respice finem
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Micromega M100 Streamer/DAC Amplifier Review
- Thread starter amirm
- Start date
Basically for what I said in the post.
The company kept some very shady status these 5-6 last years (after being absorbed by LaBoiteConcept, no one really seemed to know if they were still in business or not), yet, they kept their products on sale regardless (with the promise of no support/after sale service).Even back then : Build quality for amps I tested (from the 2010's, I didn't touch anything older from them) was everything but great. Micromega also never had a good reputation regarding reliability, I regret.
Pity, but Made in France is not everything.
I'll look forward their recently announced amp, tho, cause it looks absolutely stunning :
Amplificateur M-Amp Solo Micromega | Fabrication et Hi-Fi française
Le Micromega M-Amp Solo délivre 2x85W sous 8 ohms, unissant puissance et finesse pour une expérience Hi-Fi à la française.
micromega.com
Anyway.
Fledermaus
Active Member
IIRC the brand had been struggling for some time, at some point it was bought up by someone with expectations seemingly beyond their means, and this line of amps was intended as a shot at Devialet's fame and success during those times.
Interestingly these units were class A/B (what they knew how to do then - hence the need for cooling) with switching power supply, not an usual combination.
Interestingly these units were class A/B (what they knew how to do then - hence the need for cooling) with switching power supply, not an usual combination.
At the price it's sold for, one should be able to boast high-end performance. This is not the case here. So yes, in terms of pure performance it's good enough for use, but in terms of value for money, it's poor. In addition, the issues Amir encountered with the XLR connections are unacceptable, regardless of the product's price.
Furthermore, I can only confirm the negative comments about the brand. I had a LOGIC CD player from them, and it was impossible to replace the optical unit when it reached the end of its life (13 years, nonetheless), due to a lack of logistical support from the brand.
Furthermore, I can only confirm the negative comments about the brand. I had a LOGIC CD player from them, and it was impossible to replace the optical unit when it reached the end of its life (13 years, nonetheless), due to a lack of logistical support from the brand.
Sokel
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Probably because just screwing it is not the best way around, unless it's already crimped, etc.
Edit: had a better look, is that a capacitor underneath? If that so that's the reason for the small PCB.
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Fledermaus
Active Member
Still have that CD player, which I bought used for its good looks - working fine last time I checked (not my unit) :
Basically for what I said in the post.
Even back then : Build quality for amps I tested (from the 2010's, I didn't touch anything older from them) was everything but great. Micromega also never had a good reputation regarding reliability, I regret.
Pity, but Made in France is not everything.
I'll look forward their recently announced amp, tho, cause it looks absolutely stunning :
View attachment 508209
Only wonder why this bidding post is connected that way :Amplificateur M-Amp Solo Micromega | Fabrication et Hi-Fi française
Le Micromega M-Amp Solo délivre 2x85W sous 8 ohms, unissant puissance et finesse pour une expérience Hi-Fi à la française.
View attachment 508210
Anyway.
Micromega sells dreams, like many manufacturers, and its products are aimed at those who favor effusive praise and performative rhetoric.
Check attached files for tear down + spec of the Micromega Amp Solo.
Attachments
Honestly, value-for-money or performance per £/$/€, etc, from high end amplifiers such as this is bottom of the Mariana Trench compared to the various current Class D products. As Amir oh-so politely wrote, gear like this is "for folks with more than a fast food budget for dinners", an exercise in taste for high-end name-plate fashion rather than performance.
On the other hand, many full moons passing, I did own a Micromega Stage 3 CD player that at the time was much recommended by the magazine litterati. The price was reasonable, not bloated, and it is still working well in another home, producing pleasant sounds. The optical drive is a Philips CDM12 and I believe the DAC was from Burr Brown. Comprehensive measurement tests by NTTY would show how good it really is.
On the other hand, many full moons passing, I did own a Micromega Stage 3 CD player that at the time was much recommended by the magazine litterati. The price was reasonable, not bloated, and it is still working well in another home, producing pleasant sounds. The optical drive is a Philips CDM12 and I believe the DAC was from Burr Brown. Comprehensive measurement tests by NTTY would show how good it really is.
Ziroz
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What's the idea here? Hook it up once, never touch it again?
Ziroz
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Checks out, the ground pin isn't connected(pic 5).
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Thanks for the review Amir. At that price, I’d have to sacrifice a lot of cheeseburgers…. ; )
Not familiar with the brand, but pretty sure I’d go crazy hooking it up upside down, overlapping the cables so that when I turned the unit over they would be placed in an orderly fashion. No space for identifiers on the back…everything is so crammed in there!
Fashion VS. Function…The Micromega M100 is as sensible as stiletto heels.
Oh! But check out those gams!
Not familiar with the brand, but pretty sure I’d go crazy hooking it up upside down, overlapping the cables so that when I turned the unit over they would be placed in an orderly fashion. No space for identifiers on the back…everything is so crammed in there!
Fashion VS. Function…The Micromega M100 is as sensible as stiletto heels.
Oh! But check out those gams!
Micromega was a very popular brand in the UK 20-30 years ago but it disappeared at some stage.
More recently, after reading a review of a US high end audio show, I saw that the M150 (bigger brother of the MK100) powering big Focal speakers was voted as Best Sound in Show - I understand these companies are closely related. I decided to buy the M100 direct from Micromega (at a good price) as they had no UK distributor at the time. Mine was a fetching bright red – they offered many colour options.
This amp was one of a dozen I bought (or borrowed from dealers) to find a suitable amp to replace earlier SETs to power my Avantgarde horn speakers, so the M100 was amply powerful enough.
I do agree that the socket positioning was unfortunate (the extended top cover was to hide cables if mounted vertically, like the Devialet), but I had no problems disengaging XLR plugs. I don't believe the M100 featured a fan (the M150 did though) - certainly I never heard one. The remote control was rather good – not the skinny TV-type usually supplied - see photo below.
I quite liked the M100, although its sound quality (all I really want in an amp) was not quite up to that of one or two of the other amps I auditioned at home, notably ones from GamuT, Mark Levinson, NAD and Accuphase. It certainly did better against some others such as Lyngdorf, Benchmark, Sugden and Bakoon – in terms of excelent sound quality rather than good measurements. It also featured Micromega’s MARS “room correction” for what that's worth - together with a proper calibrated mic - much better than ones supplied with NAD or Lyngdorf amps!
I sold it on and kept the NAD M33 that provided the best overall package compared with all the others - and it sounded the best - though I kept the Accuphase A-36 and the GamuT D200 for a year or so as they also sounded fantastic. The M100 looked great though!
More recently, after reading a review of a US high end audio show, I saw that the M150 (bigger brother of the MK100) powering big Focal speakers was voted as Best Sound in Show - I understand these companies are closely related. I decided to buy the M100 direct from Micromega (at a good price) as they had no UK distributor at the time. Mine was a fetching bright red – they offered many colour options.
This amp was one of a dozen I bought (or borrowed from dealers) to find a suitable amp to replace earlier SETs to power my Avantgarde horn speakers, so the M100 was amply powerful enough.
I do agree that the socket positioning was unfortunate (the extended top cover was to hide cables if mounted vertically, like the Devialet), but I had no problems disengaging XLR plugs. I don't believe the M100 featured a fan (the M150 did though) - certainly I never heard one. The remote control was rather good – not the skinny TV-type usually supplied - see photo below.
I quite liked the M100, although its sound quality (all I really want in an amp) was not quite up to that of one or two of the other amps I auditioned at home, notably ones from GamuT, Mark Levinson, NAD and Accuphase. It certainly did better against some others such as Lyngdorf, Benchmark, Sugden and Bakoon – in terms of excelent sound quality rather than good measurements. It also featured Micromega’s MARS “room correction” for what that's worth - together with a proper calibrated mic - much better than ones supplied with NAD or Lyngdorf amps!
I sold it on and kept the NAD M33 that provided the best overall package compared with all the others - and it sounded the best - though I kept the Accuphase A-36 and the GamuT D200 for a year or so as they also sounded fantastic. The M100 looked great though!
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OP
- Thread Starter
- #35
I'm having trouble understanding... Aren't sound quality and measurements correlated? If not : tell me how do you measure sound quality )))
For the benchmark, are you referring to the AHB2?
Oops. Just added it to the review:
It's funny, it seems to behave like a Class AB amplifier; it reminds me somewhat of the NAD M33 based on Purifi modules, using the same 45kHz bandwidth test.
Yes it was the Benchmark AHB2 that was so highly recommended by a fellow Avantgarde owner, that I bought unheard and unseen before any worthwhile reviews were available. Sadly, although it measures well (the AG owner turned out to be obsessed with noise), I found it to be drearily dull after earlier SET amps and several subsequent ss amps. It was an amp that delivered music in a Muzak fashion, where the temptation was to turn down the volume. I like amps where the temptation is to turn up the volume and wallow in the experience of the performance.
It was this disappointment that prompted me to launch a multi-amp home demo session, where I bought or borrowed numerous amps and enjoyed them or otherwise for between a week and a year. The Benchmark has some lovely features including its adjustable gain switch, compact case and great spec, but it isn’t an amp that gets the juices flowing.
Regarding the correlation between sound quality and measurements, I can only suggest that one is measured by one’s ears and brain and the other by a microphone and computer. I put more faith in the former when it comes to parting with my cash, although the latter may contribute towards creating a wish list of contenders to audition at home.
Fledermaus
Active Member
Might be related to the fact it is one
Ajax
Senior Member
Thanks for the test Amir,
Serious question, why would you buy this in preference to the Wiim Amp Ultra, with similar power output but much better performance, at less than 10% of the price?
Serious question, why would you buy this in preference to the Wiim Amp Ultra, with similar power output but much better performance, at less than 10% of the price?
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