Musical Fidelity B1x1 vs Arcam A5+

[Gga]

I am thinking of buying either Musical Fidelity B1x1 or Arcam A5+ in order to pair them with Triangle Comete 40th Anniversary. In my system I also have wiim ultra and thinking of buying Wiim Sub Pro. Any thoughts? Also interested if it is really worth for me to consider Musical Fidelity A1 or Arcam A15+. Also, if someone has to suggest a good alternative on this price range.

Thank you!

 

[JeremyFife]

Hi,
You already have a high quality streaming DAC and pre-Amp in the WiiM Ultra, so you just need a power amp. Any extra functionality that comes with an integrated amp will just be redundant.
The obvious choice, for power and aesthetics, is the WiiM Vibelink (connect your Ultra digitally). That's worth serious consideration.
There are plenty of other power amp options too.

Spending more on an amp will not give you better sound quality, that's only worth doing if you really need much more power or if you are missing an essential feature.

It's your system though and Musical Fidelity and Arcam make nice Amps. You won't go wrong with them (don't overspend though) but it's not where I would go.

 

[Gga]

Thank you for your reply. Then, what about musical fidelity m2si or Magnat ma 900? I am trying to find a slightly warm amp since they say it would be better fit for these speakers.

 

[JeremyFife]

The m2si is a nice amp, but it's an integrated amp so has features that you won't use - there's duplication with the WiiM Ultra. It'll work.

Properly designed amps (including Musical Fidelity) shouldn't be "warm" or any other subjective description.
"Warm" probably means something like a boosted upper bass, or a dropped-off treble - amplification should not change the frequency response like that.
There's a lot of subjective nonsense written about hifi, it's a good exercise to apply some common sense.

The WiiM Ultra has fantastic room correction and PEQ capabilities BTW, if you prefer a 'warmer ' sound then you can just dial that in. Having a preference is fine!

If your heart says Musical Fidelity, you won't go wrong but there's other options

 

[JeremyFife]

Oh, that "fit with speakers " idea is also something to discard. Just get a decent amp and you'll be golden.

Some speakers are difficult to drive: low impedance, currently hungry, low sensitivity ... they are unusual

 

[DSJR]

Thank you for your reply. Then, what about musical fidelity m2si or Magnat ma 900? I am trying to find a slightly warm amp since they say it would be better fit for these speakers.

You mean you want to heat the room up a bit when it's running? Sincere apologies, I just couldn't help it

If you want a grain-free amp with some power and service/durability, I'd suggest you look around for a Quad 606mk2 onward on the used market. They're powerful with proper 4 ohm driving ability, subjectivist reviewers have been pleasantly surprised how 'good' they sound as in powerful and grain-free, they're easy enough to service and cap-update if necessary and I have to say I love 'em to bits these days, despite the breeze-block looks.

The large Rotel power amp and some of its predecessors should also be looked at I think. Straight down-the-line traditional amps with long life, good build and again, hopefully easy servicing.

Apologies, the modern Arcams I admit to have only briefly 'heard' are vague and soft-toned and my ancient vibe towards anything MF has been sorely tainted, despite the change of hands some years back.