After much swapping and changing my eqipment over the past 3 years i am finally very happy with the sound quality i am now getting from 3 quite modestly priced pieces of equipment. you would be amazed at how well these 3 items work with each other..

Musical Fidelity A3CD player (also had a Rotel rcd-965bx with a trichord clock which was very good too)

Musical fidelity B200x Amplifier

Epos ES11 Speakers

Chord Company Carnival bI-WIRE silver plus speaker cable

Chord company Cobra 3 interconnects

I suppose as with all hi-fi systems proper matching is paramount and i have found the the A3CD will take your breath matched with the above.. (the B200x is Amazing)

hope this helps somebody.

Nothing better at the price to my ears.

Feel of the remote.

I purchased this CD player as a first step up from mid-fi equipment. My previous player was a Denon - good performance for the price, but hardly spectacular sound. I auditioned several players at the time I purchased the A3 and found that the A3's performance was simply the best in the price range for my purposes. To go to a better player cost essentially double the price of the A3. The A3 has very clear reproduction, with very good detail. There is no harshness or stridency, except for early in the long break-in period. The sound has a certain immediacy that I found quite pleasant. Soundstaging is also very good. This player made it to the final round of my auditions, along with the Linn Genki and the Atoll CD100. The A3 cost 30% less than the Genki and delivered, perhaps, an even better performance. The Atoll was a very pleasant player, with more warmth than the A3 and a more intimate soundstage. I preferred it to the A3 on chamber music and female voice. However, I enjoyed the overall presentation of the A3 somewhat more. A niggling detail: the buttons on the remote are located near the bottom, rather than at the top where they are usually found. This is a little more awkward to use and I sometimes find myself holding it backwards. The A3 has been used in a system comprising: - Musical Fidelity A3CD. - Anthem Pre2L preamp. - Bryston 3B-ST amplifier. - ProAc Response D15 speakers. - Nordost and Wireworld cables. I have experienced no problems with the A3 after four years of use. Musical Fidelity has demonstrated that they know how to build a quality CD player at a very good price.

Similar Products Used:

For auditioning: Musical Fidelity, Linn, Atoll, Anthem, others.

amazing when modified

this cd player when modified will blow you away,with hi levels of clarity with a massive soundstage. as good as the worlds finest true giant slayer with a trichord clock 4 fitted, and a trichord super voltage regulator board and all 4 opamps replaced with the lowest jitter specs ever,makes this player the best cd player i have ever heard.

Similar Products Used:

naim linn krell wadia

Rather impressive 3D soundstage on very flat recordings, punchy brass

Unreliable! Harsh treble.

Man, this player (the A3.2 version actually) had issues. I audienced it with other CD players as a possible replacement for my Shanling S-100. Sound-wise, there's little to complain about (c'mon, all this talk about "vast" differences between CD players redefining the music is just crap!), except maybe a slightly harsh treble. Bass is punchy, the 3D soundstaging impressive. Some very flat 80s pop recordings sounded more dynamic than on other players, but with music that comes with a certain reverb (i.e. classical music), the enlarged soundstage was no longer noticeable. BUT the unit I auditioned just didn't work properly: After about 40 to 50 minutes of continuous playing, scratchy noise completely overwhelmed the music. I turned the player off, turned it on again after a while ... the noise returned after about half an hour. I placed it at about a meter distance from the other components. Did not work. I switch to a more luxuriously shielded NF connection. Did not work. I used "regular" CDs as opposed to my A/B hifi test CD-Rs. Did not work. My advice: IF you want to consider this unit, test it THOROUGHLY before you buy (also see other complaionts above).

Similar Products Used:

Shanling S-100, Arcam CD 73T, Denon DCD 685, Marantz CD 67 SE, Harman Kardon HD 7400

Solid construction, very clean sound.

Weak bass, high frequence "scratch"

This review is for the MF A3.2. This CD Player is in my system together with the MF A3 amplifier and B&W Nautilus 803 from one year. This combination has some problems: is weak in the bass, a little anemic, and in the "body" of sound. Moreover, the high part of spectrum is sometimes too "scratching". I thought these problems was of the amplification: 85W are not a lot for N803. Then, I tested another amplification: pre with tubes, and a MOSFET final, 105W. The improvements are a lot, but not full satisfactory. Then, I tested the player in a high level system, in a house of a friend. I discovered the main cause (but not the only) of my problems: with my big surprise, it's the source! I'm going to change it first.

Similar Products Used:

Denon CDC660, MYST + Conrad-Johnson DAC P9

Couple things I forgot in last post. This was a 24bit upsampling version 3.2? Also this was a new unit so maybe it needs to be burned in. I did compare to a well seasoned Bel Canto DAC 1.1 and Sony dvp7700es.

good looks

sould sale for about 350 new

I have a Sony DVP-7700es with a Illuminati d-60 cable, a Bel Canto Dac-1.1 going directly into an Air tight ATM-1. My cables are acrotec and the speakers are older infinity rs2b's.I have had this set up for about 1.5 yrs. I love it but I decided split my system and was looking to get a good transport to follow the amp and cables to my bedroom. I auditioned the Musical Fidelity as a transport and a s a cd player since it was recommended as a posible upgrade to my bel canto dac. NOT! I tried the Musical Fidelity with a toslink directly to my belcanto this was the worst setup I tested. Not as musical much more digital and flat. I used the illuminati cable and the sound vastly improved. I tried the Musical Fidelity alone and it stepped down again but not as bad as with the toslink. I put my old system back in and I was in love again. Comparing this cd player to my system the Musical Fidelity is better as a dac than a transport hich speaks loudly of the sony. It still doesnt compare as a dac to my bel canto. I will be purchasing another sony 7700es or getting the 9000es depending on reviews and price to follow my air tight.

Similar Products Used:

sony dvp 7700 es, belcanto dac 1.1

very well rounded cd player

designed to sound good, not to be necesarily "perfectly neutral" you'll find however that this is a good thing since the cd format isnt' good enough to be listened to without first having "work" done to it.

This CD player is just great, there isn't anything bad I can say about it. Good detail, dynamics, soundstaging, everything and at a reasonable price! I had it tweaked out a little by ModHi-Fi.com and it's even better now. Musical Fidelity knows their front end equipment and it shows with this player. The highs aren't fully extended but it's still as detailed as anyone should ask for. In the real world peoples voices aren't heard with every hint of siblance exaggerated. So it may not sound like the most detailed cd player on the planet but detailed it is.... and dynamic..... and smoooth... and musical... and on and on

Makes cds all the more listenable without sounding too "digital"....a plus to all vinyl lovers. Lower-mid bass is full and well controlled. The extreme highs are a tad rolled off to give a rather analogue sonic signature but extensions are still prevalent. A definite music-lover machine.

Not the most neutral and analytical cd player if one wishes to analyse sound instead of listening to the music.

Enough has been said about the exceptional sound quality and cosmetic/construction of the MF A3CD player and I concur with most if not all of the aspects highlighted. After all, sonic preference is subjective. However, if one wishes to up the ante in the sound quality of this cd player. Try to DIY a RCA plug with a 75ohm resistor soldered between the positive and negative contact plugs. Insert this plug to the unused digital output and be flabberghasted! The chosen resistance is to simulate having a coaxial cable in a close circuit. This DIY plug helps to reduce RFI/EMI pickup which in turn, improves sound quality. For those who wishes to try and do hear a difference, of note is a drop in noise floor and vocals are fuller. Imaging and clarity are also improved by a few rungs.

Details, sound, it rocks!!!

The remote is a cheap one but it does the job. No power off on remote.

I were not supposed to buy any new CD player not in this pricerange anyway. But i wanted a fairly good one in the near future. I started at a local store (Radiolagret). He recomended a Arcam CD62 or a Thule CD100. I could borrow these home. I went to Agrenshifi. He recomended the Arcam CD62 or i could get the Musical Fidelity A3CD for $200 more because it were the last one I payed $1000 normal price $1500. I started to listen to Arcam it was OK but it didn't rock. We changed to the MF and man it kicked ass. I did not want to listen to the Arcam anymore. I went to another store that had a NAD 541i for $500 I thougt I could give it a try but the midrange did hurt my ears. I also used the Arcam and the Thule at home but they did not go all the way. So the next day i went to Agrens and did a new listen and the MF sounded so well that the price did not matter. I also tried a Meridian 507 but the MF sounded better. So I bought it and took it home and it sounded so well that I don't regret it. You hear things on your cd-s that you did not think were there. All details and the voices are brilliant!!! Better than any other product i ever heard. System: Pioneer 2011 7channel surround reciever Jamo THX DPX6EX Speaker system. Supra DAC signal cable. Supra Ply 3.4 Speaker cables. Pioneer 444 DVD-player. Philips 880 DVD-recorder. Pioneer 777 MD-player. Pioneer CLD-1750 Laser-Disc Panasonic Projector.

Similar Products Used:

Meridian 507 Arcam CD62,CD72 Thule CD100 NAD541i (half the price).