A1 - Integrated Amplifier

The A1 is a true Hi-Fi classic.

In Hi-Fi, the Musical Fidelity A1 has become one of the most classic designs – inside and out. First released back in 1985, it quickly made waves for being an absolute beast when it came down to driving some of the most difficult speakers of that time, even though it was actually a rather low powered integrated amplifier. But: it was all done in pure Class A with excellent and expertly laid out discrete symmetrical circuitry topology and using only highest quality components. The A1 showed people that there was more to amplifiers than just high power.

Based on its huge success, the A1 has gone through multiple reissues and new versions over the years.

Now for 2023, for the first time since its initial release we have actually kept all specifications, the appearance and circuits of the 1985 rendition for those who missed out the first time. With an updated transformer, power supplies and modern low noise components we’ve revitalized the formula and are proud to reintroduce the fresh original – three decades later.

 

 

Technical Talk

The A1 is built around a completely discrete and symmetrical Class A topology. It‘s able to output 25W of pure Class A power @ 8 ohms load with 25A of maximum output. While the numbers here might seem rather low, the ability for the output stage to drive difficult speakers is a small miracle in itself. The amp design being dynamic class A, and if Class A standing current is exceeded, it will automatically allow more. It therefore “slides” (NOT “switches”) smoothly into class B style operation, temporarily allowing the further current draw needed.

 

 

Power Supply

The new A1 has received an updated transformer from shared (1985 original) to more efficient “dual mono split rail” windings. The amp stages are supplied by fully independent left and right power supplies for better power handling and stereo imaging and each power amplifier now has double supply capacity resulting in reduced ripple and noise.

The transformer‘s noise and heat dissipation are reduced due to better efficiency and updated components. The main supplies are filtered for better regulation and reduced switch on surge.

 

 

Preamplifier

The low noise preamplifier circuitry is the same as the original 1985 design and, as we have highlighted above, greatly benefits from the improved, fully smoothed and regulated power supplies.

Among the discernible alterations, one that immediately catches the eye is the addition of a new „direct“ switch at the preamp stage. With this switch you can totally bypass the gain block before the volume control, resulting in roughly 10dB less gain. This feature proves particularly advantageous when working with modern or high-output digital sources, enabling fine tuning the range of your volume potentiometer and accommodating sensitive loudspeakers.

Furthermore, a notable upgrade has been made to the volume potentiometer itself, now replaced by a premium ALPS RK series potentiometer. This high-quality component ensures superior performance and enhanced precision. Additionally, the potentiometer is now motorized, granting you the convenience of adjusting the volume from the comfort of your couch, courtesy of the new included remote control.

 

 

Phono Stage

The A1 employs a discrete current-mode input stage for lowest noise amplification of MC and MM cartridges. A low noise current to voltage conversion stage is used for further amplification and RIAA equalization. Automatic input impedance matching for the selected MC input, along with increased gain increases the versatility of the A1‘s phono stage.

 

 

 

 

 

The return of a true Hi-Fi classic

The A1 has one secret. This secret is simple: it makes music. It sounds sweet and fluid and creates a beautiful atmosphere around natural instruments. Especially in small to mid-sized rooms, carefully set up with a pair of great two-way speakers. It is not a powerhouse, but music lovers will cherish its abilities.

It‘s also not a product that you‘ll want to hide. A perfect example of form follows function. The oversized heatsinks define the A1‘s look, but they are essential for its operation. Truly unique, from the outside and inside.

The A1 has a sweet, warm, full and exciting sound. No harshness. No grain. Just pure music. It doesn‘t get muddy, and despite its lower power, drives difficult speakers with ease. It remains clean right up to its power limit. To hear what the A1 does is to hear what Hi-Fi is supposed to do: it makes music, pure and simple.

 

 

The A1 through time - Improvements to the original

• Updated transformer to more efficient “dual mono split rail” windings
• High quality and updated ALPS RK series potentiometer as volume control
• IR remote control added for volume
• Gain block before volume control totally by passable using “direct” switch (-10dB)
• All transistors including output devices are carefully selected modern equivalents
• All capacitors in signal path are polypropylene (PP) type
• Resistors are modern low noise metal film types
• Care and attention made to not change any component specification from original but to update them to modern equivalent with long lifespan
• Layout faithfully follows original within circuit sections on circuit board
• Circuit sections better laid out, in particular the separate supplies and power amplifiers
• Phono stage and preamplifier improved for less noise and hum

 

 

The A1 in Brief

• 25W Pure Class A power @ 8 Ohm
• Discrete symmetrical topology
• Planar Audio transistors with 25A maximum output
• Dynamic class A, slides (NOT switches) smoothly into Class B, allowing more current as needed
• Therefore drives difficult speakers with no problems
• Updated transformer to “dual mono split rail” windings
• Fully independent left and right power supplies
• Each power amplifier now has double supply capacity
• Transformer noise and heat dissipation reduced
• Filtered main supplies
• Gain block before volume control totally bypassable using “direct” switch
• High quality and updated ALPS RK series potentiometer
• Low noise TL071 JFET preamplifier circuitry
• Discrete current-mode MM/MC phono input stage
• Low noise current to voltage converter for further amplification and RIAA equalisation
• Automatic input impedance matching (1K nominal) for MC along with increased gain
• Original (1985) A1 appearance and circuits with modern improvements
• Remote control added for volume
• Modern updated low noise components

REVIEW & AWARDS

Musical Fidelity A1 amp: hotter than July - Read More

"Look up the Caterham Seven. Your daily drive might be a BMW, a Mercedes, even a Porsche. If there’s an ounce of petrolhead in you, you’ll want a Caterham as well. I spent several months in the company of the new Musical Fidelity A1. My daily drive is that wunderkind Primaluna EVO 300H. Yet I’d still like an A1 to sit alongside it. Partly as a reviewing tool, the rational reason. Partly because the A1 elicited an emotional response, as good audio does. Were I in the market for an amplifier in the £1-2k bracket it would certainly be on my shortlist.

Some retro products are a triumph of form over function. Not the A1. That a 1984 design can hold its head high 40 years later is testament to the original design. Bravo to Pro-ject’s Heinz Lichtenegger for resurrecting it." - Phil Wright

Musical Fidelity A1 review - Read More

"This is a truly charming product, and we love the way it looks. If you want a taste of a classic hi-fi product but with the reassurance and reliability of buying new, dive right in." - What Hi-Fi?

Musical Fidelity A1 Integrated Amplifier - Read More

"It's easy to be sceptical about 'classic' designs returning to the market, but in this case Musical Fidelity has done an excellent job. The new A1 remains faithful to the original intent of its much-loved forebear, while improving what needed improving. Regardless of the nostalgia aspect, this is a fine performer that should give more contemporary rivals in its price class a real run for their money." - Jamie Biesemans

Musical Fidelity A1 Integrated Amplifier Review - Read More

"That leads me on to a very easy conclusion, I think there are a number of situations where the Musical Fidelity A1 will not make sense for an audiophile. However I can see many audiophiles absolutely loving this amplifier with it delivering well beyond what they expect from its size and price. £1499 is a lot of money but I don’t think it is really in terms of how much genuine enjoyment you can get from A1

It’s a really cracking amplifier and I am really glad its back because there definitely is a place for it in the modern HiFi world, and a place for it in many audiophiles hearts, including me. I want one I will leave it at that." - Terry Ellis

Musical Fidelity A1 (2023) Integrated Amplifier Review - Read More

"Musical Fidelity’s new A1 integrated amplifier is better than the original in pretty much every respect – and unlike some ‘anniversary’ integrated amps, this company hasn’t gone for boutique pricing. It is true ‘affordable esoterica’, then – offering performance in some respects that’s hard to beat at three, four or maybe five times the price. However, it does need careful loudspeaker matching and isn’t at its best in large rooms or with pounding loud rock music. So, if you’re interested, do try to audition one with your own speakers if possible. All these caveats aside, this is a very special affordable amplifier and a delight to spend time with. " - David Price

Musical Fidelity A1 Integrated Amplifier - Read More

"To mix a metaphor, the A1 paints a great picture, one could argue that close examination of the brush strokes is less accessible but if you look at this image for hours you will fall in love all over again, give this Class A amplifier a listen. " - Simon Wilce

Musical Fidelity A1 Integrated Amplifier Review - Read More

"What I can tell you is that someone reading this will shrug, go and listen to the A1 and buy it. They might even pair it with the Qutest and Petite Classic. What they’ll have is a system that’s ridiculously covetable; able to make music with an effortlessness that some components at many times the price can’t match. Sure, they’ll sweat a bit in summer and be an album or so down a year but I doubt they’ll care. The A1 is not the no brainer choice at this price point, it’s unclear if it ever was, but it’s so effortlessly engaging, the people that plump for it won’t care and I’m not sure I do either and for that reason it comes Highly Recommended. " - Ed Selley

Musical Fidelity A1 integrated amplifier - Read More

"More than most amps I'm familiar with, the Musical Fidelity A1 integrated amplifier engages my brain's right and left hemispheres in roughly equal fashion. That's its chief virtue. And that is something very few amps at any price can do.

A timeless classic, as good as it was, but better." - Herb Reichert

Review: Musical Fidelity A1 - Read More

"The new Musical Fidelity A1 still gets hot. Very hot. If you play loud, it’s not possible to keep your hand on the top plate of the amplifier for very long at a time. But it will play. There’s no blue smoke or sparks emanating from it. It’s clearly built to last, because it showed no signs of weakness during the test period. Where it was often driven harder than you normally can with a 25 watt amplifier. Instead, it gave me some nostalgic moments and a lot of joy. Glowing joy, if you will, because that perfectly describes the sound signature of a Musical Fidelity A1. You’re simply delighted by the warm and natural atmosphere its sound creates in the room. " - Lasse Svendsen

That Was Then... Musical Fidelity A1 (1985) - Read More

"It loses nothing to the original in terms of character but clearly performs to a higher standard, runs a touch cooler (though still very hot) and has a remote control. It allows you to enjoy everything about the classic product but with all the benefits of a new-build and official service backup. We’ve got to say, we’re tempted. " - Ketan Bharadia

Musical Fidelity A1 Integrated Amplifier | REVIEW - Read More

"The Musical Fidelity A1 will always be considered as one of the classic integrated amplifiers of all time, but this new version, with its focus on higher parts quality and a low noise floor, lets more music in than ever before. It’s an interesting engine for an interesting hi-fi system, assembled by interesting music lovers. " - Marc Phillips

Musical Fidelity A1 Integrated Class A Amplifier - The Return of a Legend - Read More

"It must be a real affair of the heart for Heinz Lichtenegger, CEO of Musical Fidelity, to be able to resurrect a true legend of the English hi-fi forge from the 1980s with the Musical Fidelity A1 Integrated Class A Amplifier. Since the decision was made to adapt the concept at least to the extent that you think you have a complete copy of the legendary amplifier system in Class A before you, but in fact at least optimisations were made to offer only the advantages without having to accept the disadvantages, the new Musical Fidelity A1 Integrated Class A Amplifier will probably find many, many friends. " - Michael Holzinger

EISA 08/2024

"This Class A unit picks up where its predecessor left off – notable for an organic, almost tube-like presentation."

stereonet 01/2024

"A delicious sounding full Class A integrated amplifier that’s way more practical than before."

hifi+ 02/2024

"The A1 remains an absurdly talented amp. Exceptionally unmechanical sense to the power delivery. The performance has that same compelling naturalness as the rest of the amp." - Ed Selley

HI-FIChoice 02/2024 

"It feels like a powerhouse. The midband is the star of the show, being really open and revealing.The A1 sounds very silky up top. A great sounding design at a surprisingly affordable price." - Nick Tate 

Diapason 02/2024

"It‘s a gift we‘ve been waiting for. It certainly sings. Everything is full with unexpected depth. No problem for this A1 revisited, a total success that shows „technology of yesteryear“ is far from obsolete."

Classica 02/2024

"The warmth that envelops the amplifier after just a few minutes of listening radiates instantly into the music. A perfectly perceptible physical reality is attested. There‘s no harshness or acidity to spoil the musical reproduction."

audio-stereoplay 07/2023

"This is how music sounds, not hi-fi – The new A1 enchanted with an incredibly coherent, colourful and natural sound of high cohesion for the money, remi- niscent of good tube amplifiers."

LowBeats 02/2024

"We are overwhelmed. There it is again, the spirit of the first A1 from the 1980s – lots of sound, lots of heart, deliberately also for smaller budgets. This amplifier is capable of something that I have never experienced with much more expensive amplifiers: so much control, so much sound color, so much lively music." - Andreas Günther

Stereo 09/2023

"The creamy colorful music reproduction is of outstanding quality, extremely delicate and fine, of rarely heard detail and expressiveness. The stage is very well illuminated and layered in depth." - Tom Frantzen

Audio Test 01/2024

"In terms of sound, it is completely musical, full-bodied and pleasing to the ear. Organic is perhaps the best word for it." - Thomas Kirsche 

HiFi.NL 01/2024

"I have listened to the Musical Fidelity A1 with great pleasure. A wonderful amplifier for the price that pairs with both the LS3/5A and the LS5/9. Sufficient power, nicely transparent, slightly warm bass, clear without being too bright. An amplifier made for enjoying music." - RENÉ VAN ES

Forbes 08/2023

"The 2023 model doggedly sticks to the original design brief and still supplies a smooth, warm and detailed sound, exactly what you’d expect from a good Class A amp." - Marc Sparrow

Hifimaailma 12/2023

"A-class circuitry High quality, MC/MM phono input, Stronger than the watts would suggest, Silky sound " - Kari Nevalainen 

High&Style 09/2023

"The only thing that matters is how the amplifier performs, and that‘s just great! Its sound turns established trends on their head, breaks down categories and destroys prejudices. It has my highest recommendation!" - Viktor Kubal

Audio.com.pl 09/2023

"This is an acoustic antidepressant. You can hear the difference in implementation, acoustics, detail, and tonal balance; everything is dipped in subtle, aromatic sauce, improving consistency and reducing unpleasant accents and raids."

Audio Idiom 10/2023

"This set stops us with creamy-sounding music, where we forget about audio. it plays music for us and it does so that the process of listening to it becomes a pleasure. His greatest asset is to focus on the color of the sound, which is always under its control."

InfoAudio.pl 11/2023

"There is something magical about it. What comes to the forefront is a huge emotional charge wrapped in a capsule woven with softer sounds." - Waldemar Nowak

SPECIFICATIONS