In March 1985, I was reading a copy of my favorite hi-fi magazine. It carried a story about a brand-new British amplifier from Musical Fidelity. The reviews for the A1 amplifier were glowing, as was the amplifier itself with its hot Class A technology. The reviewers waxed lyrical about its sheer musicality and how the A1 was a game-changer in the audio world.
At the time, I couldn’t afford the Musical Fidelity A1 amplifier, but it just so happened that my mother was moving house and looking for a new “music system”. She asked my advice; I’m ashamed to say I steered her toward the A1 as I dearly wanted to own one. Somehow, my mother agreed and the A1 came home with us. It’s still working and now resides in my eldest brother’s home. Somehow, I didn’t manage to inherit it when my mother decided to give it away while downsizing.
Fast forward almost 40 years and the A1 became part of hi-fi history. Its relatively affordable price brought Class A technology and “proper hi-fi” within reach of many enthusiasts. Alongside my mother, one of those original A1 owners was Heinz Lichtenegger, CEO of Audio Tuning, the now parent company of Musical Fidelity.
The original Musical Fidelity A1 amplifier was a special product for Lichtenegger, not just as a listener and music lover. Lichtenegger’s company was Musical Fidelity’s oldest distributor, promoting the brand in Austria for 35 years.
With one of its greatest fans at the company’s helm, the Musical Fidelity A1 has been brought back to life. The new version offers all the features of the original A1 and a bit more. The amplifier now has a remote control for adjusting the volume only. Thankfully, the new A1 has a slightly larger chassis which helps to dissipate the heat more efficiently than the original model. I remember how hot that A1 used to run. The A1 was hot enough to fry an egg, even with its ribbed heatsink.
The new version of the A1 was given a soft launch at this year’s Munich High-End show. The 2023 model doggedly sticks to the original design brief and still supplies a smooth, warm and detailed sound, exactly what you’d expect from a good Class A amp.
The electrical layout of the A1 features completely discrete, fully symmetrical pure Class A technology. Delivering 25W of power (into an 8Ω load), it can also handle 25A of maximum current output. Though these numbers may look low compared to some “modern” amplifiers, the A1 can still drive more complex speakers thanks to its ability to slide into Class B operation when further current draw is temporarily needed.
Alongside five RCA stereo inputs, fixed-level and variable outputs, the A1 also has a high-quality built-in phono stage. The phono input enables a direct connection for a turntable, whether it has a moving magnet (MM) or a moving coil (MC) cartridge. The low-noise design and automatic impedance-matching for MC cartridges make this a viable and convenient amplifier for vinyl lovers.
As a solid-state design, the new A1 has a discrete symmetrical circuit featuring 25A Planar Audio transistors in the power stage. The low-noise pre-amplifier circuitry has been taken directly from the original A1’s design. In addition, the amp now has a remote control, although it is limited as it can only adjust volume levels.
The industrial design of the new A1 is almost identical to the original, although modifications have been made for better heat management. That is essential as the first version was notoriously unreliable. Electronics don’t take well to heat and many an A1 died a death from being driven too hard and overheating.
To deliver the power required for the new A1, a new power supply has been designed with more efficient dual-mono split-rail windings and superior components. It’s still inspired by the original A1 design, featuring dedicated power supplies for the left and right channels to ensure minimal crosstalk and the best stereo imaging.
Price & Availability: The new Musical Fidelity A1 amplifier is available in the UK from August in the original black finish. The price will be £1,499 / €1,599 and the A1 is distributed by Henley Audio in the UK.
More info: musicalfidelity.com and henleyaudio.co.uk
Tech Specs:
- Power output: 25W per channel (8Ω).
- Voltage output: 42.5V peak-to-peak.
- Current delivery: 25A peak-to-peak.
- Damping factor: 150.
- Gain (@ max. volume): 32dB (Direct Mode) / 42dB (Normal Mode).
- Output devices: 2 per channel.
- Signal-to-Noise ratio: 82dB.
- Channel separation: 85dB.
- Frequency response: 10Hz – 40,000Hz (+0, -1dB).
- Line-level sensitivity: 300mV RMS (nominal) / 8V RMS (max.).
- Line-level input impedance: 25kΩ.
- Tape out impedance: 220Ω.
- Pre-out impedance: 100Ω.
- Inputs: 1 x Phono RCA stereo (Switchable MM / MC), 5 x line-level RCA.
- Outputs: 1 x line-level RCA fixed output (tape), 1 x line-level RCA variable output (Pre).
- Speakers: 4mm Banana/binding Posts.
- Power Consumption: 130W (Max.) / 0W (Standby).
- Dimensions (W x H x D): 440 x 68.3 x 283.3mm
- Weight: 10.5kg.
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