Amp and Preamp for JM Lab Alto Utopias

Bill, in your post you have mentioned that the MF KW power amp was probably more expensive than the rest (ASR and Utopias which you mentioned were around $10.5k). Of course, when I said that the asking price was a joke I did not meant it as a reproach to you (It was what I would have told a dealer asking that prices). It seems that we are very fortunate here in the Netherlands when it comes to the services offer by the hi-end dealers. That is, when buying 10k components, any dealer will be willing to bring them to your home and install them into your system and will most likely also offer a 10% discount on top of that. I am sorry to hear the situation is much more different in Korea I certainly did not expected that.

I have a pair of Focal Micro Utopia Be speakers complemented with a REL Stentor 3 subwoofer and an Accuphase combo (E-550 amp and the DP-500 cd player). I am familiar with the Altos (I almost bought them twice but in the end I went for the MicroBes as I prefer monitors with a subwoofer since I find that
it is easier to integrate such a combination in ones room). About 2.5-3 years ago, before buying my current Accuphase combo, I have listen the following components driving my MicroBes:

1) Lyngdorf TDAI 2200 digital amp with room correction system. This can make a wonderful combination with the Focals (it also sounded superb with the new Focal Diablo speakers) but only if you have a very good room. It sounded beautifully in the dealer's (treated) room (where only 5-7% corrections were needed) but terrible in my home where around 30% corrections were needed. (Also note that Lyngdorf integrated amp, although a digital design, when much hotter than my Musical Fidelity A5 amp which was always only warm to the touch.)

2) An Ayre integrated and cd player combo (probably the series 7). It sounded very clean, quick and dynamic. But on some passages (e.g. some piano notes, or voice inflections) the treble could be a bit harsh and uncontrolled.

3) A Musical Fidelity A5 combo (integrated and cd player). This was my combo back then. It made a very good combination with the Focals. A very relaxed presentation with just the right amount of details and warms. I could listen to it for hours without any kind of fatigue plus it was suited for any type of music (though a bit on the polite side).

4) Various Accuphase combos (see my system page for details). Obviously, in the end I have preferred this combination the best.

Beside these electronics, over the years I have also heard good results when paring Focal Utopias with class A designs form Pass Labs and Graaf (but these will produce tons of heat), and also with Gryphon and Nagra (which might also produce too much heat) components. Mcintosh amps will also work fine.

Regards,
Paul

Thanks Paul for the rundown. There's a Gryphon amp in my voltage for sale on the Audiogon that I'm considering. I'm also considering Macs for their reliability as well as ease of repair over here. I could buy a pair of Pass 100.5 amps as well. Most of these purchases would have to be online. Prices of new equipment here with the import and shipping charges are exorbitant. Like the Altos, I will have to buy used. Naturally, I prefer colder running amps due to climate, but I can probably work with warmer ones for about ten months out of the year. I think I'm going to pass on the local Emitter due to age and cosmetic issues. This one came out before the 2005 upgrades, and I don't think I'll bother wasting the dealer's time on it. If I buy an Emitter it will be from outside the country on my voltage. Still no luck yet on finding Accuphase gear to test. I might have to abandon that one.

Regarding your other comment: "...when buying 10k components, any dealer will be willing to bring them to your home and install them into your system and will most likely also offer a 10% discount on top of that. I am sorry to hear the situation is much more different in Korea I certainly did not expected that." They're not going to do that for used equipment, and unless you are wearing a suit and a tie when you drop by, they're not going to waste a lot of time trying to earn your money. I've encountered a few decent dealers but I didn't like their equipment with my music--Dynaudio for example, or Dali for another. I'm also, as you may have noticed, not an ethnic Korean, and that factors in as well, though I do speak some of the language. The seller of the Accustic Arts amp was rather surprised last Friday when he saw me pull out a large wad of cash ready to buy the amp that was already gone. Now, he feels bad and is going to try and find something that might appeal to me. I guess the lesson for dealers, used or new, in any country is never underestimate a potential customer. You might just end up losing a very likely sale.

I would suspect that while the MF Tri-Vista 300 has a similar sound to the A5 gear, my amp is significantly better. I was first drawn to the MF gear with a pair of Micro Utopias at a dealer that was using an older MF A308 amp and a Tri-Vista DAC. To me at the time, that sound was quite magical, and I was sold on the Micros and ended up trying to buy them as well. Sometimes I regret not getting those instead of the Altos--reasons of moving for example but also the reasons you listed and the possibility of other options for amplification. I would have gotten them new over here, but the dealer was stubborn that we pay in cash rather than card in order to get his special price. I heard the Diablos at a recent show with Bryston amplification and I was very, very impressed. I have plans to eventually build a small, second system for my wife that may include used Micros with a Jadis integrated for our downstairs space. Or I may get Usher monitors instead.

" I also saw a MF KW 750 used. yet another good option to consider though I'm sure this one is a bit more pricey." Sorry for the confusion on this sentence. I meant to say that I suspect the amp is a bit more pricey than I can get it used elsewhere on the net. Sorry for the ambiguity on that.

Bill, the MF Tri-Vista 300 is most certainly better than the A5 (so are the Nu-Vista and the KW-500/550 models). The A308 on the other hand is not. I have compared the A5 vs the A308 for a few good hours and I did not hear any difference between the two models (speakers where either the Altos or the Divas; as cd player we used the MF A5).

Jadis is also a good option for the utopias.

May I ask what did you not like about the Dynaudios compared to the Focals. Which Dynaudio models did you listen? I am asking because recently I have fallen in love with the C1s. There are very high chances these will replace my MicroBes soon.

Paul, I heard the top-of-the-line Confidence floorstanders (C4?) and while I was impressed by the staging, I was not impressed by the tweeter with my music. At the time I was doing the testing, about seven years ago, I was listening almost exclusively to electroacoustic and electroacoustic improvised music. Only a few speakers that I heard did well with this kind of music, JM Lab Electra and Utopia Be being the best among them. B&Ws were also good. The Dynaudios, which were great on most kinds of music, could not accurately reproduce the sound on this kind of music. That's why there's much to factor in when evaluating music components. People talk about the room justifiably but equally important is one's musical taste as well as taste in the kind of reproduction provided by the system. For EA and EAI, I need something fast, authoritative, detailed and powerful. This music puts enormous demands on the speakers. At one point four years ago, I had to replace the tweeters on my Altos because of this. One of the dealers in an audio shop commented that my music was very good for evaluating the capability of a component.

I never meant to suggest that the MF A308 was better than your A5. Only that my original experience with the Micros were with that amp.

I'm curious about what you consider to be the sonic signature of the Gryphon amplification. I'm currently considering the purchase of a Gryphon Encore, which is a very powerful A/B amplifier and going for a reasonable price used. I'd be also interested in what might be a compatible preamp if I were to go in that direction. I'm still considering the ASR, but part of me thinks it might be better to go with separates this time rather than the multiple boxes that come along with the Emitter. With separates, if one component goes bad, it can be replaced readily enough. With the Emitter it involves sending multiple packages in for repair. Can you describe the sound of the Gryphon with the Utopia speakers? Which Gryphon were you listening to?

Jadis would probably be great for most kinds of music except for rock and EA. I imagine it would be majestic on vocals and small group jazz as well as chamber music. But would the low wattage and tubes work well with Focal floorstanders given their difficult impedance load? Someone said on the Audiogon once that the Jadis 845 on Nova Utopias was the best sound he had ever heard. I imagine it was but I can also imagine what he was probably listening to. I would suspect that this amp would have otherwise been pretty bass-shy.