musical fidelity gear

MF A series amps and integraded amps, IMNSHO: polite sounding, superb for classical and jazz, clips easily/doesn't play loud (power rating may be generous), doesn't handle dynamic music well at all. Not amps I would suggest for rock, rap, techno, triphop or fans of other such music, but, again, classical music freaks get along with it nicely, it seems, especially those with sensitive speakers and old ears. (and, yes, I did use a good power cord and lots of break-in time). I thought the Odyssey Stratos and PS Audio HCA-2 where overall much better amps. I'm not saying that the MF A-series amps are not great for the money and nice sounding amps, as they are, but time rolls on, there is much more competition in the ~$2k and under "budget" range, at least these are my thoughts, formed through my ears, in my system, and others thoughts can and will vary :)

I do think that the A-series preamp and dac are much more special, however, fwiw.

I recently pondered the same questions and went with the A3cr pre/power combo after listening to all in a shop with the same speaker I own. The current price on the A3cr is a bargain now as compared to the new 3.2, although the integrated units have the advantage of convenience and lack of need for additional interconnects. I initially intended to get the A308 integrated, which sounded very similar to the A3.2 integrated, but with a faint increase in overall dynamics (more power?). Note that both of the integrated units do not have the choke regulation, which effectively doubles the cost of the electronics (I believe the MF web page has or had a misprint and listed cr features on the A308 integrated). I did not get to listen to the 3 and 3.2 separates side by side, but my short-term memory did not reveal any substantial differences. If you do get one of these MF units, give it plenty of time to break in; bass may fill in and treble smooth over the course of a month.