Article: McIntosh MC611 Amplifier Review

[Danny Kaey]

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[Danny Kaey]

31 minutes ago, AudioDoctor said:

Every positive quality you mentioned here is also in abundance in my MAC7200 Receiver. I love the thing.

 

I bet! Have to say, I'm very impressed w/ Mac!

[Danny Kaey]

15 hours ago, Doak said:

Do I understand correctly that you purchased these amps and then wrote your review? 

If so, had you some direct experience with them prior to your decision to purchase? 

 

Hmmmmmmm... actually it was the other way around. I really had no idea what these would sound like - yes, I've heard Mac many times but never in a controlled environment. Having spent this time with them really brought me over the finish line. Fantastic product. I know that in "high-end" circles Mac has a split following; some dig it, some think it's mid-fi, though I never really understood why or how. If any "high-end" badge was on these other than Mac, they'd sell for 40k, I'm convinced. 

 

Very curious to see / hear what the rest of the Mac line sounds like. 

[Danny Kaey]

19 hours ago, MhtLion said:

Hi Danny. Thanks for the great review.  How was the resolution or HD ness?  On my other Mac auditions, I always loved how hard and smoothly (such an irony isn't it?) Mac amps grab/control the woofers.  But, I always left wanting a bit more resolution.  Most of my auditions were done using Mac fronts, so it could be just their preamps.  In your opinion, how was MC611's resolution compared to other high-end amps in this price bracket?  Thanks.  

 

hi there... good question. Resolution is one of those hard to define topics in general. In fact, just what "is" resolution really? For me, it's a few things, chief amongst them mid-range clarity and mid-range openness. Nothing - no amp - has ever bested the EINSTEIN OTL (Ouput TransformerLess) amps, which are my gold standard and will likely be forever. They really are crown jewels in the sense that you hear 1:1 what's stored on the medium. 

 

That said, they are massively expensive (retail $60k) and like a Veyron, Chiron, et all, have their limitations. EINSTEIN's The Poweramp, an offshoot Circlotron design for solid-state, comes very close to the OTLs in terms of resolution, clarity and overall sound, and is in fact my second favorite amp; it's also dramatically more accessible, 1/3 the cost of the OTLs. What's it all mean Basil? 

 

 

Now the MC611s are somewhat similar, somewhat different a beast than either of these amps. They get close to The Poweramp in resolution, not quite, but have bass power and output that's just fun to have around. Music, any kind, really sounds very musical which is a fundamental part of what I listen for. To your question, which amps the Macs compare to in the price range, I'd put them up against a Luxman 800 (I think they still make them, perhaps they don't), or really any other premium amp - I know that's a very generic statement. 

 

I'd wager the stereo MC462 is an absolutely killer amp too... I guess I was always looking for something big, massively powerful to play with.