Musical Fidelity A1000 Class A Super Pre-Main Amplifier with Special Upgrades!

You are looking at a very special Musical Fidelity A1000 upgraded by John Sampson who is an expert on all Musical Fidelity products upgrades ( http://jsaudiorepairs.co.uk/ )  Here is a description on the work and upgrades performed on this unit:
Main Unit:  

1. Left and right amplifier boards: All capacitors & transistors replaced with audio grade replacements
2. Pre-amp board: All capacitors replaced with audio grade replacements
3. Left and right power supply boards:  All capacitors replaced with uprated capacitors
4. Pre-amp to power amp interconnecting cables replaced
5. Volume control replaced
6. Selector switch replaced

Power Supply Unit:

1. Original 650VA power transformer replaced and upgraded to 1000VA audio grade transformer

Above upgrades cost $2000 in 2009 and transformed this unit to a more powerful amplifier from its original 50W Class A rating to more than 55W according to John Sampson.   
If you value warm, valve-like musicality (but with deep and solid bass) rather than cold, analytic transistor hifi, you’ll love this amp.   Meticulously cared for and in near mint condition, this solid state, PURE CLASS A integrated amplifier is very highly regarded and well-reviewed by the international audiophile community. In fact, Martin Colloms, Alvin Gold and other top overseas hifi magazine reviewers use this amp as their price-point reference. Released in the UK in 1993, it cost 1400 GBP. They are now quite rare, especially in such first rate condition.   With design input by the renowned UK audio engineer Tim de Paravicini of E.A.R. & Yoshino fame, this massive & heavy amplifier has a separate power supply. Both Pre- and Power amp sections each have their own large transformers providing full isolation between these stages. Their removal from the main amplifier case ensures negligible levels of hum. Each transformer is linked to the main amp case by fixed power cords terminated in XLR type connectors. The main power input is by IEC socket so you can use your choice of power cord.   The amp controls are solid aluminium and both case fascias are alloy, superbly finished and milled to a gentle and distinctive radius at the sides. Gold plated source inputs are Tape in and out, Aux, CD and Phono – MC & MM. The phono stage is of excellent quality. The volume control is a quality ALPS blue pot.   This amplifier pumps out 50 pure CLASS A watts per channel into 8 ohms. The output stage uses 8 bi-polar transistors per channel. Line stage amplification is by mosfets. It therefore runs Very HOT.  Current limit is +/- 10 amps. Avoid using with speakers below 4 ohms.   The design entails a tailored distortion characteristic with a smoothly progressive, largely 2nd harmonic decay resembling that of a low-feedback valve stage. . This is why it sounds so very musical.   Martin Colloms wrote of this amplifier: “On sound quality grounds alone … my scoring was 23 placing it right up there with other top line international audiophile products …(but) this figure cannot convey the relaxed, creamy and wholly musical quality which this amplifier possesses. Images … focus, depth and width …(and) transparency and detail were all very good, and only the most specific references can show a modest increase in clarity and low level detail, an increase for which you must pay dearly.   “The bass had fine slam, very good articulation and showed good pace. The midrange … was euphonic especially with digital sources, essentially free from glare, hardness, (and) grain. (T)he treble was …neutral in tonal balance … well extended and detailed with negligible grain (and) had better than ‘good’ dynamics. The A1000 was undoubtedly an impressive product … with … build quality and finish … to the best international standards. Highly accomplished and full of refinement … with a practical dynamic range and a fine bass … this (amp) is awarded a firm recommendation.”

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