2. amps-preamps
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Why do no audio enthusiasts use McIntosh?

With the exception of some of there tube gear, not many really use this stuff(or admit to it anyway), I am mainly referring to there amps. They look pleasant, they look good on paper and have the price of high end gear, but I seldom hear anyone claiming to like or one day dreaming of owning McIntosh. I have never really listened to there stuff, no good word of mouth sort of scares me away from it, the only people who like it are those who sell it, an uncanny coincidence? I don’t know. Sorry it this has been covered many times in the past, I ran a search and could not find anything.
tireguy
Ag insider logo xs@2x
drubin
3,275 posts
 
Please..."Rowland"
jc51373
548 posts
 
Drubin- LOL

Your right though, it's not a synth or a midi. : )
almandog
141 posts
 
I am considering taking the plunge and try out a Tube amplifier in my system. I have a McIntosh MC402 amplifier, C2200 preamp, MCD201 CD player, and Legacy Audio Focus 20/20 speakers. I am considering Bi-amping. Using a tube amplifier to drive the mids and the highs in the speakers, and the MC 402 to drive the woofers. My questions are: How do I go about selecting a tube amp that would match the MC 402 for the Bi-amp application? Shouldn't I be concerned about matching the gain and input sensitivity of both amplifiers? The MC 402 has a input sensitivity of 2V (Unbalanced) and 4V (balanced), but I am not sure what the gain is because the MC 402 specification has several listings for db, but did not specify the output gain in db. I am considering the following tube amps: MC 2102, a Cary CAD 120S, and an Audio Space NOVA 88 mono block. Does anyone have a Bi-Amp configuration in their system, or Does anyone have some guidance for me, especially on the input sensitivity and the gain for the amps?

Thanks

Mando..
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jonathan1257
82 posts
 
A buddy of mine runs a pair of gigantic Bozak Concert Grands with four MC-30s and a couple of different Mac preamps, as well as a Mac CD changer (not sure of the model numbers). He also owns a bunch of other Mac stuff, including two MC-275s and who knows what else, but they're collector's pieces and not normally in use.

As weird as this combination sounds on paper, it actually sounds wonderful. Amazing bottom end coherence and consistency throughout the entire tonal range (I'm sorry, but there's nothing like the sound of eight 12" woofers); I always leave his place feeling jealous.

I believe people who categorically slam McIntosh gear either haven't heard it set up properly or are just ignorant.
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