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 250S One Box Solution

         What do you get if you combine a killer upsampling DAC, a killer transport, killer amp, killer tube preamp (with phono input) and a killer tuner? Yes, a killer system, but what about if you could put them all in one box? Musical Fidelity did just that and they named it the KW-250S.
          Yes, folks, here’s an all-in-one solution to the “Honey, you have too many boxes” syndrome. How about a one shelf rack? How about no interconnects? How about ultra convenience? If all that appeals to you, you better get your order in for the latest creation from Musical Fidelity.
           Inside the KW-250S you'll find the wonderful kW upsampling DAC, the kW tube line stage (with phono!) driving the kW amp  boasting 250 watts per channel into 8 Ohms and 400 into 4 Ohms, 75 Amps of Peak current. There's even an for iPod (or other portable music device). Oh, yes, there's also the tuner, a nifty design that receives digital broadcasts (CD quality music over FM, and sounds really good!). It’s beefy too, weighing in at 65 pounds. Price is $10000; a pile of dough, yes, but a bargain when you consider what you’re getting.
 

• Everything in one beautiful package. No interconnect cables, one mains cable, and one remote control. No mess. No wasted space. No partner problems(!) The easy life in a box.
• Very high quality phono MM/MC Gets the most out of your treasured vinyl disc collection.
• i-Pod input on front panel. It's easy to get your i-pod in to your hi-fi system.
• DAB/FM tuner, 24bit 192k upsampling. 10 presets on each. Fabulous FM sound quality and DAB as you've never heard it before.
• Tube preamp, same as in kW550. Beautiful translucent sound.
• Separate 250 watt monobloc for each channel. Each with own mains transformer. Large scale sound quality with plenty of dynamic range and load driving ability.

 Amplifier:

• Power: 250 Watts per channel into 8 Ohms (24dBW), 400 Watts per channel into 4 Ohms
• Voltage, peak-to-peak: 127.3 Volts
• Current peak-to-peak: 75 Amps
• Damping factor: 140

 Phono:

• Overload margin: 26dB
• Channel separation: > 70dB typical
• Frequency response: 20Hz to 20kHz +0, -0.2dB
• Signal / noise ratio: > 96dB 'A'-weighted
• Input sensitivity: 2.5mV (moving magnet)
• Input impedance: 47k Ohms
• Overload margin: 24dB

 Connections:

• Digital inputs: 1 optical (TOSLINK) 2 S/PDIF (RCA connector)
• Digital outputs: 1 optical (TOSLINK), 44.1/48 kHZ 1 S/PDIF (RCA connector), 48kHZ Line level inputs: 2 pairs line level RCA connectors, 1 front panel 3.5mm jack socket sharing AUX2 input)1 pair phono (MM/MC) RCA connectors
• Line level outputs:1 pair RCA [preamp] controlled by the volume,1 pair RCA [tape record] fixed line level output.
• Speaker outputs: 1 pair 4mm banana plug/binding posts per channel
• Weight: 29.5 kg, 65 lbs - unit only, unboxed 37.0 kg, 81.5 lbs - in shipping carton
• Dimensions: 485 mm, 19.1 inches wide170 mm, 6.7 inches high including feet470 mm, 18.5 inches deep including terminals

Limited Edition kW 550 Integrated Amplifier

     It's powerful, it's massive and it kicks butt! It has super technical performance, loads of power (more than 600 wpc). All in all the kW 550 is just about as good as you can get, without spending a stratospheric amount. Beautiful, neutral, limpid sound with no coloration and virtually limitless power. The kW 550 is a limited edition of 500 pieces.

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

• $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.
 

• 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

Limited Edition kW DM25 DAC

The kW DM25 DAC is based on the system used in the kW SACD player which has been widely acknowledged as one of the best sounding disc players available. The primary contributor to this performance was the DAC system within it.

The kW DM25 DAC is a significant advance (although using the same technology) on the kW SACD. First off it has four full choke regulated power supplies and other subtle detail improvements. It has an amazing signal to noise ratio which means that it’s capable of going very loud without any stress. Perhaps more importantly, the dynamic range extends significantly downwards so that you can hear right into what would have been noise on an ordinary DAC.

It’s like the difference between a really good film camera and an ordinary digital one. Glance at the pictures and they look the same. As soon as you make a close inspection the differences become apparent. With digital the shadows are just shadows. With the film camera you can see right into them which gives an air of reality that the digital camera can’t get near (at the moment!) The kW DM25 is just like that film camera; you can hear right down into the corners of the music and ambience.

Specifications:

• 24 Bit, 192kHz true upsampling
• Dual differential DACs
• Four independent choke-regulated power supplies
• Both tube and solid state output stages are user selectable
• Two digital inputs
• $3500

Limited Edition kW DM25 Transport

 With CD the statement ”garbage in, garbage out” has never been more true. No previous CD system has ever addressed the problem of CD information retrieval with the same thoroughness as analog turntables.

Just like an analog turntable the kW DM25 transport has a proper isolation system to ensure that acoustic/seismic feedback are virtually eliminated.

The digital output is split into left and right separately. Each output is AES/EBU balanced operating at 96kHz (not the usual 44.1kHz.)

Taken as a system the kW DM25 transport is able to retrieve the finest detail from your discs. Using the DM25 on familiar discs is like having a veil between you and the music removed. The sound is brighter, clearer and yet sweeter. You can hear right into the nooks and crannies of the recording and the acoustic.

Specifications:

• Independent choke regulated power supply for the motor

• Independent choke regulated power supply for the servo

• Independent choke regulated power supply for the digital circuitry

• Turntable-style isolation system dramatically reduces vibration

• $3000

A5 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

• $2750

• Reviews

A5 CD Player

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

• $2750

• Absolute Sound Editor's Choice Award winner

• Reviews

X-Components

Four products make up the line. The XT-100 tube hybrid integrated amp, X-Ray v8 CD player, X-DAC v8 and the Triple-X power supply and a tuner. The idea is to build a system with the different components, all using the same Triple-X power supply (indeed none of the units come with an internal power supply, so the Triple-X is a requirement). The advantage of having an outboard power supply is twofold. First, the physical separation reduces hum and noise; second you save the cost of replicating power supplies for each and every unit. Because of the resultant savings in each unit, M.F. has been able to pack the X-Series components with more expensive technology from well up in their line. The compact chassis of X-Series (8.6” wide) allow side-by-side placement on most standard size shelves. Packages are available, offering savings over single piece purchases. “The beauty of this MF system is that the whole really is greater than the sum of its parts, and those parts are pretty damn good to start with. You could spend Hundreds more and get less.” Alan Sircom

·         The X-T100 integrated amp is based around the same concepts as used in their upscale integrated series (Nu-Vista M3, Tri-Vista 300, kW500 and kW550). Not surprisingly, even though it has much less power, the sound quality is almost indistinguishable from its illustrious siblings. Pair it with the right sort of loudspeakers and you really can get a true high end sound. A phono stage is included. $1250

·         The X-RAYv8 offers exceptional technical performance, in many cases better than CD players at three to five times its price. The player uses 24 bit Delta-Sigma (Bit stream) dual differential DACs with 8X over sampling and up-samples to 192 kHz. The X-Ray v8 offers the same refined and grain-free sound that makes the Musical Fidelity digital products so prized. $1250

·         X-DAC v8 offers similar digital technology to the X-Ray v8, but employs a tube analog stage for a sweeter and more dimensional sound. Musical Fidelity sates: "The X-DACv8 is virtually indistinguishable from the KW25." That's some achievement considering the $2300 price differential. The USB input opens this product to a whole new market as a more people are listening to their music off computer hard drives.$800

·         To power all your X gear, you'll need a hefty power supply. Musical Fidelity has you covered with the Triple-X.
         An external power supply offers a number of advantages. Lower noise: Eliminating large power transformers from inside the individual components reduces hum and noise, thus increasing signal to noise ratio. Cost: Sharing one power supply significantly decreases the cost of each component, allowing higher quality parts to be used in the circuits. $600