Musical Fidelity
Electronics and CD Players

     The Musical Fidelity line represents a broad collection of well-built, sophisticated and yet cost-effective electronics and digital gear. Darlings of the Worldwide press, Musical Fidelity enjoys a well deserved reputation for superb sounding gear. Pick a model, any model, and you will find a product that offers high value, performance and great sound. 
     

Limited Edition kW 550 Integrated Amplifier

     It's powerful, it's massive and it kicks butt! Beautiful, neutral, limpid sound with no coloration and virtually limitless power. What more can you ask for?

Specifications:

• Completely separate tube preamp and two monobloc power amps in one package

• 6SL7 tubes

• Massive outboard power supply

• 630 watts per channel into 8 Ohms, 910 watts into 4 Ohms

• 200 Amps peak current delivery

• Damping Factor >200

• High quality MC/MM phono stage

• Five line inputs, 1 phono input

• Main unit weight - 51 pounds

• Power supply weight - 70 pounds

• Limited edition of 500 units

• $10000

550K Supercharger Amplifiers

        The new Musical Fidelity 550K Supercharger is a conceptual breakthrough and has never been done before in hi-fi. The 550K Supercharger is installed between the existing amplifier and loudspeakers. Nothing else has to be changed or touched.  It increases the power of the existing amplifier from 50 watts to more than 550 watts which gives any existing system sufficient power to give realistic concert hall dynamics in the home.
        The 550K Supercharger gives a new lease of life to existing hi-fi systems and allows the music lover to rediscover the passion and joy of music.
        Installing the 550K Supercharger is simple.  It fits between the existing amplifier and the loudspeakers.  After it has been connected to the mains nothing else needs to be done as the 550K Supercharger has a sophisticated turn on/turn off music sensing circuit. The audible effect of using the 550K Supercharger is dramatic and has to be heard to be believed.

Specifications:

• 550 watts per channel into 8 Ohms, 750 into 4 Ohms

• 250 Amps peak current

• Damping factor >250

• Can be driven by a preamp or an amplifier

• 16" H x 8.5" W

• $5000 pair

     Now available, 750K Supercharger offering a blistering 750 watts of pure unstressed power.

• $10000pr

A1 Integrated Amplifier

The new A1 is designed to give superlative sound. All aspects of its circuitry and layout have been designed to this end. Conceptually the circuit elements are similar to our revered kW Series. The only difference is that the A1 has less power (more about his later) and is a compact package.

Within its power range the sound quality of the A1 is equal to anything from anywhere. All it lacks is dynamic headroom. Our idea is that you start with an A1 paired with a relatively modest pair of loudspeakers and get exquisite sound. When you’re ready to upgrade you do not have to throw away the A1, all you need is more headroom. This is easily done by putting either a 550K Supercharger or 750K Supercharge in the system. Then you have created an extraordinary amplification system with none of the usual massive financial losses which are the norm for hi-fi upgrading.

Step one: get an A1 and have beautiful exquisite sound. Step two: add a supercharger. Now you have a system which makes the most exquisite sound and has no limits in dynamic range.

The A1 has a wide range of inputs, phono, USB, four line inputs (one with home theatre bypass) and a fully configured tape loop.

Specifications:

• 36 watts per channel into 8 Ohms, Pure Class A

• 22.8 Amps peak current delivery

• Damping Factor 142

• Four line inputs, 1 phono input (MM)

• USB Digital Input

• Preamp outputs

• $2000

A5.5 Integrated Amplifier

 Musical Fidelity believes that almost all hi-fi amplifiers available are grossly underpowered. They feel that with speakers of anything less than 95dB efficiency amplifiers with less than 200 wpc are clipping (and that means distortion and non-linearities) frequently. The A5 has 250 wpc and is capable of reproducing proper dynamic range into all but the most inefficient loudspeakers. It has fabulous technical performance and a delicate neutral sound which belies its great muscle power potential. The A5 sounds rather like a super quality tube amplifier but with guts and proper dynamic range.

Specifications:

• 250 watts per channel into 8 Ohms, 400 watts into 4 Ohms

• 75 Amps peak current delivery

• Damping Factor 140

• Four line inputs, 1 phono input (MM)

• 37 pounds

• $3000

A1 CD Player

The A1 CD Pro is a top quality CD player. As everybody knows, sound quality starts at the beginning with the information gathering system. The A1 CD Pro uses the Philips CD Pro 2 mechanism. This is the best CD mechanism in the world. It is normally used in very expensive CD players such as the Nagra (UK retail £8,500). The same mechanism is used in the A1 CD Pro. There is no CD player anywhere, at any price, that has a better mechanism. And that’s the starting point for the A1 CD Pro!

Following on from the Philips CD Pro 2 mechanism we have a 24-bit 192K upsampling DAC, state-of-the-art filter and output technology as used in our X-DACv8 (rated by John Atkinson, Editor of Stereophile, as state-of-the-art).

Specifications:

• 24 bit Delta-Sigma (Bit stream) dual differential 8X over sampling

• Jitter < 135pS

• Linearity <0.1dB down to -96dB

• Frequency Response 10Hz to 20 kHz -0.2dB max

• Channel Separation >95dB 20Hz to 20 kHz

• $2800

A5.5 CD Player

A really excellent CD player by any measure, the A5.5 has enjoyed world wide acclaim as one of the very best in class. The A5.5 has bee lauded for its sweet, clear midrange and excellent image width and depth. As with all Musical Fidelity gear, the A5.5 CD player is well built and very reliable.

Specifications:

• 24 Bit 192kHz upsampling, 8 times over sampling

• Extremely low 135 pS jitter

• Mu-Vista 6112 subminiature tubes in the analog output stage

• Limited edition of 150 pieces

• $3300

• Absolute Sound Editor's Choice Award winner

X-Can v8

The X-CANv8 is a huge advance over the outgoing X-CANv3. The difference is similar to comparing an Audi A4 compared to an Audi RS4. They both look similar but the performance is light years apart.

The X-CANv8 will drive any headphone easily (including the wicked AKG1000) and deliver sweet neutral dynamic sound with a colossal sound stage and effortless dynamic range. You simply don’t know what your headphones are capable of until they’re driven by an X-CANv8, it’s that good. Listen and you’ll have your ears and eyes opened to a new world.

Specifications:

• Tube Triode Class A Front End

• 1.3 watts per channel into 32 Ohms

• Output Impedance 2 Ohms

• THD <0.008% typical

• Frequency Response 20Hz to 70 kHz, +0, -1db

• Digital Input 1 USB 1.1 [32, 44.1, 48 kHz sample rates] connection for computer only

• $550

X-LPS v8

The circuitry in the X-LPSv8 is similar to that used in expensive electronics. The RIAA is very accurate, the noise ratio is excellent and overload margins are good. Generally, its technical performance on both MM and MC is equal to some highly expensive stand-alone phono stages. Subjectives are personal, but we think that the X-LPSv8 will stand comparison with the best. It doesn't have a high price tag so many will not even look or listen to this little marvel. Forget the price and listen to the music.

Specifications:

• MM Input Sensitivity 3mV for 350mV out

• MC Input Sensitivity 350µV for 350mV out

• Input Impedance 47K Ohms

• Signal to Noise Ratio >100dB 'A'-weighted

• Dimensions 7"W x 3.5"H (including feet) x 9.5"D (including terminals)

• $500