Is a McIntosh MA12000 a good fit for a Sonus Farber Amati Tradition?


Folks-

My life has become crowded. I have a dream system (for me), including Wilson DAW speakers, an Esoteric X-01D player,  and ARC SE500 SE monoblocks; I am trying to simplify my life.

I am looking at connecting a McIntosh MA12000 integrated amplifier with Sonus Farber Amati Tradition speakers (used). Do you think this is a good fit?

Thanks - Gerry

 

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I have Mc 601, c2300, and SF Amati traditions. So similar to what you are considering. The Amati are relatively new to me and it took quite a bit of work to get them placed properly. They are definitely more forward that the Olympicas I had. With Wireworld cables it was on the edge of being too detailed for me. I have now swapped out to Cardas cables and the system has balanced out. I can’t compare to your system, but Mc and SF to match well. I did put in Telefunken tubes that I had on hand that has also dialed in the SQ for me.

Absolutely! Mac and Sonus Faber play very well together. The MA 12000 is a real gem in the McIntosh lineup. Check out some videos on YouTube of the Sound Sommelier, there you will find some great Mac/Sonus pairings.

How did the switch in speakers go? DAW and the Amati are on my list. Can you give me your thoughts?

I find that they work well together-the McIntosh 12000 and the SF Amati Tradition speakers. They are located in our main room, not in the smaller acoustically-prepared room where I had the ARC monoblocks and the Wilson DAW speakers. I love detail and timbre, so the new pairing is not as focused, but I can listen and move around more without losing the sound - I sacrificed focused listening with incredible detail for a sweeter, more generic sound. The one thing lacking is bass, and that may be a room issue, and I noticed that some folks add subwoofers to the Amati speakers, but that is too much for me. It has worked out to be a good compromise.