Has anyone else tried these amps? It is truly surprising. Especially for the cost.
ozzy
MICHI 8 Amp(s)
Michi 8 Amp(s) Review
For reference, previous to the Michi 8 I owned Bob Carver M 350, Pass Labs X350.8.350.5, Atmosphere M60-3.3, Krell amps and several others.
I was interested in these amps after reading Michael Fremer’s review in which he compared these to his $ 170,000 darTZeel NHB-468 amps. Rotel Michi M8 monoblock power amplifier | Stereophile.com
Now, I know due to the extreme cost difference’s they cannot be a one-on-one exchange, but this review definitely got my attention. I mean these amps output almost 2000 watts per channel @ 4 ohms!
So, I ordered a pair, with a 60-day money back guarantee!
Once I received them, some of the things I noticed:
First off, man are these amps heavy! About 140 lbs. each! And the build quality, though not necessarily jewelry like were mighty fine looking (to this ole’ audiophile anyway).
So, I connected them up with my previous speaker cables and fired them up, they sounded pretty good, but I was wondering if they could sound better. So as any self-described audiophile would do I set out to experiment.
What I found was these amps need heavy gauge speaker cables, I mean after all they can produce 1800 watts per channel! So, I bought 2 pairs (bi-wire) of Goertz M-3 Divinity cables. These cables are 7 gauge each. And oh, ah, much better, so, no wimpy thin cables need apply.
And long breakin is required. Out of the box (s), they sounded ok, but they didn’t produce the sound or bass that I thought amps of this power rating should. After 200 hours they were better, but 400 hours were much better. I guess when you consider the massive power supplies used in the design, they needed time to develop. Today, after many hours on them, I am convinced these amps are awesome. Thus, my review.
The soundstage is very wide, deep, dynamic, and inviting. I am again enjoying my audio music collection. Beit cd’s, files or streaming, everything sounds so different and lively.
The Michi name is part of the Rotel family and that in its self made me first think of mi-fi quality. But boy have I been impressed.
These amps must be the best bang for the bucks this century.
ozzy
35 responses Add your response
First off, Happy New Year to all! It’s funny, about 10+ years ago I thought I should start downsizing the weight of my equipment for possible future age-related limitations. I started using tube amp(s) and monitor/sub speakers. Fast forward to today, I now own 250lb speakers, and 140lb amps! I guess these may be for my last hooray? The speaker flight cases could be used to bury me in. The Michi 8 amps are really unbelievable in the sound quality and for the cost of admission. ozzy
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Congratulations @ozzy on the new amps that are keeping you busy! Out of curiosity - have the fans ever come ON? Those amps look robust. |
Thanks! You know if the fans have come on, I have never heard them. The unit runs pretty cool to the touch. One of the front screen menus on the unit is a temperature reading. Once it warms up and has played for some time the temperature reaches about 100 degrees and pretty much stays at the reading. ozzy |
j-wall, I will do my best. Remember though, this is with my equipment, my room, my choice of music and my ears. The Pass Labs amps were ok but to me sounded a little too closed in, especially on the top end. The Atmasphere amps were ok but lacked the amp power for the dynamics I enjoy. I could have lived with the Bob Carver Ravens, but I thought the Michi 8 with its enormous power would work better with my new speakers. But the Michi 8 really opened everything up. However, they really required a lengthy break in to fully develop. ozzy |
@ozzy did one of the Goertz cables short? How did that happen? |
Yes, evidently one did. Visually you cannot detect anything amiss. The problem must be internal. When you look at these cables the positive (Red) is at one end and directly at the other end is the ground wire (black). So, these cables internally do a crisscross and perhaps they have been compromised. But I dunno. I contacted Bridgeport Magnetics Group Inc. who are the manufactures of these cables, and they will check them out (for a charge-whatever that means). ozzy |
@shkong78 109db sensitive AG Trios and Class AB SS 1000 watt Michis. Could there be a more ridiculous counter intuitive pairing? |
I also own a pair of M8 monoblocks and they are mighty impressive. My experiences are similar to Ozzy’s. They drive my MBL 101E mk2s, known for needing high current and the amps do not even break a sweat by pushing them to beyond concert levels. I also have 4 Parasound JC5s, which I used in bridged mode to drive the MBLs and these also served the speakers justice but were not so musical and sounded thinner/brighter than the Michis. (The Parasounds are spectecular for the bass only, when they are bridged) The sound is drop-dead gorgous with the Michis -- sweet with holographic imaging (major characterictic of MBL but if driven with subpar electronics, can sound bright and metallic). None of the harshness and brightness heard at the shows on many a system--just a sweet, musical presentation. Call me crazy but I have a second pair of MBL101s for a smaller listening room and the Michi S5 (stereo version) and this can drive the MBLs alone without any problems but the speakers do benefit from biamping (bass is more robust with 2 Michi monos). The Michis are a great alternative to, and compete with most of the mega-priced amps, often seen at shows. I am curious to hear more opinions and experiences about Michis! Zoltan |
Check out this review of the Michi 8. Rotel Michi M8 Mono Power Ampiifier | Hi-Fi News (hifinews.com) The lab tests show it can deliver over 2000 watts for 4-ohm speakers. ozzy |
I find the reviews on the Michi amps to be very informative and accurate. Interestingly, I have found the matching P5 preamp underwhelming. It has a smooth, velvety sound but is not as dynamic as the Parasound JC2 (which is a little grainy and bright, though). I heard that the P5 may be a passive preamp, which may explain the lack of dynamics. I also did not care for the built-in DAC in the P5. I have experimented with several preamps and the Italian Goldnote P1000 Mk2 is the best I ever heard and a fantastic match with the Michi monos--extremely dynamic, detailed, yet supremely musical without grain. The Luxman c-900U has similar qualities, although a little bit more laid-back. I currently own both. Anybody knows how much class A power do the Michi amps produce? I know they are class AB but they sound like full class A to my ears. There is no disclosure about this on their website or in the reviews. Zoltan |
That's great if you can get by with the server only. I need the preamp between the server and the amps because my MBL speakers need the extra drive, otherwise the system lacks the dynamics. I can see that you may be using electrostatic speakers? Are they high enough sensitivity that they sound better without an active preamp? Zoltan |
My Michi Mono amps are very heavy (140lbs). I have them sitting on top of 4” solid Maple amp stand(s). Pictures are on my systems page. Underneath the stand I installed 2” Audio Points and underneath the Audio points I placed some Herbie’s spike feet gliders so I could move the stand if necessary. I also placed some Critical Mass Footers underneath the amp. Now that I am comfortable as to where the amps reside, I decided to experiment a bit. First off, I removed the Critical Mass Footers. At first listen the soundstage was not as wide, but wait a minute, the bass was deeper! I went back and forth and decided that the overall sound quality was better without the Critical Mass footers. Next, I removed the Herbie’s gliders. So now, the amps are just sitting on the 4” Maple stands with the 2” Audio Points going straight through the carpet and concrete floor. To my surprise, my sound quality took on a very deep and well-rounded sound. The bass notes are easily followed, quite impressive. So, I guess, the extra footers and gliders were holding back the sound quality of my systems potential. ozzy |
@ozzy what Amps did you have before you got those. What do you like as opposed to your previous Amps. |
@ozzy The Leedh volume control on the Lumin is great. The only DAC I have owned where the volume control was not terrible. |