We’ve been advocates of the lovely Music First MF1 Passive Magnetic Preamplifier for quite a long time, favouring it for our home system in which, would you believe, the MF1 is the least expensive component, costing less than some of the cables!

It’s been a fascinating experience, a learning curve, because as well as enjoying what the Music First does, we overcame a number of ill-founded prejudices - we all have them!  And, like us, many of our customers had been sceptical of the ability of a passive preamplifier to convey the thrust of certain types of music and, again like us, when they experienced just what it can do, they too have become owners of a Music First preamp. Upgrading has never been so advantageous either, for several of our customers have parted with preamps that cost substantially more than their new MF1!

With the new Reference Preamplifier, Music First have examined all aspects of their hugely successful MF1 and created a new model that maximises every one of its strengths and, where economy considerations might have been a part of the MF1, there has been no hesitation to follow a cost-no-object rationale to ensure absolutely flawless signal transfer with their top-of-the-range model.

The Reference preamplifier features a six transformer configuration (it takes a week to wind them!) including the "Nickel Brick" (TX102-mkIV) a main output transformer featuring refined winding geometry, a new 25% bigger core and improved shielding characteristics that results in unparalleled sonic performance. There’s also a new 46 position level control from - 60dB to +6 dB (1.5dB steps) and all internal components are mounted on a massive, dual material laminate block for added weight, stability and vibration immunity. There is also the much ‘longed for’ remote control of level.

So, with its sibling already considered by the world’s hi-fi cognoscenti as one of the very best preamplifiers available, regardless of price, how does big brother sound? Well, given that we’re also exposed daily to some world leading hi-fi components we can become rather blasé about the many high-end systems (both ours and our customers) that we hear, however the impact of the Music First Reference preamplifier was startlingly immediate, from first listening all aspects of scale, definition, control, aural movement and rhymic pace were clearly of a higher order, instrumental timbres and vocal nuances were utterly beguiling, devoid of artefact and almost without any hint of the recording process at all.

For the first time EVER we heard deep bass rendered believable, precisely contoured, clearly defined with proper tonal colour and without the over-controlled and damped character of certain solid state amplification, and far from the loose and bloated reproduction of poorly assembled systems. Of course we've heard deep bass before, through our own reference speakers, which are eminently capable of exceptional low frequency delivery, but we've never heard bass reproduced so naturally, effortlessly and believably.

The sheer scale of reproduction created a soundstage seemingly larger than the room in which we were listening with classical recordings taking on a majestic power combined with ethereal delicacy, jazz and vocals revealing a sensuality bordering on 'sexy' and folk records reached out with an unadulterated presence.  In fact, every type of recording that we know very well revealed even more secrets and, above all, emphasised the emotional connection that separates believable music reproduction from the noise experience that has become hi-fi.

There was a time when British hi-fi equipment was the envy of the world, that’s not always been the case over the last thirty years or so but, as far as we’re concerned, the new Music First Reference Preamplifier regains that crown, it’s probably the finest music reproduction component we’ve heard, ever!