Another Mcintosh thread - I'm at a loss...

Gary, I'm sorry that it took me so long to answer your question. My MHT 100 gives 100 W at 4 Ohms and 70 at 8. My Sonus Fabers have 6 Ohms so I guess what I have now is 85 W. I don't really know what amount of power do I need and will extra power improve the sound further, though I know it will not hurt! Plus I'm vorried that if I get a separate power amp for the fronts then the multichanel playback will suffer as the all other speakers will have inferior amplification. Maybe I should get a multichanel power amp (Mac have MC 207 on the market at the moment) but it's not tube. If I go the monoblock route, how many of them do I need? (My REL is connected on high frequency to the speaker outputs) So even though my current system sounds great, I'm still confused!

 

Gary, I know I'm an arsehole for being silent so long, but please, show some mercy!

 

Wow, you've done a lot of changes of the past few months!

So, the big question is, how does it sound now??

Or, spefically, what is lacking where you feel you need more power? The MHT100 should have enough current on hand to handle your Sonus Fabers. In my mind, they should match up rather well, especially since you are using a sub. Mac solid-state gear has the most "tube-sound" of virtually any solid state stuff on the market. So, if you upgrade to more Mac SS, it will just be "more of a good thing", but not necessarily sound different.

At this point, considering the speakers you're using and the fact you have a nice sub, there is no Mac (or other solid-state amp) that I can recommend that will truely give you a great cost/benefit improvement. If you want "different" sound than you have now, you'll have to go with a stereo tube amp. Others here are more able to recommend specific tube models, but I would say stick with Mac.

 

The sound is very good at the moment (I only got Grovers SRII speaker cable and ICs a couple of days ago and don't have audiophile powercords yet so there is still some room for improvement). There is still some (minor) coloration on the midrange and highs are not clear and airy enough. I guess I would like a bit easier sound, with more air, more instrument separation etc. MHT 100 indeed has a tube like sound but I feel there's still a lot to achieve. The problem with tube stereo amp is multichanel playback that I'm afraid will suffer. How I'm gonna play my high rez if center and rears are getting DIFFERENT amplification? I guess,they don't do multichanel tube amps, do they?

 

antonkk, You are really starting to play in very rarefied atmosphere here. Mac is very, very good both tube and SS. If you want true behemoth tube power the only place I know of is VTL, they have monoblocks that do 600 or 800 watts. You can also look at conrad-johnson and BAT. The c-j P140 can be built as a monoblock to give 280 watts and there is a BAT 150W amp that can be done as a monoblock (or perhaps done in tandem) that will give 300 watts.

 

I'm not going for behemoth power amp. I just want more ease, more air and probably more dynamics. Does anyone make tube monoblock power amp multichanel packages? That could be a fine and very beautiful solution solution - 5 monoblocks ! On the other hand Mac multichanel amp lile MC 206 or MC 207 maybe a great path as well...

 

antonkk, 5 monoblocks is easy if you have the $$$. If you really want the glory of tubes you need a multi-channel tube pre-amp/processor. Since I am strictly a two channel man I have no idea if such a thing even exists.

 

You've led a sheltered life.

Jim Fosgate has the all-tube Audionics FAP V1 surround processor-preamp - $13k.

 

It looks familiar, did Stereophile do a spread on it in the last year or two. I tend to skip over the MC stuff.

 

As do I. But, yes - it was on the cover of the June 2004 issue.

 

Too bad no one knows if adding a stereo power amp for the fronts will damage (or not) the multichanel performance...

 

Adding a stereo amp will not negatively impact the multi-channel sound. You have level adjustments in the MHT100 to compensate for the different levels. Why are you worried?

 

You mean speaker levels in the set up, Sam? OK, I can adjust em, but how I'm gonna quess the equal volume on both amps during the playback?

 

Hi,

The McIntosh gear is superb and worth the pain to get. I like them well for driving the Vandys. I like the 2 channel units better for music. If you don't want to wait, try some well regarded Mc classics from a reputable dealer. In receivers, i like the MAC 4100 and MAC 1900 well. Reliable and sounds superb. The 1900 can be had for $600-800.00 in superb condition. 4100's can be had for $1200 or so nice. In integrateds the MA 6100 and 6200 are superb. Great phono stages. The tuner sections in MAC receivers are superb. McIntosh is great for surround but not as overwhelmingly good as for music. I hope this helps with the decision.

Kent Teffeteller (Proud owner of the MAC 1900 and previous owner of the MA 6100)

 

Yes, you'll go into the set-up mode, and adjust each speaker level. The stereo amp may be relatively louder (or softer) than the built-in amps, but you'll adjust the levels to compensate. You can use a sound-pressure meter to determine that the generated "tone-noise" is the same for all 6 speakers. Set once, and forget! Perfectly matched 5.1 sound, and stereo will be find

 

Yes, but during the multichanel playback I'll deal with 2 separate volume levels - one (on the power amp) for the fronts and another (on the Mac) for the center and rears! Or I can control the volume from Mac alone? Still can't understand...

 

OK, gentlemen! I've been offered a MC275 reissue, brand new, factory sealed for $3400. Do you think it's a good combo with MHT100?

 

The seperate stereo amp won't have volume control levels.

You'll set output levels at one time from the MHT100, and you won't have to mess with it again. I promise it will be easy and sound right. You'll use the MHT100 remote to control the volume, in stereo or surround.

What is US retail on the MC275?

 

Sam I think it's about $4000 or something. Now I don't mind the price at all, since it's in Moscow (thus no shipping and no weeks of painful waiting! ), I'm concerned about it's ability to rock.

 

I heard the newest MC275 reissue at Audio Classics the last time I went down to audition equipment. It certainly "rocked" and also did a lovely job with saxophones. I was listening through a Mac pre (not sure which model) and some B&Ws (700 or 800 series floorstanders, I can't remember specifically now). I asked them to hook it up for me when I saw it sitting there. It is absolutely beautiful. It's like seeing an original, but absolutely mint in every way. Of course, on the inside, this is a modern Mac with a more neutral sound and deeper bass than the original. The salesman talked about how it was easily the best value in the Mac lineup today. Nicer sounding and cheaper than getting the equivalent tube power in one of their modern "box" models that are currently manufactured. That was his opinion, not mine, but he has never steered me wrong in the Mac world.

Oh yeah, I also remember the new 275 offered balanced inputs standard.

 

Well, I made the jump! I got my MC275 yesterday and so far I'm REALLY, REALLY impressed! I understand that it's way too early to judge the sound as it will take a couple of weeks to fully break in but right now it's really sweet and musical. Overall, a huge umprovement over using MHT100 as integrated. Now I wonder how much time will take for 275 to "get in shape" and what possitive sonic changes it will bring? Also, for how long can I leave it turned on while breaking in. A salesguy told me that in the beginning it's better not to leave it working for more then 8 hours. Any ideas?

 

I bought my MC275 MkIV last May, list is 3500., and it has not changed from the outstanding sound that was there out of the box. Modern capacitors don't seem to need the
break in time our fathers experienced. I did get a bad output tube after a couple months operation. When I took it in to have it checked out the tech measured an actual 92 wpc, FWIW. Congrats on yours!


Carl

 

Congratulations! That's a beauty of an amp. Did you get your 5.1 levels adjusted for good multi-channel playback?