The Computer Audiophile Posted August 6, 2020 Share Posted August 6, 2020 View full article Founder of Audiophile Style | My Audio Systems Link to comment
Popular Post firedog Posted August 6, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted August 6, 2020 Those Mc Tube amps look so cool. I wish I had the money to buy one and just plug it in so I could look at it while I listen. Even i I didn't use it for playback. Confused, The Computer Audiophile and WAM 2 1 Main listening (small home office): Main setup: Surge protector +>Isol-8 Mini sub Axis Power Strip/Isolation>QuietPC Low Noise Server>Roon (Audiolense DRC)>Stack Audio Link II>Kii Control>Kii Three (on their own electric circuit) >GIK Room Treatments. Secondary Path: Server with Audiolense RC>RPi4 or analog>Cayin iDAC6 MKII (tube mode) (XLR)>Kii Three . Bedroom: SBTouch to Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Setup. Living Room/Kitchen: Ropieee (RPi3b+ with touchscreen) + Schiit Modi3E to a pair of Morel Hogtalare. All absolute statements about audio are false Link to comment
emcdade Posted August 6, 2020 Share Posted August 6, 2020 Nice looking designs right there. The Computer Audiophile 1 Link to comment
AudioDoctor Posted August 6, 2020 Share Posted August 6, 2020 That Pre-amp is a beaut! Almost makes me want to buy it based on looks alone. EuroChamp 1 No electron left behind. Link to comment
The Computer Audiophile Posted August 6, 2020 Author Share Posted August 6, 2020 55 minutes ago, AudioDoctor said: That Pre-amp is a beaut! Almost makes me want to buy it based on looks alone. Agree. Founder of Audiophile Style | My Audio Systems Link to comment
PeterG Posted August 6, 2020 Share Posted August 6, 2020 Very excited to hear how the MC1502 will compare to the MC275. The MC2152 was gorgeous but it's footprint (28" deep!) a nonstarter. This is much more doable at a slim 21" 😊 Link to comment
Popular Post bluesman Posted August 7, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted August 7, 2020 Great to see this! Mac tube preamps have always been among the most natural I've heard. The first truly high end piece I bought new was an MX110 tuner/preamp in 1969. Driving the Dyna Mk III power amps I built and modified to about halfway between stock and an early Audio Research product, the sound was so wonderful that I often had trouble studying (I was a med student at the time). What I never understood was how the early audiophile press could slam McIntosh so hard and so often. If I didn't know better, I'd have assumed there was some reason other than sound quality, build quality, or aesthetics AudioDoctor and The Computer Audiophile 2 Link to comment
AudioDoctor Posted August 7, 2020 Share Posted August 7, 2020 @The Computer Audiophile Chris, when will we hear how the RAALs sound on a system made up of these two components? 😉 No electron left behind. Link to comment
The Computer Audiophile Posted August 7, 2020 Author Share Posted August 7, 2020 35 minutes ago, AudioDoctor said: @The Computer Audiophile Chris, when will we hear how the RAALs sound on a system made up of these two components? 😉 I seriously thought about it! AudioDoctor 1 Founder of Audiophile Style | My Audio Systems Link to comment
The Computer Audiophile Posted August 7, 2020 Author Share Posted August 7, 2020 1 hour ago, bluesman said: Great to see this! Mac tube preamps have always been among the most natural I've heard. The first truly high end piece I bought new was an MX110 tuner/preamp in 1969. Driving the Dyna Mk III power amps I built and modified to about halfway between stock and an early Audio Research product, the sound was so wonderful that I often had trouble studying (I was a med student at the time). What I never understood was how the early audiophile press could slam McIntosh so hard and so often. If I didn't know better, I'd have assumed there was some reason other than sound quality, build quality, or aesthetics I have an MC275 Mk V and I'll never sell it. I love the sound and the look. Audiophile press can be strange. When things look good they are often placed in the "it can't sound good" camp, as if the two things are mutually exclusive. Founder of Audiophile Style | My Audio Systems Link to comment
Popular Post bluesman Posted August 7, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted August 7, 2020 53 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said: I have an MC275 Mk V and I'll never sell it. I love the sound and the look. Audiophile press can be strange. When things look good they are often placed in the "it can't sound good" camp, as if the two things are mutually exclusive. Between 1975 and 1985, I was able to acquire a pair of MC30s, a pair of MC40s, an MC275 and a pair of MC75s. I bought the 40s, and the others came from the audiology suite at our hospital when we "upgraded" to more modern equipment. I've loved each of them, although the older, tube rectified units are somewhat flabby in the bass compared to my Prima Luna. Any of them (even the 30) would keep me and most of the rest of us happy if it were all we had. My Prima Luna and others of recent design offer better, deeper, tighter bass and a slightly blacker background. But otherwise, even a 30+ year old 75 or 275 holds its own against most of today's high end. New Macs are simply stellar, in my opinion - and any of these is a great match for speakers like my Rogers LS3/5as. The Computer Audiophile and WAM 2 Link to comment
WAM Posted August 8, 2020 Share Posted August 8, 2020 We have been hunting for a new amp the past year. It started with the purchase of new speakers. We heard our new speakers with our amp (a Primare), and were quite happy with the results. As time went by, and we got accustomed with the speakers, we noticed distortion, especially in the high and with bad recordings (Doors, Riders on the Storm was the trigger). A dealer invited us for a Mac demo (the new MA352, the Anniversary Set, and those 2Kw-behemoths were on the menu (coupled with Sonus Faber speakers). The MA352 did not impress us, the Anniversary Set is simply gorgeous (the best amp I have heard), but too expensive for us (let's skip the 2Kw's). So we looked around. Heard the MA352 again (but in not very favorable conditions). Liked Esoteric, was lukewarm to Moon, did not like Anthem, and so on... Out dealer said "you should give the MA352 another listen with the speakers you have". Why not, we thought. We fed the parking-meter for an hour. As the demo began we were - again - not impressed. "You should listen to the same tracks again after an hour", said the dealer. As time passed, the amp started to sing, I had to make a run to the parking-meter.. We have listened to other amps (including Mac solid state), but none of them was (for us) a match for the MA352. As you can guess, we ended up buying the MA352. It's a lot of money, but we think it's money well spent. The after sales, the build quality, it's al top notch. Perhaps I am a bit off topic.. The Computer Audiophile 1 Link to comment
WAM Posted August 8, 2020 Share Posted August 8, 2020 Sorry, cannot resist posting this (crappy) shot in the dark... 6AEF8E96-3C3A-4602-A8A8-2276456E2BF6.mov Link to comment
MhtLion Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 They look amazing! I don't even like McIntosh sounds, but I still want to try them out. Link to comment
i_timotheus Posted August 22, 2020 Share Posted August 22, 2020 On 8/7/2020 at 12:40 PM, The Computer Audiophile said: I seriously thought about it! I have owned Mac gear off and on. I grew up not far from the factory, so I am glad Mac is still making an impact. I think most audiophile press disdain is from the '80s into the '90s when there was much more exciting and exotic looking gear. Mac never really veered from their house look, or sound. Which was essentially exceptional performance with pragmatic bulletproof build. As often happens, we're in a cyclic nostalgic retro trend (see the new LEAK gear, or the Technics/Yamaha silverface revival, or vinyl in general), so Mac is relevant again. I would argue that for quite some time the high end has been the electronic equivalent of luxury watches with the press more interested in audio jewelry. This is not to say I don't enjoy seeing those things, or they are not important. At working man spending levels though, you can do extremely well if not better with gear from the past. I think where there have been huge gains is at the very bottom, but no one is really interested in a 100+ roundup review of $10 earphones. But we're here talking about Mac, and I too love the look and like the fact that my gear in all likelihood won't break before I do. I'm not especially keen on the green LEDs as they seem to detract from tube glow, but they can be turned off(?). Ultimately, the proof is in the listening. I think the rock solid sound that doesn't add or subtract to the source is what keeps audio lovers buying Mac. Link to comment
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