FM Acoustics amps

[Roysen]

I agree with you entirely Mike, but want to add that unless one is familiar with all of the components in a system, it is a bit unfair to single out one particular component.

That is certainly true.

Thanks,
Roysen

 

[asiufy]

Agree...unless you have a 15-year old FMA amp and you still use it. Or you have an FMA611 that is 10 years old...and you still use it.

I don't know, how much is that 611? How much was it back then? I mean, if I spent ~ US$ 100k in an amp, I wouldn't want to know about another amplifier for at least 10 years


alexandre

 

[Steve Williams]

IMO, I don't give a rat's a$$ what my gear looks like. For me it is all about the sound. I would venture to say that my 4 piece amp and 4 box preamp are butt ugly if not the ugliest. However, I listen with the light's off, it's my room and my wife knows its sacrosanct so no one is in there except me and invited guests. The fashion statement isn't what rocks my sonic boat but as they say IMHO

 

[Steve Williams]

I don't know, how much is that 611? How much was it back then? I mean, if I spent ~ US$ 100k in an amp, I wouldn't want to know about another amplifier for at least 10 years


alexandre

If not forever

 

[mep]

IMO, I don't give a rat's a$$ what my gear looks like. For me it is all about the sound. I would venture to say that my 4 piece amp and 4 box preamp are butt ugly if not the ugliest. However, I listen with the light's off, it's my room and my wife knows its sacrosanct so no one is in there except me and invited guests. The fashion statement isn't what rocks my sonic boat but as they say IMHO

Steve-I for one don’t think that Lamm gear is butt-ugly. I think it is form-follows-function gear that is well built and maybe on the industrial looking side of the physical spectrum. It has its own attraction for those who love the look of well built tube gear. It’s not sexy or pretentious looking, but it’s not butt-ugly.

 

[A.wayne]

drooling. I am currently trying to convince my wife to go with me... Won't go alone; too scared she'll sell my system.

rofl ...

 

[DaveyF]

IMO, I don't give a rat's a$$ what my gear looks like. For me it is all about the sound. I would venture to say that my 4 piece amp and 4 box preamp are butt ugly if not the ugliest. However, I listen with the light's off, it's my room and my wife knows its sacrosanct so no one is in there except me and invited guests. The fashion statement isn't what rocks my sonic boat but as they say IMHO

I totally agree with this statement. To me the sound is what it's all about. ( BUT if you can have the sound and the looks, well that's the best of both worlds; the sound always comes first though)
BTW, I recently heard the Concert Fidelity gear, which sounded very good....however IF you look inside their boxes, not only is there not much to see ( except open space, LOL) but the CF pieces don't look particularly well made inside either. Whenever I have heard the FMA gear in the past, the looks weren't to my taste, but I did think they were the real deal in regards to their abilities. However, I also thought that there was a lot of other gear that I would prefer in my system and for a lot less money....almost all of it had tubes in the circuit.

 

[Thf99]

I totally agree with this statement. To me the sound is what it's all about. ( BUT if you can have the sound and the looks, well that's the best of both worlds; the sound always comes first though)
BTW, I recently heard the Concert Fidelity gear, which sounded very good....however IF you look inside their boxes, not only is there not much to see ( except open space, LOL) but the CF pieces don't look particularly well made inside either. Whenever I have heard the FMA gear in the past, the looks weren't to my taste, but I did think they were the real deal in regards to their abilities. However, I also thought that there was a lot of other gear that I would prefer in my system and for a lot less money....almost all of it had tubes in the circuit.

Very well said, Davey.

 

[Bruce B]

IMO, I don't give a rat's a$$ what my gear looks like. For me it is all about the sound.

And just think how much more affordable the DartZeel 458 could be if it didn't have all that gold/bling crap.

 

[FrantzM]

I think there is disconnect between what Audiophiles say about their gears and what they do in reality: For the most part the systems I have seen here on the WBF are extremely well laid out and there is more than a blink to aesthetics not all mind you but most. I can understand one not choosing components solely for their looks but looks play a great part in the choice of components. Some may suscribe to the FMA school of aesthetics looks, I don't find them attractive and I do believe that at that price an effort must be paid to the looks of the products and the way it is assembled.
I don't go solely for looks but there are looks that disturb me ,, those Vivid speakers

I have heard FMA and think they sound great. The ones I heard weren't the best SS I heard then IMO. They didn't strike me as utterly superior to anything I have heard up to then. This may well change after an audition. For now color me " immensely skeptical". The best amps SS I have heard in my audiophile journey: Burmester, Soulution, Edge, Spectral , Pass , Dartzeel, Plinius and one particular Bryston the 28B monster mono, I have not heard the latest Boulder electronics, so can't say a thing about them some friends found them superb. As for FMA I find nothing extraordinary about their specs or craftsmanship (almost pedestrian) , many mid-fi components look much better inside, their reliability however is spectacular from all accounts but again so is that of the aforementioned brands (Soulution is too new to speak of long term reliability though and Bryston has a 20 years (!!!!) warranty so ... As for their price I know that past a certain price one is paying for what one wants to believe in ... Their resale value may well be the hghest in High End Audio so if one loves them and can afford them more power. I am however of the opinion that there are better performance at less dear a price

 

[jazdoc]

Isn't it great when the gear sounds better than it looks....

 

[Steve Williams]

Frantz,

the Vivid is butt ugly and whenever I see it, it reminds me of the Diva in the Fifth Element. Having said that however the sound is simply superb to my ears and I tip my hat to my friend Phillip O'Hanlon for being the national distributor for this remarkable speaker

 

[djanggo]

i've visited the dealer in Colorado Springs (really nice guys, btw) and heard the FMA there, and listened to it every year they've brought them to RMAF, they always sound good, but they've never really stood out as special. so regarding MEP's perspective, if they would have been memorable.....he would have remembered.

it's the gear's job to grab us...or not.

it's fair that with a greater awareness of the product cache' he might now listen with more interest.

AFAIK, they only carry and demo'ed FMAs middle line. Pre-amps, imo, play a crucial role here especially for FMAs. I noticed all these years they have only been using the bottom line 245 paired with the 411/811 which are great but twenty years old technology amps. Seems only recently they have acquired/uses the 115. In all fairness, do try to listen at minimal to their 266mkII paired with the 115 (preferably 1811), which still is not, at current, their top line btw, but in my humble opinion, more then enough to give the top Dartz a good run for sure. And better still, experience their FMA1 or 2 full Inspiration System, properly set-up, before forming an opinion of them.

 

[A.wayne]

Wells it's a big anti - FMA group heading to RMAF , I'm sure there will be pics and videos ......

 

[Thf99]

AFAIK, they only carry and demo'ed FMAs middle line. Pre-amps, imo, play a crucial role here especially for FMAs. I noticed all these years they have only been using the bottom line 245 paired with the 411/811 which are great but twenty years old technology amps. Seems only recently they have acquired/uses the 115. In all fairness, do try to listen at minimal to their 266mkII paired with the 115 (preferably 1811), which still is not, at current, their top line btw, but in my humble opinion, more then enough to give the top Dartz a good run for sure. And better still, experience their FMA1 or 2 full Inspiration System, properly set-up, before forming an opinion of them.

+10

Djanggo, have you heard the top FMA amps? If so, what are your impressions?

 

[A.wayne]

best in the world ......

 

[LL21]

best in the world ......

Very curious...why? i have read loads of comments, but always appreciated being able hear more from diff people. Will hear for myself at some point.

 

[mep]

I thought he just said the same thing about Dan's amps.

 

[rockitman]

I thought he just said the same thing about Dan's amps.

exactly..there are no BEST amps. There is the upper echelon price wise (with possible big swings in terms of sound/dollar pleasure ratio) and at that point it comes down to taste/system matching.

 

[A.wayne]

I see Mep still have a reading comprehension issue ...

I did not say that about Dan's amp , Martin Collum did , i did say such about FMA and as christian suggested , it was tongue in cheek , well, until we can get them all together at his house for a shoot out ..

Or at uncle Mikes ...