Musical Fidelity A308 vs...
jdjohn
Posts: 3,150
There's an MF A308 for sale close to me. How would it compare to my current main rig of a Peachtree Audio novaPre hybrid and McCormack DNA-125? Primary speakers are SDA-2B and Infinity RSIIIa (I swap these two pair in-and-out). TIA for any input!
"This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon
Comments
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one my favs that 308 and a more classic MF sound. Your PT and McCormack though should be as warm as the 308, but I would feel the McCormack has better bass while the 308 might give your presentation a bit bigger soundstage. 308 has that classic British sound to it, if you know that sound.HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
Thanks for the feedback, Tony. While I've got your attention, how about compared to a C.E.C. Classic Tube 53???"This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon -
The A308 is very lush and musically engaging. I loved mine. I haven't heard any of the gear you are comparing it to, but I really don't think you would be disappointed putting it up against most other similarly priced gear, and a lot of that above it.2 ChannelTurntable - VPI Classic 2/Ortofon 2M BlueAmplification - Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum II, Parks Audio Budgie PhonoSpeakers - GoldenEar Triton 17.2 Home TheaterDenon AVR-X3300W; Rotel RMB-1066; Klipsch RP-280F's, Klipsch RP-450C, Polk FXi3's, Polk RC60i; Dual SVS PB 2000's; BenQ HT2050; Elite Screens 120"Man CaveTurntable - Pro-Ject 2.9 Wood/Grado GoldAmplification - Dared SL2000a, McCormack DNA 0.5 DeluxeCD: Cambridge AudioSpeakers - Wharfedale Linton 85th Anniversary; LSiM 703; SDA 2A
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Good info, thanks very much. Btw, I tried a Dared SL-2000A in my system, but there was a grounding/hum issue that couldn't be resolved. I liked it otherwise.The A308 is very lush and musically engaging. I loved mine. I haven't heard any of the gear you are comparing it to, but I really don't think you would be disappointed putting it up against most other similarly priced gear, and a lot of that above it."This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon -
The Dared/Krell combination doesn't better the A308, but helps the speakers I have achieve closer to the more detailed forward sound I was looking for.2 ChannelTurntable - VPI Classic 2/Ortofon 2M BlueAmplification - Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum II, Parks Audio Budgie PhonoSpeakers - GoldenEar Triton 17.2 Home TheaterDenon AVR-X3300W; Rotel RMB-1066; Klipsch RP-280F's, Klipsch RP-450C, Polk FXi3's, Polk RC60i; Dual SVS PB 2000's; BenQ HT2050; Elite Screens 120"Man CaveTurntable - Pro-Ject 2.9 Wood/Grado GoldAmplification - Dared SL2000a, McCormack DNA 0.5 DeluxeCD: Cambridge AudioSpeakers - Wharfedale Linton 85th Anniversary; LSiM 703; SDA 2A
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Sometimes it's all about synergy.The Dared/Krell combination doesn't better the A308, but helps the speakers I have achieve closer to the more detailed forward sound I was looking for."This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon -
Yep....and no experience with the other piece you mentioned so I can't comment on that comparison.
Grab it and do your own evaluations. The 308's are still a hot commodity so you should have no problem re-selling if it doesn't float your boat.HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
Good info, thanks very much. Btw, I tried a Dared SL-2000A in my system, but there was a grounding/hum issue that couldn't be resolved. I liked it otherwise.The A308 is very lush and musically engaging. I loved mine. I haven't heard any of the gear you are comparing it to, but I really don't think you would be disappointed putting it up against most other similarly priced gear, and a lot of that above it.
I had the problem with my Dared Sl2000 (not Paul's but my 2nd Dared) and it was only a tube problem...some tubes we too micro-phony and others had a hum.2 ch- Polk CRS+ * Vincent SA-31MK Preamp * Vincent Sp-331 Amp * Marantz SA8005 SACD * Project Xperience Classic TT * Sumiko Blue Point #2 MC cartridge
HT - Polk 703's * NAD T-758 * Adcom 5503 * Oppo 103 * Samsung 60" series 8 LCD -
My decision became a lot easier...the listing is gone now."This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon -
jdjohn,
If you are talking about the listing in Nashville, he sold that A-308 on Audiogon two weeks ago. He listed it one day and sold it the next. I was planning to contact him and it was sold. I noticed he left the CL ad up after it was sold.
I am in Marietta GA and was interested in it.
Harry"Sometimes you have to look to the past to understand where you are going in the future"Anger is just anger. It isn’t good. It isn’t bad. It just is. What you do with it is what matters.
You can use it to build or to destroy. You just have to make the choice. Jim Butcher
Harry / Marietta GA -
Yep, that was the one. It was a good price for that unit, so not surprising it sold so quickly on Audiogon. Thanks for letting me know."This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon -
Yep, that was the one. It was a good price for that unit, so not surprising it sold so quickly on Audiogon. Thanks for letting me know.
Yeah, like I said, they are still hot commodities. Built like a tank from the day MF built everything like that. Jump on one next time you see it for a good price, I highly doubt you'd be disappointed.HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
I have been running a MF A308 MIT Shotgun S3 SDA 2B combination for about 10 years now. There seems to be great synergy with these components in my opinion.I like speakers that are bigger than a small refrigerator but smaller than a big refrigerator:D
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MillerLiteScott wrote: »I have been running a MF A308 MIT Shotgun S3 SDA 2B combination for about 10 years now. There seems to be great synergy with these components in my opinion.
Eh...synergy is over rated.
Sell the man yours and shake things up for yourself. You might find a Tri vista or A1008 up your alley. HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
There's no doubt that Musical Fidelity gear, Polk SDA speakers and MIT cables are proven to be an excellent match.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Then I'd have to buy a DAC! My PT has a DAC built in...and a tube. Sorry Tony...the moment has passedEh...synergy is over rated. Sell the man yours and shake things up for yourself. You might find a Tri vista or A1008 up your alley.
"This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon
