Musical Fidelity Elektra E1 Stereo Integrated Amplifier (Sold)

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
Made In England
 
 
Product Description
•30 Watts per channel
•Low in distortion
•Large-scale chamber and orchestral music
•High current delivery.
 
- Can be Use as a Pre-Amplifier for upgrading purpose.
 
in fact, since the B1, which was designed to offer the power output and facilities of the A1 without the complication and expense implicit in that neo-Class A design.
 
The E1, which is rated at 30 Watts per channel into eight Ohms, is the latest in the line, and is dressed in a slimline version of the now-familiar,
 
black-gloss-fronted E-series casework, which means it looks and feels like a quality item.
 
Musical Fidelity is not forthcoming about circuit topologies, and has been no more revealing than usual with the E1.
 
The basic power amplifier circuit is claimed to be tonally neutral, low in distortion and to have a high current delivery.
 
Much work, says
M-F, has been done to reduce asymmetry between channels.
Output semiconductor devices, allegedly, are bipolar.
 
Apart from the power-on/off button, the only controls are for volume, source selection and tape-monitor switching. All six inputs are at line level, and there is a single tape circuit.
 
The E1 is fitted with a solitary set of four-millimetre binding-post terminals, with the now-familiar EU-friendly plastic blanking pegs. There is no provision for headphones.
 
 
Sound quality
The panel score was average, with little spread of marking. There was almost complete unanimity about the sonic character of the E1, which was judged to have been struck clearly from the Musical Fidelity mould.
 
The amplifier was described as warm, even a little overblown at times, with a generous soundstage presence, good if slightly sweetened tonality and a slightly indistinct, one-note bass line.
 
The latter was evident in the left-hand line of the Liszt piano piece, and also in the full-sounding Jennifer Warnes track.
"Only marred by a slight over-emphasis on the upper bass", was a typical comment of the Liszt, though the same listener also noted that the E1 "makes music easy to listen to", while another wrote "it's 'get your baton out' time!" after the Dohnanyi.
 
My own listening notes conclude that the E1 will need to be matched with systems of sympathetic persuasion. It's likely to tame excessively bright speakers, if the brightness is not indicative of some other problem.
There were times when the E1 seemed overblown, when its ambitions exceeded its reach, but there was real drama and depth here too, and an opulent tonality which worked well with small and large-scale chamber and orchestral music, female vocals and the like.
 
Conclusion
Musical Fidelity claims there is no "tone painting" with the E1 - that it simply tells the truth. In reality it's difficult to assess this claim. It sounds different to most other contenders here, though bears a familial musical resemblance to the NAD and Magnum designs.
 
In general, reproduced rock music sounded a little short of adrenalin, while classical music was reproduced with an organic quality, a bold tonality and a sense of scale that left most of the rest behind. Ultimately, all depends on the nature of the system you erect around this amplifier, and the bottom line here is to listen carefully before buying - but do listen. Recommended.
 
 
Price : RM Sold
Contact : Simon Ting 012-3612507