[Iassh]

Hi! Someone has offered me a second hand Musical Fidelity A3.5 integrated amplifier and I am considering seriously this offer. Also I have noticed that the A3.5 line is already discontinued and the “life” of these products has been very short. Can anyone tell me why? Is there any problem with them? Any good/bad experience with the MF A3.5. integrated?

Any input will be welcomed. Thank you in advance for your help!

[ghislain]

Hi,

I am not aware of any reason in particular why the A3.5 has been discontinued.
It will most likely be some sort of product alignment move whereby the A3.5 does not fit well with the new A1008/A5.5/A5 series.

As far as the A3.5 is concerned, I have been living with it for over a year now and it does a fantastic job driving the front speakers, the CDP being directly connected to it. It has seemlesly integrated into the HT solution (HT direct mode).
If you can get your hands on one for a good price, do not hesitate
Whatever choice you make, try to audition the amp first though.

[Iassh]

Thank you! Also one of my concerns is the integration with my Yamaha AV receiver, and I know that the HT input is very handful. I won’t be able to audition it first, so I will have to trust the reviews I have read.

Regards!

[witters]

I'd second ghislain's opinion. The 3.5 is an excellent amp with a very lush sound. HT mode is great for integration into your av system. I've had several MF components and never been disappointed with any.

[Cable Monkey]

Recently MF have been cycling through products quite quickly. It has been a bone of contention amongst some MF owners that their purchases have been rendered obsolescent by short product lifetimes and their second had values have been affected by massive end of line discounting. I doesn't exactly inspire brand confidence or loyalty. 2008 looks like it will be a tight year and it will be interesting to see if a company like MF can survive the coming 12 months.

None of the above is a criticism of their products. It is a people problem, not an issue with the electronics.

[phil t]

Originally Posted by Iassh

Thank you! Also one of my concerns is the integration with my Yamaha AV receiver, and I know that the HT input is very handful.

Hello Iassh, they say the A3.5 integrated is a scaled down version of the A5 integrated, and IMHO the A5 is a superb amp. When I had enough space for a home cinema setup, the HT direct was a godsend making it much easier to integrate my HiFi and Home cinema setup.

Originally Posted by Iassh

I won’t be able to audition it first, so I will have to trust the reviews I have read.

Regards!

It’s a shame that you can’t audition. I’ve read many rave reviews for Cyrus kit, but I just don’t like it. It would be a shame for you to buy MF kit to later discover that it doesn’t work for you.

[Iassh]

Hi phil t! Yes, I agree with you about the “listen first” matter. The problem is that the amplifier is second hand from a known person and it is located very far from where I live. The truth is that I am not now sure about buying the kit used: first, because few shops here in Spain sell second hand kit, so you are forced to buy new ones; and second, because I will be missing the “search, listen, compare, etc” part of the buying which I believe is part of the fun!

Regards and happy New Year!

[nuttyboyz]

Personally I wouldn't buy a MF even if it was free, emporers new clothes every six months, etc etc, I heard one of the CD players a month or so back and I couldn't believe the noises and clicks the player made, very distracting.

I would visit some shops to hear some kit if I was you, can save you trouble in the long run, there are some excellent amplifiers out there, from Exposure, Creek, Sonneteer for example that I would take over MF without a shadow of doubt.

[crowncd]

Felt I must come to the defence of the MF cd player. I've had a MF 3.5 cd player for about a year and certainly do not hear any noises or clicks. Maybe nuttyboyz you were listening to a faulty player - I'm sure all manufacturers produce the occassional 'dud'. I suppose the best advice is 'listen before you buy' but often this is not possible. As has already been mentioned, if you can get the kit at a good price go for it. If it's really not to your taste it may be possible to sell it on without too much or indeed any financial loss.

[Dave964]

I agree. I've been happy with my MF A3 for 6.5 years. I did listen to other manufacturers when I bought - including some of those listed - and MF won it for me.

I also agree with the earlier comment about Cyrus - I auditioned them and disliked it a lot (it was easily bottom of the list of stuff I listened to) despite the fact that they are a respected brand. That convinced me more than anything that it's important to listen to stuff before you buy.

[Iassh]

Hi! There is something going on with MF here in Spain that makes me now doubt seriously about buying any kit from them, new or used. First, this last Spring MF changed the distributor here in Spain and then all the prices dropped to 50% (brand new!). The guy who normally sells me all my hifi gear told me that was due to the fact that they didn’t know what would happened with the distribution in Spain and, more important, with the repairing services. After the summer there was a new distributor and all prices went up again. But today I just received the newsletter from a reputable shop and almost all MF gear is on big sale (40% off). And we are not yet in sale season here in Spain! Maybe is only happening here but with all this I will not feel comfortable now spending my money in MF. I will take a look somewhere else.

Regards.

[Mr_Sukebe]

MF are notorious for their marketing (even more over the top than existing overhyped), and their rapid turnover of products.

Some may remember their "Trivistor" range, which they claimed was the best thing since sliced bread, well at least until the "Nuvistor" stuff was released around 18 months later.
I won't have a go at the sound of their kit, as it's really a question of personal preference, but the implications on depreciation of a fast changing range and not great.

Lets not talk in detail about the recent MF joke marketing of "if your system can't achieve 110db, then it's not very good".

[ghislain]

Originally Posted by Iassh

... But today I just received the newsletter from a reputable shop and almost all MF gear is on big sale (40% off). And we are not yet in sale season here in Spain! Maybe is only happening here but with all this I will not feel comfortable now spending my money in MF. I will take a look somewhere else.
Regards.

Iassh, it sounds like you could do some great deals then
No matter how fast the equipment changes, it seems to be pretty reliable. Check around here, there are a great number of people using MF and I do not think you'll find many users that ended up with faulty equipment.
If you like the sound, go for it, you will not regret it