mac

Hello,

So here I have the ams now for 3weeks played arround 150h now I think...an it's getting better an better...

it slightly getting this curvy drum kick an waemer vioce.

One thing is a litle bugging still I have the strong impression I have to go higher on the volume (easely 10 sometimes 11)than I had to on thr demo one I had at home if I went that high then in was almost not supotable.....

Maybe this will change with thz timz but still I think it's strange.....

By 10, do you mean 10 o'clock (around 35 on the dial?)

I listen at 25 (moderate) to 37 (pretty loud) or 9 o'clock to 10 o'clock....but my speakers are more sensitive (90 dB) compared to your 685s (88 dB).

Please bear in mind that CDs can be recorded at very different volume levels.

Both amps that I've had were similar, regarding the position of the volume knob.....are you sure about this, as one's memory can play tricks, especially if you start getting paranoid. 

How much more do you think you have had to up the volume by, and has it been like this from new?...Nb. mine hasn't changed from new.

One way to test things is trying them on Acalex's speakers, and seeing if you get the same effect.

Other than this, how are you finding things?......if you go for floorstanders, they should be more sensitive. This amp likes speakers that are sensitive and have plummeting impedance.

Must admit if you mean 10/11 O'Clock for me, with the AMS, that would've been way too loud.

9 O'Clock on the Sugden is my limit.

Mac

Mac