MF 550K Supercharger

dipiazza
dipiazza Posts: 363
edited November 2007 in Electronics
http://www.musicalfidelity.com/products/supercharger/index.html

Anyone know anything about this? It seems like they market it as a way to increase power without changing the setup of your system... wouldnt this in itself change the sound though?

And for $1500 i feel like you might as well just buy a better amp in the first place.
Terps Swimming!
HT Setup
TV: Vizio VX32L
Reciever: Pioneer VSX-D914
HD-DVD Player: Toshiba HD-A2
Fronts: Polk R50s
Surounds: Polk R30s
Center: Polk R20's
Subwoofer: SVS 20-39PCi

2CH Setup
Integrated: Onix SP3 Tube
CD Player: Sony CDP-CX355
Speakers: Onix Strata Mini in PR Finish
Signal Cable: Classic Speaker, Analog 1 IC

Headphones
Grado SR 60, Bang & Olufsen A8, Shure e3

Other Stuff in Use
Onix xls, Dual Onix x-subs, Onix Ref .5, Dahlquist M903, Teac A-1D, Marantz 1060
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Comments

  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,576
    edited November 2007
    Products like that cheapen the Musical Fidelity brand name.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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  • unc2701
    unc2701 Posts: 3,587
    edited November 2007
    dorokusai wrote: »
    Products like that cheapen the Musical Fidelity brand name.

    Personally, I take issue with their marketing on this one, not necessarily the product. They should have been like, Hey, we made another badass monoblock and oh, by the way, just for **** and giggles, we threw some high level inputs on there, play with them, if that's your thing.

    Instead, they're pushing this whole "supercharger" idea, which has pretty limited appeal.
    Gallo Ref 3.1 : Bryston 4b SST : Musical fidelity CD Pre : VPI HW-19
    Gallo Ref AV, Frankengallo Ref 3, LC60i : Bryston 9b SST : Meridian 565
    Jordan JX92s : MF X-T100 : Xray v8
    Backburner:Krell KAV-300i
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 51,141
    edited November 2007
    Unless they have lowered the price, they were selling for around $5k.
    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

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  • hoosier21
    hoosier21 Posts: 4,413
    edited November 2007
    unc2701 wrote: »
    Personally, I take issue with their marketing on this one, not necessarily the product. They should have been like, Hey, we made another badass monoblock and oh, by the way, just for **** and giggles, we threw some high level inputs on there, play with them, if that's your thing.

    Instead, they're pushing this whole "supercharger" idea, which has pretty limited appeal.

    exactly, WTF Musical Fidelity
    Dodd - Battery Preamp
    Monarchy Audio SE100 Delux - mono power amps
    Sony DVP-NS999ES - SACD player
    ADS 1230 - Polk SDA 2B
    DIY Stereo Subwoofer towers w/(4) 12 drivers each
    Crown K1 - Subwoofer amp
    Outlaw ICBM - crossover
    Beringher BFD - sub eq

    Where is the remote? Where is the $%#$% remote!

    "I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the most of us have...very hard to explain why you're mad, even if you're not mad..."
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  • wingnut4772
    wingnut4772 Posts: 7,519
    edited November 2007
    When I bought my MF Pre based on other's recommendations, I thought of this product and it gave me pause. I thought that his was such a cheezy item that MF lost some credibility.
    Sharp Elite 70
    Anthem D2V 3D
    Parasound 5250
    Parasound HCA 1000 A
    Parasound HCA 1000
    Oppo BDP 95
    Von Schweikert VR4 Jr R/L Fronts
    Von Schweikert LCR 4 Center
    Totem Mask Surrounds X4
    Hsu ULS-15 Quad Drive Subwoofers
    Sony PS3
    Squeezebox Touch

    Polk Atrium 7s on the patio just to keep my foot in the door.
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 34,286
    edited November 2007
    Did they have credibility to lose? The AudioAsylum inmates, e.g., don't think much of them, and they think even less of Stereophile's tendency to fawn all over them...
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 51,141
    edited November 2007
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    Did they have credibility to lose? The AudioAsylum inmates, e.g., don't think much of them, and they think even less of Stereophile's tendency to fawn all over them...


    Interesting that you would comment on what some folks on another forum think rather than personal experience or opinion.

    Anyway, one of those people had to be removed from that forum because he absolutely lost all control in his spite of MF, sad really. Some there belittle MF because they come out with new products more often than some other companies, not based on how the actual product sounds or the value for the money. MF is not a major monthly advertiser in Stereophile, so maybe Stereophile "fawns all over them" because they like the way the product sounds, which is as it should be. I think that those particular folks at AudioAsylum are the ones without credibility, not MF.
    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

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  • wingnut4772
    wingnut4772 Posts: 7,519
    edited November 2007
    I got the impression from some on this forum that MF was pretty well regarded...:confused:
    Sharp Elite 70
    Anthem D2V 3D
    Parasound 5250
    Parasound HCA 1000 A
    Parasound HCA 1000
    Oppo BDP 95
    Von Schweikert VR4 Jr R/L Fronts
    Von Schweikert LCR 4 Center
    Totem Mask Surrounds X4
    Hsu ULS-15 Quad Drive Subwoofers
    Sony PS3
    Squeezebox Touch

    Polk Atrium 7s on the patio just to keep my foot in the door.
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  • madmax
    madmax Posts: 12,434
    edited November 2007
    MF is to be very well regarded in my opinion. Many do not understand the reasoning behind this supercharger thingy and MF's reasoning behind calling it something stupid like "supercharger" totally escapes me.
    Vinyl, the final frontier...

    Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want... :D
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  • wingnut4772
    wingnut4772 Posts: 7,519
    edited November 2007
    madmax wrote: »
    MF is to be very well regarded in my opinion. Many do not understand the reasoning behind this supercharger thingy and MF's reasoning behind calling it something stupid like "supercharger" totally escapes me.

    It's just marketing. They want to make money like everyone else.
    Sharp Elite 70
    Anthem D2V 3D
    Parasound 5250
    Parasound HCA 1000 A
    Parasound HCA 1000
    Oppo BDP 95
    Von Schweikert VR4 Jr R/L Fronts
    Von Schweikert LCR 4 Center
    Totem Mask Surrounds X4
    Hsu ULS-15 Quad Drive Subwoofers
    Sony PS3
    Squeezebox Touch

    Polk Atrium 7s on the patio just to keep my foot in the door.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited November 2007
    I agree with unc2701. If MF had launched the "supercharger" as an experimental product, some people might buy it and like the results. But to market it as an end-all to your amplification needs, when no one is sure about it... they are barking up the wrong tree. Although, I do give them credit for thinking outside the box. There is a market out there for this product.
    Jake
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  • madmax
    madmax Posts: 12,434
    edited November 2007
    Where I see the beauty of this item is hooking it to something you really like the sound of but doesn't have enough power for most of todays speakers. For example, you have this awesome sounding 5wpc tube amp but need more guts to drive some power hungry speakers. This is a good solution. Doing this is not much different than using a tube pre with a SS amp. (Which I wouldn't do but it seems to work for some).
    madmax
    Vinyl, the final frontier...

    Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want... :D
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 34,286
    edited November 2007
    Interesting that you would comment on what some folks on another forum think rather than personal experience or opinion.
    Absolutely correct; thus my disclaimer.
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,262
    edited November 2007
    This exact item was talked about in the thread below about 4 months ago.

    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53456
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Puritan Audio PSM136 Pwr Condtioner & Classic PC's | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • reeltrouble1
    reeltrouble1 Posts: 9,312
    edited November 2007
    has anybody here acutally heard the thing?

    RT1
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  • madmax
    madmax Posts: 12,434
    edited November 2007
    reeltrouble1 wrote: »
    has anybody here acutally heard the thing?

    RT1

    What?
    Vinyl, the final frontier...

    Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want... :D
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  • wingnut4772
    wingnut4772 Posts: 7,519
    edited November 2007
    Crickets.
    Sharp Elite 70
    Anthem D2V 3D
    Parasound 5250
    Parasound HCA 1000 A
    Parasound HCA 1000
    Oppo BDP 95
    Von Schweikert VR4 Jr R/L Fronts
    Von Schweikert LCR 4 Center
    Totem Mask Surrounds X4
    Hsu ULS-15 Quad Drive Subwoofers
    Sony PS3
    Squeezebox Touch

    Polk Atrium 7s on the patio just to keep my foot in the door.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • reeltrouble1
    reeltrouble1 Posts: 9,312
    edited November 2007
    madmax wrote: »
    What?

    When?
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  • unc2701
    unc2701 Posts: 3,587
    edited November 2007
    A place over in Raleigh had a pair hooked up to some B&W 802's, just as normal monoblocks (no "supercharging")- I can't remember if they had a A5 or a KW acting as a preamp, but I didn't really get to sit down and listen critically/ compare to the KW. Truth is, it'd probably sound just like a KW500 in that setup.

    A big "meh" from me- I'd rather have a KW integrated. You get the separate power supply and what looks to be much better thermal properties.
    Gallo Ref 3.1 : Bryston 4b SST : Musical fidelity CD Pre : VPI HW-19
    Gallo Ref AV, Frankengallo Ref 3, LC60i : Bryston 9b SST : Meridian 565
    Jordan JX92s : MF X-T100 : Xray v8
    Backburner:Krell KAV-300i
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,136
    edited November 2007
    F1nut wrote: »
    Unless they have lowered the price, they were selling for around $5k.

    Yep that's what I read in Stereophile. For $1500 it's worth a try.
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  • dipiazza
    dipiazza Posts: 363
    edited November 2007
    hearingimpared wrote: »
    Yep that's what I read in Stereophile. For $1500 it's worth a try.

    Im cant remeber where i got that price from... is it correct?

    Also i think it would have made much more sense to advertise them as monoblocks. Just kind of a dumb idea as a "supercharger"
    Terps Swimming!
    HT Setup
    TV: Vizio VX32L
    Reciever: Pioneer VSX-D914
    HD-DVD Player: Toshiba HD-A2
    Fronts: Polk R50s
    Surounds: Polk R30s
    Center: Polk R20's
    Subwoofer: SVS 20-39PCi

    2CH Setup
    Integrated: Onix SP3 Tube
    CD Player: Sony CDP-CX355
    Speakers: Onix Strata Mini in PR Finish
    Signal Cable: Classic Speaker, Analog 1 IC

    Headphones
    Grado SR 60, Bang & Olufsen A8, Shure e3

    Other Stuff in Use
    Onix xls, Dual Onix x-subs, Onix Ref .5, Dahlquist M903, Teac A-1D, Marantz 1060
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,576
    edited November 2007
    The price was listed in the Stereophile review, 5K a pair. I haven't seen these on the used market, even from a dealer, so MF is holding the cards close to the chest.

    I think the term "Supercharger" is equally ridiculous as an adjective like "Extreme" or "Ultimate" but with shrugged head understand the need to seperate your product from the rest of the pack. It's been a trend in audio for many years.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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  • hypertone
    hypertone Posts: 150
    edited November 2007
    Why not just buy a more powerful amp instead? I don't get it.
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  • Wardsweb
    Wardsweb Posts: 941
    edited November 2007
    Isn't this just an amplifer with speaker level inputs and signal detecting circuit to turn it on or off?
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 34,286
    edited November 2007
    Isn't this just an amplifer with speaker level inputs and signal detecting circuit to turn it on or off?
    As far as I could tell, yes.
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