Musical Fidelity A3cr Power Amp ?Break-in Period?


I just purchased an A3cr and have probably 30+ hours on it and I love it!! Only thing is, it seems to be really lacking in bass on certain tracks. I had an aragon 8008bb which admittedly is a low end champ, but I am starting to fear that my speakers are too much for the MF??

Also, certain female vocals are VERY grainy, almost harsh.

I have: Plat solos, classe cp-35, marantz cd63se, just ordered a monarchy audio 18B DAC, ixos digital cable, cardas cross interconnects, kimber 8tc speaker.

Anyone have suggestions? Does amp need to break in more? Or are my speakers too power hungry? Grainy vocals??

Thanks
platsolos
Platsolos, I politely tried to suggest that the major source of your trouble is most likely your CDP. After reading your last post I'm convinced. Yes, the MF is a very revealing amp that will show upstream characteristics. I'm confident that replacing your CD, letting it break in, and perhaps ditto for cables will provide the sound you're expecting.

Without trying to offend Dennisj, the MF bass is more than adequate for what it is and costs. It's an accurate bass that is presented, though as stated before, not a power-bass authority. Many are accustomed to bass boom and mistake that for low frequency power. Tighter, more accurate bass does not always have a muddy and exaggerated bloat that can be mistaken for bass power. Many factors can influence this perception such as room characteristics, recording quality, source, cables, etc. My listening room is equipped with ASC traps and Echo-Buster panels throughout. These do a great deal to improve the sound by taming room resonance modes. Especially the low frequency modes that develop in corners. The bass is tighter and better defined with the traps, but the A3CR had good bass sound prior to tube trap incorporation. When called for deep bass on the recording, the A3CR will deliver in my system and small to midsized room.

As in everything else, musical tastes vary greatly. That's why Ben & Jerry's has umpteen-hundred flavors and the audio world follows suit. Cherry Garcia for me please!
They need a good 200 hours of break-in. But then they sound very 'natural' and the mid range is very revealing.The bass is adequate without any overhang, or boom. Impressive stuff for the money- and they look good too!!
My Musical fidelity HT600 has a phenomenally quick dynamic range. When bass kicks in rapidly, as in an orchestra the 600 delivers fantastic bass quickly, so I'm wondering what's up with these lack of bass observations. The A3cr is the "daddy' of the HT600 and should kick a decent amount of butt. Something tells me the problem is not the amp, but lies elsewhere as some others posters are suggesting.