Excellent Build Quality. Great Remote. Easy to use. Lots o inputs

Phono Section

This pre-amp is fantastic! All frequencies sound better. Dynamics are much improved. Soundstage - makes my room sound 3 times as large. Riddm 'n pace - the drummer and the bass player are one mon! Very non-fatigueing.

But most of all it sounds like music! Much more so than the brittle-sounding Adcom 750. I have been drawn into old recordings like I never have before! It is a perfect match to my McCormack DNA-1 Rev A.

I don't use the phono section - but hey, at $1495 with a great remote - who cares? This is surely one of the best values in audio!

System:
McCormack DNA-1 Rev A
MF AC3R
Arcam Alpha 9 CD
Marantz 630 CD Mastering Recorder
VPI HW 19/Benz Glider
Lehmann Black Cube
Thiel 3.6
Acoustic Zen (the BEST!) Cable and Interconnects
Argent Room Lenses
Vibrapods

Similar Products Used:

McCormack MLD, Rogue99, Adcom 750

Very well balanced [at a high level of]performance, exquisite craftsmanship, value.

Realizing that one cannot fault a product for not being that which it is not, the A3CR does not have the 'physicl presence' that tube preamps, at their best, can offer.

I recently upgraded my speakers to the Meadowlark Shearwaters' (outstanding, by-the-way) which, by way of their high [voltage] sensitivity, revealed a previously unrecognized problem in my system; i.e. my long-time favorite preamp (the Counterpoint SA-5) had an intrusive hum in the phono stage which drove me nuts. In researching my options for a suitable replacement I found that those preamps which interested me - see above - were beyond my immediate [financial] reach. Having read of the generally high regard in which the audio press has held previous Musical Fidelity products, I took a chance on the A3CR & ordered it (on a 30-day trial basis) from Audio Advisor.

I was stunned when I opened the box - this thing is gorgeous! (and heavy). Upon first listen I was a bit disappointed - it displayed many virtues, but also a certain solid-state dryness and lack of body.

Now obviously I am biased toward tube gear, and have been so for 15 years. Knowing this, I gave the A3CR a chance to win me over - and it has!

The tonal color equals my Counterpoint, the dynamics far exceed it, as does it's ability to seperate out individual voices. The only area in which the Counterpoint exeeded the A3CR was in the area of physical presence - and there only very slightly... And the A3CR continues to improve here as well. (I have left it on continuously for the month I have had it.)

I will not be returning it.

Similar Products Used:

Counterpoint SA-5, Audible Illusions Modulus 3A, Quicksilver, Herron VTSP-1/VTPH-1MC.

5 star construction quality
5 star value

Very hard to find any

I recently had reason to purchase a 2nd preamp because my reference preamp (Krell KSP-7B) doesn't have enough inputs to support the number of sources I now have. Fortunately I can switch between preamps from the power amps which means I avoid cascading them. After a visit to my local hi-fi dealer I was sent home with 2 preamps to listen to over the weekend, the other being a second hand Audio Research LS2 that they raved about and claimed after listening that I would be unable to return. How wrong they were because it turned out to be the worst sounding preamp I think I've ever heard. It had no redeeming qualities and was completely outclassed by the Musical Fidelity A3cr which is close to being as good as the Krell and if it were able to match the Krell's control in the low frequency end then it would even be slightly ahead. It's everything a preamp should be and that means it adds no sonic signature or noise and can drive a low impedance line with no problems. After hours of listening there was no fatigue whatsoever and if you want musical adjectives then the A3cr can be best described as sweet, fluid and yet transparent and open. I haven't heard many preamps as nice to listen to as my Krell KSP-7B until now that is. The A3cr is definitely a high class preamp that also happens to have an ir remote with motorised volume control which is a very handy feature in a preamp of this quality. At the asking price this preamp is definitely the best value for money ever for an audiophile preamp. Note that the A3cr does not have the 'dreaded' balance control, only a volume control and all input switching is via hi quality reeds which means the traditional 'input selector' switch does not exist. The engineering is hence 5 stars as well.

PS. The Audio Research LS2 preamp that I auditioned may well have had a technical fault so please don't regard my comments as valid for this preamp generally. I have heard other AR amplifiers (pre and power) that sounded very nice and everything my sample wasn't.

Similar Products Used:

Krell KSP-7B
Audio Research LS2