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Is Marantz AV8805 good enough pre amp for McIntosh MC8207

In the market for a new preamp to hook up to my MC8207 and was wondering if the Marantz AV8805 is worth the investment. I was gonna go with the McIntosh MX-122 but that thing is already outdated when it comes to new features and it costs twice as much. I don't have a store to go to to listen to the AV8805 and this is gonna be a blind buy for me this time. This setup is gonna be for my new home theater room that I am about to start building and planning to add another McIntosh amp down the road for the rest of the speakers and probably it's gonna be another MC8207 to be able to fully use the 8805.
tomiiv30
auxinput
2,920 posts
 
@tomiiv30 - How do you like the AV8805?  As I have said in multiple other threads, I tested the 8805 and thought it was very good, but with slightly rolled off highs.  If you want more high frequency resolution, I recommend upgrading the fuse to 2A SMALL Hi-Fi Tuning Supreme.  This will likely increase the video quality as well, because the video was a little grainy in my opinion.  The Marantz is excellent design, but they use very slow op amps in the DAC I/V section to create the Marantz "warmth".
tomiiv30 OP
65 posts
 
@caphill Do you think it is worth getting that expensive amp to drive my less expensive or entry level B&W 683’s S2? I mean I like this speakers for what they are but I would not think that they can handle the kind of amps like the Gryphon Diablo and such. What’s your take on it?
caphill
666 posts
 
Sorry cause first I didn't know what your speakers were. My bad. Yes, what you currently have are more than good enough for your B&W 683 S2. I think the Mac is somewhat overkill for your speakers. The Rotel amp will do just fine for your 683 S2. 
tomiiv30 OP
65 posts
 
@auxinput I still haven't gotten it yet, it will be few days until it comes to my house. Once I get it and install it I will let you know my thoughts and I think that I will like it because I am coming from a very old almost 20 year old receiver which is Onkyo that was paired with some shitty Polk speakers. Few months ago I upgraded the speakers and got the B&W's 600 S2 series speakers, I got a pair of 683 S2 Floorstanding, HTM61 S2 Center and 2 pairs of 685 S2 bookshelves to give me that 7.1 surround. I will be upgrading my sub and will get 2 of them and think that i will go with REL or JL. Also looking for suggestion for my Atmos speakers I want to get 4 of them for the Tops/Heights.
sonyesman2's avatar
sonyesman2
6 posts
 
I have had the 8805 in my video room for over a month now. It is a very nice sounding piece. It is significantly more open and better sounding than my twenty year old Theta Casanova. It integrates well with my rotel/ Focal setup. I recommend this piece for those who want a hybrid, both 2 channel listening and want a state of the art theater room. The Audysey Platinum software makes tuning a room a breeze. 
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