WHOA This isn't what I expected.

Isn't that one of the Naks that Nelson Pass designed? I wouldn't jump to any conclusions until your Betas arrive.

Elgordo: Nelson Pass didn't design the Nakamichi "Stasis" series, Nak simply payed to use technology that Nelson had patented.

Having said that, you can't judge any amp with significant levels of bias right out of the box and / or "cold". Leave it powered up for 2 or 3 days and then give it another listen.

Having said that, it's quite possible that you simply prefer the sound of your Mac. I've heard some people say that the Nak Stasis amps were "budget Threshold" amps and while others say that they are an abomination to the Threshold design. Most of the people claiming them to be a great bargain are those that own them and have never heard the real deal. I can't say either way as i've never heard any of the Nak offerings. Sean
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I'm not surprised by your conclusion. The Nakamichi PA series Stasis amps were a major disappointment and don't even come close to the Threshold amps. In fact they are really not very good at all. I clearly remember having high expectations for a PA-5 I just purchased and sitting in wonderment at just how uninvolving, uninteresting and just plain mediocre it sounded. In a direct comparison with a B&K ST140 there was no comparison, the little B&K was the better amp by a wide margin. The Nakamichi's have great build quality and are beautiful but just don't cut it sound quality wise. The funny thing is that their SR series Stasis receivers are great sounding units, among the best receivers ever made, and superior to the Stasis seperates

here it is,plain & simple,its the mac,lets look at this for a minute,your using a "old integrated mac" & a nak from the stasis series which is supposed to be a fantastic amp & the mac blew it away & with good reason.

mcintosh is a far superior amp than nak,trust your ears & not all the hype,beacuse of some of the features that mac amps employ like autoformers & power gaurd most audiophiles look right past mcintosh.

if your gettin into ss gear i suspect that part of the reason is beacuse its less hassle than tubes,do you really want to start getting into gear that has to be left on all the time for it to sound good or let it warm up for 3 days prior to doing a demo? do you have to leave your tv on for 3 days to get a good picture? cmon.

when you get your new speakers try it again & ill bet the outcome is the same & if you still prefer the mcintosh then your path is clear.

i would go with my 1st impression,when you get gear that takes days & weeks for you to get used to that should tell you somthing.

not only is it fair to judge an amp when its 1st put into your system IMO its a must,1st impressions are important beacuse they tell you right off where your at.

you mentioned power cords,theese things should be the very last thing (if at all) you upgrade into your rig,it makes no sense to me to get a amp & be unhappy with the sound & right away start tweeking the thing.

when you do get the speakers in & try it again i would be very curious as to the results.

mike.

I had the Nak PA-7 about three years ago. I do not know the load that the Betas present, but I would be very, very careful to attempt to drive them to very high levels, for what I remember is that they were not necessarily as powerful or capable of driving difficult loads. I had a pair of 88db monitors hooked up to them, 6" and 1" domed tweeter. They clipped a few times...mind you I did not drive them at very high volumes either. The Nak is a decent amp for what it is, but if the betas demand high current, then, the Nak will not be up to the task.