My Venture into Hifi with Vandersteen Model 1

Thanks Pubul57, I really appreciate the input and the honesty, I have yet to but these babies together, from the following post I will pick up the speakers this week they seem to be worth a try. I did take the amps in to a local McIntosh dealer here is South Florida to have a once over and all he could say was WOW!! I guess thats a good thing. Thus starting me in the Hifi audio world. I guess it like a drug hard to kick, I am in the process of looking at other options to mate with my amps, or possibly buying some new ones. The problem is, being new there are so many options out there, one does not know where to begin. A good friend has been ranting and raving about the the tubes amps from Manley Labs, being that he has 2 mono blocks and I must say the sound is heavenly.

I guess I will start with what I have and work my way up from there. I think I keen on the McIntosh gear, seem like that is the way I am leaning, it's just finding some speakers that complement them.

Thanks for all the input.

What would work beautifully with those amps would be a pair of used Merlin TSMs - they are small monitors, and will not have the bass of the Vandersteen, but they are phenomenal speakers down to about 40Hz and easily driven by the Macs. I think with those amps you own a piece of history and they sure did know how to make amps back then - with a few parts replaced (capacitors, fuses, maybe tubes)you truly have a great 30 watt tube amp. Find speakers 89db and above sensitivity, with smooth and highish impedance (8 ohms nomiminal or higher, like Merlin)and you really have something worth holding on to, and rarer as the years go by. Manley Mahi? Snapper, etc are fine amps, but MC30s are iconic. Good luck.

Hey Dhunte21..... Be careful now and don't get too confused or all wrapped up in the "what's better ? game." You are gonna love the Vandy's with the McIntosh amps.... So, just build your system, sit back, and enjoy the music !! This is a very strange hobby........there will always be people who will tell you to spend more $$$, buy "better" stuff, and do things differently. Be smart, and learn to enjoy your favorite music at each step along the way. Being an "audiophile" is a personal experience, and there are a ton of opinions out there about how things should be done. Ultimately, the only opinion that really counts is your own.... if you can't wait to get home, power up your system, and spin your favorite tunes.... you're a winner !
So, relax, learn to love your Vandersteen -- McIntosh system, and have a ball !! Let the music move you.

Adam18, OP may very well love the Vandersteen/MAC combo, they are certainly great amps and hard not to have a ball with those beautiful monoblocks, but the Vandersteen 1 is not an ideal speaker for a low wattage tube amp, that isn't simply a matter of opinion with tons being equally valid, all Vandersteen speakers need high current power to sound their best, and that is not what the MC30s will provide. Whether you like a certain type of sound or not, and which is better in in many cases simply personal preference, but matching an amp to a speaker in terms of power (for loudness) and current (for frequency balance) is a bit more scientific and measurable than simple preference. I think OP has a very good entry-level speaker, and an all-time classic amplifier, but they are not ideally suited to each other - but I don't think that will keep him from being moved by the music. OP has much to be content about, but after all, this is a froum for audiophile nudnicks and system building (and the MC30s can be part of a great, not just good system) and he solicited opinions about the pairing.

Pubul57, Vandersteen speakers with large impedance swings and low impedance of 2 ohms? That couldn't be any farther from the truth. In fact, Vandersteen speakers are very easy to drive and extremely tube friendly. The impedance is 6.8 ohms +/- 2ohms and 90db efficient.

McIntosh MC30 monos will be plenty of power and it should sound good depending on associated equipment and cables of course.

Read The Absolute Sound review. www.vandersteen.com/pages/1b_rv.html