I own the YBA Passion. I liked it better than the MF. Read my review. I don't know if it would be a good match with your speakers, though. Others, will know the deal, there...I also liked it better than the ML and JRDG. At this level? It's (we're) crazy..peace, warren |
I'd definitely do some listening before changing. What are you looking for with a change in amplification? A more substantial upgrade might be to go with separates. |
I don't think you'll find any better integrated then a M3 Musical Fidelity. Definately in-home demo other products before selling your M3. |
I heard your speaker with the plinius integrated
unbelievable.I almost bought those fidelio, that
time, I did not have the budget.Do yourself a
favor audition it.the cable they are using is
siltelch all the way.According to Joe Fratus
, He told me that the fidelio are the most coherent
speaker he heard.He uses them to evaluate his product.
He is the owner of art audio.This guy is sitting
beside me listening to this speakers. |
Usually, a minor change elsewhere will reveal the magic. Do a Google Seacrh for 10 Secrets to Better Sound |
I use a YBA Integre Passion to drive my Verity Fidelios... Before buying the amp, I tried a Nu Vista M3 with the Fidelio...
Very different sound... The Passion is more lean than the M3 but offers much, much more details. The Passion also offers a better soundstage and is much more transparent compared to the M3. The soundstage is also wider than the M3...
If you plan on playing music very loud, the Passion is not as powerfull as the M3 but delivers plenty of punch for a medium size room.
Overall, the 2 amps offer different value. The M3 offers big power for the buck but with less refinment. The Passion offers a good amount of power (100W into 8ohms) but mostly offers detail, transparency and musicallity.
You should have an in home audition before you buy... Taste is very personal but to me the Passion is a better integrated.
Also, you may want to consider an integrated from a company called Oasis. They have an integrated rated at something like 375W into 8 ohms. I cannot talk much about it since I did not audition the unit...
BEst Regards |
How about a Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista 300. 350 watts per channel and 1dB more power than a M3. Kind of a like a M3 on steroids. |
It would be helpful knowing more about your system (ie cables, accessories, room, music type) and especially what it is you feel you are missing. If you don't know what you are fixing it will be tough to know when you have fixed it. You already have an excellent amp and the differences are there with other units but it may not leave you any happier if you don't address this question first. I too have the musical fidelity and really have found nothing close for the same or even more money. You might wish to read a recent review on Audiogon by a chap who sold his and wishes he hadn't. There might also be certain tweaks you might wish to consider before dumping the whole unit. Drop a note if I can be of any help. Good luck in your quest |
I think if you not satisfy with M3, you best go seperate pre and amp. |
Tweak1 and Gajmusic make some excellent points. Before replacing equipment you should be sure that you've optimized what you already have.
While alot of people like the YBA Passion, you should note that in the recent Stereophile review one unit failed and its replacement suffered from blown fuses. The unit that failed died when the reviewer accidently shorted the speaker cables. The blown fuses resulted from driving the amplifier into clipping. |
The unit (Passion) failed because of (and he say's this as clear as day) a mistake Sam Tellig made, inadvertantly thinking the amp was off, he touch the ends of two speaker leads. This is a fault of the Passion? Give me a break? You really have to be pushing that baby in the red zone to blow a fuse--as he probably was. He indicated that, as well. peace, warren |
The Audio Research CA50 is a real sleeper among integrated tube amps. It is not in production any longer, but occasionally you can pick up one on Audiogon, and I guarantaee you that with the right equipment, it is an outstanding audiophile's delight! I have it in a system with the Arcam FMJ CD23 player, Silverline SR17 monitors, Acoustic Zen's Matrix II IC's and Satori speaker cables, with a Dedicated Audio Wattgate PDS power cord on the CD player, and dedicated power lines bringing the juice to Wattgate receptacles. I also cut the fixed power cord to the CA50 down to 12" and put a Wattgate plug on the end. I also use NOS 6922 driver tubes and KT88 power tubes instead of the stock tubes. This system sings! The CA50 produces a wide and deep soundstage with incredible definition and musical timbres. I have had systems that cost 5 times what I have in this one, but I've never enjoyed the music any more than with what I have now! It's a combination of all the component parts, but I can tell you that the CA50 is the heart of it! |
Warrenh, the YBA Passion failed because the designer chose to not have any short circuit protection. In the manufacturer's comments to the review they mention that all the methods they tried degraded sound quality. Sam Tellig's review was overwhelmingly positive, but the fact is one unit failed and the other unit blew its fuses. |
The unit blew a fuse because he listened to the amp at very high SPL... He even admitted that he was abusing of it... I would be curious to listen to the M3 and maximum SPL and see what kind of damage can happen!
As for the short circuit protection, who tell's you that other company's circuit protection doesn't affect the sound? As far as I'm concerned, nothing tells me that any other manifacturer's circuit protection doesn't affect the sound. Maybe they deceided on comprimising on the sound in order to deal with human stupidity...
YBA's quality and reliability has always been above average.
Best Regards |
Maybe the YBA should carry a warning sticker stating that listening at high volume constitutes abuse and could result in damage to the amplifier. The Stereophile review didn't state the exact nature of the damage nor whether it required the unit to be sent back to France for repairs. At least the blown fuses was fixable by a trip to Radio Shack. |
I actually called plurison (the canadian importer) to ask about what needs to be fixed if the speaker cables get shorted. The guy told me that it requires about an hour repair to replace some parts and that it can be made in house(he told mewhich parts but I forgot which ones).
No need to send to France.
Just for the record.
Best Regards |
