Musical Fidelity was founded in 1982 in London by Antony Michaelson, a professional clarinettist and dedicated hi-fi enthusiast who'd grown frustrated with a preamplifier made by his previous company, Michaelson & Austin. Determined to build something better, Michaelson designed and hand-built the first batch of "The Preamp" on his own kitchen table — a compact design combining moving-coil and moving-magnet phono stages with a single line-level input, which sold out almost immediately through a local dealer.

That early success convinced Michaelson to go into full-time production, and Musical Fidelity quickly built a reputation for unconventional, boldly styled amplifiers — from the quirky "Dr Thomas" power amplifier to a distinctive lineup of curved heatsinks and sculptural panels that became a genuine visual signature. The brand became particularly known for its use of Nuvistor tubes and refined Class-AB amplifier topology, blending tube-like warmth with solid-state reliability across products like the acclaimed A1 and F-series amplifiers.