McIntosh MC252 with Totem Mani2 / Sig's

after 24 hours of constant playing, some interesting things are starting to happen with my new pre amp and power amp.

for one thing, i am clearly hearing details in the music that i never heard before - even on recordings that i have heard MANY times. this level of resolution and detail is, at times, remarkable.

the soundstage has opened up to a degree that is astounding. with my old amp (MF Tri-Vista integrated), there was a very tight central image, about 3' wide. it was like a bullseye hanging right between my speakers. there was not much depth to it at all. now there is a "cloud" of sound that is about 7' wide, and has depth to it. at times it feels like i could walk right into it. and the soundstage now extends to the extreme right and left - outside the speakers. it used to be only right between the speakers.

i love my totem mani2 signature speakers. the only knock against them would have been that they could be a bit bright at times. that brightness is gone, and the treble is sweet and smooth. no trace of glare at all

bass performance is awesome. truly DEEP base, from a monitor size speaker with no sub-woofer!

i have to figure that things are only going to get better over the next 75 hours of use. other than the fact that i am now completely broke, i have nothing but excitement about my new system. it is exactly what i have aspired to for several years now.

i will leave further updates over the next couple days.

Hello Now that you have settled in with some fine Mac gear,start saving for the 501s....I own a Mac 252/Mac c2200 and a Mac mc275. I have heard all three amps in my house..the 252 the 402 and the 501s...I chose the 252 for a couple of reasons,price/value and the size was right, the 402 was a little better but the 501s were a step up and are very very nice,all 3 are a great set of amps anyway you look at it.

All great amps. The MC252 is not truly balanced , so If your source and pre are truly balanced , you may hear a larger difference between the MC252 and MC402 where as if your front end is not truly balanced {and your room is not huge} , the sonic differences may be less noticeable. Either way , they are all nice pieces.

Anyone driving either the 252 or 402 directly with a DAC? I am awaiting a Benchmark DAC 1 and have a 6900 integrated. I am going to try the Benchmark as both a stand alone DAC and as a preamp. If I like it as a preamp driving the amp section of my 6900, I might sell the 6900 and go up to a 252 or 402. Any expereinced comments would be appreciated.

This is the one system in use in my room (2,75 W x 4,75 L x 2,45 H, meters):

MC402 + TOTEM MANI2 + TRANSPARENT MM speaker cables + home made Preamp (Class A all tube). Interconnects by CARDAS (Golden Cross, XLR)

These amazing little TOTEM's sing with the juicy power from MAC 402 (quite an achiever itself).

Go for the 402 and just relax and enjoy a system that will challenge many others, much more expensive.

Maybe you should consider upgrading speaker cables, good as the 4TC are!

Regards;

João - Brazil
many others, much more expensive.