Does anybody have any thoughts as to which amp is better? I am not a big fan of the "tube sound" I prefer a spacious, uncongested and detailed sound. Anybody have any thoughts or experience that would help me make a choice?
The Musical Fidelity products are unlikely to make you think of "tube sound". For that matter, to someone who listens to and prefers tubes to solid state, the Krell is not going to sound like tubes either. However, there are also many hybrids and pure tube amplifiers today which do not have what most people think of when they hear the words "tube sound". Have you considered a line such as McIntosh?
Or Audio Note, or Audio Research, or conrad-johnson? None of those sound like the soft warm tube sound of the 70s but they're all tube amps and as different as each other.
Oh and there's Rogue Audio too...
From the UK, have a listen to Naim Audio, Chord Electronics or Cyrus. For a slightly warmer feel, look at Arcam.
In the US there's loads of manufacturers such as Mark Levinson, Theta, Boulder, Jeff Rowland, Adcom, Anthem. The list is endless.
For me, Krell and Musical Fidelity both give a big wide expansive sound with lots of detail, but they don't time particularly well, so I lose interest. I simply don't find them that engaging - but that's just me.
Where are you located, Ted, and do you have the opportunity to audition any of these amplifiers? What system are you going to insert the amplifier into? What music do you listen to?
Personally, after the Mac gear I would give a nod to the Jeff Rowland Desings product. But, I've got to tell you, I heard the new McIntosh MA-2275 (I believe is the number), which is an integrated based on the MC275 tube amps and C-22 pre amp (class A products even considering they're essentially forty year old designs) and given the limitations of the speakers the store had the amp hooked through, there was nothing more I could have asked from the amplifier. Spacious, focussed, dynamic and subtle; pacing and timing that made you smile big. This amp can do pretty much anything a reasonable person can ask for.
I really dissagree with you Frank on the Musical Fidelitys timing thats simply not true if you comparing them to a Naim,Rega,or Creek then yeah they dont time like any of those peices and nothing else does either.The Rogues do sound like Tubes in my opinion,the others you mentioned yeah they dont,I for one dont like the Rogues they are muddy in the bass and just to fluffy sounding,you can go with some of the chinese amps and get better sound for cheaper like Cayin,Shanling,and the Onix intergrated amps and the Rogues dont time very well either.
As far as the A5 and the KV400 go the A5 is a more refined presentation although not by much this amp does things that were previously unheard of in a Krell it actually is kind of subtle.The A5 will be more detailed and even more spacious than the Krell While the Krell has the better dynamics and Bass power both are very good for the money,the A5 by a little bit.
Yes I am comparing the Musical Fidelity to Rega, Naim, Chord Electronics or anything that times reasonably well. I accept that the MF will have a wide expansive detailed sound, but I think it loses it so much in the timing department by comparison to Chord and Naim that it loses big time. As for Krell, well, it's just MF doubled innit?
