How good is phono stage in Musical Fidelity A300?

Jkaway-

Sounds like you had a bad experierence with the MF A300.
I like the unit, and it's sound overall, just had no idea about the phono stage.

Satch- The KAB mod addresses the alleged tonearm lack of refinement and control issue. I am pretty happy with the table overall. Just looking for limiting factors in my setup assuming I will keep the table.
SOunds like you view the MF A 300 as typical average integerated phono stage.

>I owned this amp back when I beleived reviews by sam Tellig in S'file.That should tell you something right there.The amp has a lot of nice features, great build quality,lotta power... and sounds dead , lifeless and about as involving as reading the phone book.I went to all tubes and never looked back.The phono section worked but 10% of zero is still zero<

Why don't you tell us how you REALLY feel. Enough of this sugar coating small talk........;-}}

Oz

Well - here's the thing. What sounds good to me may sound like total crap to the next person. Obviously that's the case here because I find the A300 to be THE best value in a used integrated out there. The phono section is fantastic too - in my opinion. I got sucked into the trap and tried a Black Cube, and a CI-Audio before ditching them and going back to the, in my opinion, more involoving built in phono stage.

I am using a higher output MM though and would question using a MM under 3.5mv or a MC under .35mv with the A300.

Slate 1-

Thanks for your response. It is actually kind of hard to find people who have used the MF A300 phono stage and also who state comparisions to some external entry level phono stage such as CI Audio/Black cube/NAD/Monolithic/Bugle/Phonomena, etc.

I also am really happy with the quality of the unit overall and bought it used about a year ago. I think it sounded powerful, neutral, detailed, extended, and slightly warm driving my CD player source.

I would love to hear how you felt it differed (pluses and minuses) from the CI Audio phono preamp especially. That is one of the ones on my short list in the sub $500 used or new range (if I get an external phono preamp).

What is your turntable/cartridge setup?
The issue you bring up about cartride matching is one of the things I wonder about as noted-the Dyna at 2.5mv is kind of an "in between" match for the two settings.
As a Hi output cartridge I use the MM (37 db/47k ohms) setting and wonder if this compromises the sound at all, but do not know for sure. Maybe I would do better with a lower output MC and then use the MC setting (60 db/100 ohms), or find a higher output Hi Output MC cartridge. I do want to use an MC type cartridge.

Thanks for any additional insight you may have.

Compared to the CI-Audio, the top end is more detailed and not as bright with the built in phono-section and the bass is tighter and more controlled. Don't misread me, the CI-Audio is a great sounding phono-stage and if I needed an external phono section, it's the one I would run.

I've been thinking of a MC myself - mostly the Audio-Technica OC9ML-II which has an output of .4mv and should drive the A300 without a problem. The main reasons I've stayed away from the much-praised Denon's is that their output is so low and they track so heavy. The AT only tracks at around 1.5g - I'm just nervous about tracking anything over 2g.