So I took the plunge and went all in HD AVP and MCH K38 amplifier.
It has been 4 weeks+ of music enjoyment since Joel updated my MCH K38 with the latest boards from Nu prime. The combo paired with my PL 300?s has been the closest I have gotten to audio nirvana so far.
Focusing purely on the power amplifier side of thing for this mini review however.
The MCH K38 has its work cut out for it as the competition was High end AVR?s ,1000 series rotel?s ,NAD silver series and a NAD M25 power amplifier.
High Points
1.)Multi configuration options on the MCH K38 is awesome. It has RCA\XLR selectable inputs and mono\stereo selectable output. You can also activate \ deactivate channels from the front panel.
2.)Crazy power for the moolah. Each MCH K38 provides 8 x 200W or 4 x 400W output or a combination of 200W and 400W channels. I ran my unit in 400W mono mode for the PL 300?s and took it too ear bleeding levels playing electronic dance tunes and there was still juice in the tank. Way more poowah than the NAD M25 a channel (170W a channel)
3.)Staggering wide sound stage. You get used to a wide sound stage with ribbon tweeters but one of the first thing I noticed was a more encompassing sound stage that made me realise how small my lounge really is.
4.)Thumping bass line. One of the selling features if you look at the nuprime amp comparison sheet and it delivers very impressively. It was a noticeable upgrade over my NAD M25. http://www.nuprimeaudio.com/index.php/guides/amp-comparison.html
5.)Has a warmer lean in sound presentation reminding me a bit of a valve centerd pre\amp.
Movies are also something to behold on this amplifier. If you got speakers that can use the mono potential(400W) of this amplifier, then you are in for a ride. I watched Battleship (goto for movie bass testing) with my subs off and was blown away with the powerful bass coming from my floor standers. The extra power increased the dynamic range of the speakers considerably although I don?t think the neighbours where fans.
6.)It?s a hybrid Class A \ D design which means you get a KW+ of power on tap @ 14.5Kg which is great on the back if you experiment with your kit a lot.
Low Points
1.)The DB gain is a little annoying as its at least 4-5db off the NAD and other amplifiers at the same processor volume settings. Not a problem just annoying if you use the MCH K38 in conjunction with other amplifiers as you have to try and match gain.
Summary
All in all, very impressed with the unit, especially considering that sweet early bird price. I don?t think this fella is going anywhere anytime soon :2thumbs:
My thanks you Joel and Achim for the opportunity to join the early bird. For the money it has been one of the best audio investments I have ever made.
It has been 4 weeks+ of music enjoyment since Joel updated my MCH K38 with the latest boards from Nu prime. The combo paired with my PL 300?s has been the closest I have gotten to audio nirvana so far.
Focusing purely on the power amplifier side of thing for this mini review however.
The MCH K38 has its work cut out for it as the competition was High end AVR?s ,1000 series rotel?s ,NAD silver series and a NAD M25 power amplifier.
High Points
1.)Multi configuration options on the MCH K38 is awesome. It has RCA\XLR selectable inputs and mono\stereo selectable output. You can also activate \ deactivate channels from the front panel.
2.)Crazy power for the moolah. Each MCH K38 provides 8 x 200W or 4 x 400W output or a combination of 200W and 400W channels. I ran my unit in 400W mono mode for the PL 300?s and took it too ear bleeding levels playing electronic dance tunes and there was still juice in the tank. Way more poowah than the NAD M25 a channel (170W a channel)
3.)Staggering wide sound stage. You get used to a wide sound stage with ribbon tweeters but one of the first thing I noticed was a more encompassing sound stage that made me realise how small my lounge really is.
4.)Thumping bass line. One of the selling features if you look at the nuprime amp comparison sheet and it delivers very impressively. It was a noticeable upgrade over my NAD M25. http://www.nuprimeaudio.com/index.php/guides/amp-comparison.html
5.)Has a warmer lean in sound presentation reminding me a bit of a valve centerd pre\amp.
Movies are also something to behold on this amplifier. If you got speakers that can use the mono potential(400W) of this amplifier, then you are in for a ride. I watched Battleship (goto for movie bass testing) with my subs off and was blown away with the powerful bass coming from my floor standers. The extra power increased the dynamic range of the speakers considerably although I don?t think the neighbours where fans.
6.)It?s a hybrid Class A \ D design which means you get a KW+ of power on tap @ 14.5Kg which is great on the back if you experiment with your kit a lot.
Low Points
1.)The DB gain is a little annoying as its at least 4-5db off the NAD and other amplifiers at the same processor volume settings. Not a problem just annoying if you use the MCH K38 in conjunction with other amplifiers as you have to try and match gain.
Summary
All in all, very impressed with the unit, especially considering that sweet early bird price. I don?t think this fella is going anywhere anytime soon :2thumbs:
My thanks you Joel and Achim for the opportunity to join the early bird. For the money it has been one of the best audio investments I have ever made.
