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"Magnat's unit reproduces a crisp and brilliant
treble range, is exquisitely illuminated and
prevents disruptive hardness."
MA 1000/MCD 1050

Magnat MCD 1050
Test 08/2014

Magnat MA 1000
Test 08/2014

Lise-Meitner-Str. 9 · 50259 Pulheim · Germany · www.magnat.de

fairaudio.de
08 | 2014

MA 1000 /MCD 1050
Lise-Meitner-Str. 9 · 50259 Pulheim · Germany · www.magnat.de
Light off, spots on!
Glowing glass tubes go hand in hand with Magnat's product portfolio
(www.magnat.de) like toast and butter. The sound character of the
selected glowing tubes, which are of Soviet origin, is definitely
intended as an audible fingerprint. Groove, dynamics, musicality –
those of you who don't want to sit back in front of your system and
simply let things wash over you will be delighted by the unit from
the Rheinland. Magnat's MA 1000 integrated amplifier is based on
a hybrid concept consisting of a tube preamplifier and a transistor
output stage. One ECC-82 preamp tube is concealed behind each
of the two circular portholes in the front panel. According to the
manufacturer's declaration, the Russian glass tubes have been
selected in pairs ("matched"), with each having been burned in for
60 hours. A discrete amplifier circuit with Toshiba power transistors
is used in the output stage. The configuration leaves nothing to
be desired and is conservative in a positive sense. Magnat's amp
dispenses with modern "digital overkill" such as streaming modules
or DACs, and instead boasts a fully-fledged tape loop, a pre-out
and an exceptional, extensively equipped phono stage. This offers
connections for both MM and MC systems. And, at the same time,
there are also two other inputs available! Each of the double
speaker terminals is, as expected and typical of the price class, very
robust. Incidentally, these terminals are not intended for A/B wiring
(i.e. parallel operation of two pairs of speakers). Instead, they
provide the option of a "direct" bi-wiring configuration with suitably
equipped speakers. To round-off the overall package, Magnat's
MA 1000 is also equipped with a headphone jack. A detail that I
wouldn't have paid much attention to as a general rule, if Magnat
hadn't explicitly pointed it out, is the fact that a small, extremely
high quality amp has been accommodated behind the 6.3 mm jack,
which makes the need of an external device obsolete. Based on
the product description provided by the manufacturer, its 1000
series unit features electronic components in an "enclosed system"
that pursues a common goal: to satisfy "extremely high audiophile
standards in every department". That's all well and good. "But they
all want to do that!" thought our editor with some amusement. At
this point we turned our attention to Magnat's MCD 1050. A "CD
player plus", if you will.
This is the amplifying component in the series, which looks very
similar and gives off the air of an - apparently intended - system
concept. When the two components are stacked on top of one
another, the three portholes on each unit are exactly aligned. You
may now be asking yourself why, exactly? The fact is that the MCD
1050 also works with tubes. Logically in the output. One ECC
88 double triode is provided for each channel. The third window,
like the amp, accommodates an OLED display, which provides
information in a sharp font about the various states of the device
that can also be dimmed if necessary. If the integrated MA 1000
is classed as a pure analogue unit, then Magnat has positioned
its MCD 1050 as a digital data port, whose high quality "BurrBrown" converter can also be used by external sources. These
can be connected via Toslink, S/PDIF RCA or USB. A switchable
upsampling function converts data streams from external source
devices to a 192 kHz and 24 bit format when required. This is a
nice feature that promises a decent sound boost depending on the
material that's "delivered". SACD playback, which is still explicitly
advertised for the more reasonably priced MCD 850 model, has
been dispensed with by the Pulheim company for its flagship unit.
The MCD 1050 is only capable of recognising CD audio. The drive
unit, which is manufactured by Sanyo, doesn't want to know when
it comes to MP3 or WMA formats. You may criticise this aspect,
but to be honest I only know a handful of people who will seriously
miss the SACD format, and even less who burn MP3 files to blank
discs for playback via a stationary hi-fi system. In this respect, the
absence of these features is bearable.
The sound of Magnat's MA 1000 integrated amp
As it features a similar structure, it's clear that Magnat's MA 1000
will need to measure up to its own RV 3 amplifier. After the first few
notes it seemed to me as though the elaborate housing had been
simply constructed around the relevant electronic components and
that the power reserves had been slightly reduced in comparison
to the flagship model. This is because of a "respectful distance",
marketing and so on. Can you understand that? If this had been
precisely the case, I would have decided not to waste any more
of my time at this point and simply reverted to the tests that were
conducted on Magnat's RV 3 earlier this year. Fortunately, while the
two integrated amplifiers may look similar, they don't produce an
identical sound.
Those of you that have read one or more of my tests will know
that when I assess and evaluate hi-fi components I like to use live
recordings of concerts that I have attended. In short: everything
needs to come across when I listen to the recording. And it needs to
be as lifelike as possible. The MA 1000 comes astoundingly close
to achieving this. First, the amazingly accurate soundstage with
which the dimensions of the Hanseatic sports hall are felt, neither
adds nor takes anything away from the overall sound.

Magnat MCD 1050
Test 08/2014

Now you simply cannot transport such dimensions 1:1 to another
room, that's abundantly clear. But what the hybrid amplifier from
Pulheim brings to my ears reminds me very much of the depth and
breadth of the concert hall and the auditorium. But that's just a
successful illusion, isn't it? The unit also succeeds in reproducing
the on-stage action, with the localisation of the individual musicians
and their instruments being particularly evident. Everything unfolds
from my speakers in a realistically graduated and yet present,
almost three-dimensional, manner. The sound is reproduced so
fluidly that when I close my eyes I forget the speakers are even
there after a while.
In "Frankfurt/Oder" - during the concert's climax before the
encores - Bosse is supported by various guest musicians, who,
together with the enthusiastic audience, produce real fireworks
where the native electronics definitely come into their own. Amidst
the complex, chaotic sounds of instruments, singing and cheering,
it's not easy to ensure a clear "overview" or "internal order" while
maintaining audibility at the same time. This is a stumbling block
with which my Yamaha A-S 1000, for example, fails to cope. It
may be slightly cheaper than Magnat's MA 1000 and, of course, it
cannot be directly compared in terms of technology due to its pure
transistor design, but I wouldn't have thought it possible for it not
to succeed in breaking down "Frankfurt/Oder" into comprehensible
individual elements without losing track of anything. The Japanese
amp tries to deliver power and pressure where it's not required
and "swamps" the complex part of the track. But it's all good
for Magnat's unit, as it is able to cope with things a lot better.
Its supremely airy performance is based on the company's own
reference model, namely the RV 3. The same can be said when it
comes to its bass response. The plucked bass guitar in "You goin'
miss your Candyman" by Terry Callier reaches great depths and
peppers the ear canal with a sharply structured sound pattern. A
track like "1000 years" by The Gaslight Anthem (from the album
Get Hurt) is a powerful percussive piece in classic four-four time
which breathes life into the room! It has punch, it has pressure,
it has verve. Magnat's amplifier has inherited its seamless, fluid
transfer between the bass, mid and treble frequencies from its
more expensive sibling. Its supple, natural, pleasant and "realistic"
sounding midrange, which doesn't refrain from a slightly warm
accentuation, provides vocals and instruments with a high degree
of "tangibility". It was impressive to witness how tangible the track
"Sarah" by Natasha Khan, aka Bat for Lashes (from the album "Fur
and Gold") appeared from my listening position. Her slightly smoky
vocals, which have been recorded with some reverb, really gave us
goosebumps. A cross-check with my Yamaha unit and a Musical
Fidelity m3i amp (priced at around €1300), which I currently
also have access to, also turned out in favour of the hybrids from
Pulheim. While the Japanese unit tended to reproduce Natasha
Khan's vocals in a manner that was (too) warm and voluminous, the
lively British amp tended to ensure more neutrality in the mid-range,
however it produced a performance that was slightly too cold. To
me, Magnat's MA 1000 is simply better, as its sound caresses my
ear more pleasantly. To consider its more velvety intonation as an
effect would be an exaggeration. At the upper end of the frequency
range the "thousand" unit produces the right balance between a
brilliant, finely detailed "crispness" and a restraint that ensures
compressed music isn't reproduced in a harsh or annoying manner.
Magnat's amp doesn't convey an irritating sharpness that would
impair your listening pleasure over the long-term (even when used
in a 256 kBit/s format), although it does naturally convey the
general loss of quality.
The sound of Magnat's MCD 1050 CD player
Magnat's multifunctional MCD 1050 unit follows the company's
audio philosophy without question. It ensures a sweeping, fluid and
emotive reproduction with a powerful, unobtrusive bass range and
a very natural impression in the mid-range. It also places a touch
more emphasis on a clear and transparent diction from the upper
bass range upwards in comparison to other amplifiers in its class.
This is particularly audible when you use its upsampling function,
which upscales the incoming signals – from the internal drive and
external sources – to a 24 bit and 192 kHz format.
This ensures the whistling sounds that Axel Bosse's guest
musicians from Deichkind use in "Frankfurt/Oder" to stoke the
simmering atmosphere are even clearer and sharper contoured.
Overall, the digital assistant ensures that all manner of complex
passages are well-balanced and that the finest ramifications are
reproduced. When it comes to Mighty Sam McClain's impulsive
track "Sledgehammer Soul", as well as his wonderful interpretation
of the soul classic "Long Train Runnin'", it provides more air around
the individual musicians and imparts a bit more brilliance and
attack to the brass sections. Not that it makes a whole world of
difference. Depending on the style of music you're listening to (for
example, mainstream pop) the influence of the upsampler is of less
significance. But when it comes to individual details, you should
leave this mode switched on.

Magnat MA 1000
Test 08/2014

Regardless of this, the player excels with tonal attributes that
are not only similar to those of the MA 1000 amplifier, but which
also seem to be part and parcel of Magnat's in-house philosophy.
The extremely precise, agile and powerful bass range is worthy of
mention here, as it is an ever-present foundation for everything that
occurs above it; it never appears distracting or forces itself into
the foreground. Admittedly, however, Magnat's MCD 1050 doesn't
delve quite as deeply into the basement as my Yamaha CD-S 1000
- which revealed more volume at the first cross-check - but it comes
up trumps in terms of precision and structure. While the Japanese
unit sounds slightly sloppy when it comes to a hard-plucked double
bass, as is the case with "Hello" by the John Butler Trio from the
album "Sunrise over Sea", the amp from Pulheim makes the wiry
and dry twang of the bass strings seem much more enjoyable.
Well, there is a difference of around €700 between the units.
Magnat's unit needs to look up for its "opponent". And it finds it.
The "bass duel" with my optimally-coordinated Lua Appassionato
- which is also equipped with a tube output stage and priced at
around €3500 - narrowly falls in favour of the chrome unit from
Bodensee. It gives the hearty double bass slightly more emphasis.
However, the difference is so marginal that the difference in price
is not justified. And that's saying something. As Magnat's MCD
1050 cannot be bettered in terms of flow, timing and homogeneity,
and the fact that it generates a slightly more supple, silky and fine
reproduction in the sensitive mid/treble range – particularly with
the piano/vocals in Tori Amos' "I can't see New York" (from the
album "Scarlet's Walk") – as well as the fact that it interprets the
intro more fluidly than the aged Lua unit, I think it's simply exquisite
for a device in the sub €2000 category. Taking the fact that it's
"not only" a CD player into the equation, but also a high-quality
D/A converter that can accommodate external sources via S/PDIF,
Toslink and USB, I think the MCD 1050 is more than deserving of
the "all-rounder award" in this test.
Test conclusion: Magnat MCD 1050/MA 1000
Magnat recommends its "thousand" series amp as a system
solution. This is backed up by its aesthetics and technology. The
exceptional porthole design of the otherwise plain black units
ensures an elegant appearance when they are combined and, by
purchasing both components, you will cover virtually all analogue
(amplifier) and digital (CD player) connection issues. The system
glides in terms of its sound reproduction yet it still has an
emotionally-moving and rousing side. Excessive analysis is not a
feature of the Rhineland company. Which is something I really like.
As I said: Magnat "recommends" the connected approach.
You can follow this advice, but you don't have to. Both the MA 1000
integrated amp and the MCD 1050 CD player are compelling when
used on their own. Their audio tendency ensures they enrich and
enhance "foreign systems" with their dynamic, rhythmic flow and
sheer musicality. They tend to be slightly warm/silky around the
mid-range, which is something you should try out before combining
them with similar components. Although I wouln't be worried about
any "over-saturation" here. What really surprised me is how close
the MA 1000 amp is to its big brother, the RV 3. If you can do
without the mechanical appearance of the top of the range amp
– or if you simply don't like it – and if the sometimes brutal power
generated for dynamic attacks is something that you don't find
necessary, then you really can't go wrong with the MA 1000. The
MCD 1050 CD player will enhance any modern system as a digital
receiving station – especially with its excellent D/A converter and
effective upsampler. Tip: Always leave the MCD 1050's upsampling
function switched on.



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