McIntosh MA-6900 Integrated Amp - Your Thoughts?

I'd upgrade the source. A great CD player should make a significant difference.

the ma-6900 has a phono stage doesnt it? get a rega rp1 and a few lps and give it a try

Thank you all for your compliments and suggestions. I chuckled at the one about just replacing something-it may not sound better but it'll be fresh. That's the essence of this hobby sometimes, isnt it?

I didnt see any input on speaker cables. And I neglected to mention that I have (what I thought) fairly high-end Monster cables terminated with Monster banana plugs. In examining them, (apparently I went with the bigger-is-better menatality) a large part of their size is actually the plastic insulation and a silly inner nylon reinforcing strand that runs down each side....So, what's your take on a speaker cable upgrade?

Also, I have been toying with buying the new Cambridge Audio Music Stream 6, which appears to be a pretty cool, upper end digitally based network player and DAC. Thoughts?

Came back for a visit My take on speaker cable is twelve gage makes a sonic difference over thinner gage. I have yet to experience and hear sonic improvements in special windings and casings. At least not to the degree of the expense associated with the sonic improvement if any. Same for interconnects. But various brands build makes for a pride of ownership factor. I love the hobby and the gear. As I like to see my wife adorned well, so my stereo system. From the front to the back.

Having had three Cambridge Audio products, two which went bad. They sound good but I am now leery of of the reliability. Their new stream 6 does seem a peach, if you will indeed use all the features.

Post what direction you take.

'Boulderskies' sounds like you're in Colorado as am I. Be glad to chat with you since I have McIntosh equipment and have tweaked to make the cound compelling and would be glad to share thoughts with you.
I think you can email me directly via A-Gon.

Joe in Centennial