ARC VSi75SE v. MF Nu-Vista 800
I have an offer to purchase either an Audio Research VSi75SE or a Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 800 at roughly the same price, new-in-box. But there's no way for me to audition either in-person beforehand. Does anybody have an opinion, based on first-hand experience, comparing the two components' sound quality?
These integrateds would be powering a pair of Harbeth C7-ES3 speakers with a MartinLogan sub. They'll also do double-duty powering the front channels of a home theater, and will be connected to non-TV digital sources by a DAC/streamer, maybe a HiFi Rose.
Functionality issues make either candidate a compromise. E.g., the ARC has no HT bypass, headphone jack, or sub out, and family members will give me grief about tube warm-up when they just want to watch TV. And the Harbeths, despite a nominal 25wpc spec, would definitely benefit from the Nu-Vista's 300wpc. OTOH, the MF has all the connectivity I need, but it's big and heavy, which will present problems in my room (and to my elderly back).
I'll work all that out, one way or the other, but rght now, my threshold issue is sonics. I realize that both companies have distinct "house sounds" so I'd love to hear from anyone with first-hand experience comparing the two.
Thanks.
OP,
I have got a seventy + year old back as well. I use talk and if necessary a $20 bill or two to deal with heavy equipment. There are all sorts of ways to arrange for you not to have to lift audio equipment. I will definitely not compromise the sound at my age to a trivial problem like my ego says I have to do this myself. |
OP,
On the topic of the Pass Integrated. I auditioned the INT 75 (and Luxman integrated $10K). What I was struck with was the excellent rhythm and pace of the Pass. It really got the beat with a pretty good midrange. I compared against the ARC I-50 and the Luxman… they formed a continuum from the bright detailed lean non-musical Luxman, the musical… well done solid state Pass and then the ARC - luscious but detailed musical sound. Big jumps between the three. |
erik: My understanding (and anyone with more currrent knowledge, please correct me) is that MF came up with a new variation on the old RCA nuvistors. Supposedly, it discontinued the Nu-Vista 600 & 800 because of parts-availability issues -- but they were talking about front panels! My SWAG is that MF is still working off its existing inventory, but has the means to manufacture more nuvistors as needed. They actually sell nuvistor kits online. And don't forget that tne Nu-Vista models are characterized as "limited edition." I don't think they produce too many of these exotic beasts. |
@cundare2 Back when I still owned the Harbeth 30.1, I borrowed two amps from my friends to test. One was the Moonriver 404 integrated amp -- one of the worst amps I have ever tried. The other one was Pass Labs INT-25. It was very impressive but lagged behind in terms of dynamics. Finally tried it with Luxman 590AXII ... that was the ticket! Now I know this might cause some heartburn for a few Audio Research fans, but I found the ARC I/50 to be underwhelming. Don't get me wrong, it's a nice piece of kit but you're paying a lot for the AR brand name. Right after I auditioned the ARC, I bought an Audio Hungary Qualiton a50i which, IMO, was a much better sound and value than the I/50. I later sold the 30.1 and bought SHL5+. The pairing with this speaker and Qualiton a50i was sublime. Oh, and the a50i is auto-biased, no need to take it to a technician for something as simple as re-biasing the amp. I mean who does that in this day and age? |
