[Dave Upton]

Wyred 4 Sound Mini MC 7 Channel (MMC-7) Amplifier Review: Discussion Thread

For the Full Review: Click Here!

Summary: If I could provide you with an analogy to compare this amplifier to your typical A/V Receiver, this is like the difference between driving a Toyota Camry and a Lexus IS350 - the MMC-7 is more refined, more powerful, and better built. The MMC is just plain better at being an amplifier. Your friends will envy this fine piece of engineering you have acquired, all the while scheming to outdo you without breaking the bank. In the case of the MMC-7 your friends are in for a challenge, outdoing this 7-channel amplifier at any price point below three thousand dollars might be doable, but competitors have a lot of work to do before they can give EJ Sarmento and the fine people at Wyred 4 Sound anything to worry about.

Highly Recommended

For the Full Review: Click Here!

 

[Sonnie]

Re: Wyred 4 Sound Mini MC 7 Channel Amplifier Review

Excellent review Dave... :T

 

[Tufelhundin]

Due to weight constraints I have been doing a ton of research on Sunfire Amps....this review is intriguing to say the least. Excellent write up. Good looking amp to boot.

 

[Jungle Jack]

Hello,
Excellent read. Truly enjoyed it and I am sure you are enjoying the Amplifier.
Cheers,
JJ

 

[Dave Upton]

I definitely think this amp is a contender for you if you're considering Sunfire. In any case, I can safely report that I chose to keep this amp for my system after the review ended.

 

[GranteedEV]

Sorry if this sounds like negative feedback but a few statements you made... I would like some clarification on them

where my Onkyo was warm and laid back the MMC-7 was startlingly neutral with excellent resolution and clarity.

With which speakers did you perceive your onkyo as warm and laid back... was this specific difference repeatable with different speakers? How would you say this perception was a function of the S6's electrical load?

Was listening done in source direct mode?

Were the levels matched to within .1db?

Where the SC-37 was tonally neutral and transparent, it did sound somehow more digital than the MMC-7 does.

What exactly do you mean by "sounded more digital"? Do mind clarifying this?

 

[Dave Upton]

With which speakers did you perceive your onkyo as warm and laid back... was this specific difference repeatable with different speakers? How would you say this perception was a function of the S6's electrical load?

Was listening done in source direct mode?

Were the levels matched to within .1db?

What exactly do you mean by "sounded more digital"? Do mind clarifying this?

It's implied by the tone of your post that you believe everything needs to be qualified by electrical explanations/objective data. While I agree with that spirit allow me to clarify that this is not an objective evaluation, this is my personal subjective opinion and nothing more, you can choose to take it or leave it. That said, i'll do my best to answer your questions below.

All listening tests were done using the Paradigm Signature review system, the sonic signature of my Onkyo receiver was consistent across three different speaker systems including the Paradigms, AV123 Rockets and Onix Reference 1's.

The S6 specifications are available here: http://www.paradigm.com/products/paradigm-reference/floorstanding/signature-series/signature-s6

As I stated above, since this was consistent across speaker models the electrical load of the speaker here is not my main consideration. This is a subjective account of my impressions of the sound of this amplifier - I cannot quantify what is ultimately a subjective determination. That said, I generally find class A amps to sound warm while Class D sound neutral - the electrical explanation for this phenomenon is unknown to me beyond the most basic fundamentals. If you are looking for an electrical engineers analysis, this isn't it.

All listening was done in source direct mode at all times across all speakers/amps. Levels were always matched and checked prior to a critical listening session.

As to sounding digital, I'm not sure what the cause of this was honestly - it may be high frequency distortion or feedback, but the only way I can describe it is to compare listening to a middling bitrate MP3 such as a 128k MP3 vs a FLAC file - you can hear some form of distortion or compression that sounds "digital".

Without arguing psychoacoustics and bias to the end of time, suffice to say that I heard a very noticeable difference between the two amps, with the SC-37 definitely not sound as good to me.

 

[GranteedEV]

That's fine. If there's differences I'm sure a person could measure and quantify but with subjective tests I just like to know that the controls are in place. Thanks and like I said, I didn't intend for it to sound like negative feedback. :T I firmly believe that two great amps should sound identical but I'm also not a person who believes all amps are great and I've never owned an Onkyo before.

I've heard from a very reputable person in that past that pioneer receivers can have a grainyness to them inherent in poorly designed Class A/B amps (although ICEpower is class D). I just didn't know if "digital" meant the same grainyness or somethign else.

 

[Dave Upton]

I'm really not a believer in "audiophile" descriptions of sound myself - but it's really hard to nail down what I heard with the SC-37. At the time I was very impressed by it - but comparing that Class D ICEpower amp to the MMC7, there is a large difference with the same technology being used.

I really don't know what factor to blame that on - it could even be a result of the SC-37's processing, but I can say with certainty that the MMC is a much nicer sounding class D amp.

 

[GranteedEV]

I'm thinking of going Class D myself, at least for the front 3 speakers. Mine will be Hypex, not ICEPower, though. I've read some literature on ICEpower in the past that has me somewhat "insecure" about it. Perhaps that correlates to your experiences between the wired4sound and the pioneer. It may be the implementation, not the technology, that causes my insecurity towards ICEPower. Unfortunately the wired 4 sounds just don't do it for me aesthetically.

 

[Dave Upton]

I think that you're right - implementation does matter. Wyred 4 Sound are also quite well known for modifying their modules, which probably explains the differences. My experience with the Pioneer and the MMC7 have been night and day. That said, I've never had the chance to review/hear a Hypex based Class D amp, but I would like to do a head-to-head.

 

[GranteedEV]

I think that you're right - implementation does matter. Wyred 4 Sound are also quite well known for modifying their modules, which probably explains the differences. My experience with the Pioneer and the MMC7 have been night and day. That said, I've never had the chance to review/hear a Hypex based Class D amp, but I would like to do a head-to-head.

If you ever do, make sure to review one of the higher powered hypex units, like some UCD700 monoblocks :hsd:. they're rated oddly. 180 watts... but that's I believe at 1% THD into 4 ohms. So that would be more like 80-90 watts into 8 ohms and .1% THD. I plan on getting three UCD400s wich in all actuality are probably closer to 180wpc

 

[Tufelhundin]

Dave I see you have Rockets as well. What speakers do you have? I find your comment concerning Onkyo/Rockets laid back and warm to be dead on and I tend to like that sound. I also have a Denon and it tends to wake up the highs more so then the Onkyo.

Do you ever plan on driving your Rockets with this amp? If so, I'd love to read your thoughts concerning this.

 

[recruit]

Great Review Dave, its nice to see ICE amplification being used again with excellent results :T

 

[Jungle Jack]

Hello,
This is an interesting Article about another W4S Amplifier and it being practically identical to an uber expensive Jeff Rowland Designs Amp that both use ICE Modules:http://www.audioholics.com/education/amplifier-technology/clone-amplifiers
Cheers,
JJ

 

[recruit]

I have read that article before and it is a very interesting read too, IMO I think that ICE modules or well designed class D amplifiers are the way forward as they allow lots of power and with good results being so efficient, my Rotel I have had for some time now really does have some power but it works so well with the rest of my kit and therefore giving excellent results with a beautiful sound.

 

[Tufelhundin]

Dave I see you made the Wyred 4 Sound Hompage...sweeeet.

 

[tonyvdb]

Great review, I do wonder how long it will be before the cost comes down to where its affordable to the average home theater buff like me. Thats allot of coin to put out for a 5 or even 7 channel amp. But I really like the idea and the quality you talk of in the sound reproduction.

 

[Dave Upton]

Dave I see you have Rockets as well. What speakers do you have? I find your comment concerning Onkyo/Rockets laid back and warm to be dead on and I tend to like that sound. I also have a Denon and it tends to wake up the highs more so then the Onkyo.

Do you ever plan on driving your Rockets with this amp? If so, I'd love to read your thoughts concerning this.

I found myself greatly preferring the sonic signature of the Paradigm's regardless of amp, but with the Rockets/W4S combo I really found that it opened up the sound a bit, as everyone used to say, Rockets love power! I have RS550MKII's in the front with a RSC200 center. I'm going to be replacing these at some point but with what I haven't quite decided, I'm leaning towards JTR Triple 12's.

 

[Chu Gai]

Since the amp is based on ICE modules which involve high frequency switching, how is it that Wyred 4 Sound does not have an FCC sticker on there as well as an indication in the manual that it has been tested and found to comply with FCC Part 15B for unintentional radiators of EMI/RFI? I think the same holds true for their other ICE powered amps as well as their DACs. Ought they not be held to the same standards and regulatory compliance as other companies?