dynamic range, frequency response, clarity

No remote or AM, "birdies" ( false signals )

This review is actually of a Musical Fidelity Elektra E-50 FM tuner. This is similar in styling to their latest "A" series tuner but has a black faceplate.

I would have to agree wholeheartedly with the comments below made pertaining to the X-Plora. The circuitry is probably pretty similar with the major differences being cosmetic.

It is by far the best sounding tuner that i have ever listened to or used. This includes, but is not limited to, other "tuner legends" such as the Magnum Dynalabs FT-101, Quad FM-4, Yamaha TX-950, Citation 23, etc... All of these are great tuners in their own respects, but none of them have anywhere near the dynamics, natural sound or total package appeal that the MF has to offer. The Magnum doesn't have pre-sets and tends to drift somewhat, the Quad sounds very nice overall, but lacks sensitivity and isn't quite "full" sounding and the Yammie is well executed overall but has slightly hard / distorted treble. While the Citation does have the nicest features, best sensitivity and is the only one with a remote out of all of these, it suffers from being "muddy" on many broadcasts.

One of the most noticeable things about the Musical Fidelity tuner is the extended bass response. I have NEVER heard deep bass on FM radio before picking this unit up. While i don't know if this is a "colouration" being added by this tuner or not, i now experience "floor shaking" bottom end via radio broadcasts. It is not bloated or indistinct bass either, making music broadcasts sound much fuller with far greater impact. As i'm sure that you've noticed, this is sorely lacking when listening to the radio.

The high end sounds very open and sharp, without the typical roll-off expected. Upper midrange is clean and clear, without the typical "pinched" or "compressed" sound to it. Lower mid / upper bass doesn't suffer from the all too common "chesty-ness" that most tuners exhibit. Tonal balance sounds "right" all the way out to the extremes.

You can actually experience "imaging" and "soundstage" when using this tuner. It is one of the few products that does live up to it's name "Musical / Fidelity". FM broadcasts truly CAN rival quality recordings IF the transmitted signal is up to the task.

If you can find one of these, an X-Plora or one of their current "A" series tuners for a good price, i would snag it. You won't be sorry. HIGHLY recommended. Sean
>

Similar Products Used:

MANY, many, many....

1) Good reception with, good antenna a must
2) Good seperation, naturalness, hi-fi yakkity, yakkitty, yak
3) Appears to have very solid build quality

This is EXTREMELY subjective,
Green Display, UGLY design. I LIKED the previous MU FI look.

I did not want to spend too much but wanted a good tuner because one can review so much music almost for free. (One gets talked into becoming a member to the Public Radio, Jazz Radio etc. BUT it is VERY worth it, very good programming, no advts. etc)

I got this at a sale and it has had good reviews in UK (where it is made & which is a very competetive market).

I did not have much expectation of it. It was a very pleasant surprise that it produces near Rega Planet CD playing well recorded CD Quality sound IF the radio station plays it and has good full-range transmission(at least some pop/rock radio stations dont).

I give it 4 stars because I have NEVER given anything 5 stars yet - this is a very good product.

Similar Products Used:

Only Midi tuners (Aiwa XRM-10)

This is a review of the Musical Fidelity A3 Tuner. Strengths
- clear and detailed highs

Mid bass almost non-existent

I very much wanted to like this A3 tuner. At first, I was
incredibly impressed by the detail in the hf's. I've never
heard such definition in a tuner ever. But, there was a trade-off. The overall sound was thin, sterile, and cold. The lower midrange and midbass were severely lacking. Yet, the deep bass had amazing slam. To me, it seemed quite unnatural and very unmusical. Within a short time, listener fatigue was setting in. It was suggested to me in a audio chat room, that I should allow time for burn-in. After another 3 weeks of burning in for 24/7, there was only a minor improvement. So, I called Musical Fidelity in England to ask them about burn-in time. The customer rep said that 10-20 hours would be plenty. They designed the A3 to have a more "dynamic" sound to give life to the compressed FM signals found in today's airwaves. Their theory made sense. Unfortunately, I wished to have a warmer fuller sound. So, I returned the tuner to AudioAdvisor (.com) within the 30 day period. I give high compliments to Audio Advisor for customer service. I would definitely buy from them again. I ended up with a Linn Kudos.
Nakamichi CA-1 pre-amp
Nakamichi PA-5MkII power amp
Infinity Renaissance Speakers
TMC interconnects

Similar Products Used:

Linn Kudos

I was truly convinced that Audiophile sound could not possibly come form an FM tuner. Fortunately, I was sadly mistaken. I ordered this unit as soon as audio advisor got them in, due to my love of MF's X series. I figured if anyone could do a tuner right, it was MF. I had no desire to spend 6,000 dollars on a broadcast monitoring quality tuner, and I honestly wasn't really expecting much.
I plugged in the diminutive X-plora just yesterday(w/ .5 meter kimber kable hero inter). I'm using a magnum dyanalab indoor/outdoor antenna(hung out my window).

Listening to nearby stations, I was really blown away! The sound quality... especially the presence and dynamic range exceeded that of my CD rig! at around half the price! rather distressing...

I found two programs broadcast in RDS, and I must say the difference is about that between HDCD and standard CD.

Well, I've been listening to a lot of radio lately. I'm getting stations I never though possible and enjoying the incredibly life-like sound.

advice: use a shielded interconnect. I tried PBJ, and found an audible difference- less details more noise.

reccomended by all means. Build quality (obviously) is superb. An outright steal at the price.


Related gear:

Music Reference Rm-10 power amp
Sunfire Vaccum Tube Classic Pre

Rega planet used as a transport feeding a Musical Fidelity X24k DAC
Kimber AGDL digital cable, X-PSU supplying power for the DAC.

Mission 750LE speakers
Lovan Jazz stands, Kimber 4pr wire

Kimber PBJ inters throughout

Strata 800AV power supply/conditioner.

crappy polk audio subwoofer

Salamander Archetype Rack