Quote:
IIRC, Sam Tellig really liked the V3 series. A comparison between the two would have been much appreciated.....

Hi Ajay. This is also discussed here.

Hi, Ajay. I no longer have some of the V3 equipment -- I sent it back -- so a comparison was not possible. And there are so many different configurations.

Having said that, I think that the X-T100 is a considerable improvement over the X-150 -- especially its tubed line stage.

Unfortunately, the old power supply won't power the X-T100, so you can't just drop it in without buying the associated power supply, which you can't use to power the old X series gear. Argh! Keep what you've got.

You are already tubed via the X-10 v3. I would say keep what you have.

I don't think that the X-Ray v8, on its own, is superior to the X-Ray v3 with the X-DAC v3 -- especially with the X-10 and the X-PSU. The X-Ray v8 with the forthcoming X-DAC v8 is likely to be another matter. The X-DAC v8 will power the X-Ray v8, by the way -- so you could buy this combo and not need a new power supply. Confused? I don't blame you.

Put the upgrade itch on hold for a while. I suggest visiting the discussion group, Badger and Blade (badgerand blade.com), where you can take up serious shaving. It's a heck of a lot cheaper to upgrade your shaving brush or razor than it is to turn over your hi-fi equipment.

Argh is certainly right, Sam. Ajay and others - perhaps even me - were potential customers for this new amp had the configuration change not made it so difficult. On the other hand, if they drop the price 25% like the did the last time, some of that difficulty goes away.

There are other questions, though about MF's current marketing and promotion. Their website, relative to the XT-100 says, "...Even though it has much less power the sound quality is almost indistinguishable from its illustrious siblings." Relative to the A5, the copy states that most amps are underpowered and that anything less than 200wpc will produce frequent clipping with resultant distortion and non-linearities. Which claim to believe? Argh, indeed.

Musical Fidelity would like to sell you a powerful amp. But whether or not you "need" (actually you don't NEED any of this) 200 wpc or more depends on a number of factors including your speaker's sensitivity, room size, near or farfield listening (in a small room you have to listen nearfield), what kind of music you play, and whether or not you like to listen loud. This is why Sam is partial to French loudspeakers, which generally have a sensitivity of 90 db or better.

By the way, I do believe Musical Fidelity's claim that the sound quality of t he X-T100 is indistinguishable from MF's more powerful gear -- provided the amp is not driven into clipping. Like I said in my article, this new MF gear is probably more for the serious music lover than the audiophiles. Audiophiles tend to listen way too loud, more interested in the quantity of sound than the quality of music.

Of course, everything you say in your opening paragraph above is true, not to mention well known by all and sundry. As to MF having qualified its X-100 claim (as you did), check their website - no mentions of small rooms, sensitive speakers (like my wonderful little 90dB Sonus Fabers), chamber music/jazz preferences, etc. etc. Time for me to drop my attempts at a discussion with you. I'll settle for reading your column. I promise not to shake your chain again. You are indeed an artful dodger where attempts at dialog are concerned.

Incidentally, my first rule for newcomers to this passion (stated repeatedly in this and other forums) is: Never invest more in gear than you have invested in music.

All the best,

I know the current issue doesn't review the X-DACV8 but... why did they not include a Toslink optical input? This shelves it as an option for folks running Apple Lossless or high-bitrate MP3s to their rig via iTunes & Airport Express.

Guess the USB input caters more to the mainstream WIndows PC users...

If you really want to go through the Airport Express, you could use a conversion box like this:
http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/CO2-main.html

Alternatively, unless MF did something weird, you should be able to use the USB input from a Mac as well. Most USB audio devices work just fine on OS X. You just have to specify the right output in the Sound preference pane.