want another amp - which?

[philv]

I am really enjoying my little dulci set amp.
But fancy something to put besides it.

SHort list is -

marantz pm4
ming da piccalo set
musical fidelity A1
Audio innovation 700/800 (more pricey)
quad 303

The speakers will be JBL L96 or Kef coda III.

How would you rank those?

Can the musical fidelity hold it's own?

[fatmarley]

Having a Quad 306 myself I'm obviously going to suggest Quad. Compared to other amps I've owned, The first thing you notice is how small it is. It's got tight, deep bass that's nice and full. The midrange is open and full of life and projects nicely into the room, and the treble is very smooth. This is with a Little Bear passive preamp though. I've heard people say that Quads own preamps can sound a bit dull.

If you do get a Quad, it's worth getting the Dada service kit for it. I don't know about the 303, but the 306 is an absolute doddle to service. Every component is numbered on the board and it only takes two screws to access the underside.

I haven't owned or heard any of the other amplifiers on your list though...

[walpurgis]

I also like the Quad 306, the sound is as Matt says and I much prefer it to the 303. It would sound great with the JBLs.

I wouldn't want the MF A1, they tend to have reliability issues,

Audio Innovations amps struck me as not very well built.

[Macca]

I'd avoid the original MF A1 as it has serious reliability issues.

I'd also avoid the Audio Innovations as I don't rate them at all.

The Marantz and QUAD 303 are worth considering although agree with Matt that the QUAD 306 probably a better option than either.

Don't know anything about the Ming Da but my general rule for cheap Chinese valve amps is to avoid.

The JBL L96 are better speakers than the Coda III although I do like the Coda III. I'd expect all the amps on the list to work fine with either speaker.

[Barry]

The Quad 303 is an old but good sounding design, and like most Quad gear they are very reliable. The BBC used dozens of them.

If you do find one, it is a good idea to get either Dada (in Belgium) or NET Audio (in the UK) to give it the 'once over'; the capacitors will most likely to need replacing.

The Quad 306 is a more recent design that is generally reckoned to be a very good amplifier.

[hifi_dave]

I'd avoid the original MF A1 as it has serious reliability issues.

I'd also avoid the Audio Innovations as I don't rate them at all.

The Marantz and QUAD 303 are worth considering although agree with Matt that the QUAD 306 probably a better option than either.

Don't know anything about the Ming Da but my general rule for cheap Chinese valve amps is to avoid.

The JBL L96 are better speakers than the Coda III although I do like the Coda III. I'd expect all the amps on the list to work fine with either speaker. I go along with that. The only amp I would consider from that list is the Quad.

Which pre-amp will be used ?

[philv]

Thanks for the replies.

I am using a tisbury mk 2 pre.

I may give a quad 306 a go if i can find a nice serviced example.

[hifinutt]

Ming da has the advantage of an excelled dealer in Malvern, his rooms always sound superb at shows imho. He really knows how to get the best out of Ming da

[AD Audio]

Ming Da have excellent build quality and do not count as 'cheap Chinese amps in their UK spec guise. I recently serviced a Quad 306 to Dada specs and was under-whelmed by its sound. Much better was an A and R Arcam 60 given a makeover or indeed a Quad 303 as was mentioned. There's nought wrong with a serviced AI 700/800 and with my choke mod that would be the best-sounding of all by a considerable margin.
David

[ovlov854]

Ming da has the advantage of an excelled dealer in Malvern, his rooms always sound superb at shows imho. He really knows how to get the best out of Ming da

Damn Right!! First class bloke :thumbsup:

[donmarrese]

I've had loads of quad gear in my time, as much as I like the look of them, as well as their pedigree.. the quality of sound is not on pick on a properly serviced / upgraded AI S500, (a la DC) or a Lentek.
They both impress every time!

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk

[Lawrence001]

I beg to differ slightly on the A1 question, yes many have issues as they get old due to the heat and the use of lower temp spec capacitors (to save money presumably).

BUT the more powerful A100 sounds lovely and is worth the risk of some hassle IMHO. It has a taller case and a fan so it might be more reliable. I had an unserviced example for many years and it has no issues until the fan started making a slight knocking noise.

If you can find one serviced (including having the caps replaced with 105 degC ones and maybe a clean of the fan), or are willing to get it done yourself, then quite honestly you're in hifi heaven. Tim deP made a really good design with this one.

[philv]

How does a leak stereo 20 compare to an audio innovations 500/700/800?

[AD Audio]

An AI500 is better, and it's no contest with an upgraded 700/800