MUSICAL FIDELITY - M1 PWR vs Home Theater Receiver


This past Friday I had the opportunity to listen to a system that included a Krell S-300i integrated and Focal 807v speakers and it sounded fantastic. The speaker cables and CD player were much higher priced items generally used with the Focal Utopia speakers.

The Krell S-330i is sort of my dream integrated and I was offered the demo unit for $1,200 which is a fantastic deal, but it simply doesn't fit anywhere in my system/cabinet/house. It is really painful to walk away from it, but I don't really have a choice.

My current system includes an Integra 50.1 receiver and Focal 836v speakers. The temptation of the Krell cause me to do some online research/shopping and I ran across the Musical Fidelity M1 power amp for a great price.

Does anyone have any idea if there should be any real improvement in quality between the Integra 50.1 by itself vs.the addition of the Musical Fidelity M1 power amp with the Integra as the preamp?

Open to all thoughs and opinions. Please provide you reasoning for your opinions.
mceljo
Some years ago I have driven a pair of Focal Micro Utopia Be speakers with a Musical Fidelity A5 combo (integrated and cd player) and I can assure you that Focal and Musical Fidelity are a very good combination. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with the amp and speakers you are considering.
Doesn't the S300i have Home Theater Bypass?

If so, you can still have your Integra and the Krell by creating a hybrid setup for movies(using the Integra) and the Krell(for music).
The cabinet was a long searched for purchase so given my 1300 sq-ft house with two kids under 2-1/2 there are just limitations. I would have to justify $800 that I don't have in the budget and then force the Krell into my system. I am making the adult choice to walk away. In the future we will likely end up in a larger house with older kids and a few more options will be open to me.
I cannot comment on the how M1's will compare to your AVR.

I can tell you that if your heart and ears are set on the Krell, then this is what you should get. Especially at the price quoted - very attractive indeed! I do not know the exact reason that you cannot accommodate it. From the looks of your system, maybe it is a your AV cabinet.

If so, get another cabinet. This hobby is all about sound, not furniture. I went through 4 AV stands until I found one the was right for my needs.

You may be looking at the M1's as a placebo because you cannot get what you really want. It has been my painful and expensive experience in this hobby, not to get what we really want right away. Because eventually we do, and at much greater cost.