Mcintosh MX170 2-Channel Sound

You will need power amplifiers for base and height speakers.
How many channels ?McIntosh power amp. ?
Some people will find the sound very good for music using the processor only .
One power amp ( 3 Channels ) for the fronts and center speakers.

Others will hear a difference with a highend preamp connected to a
highend power amplifier for music.
The preamp must have a Home Theater Bypass.Whatever route you choose , select the right grears that pair well with your Sonus Faber Amati Traditions .

You may choose to have a dedicated   system for music. 

OP you're asking question you need to answer. Is the sound good enough for you? Does it sound good to you? Do you want to make it better for a reason or is money just burning a hole in your pocket? :-)

D' Agostino amp? How many channels are you currently running?
Does your Mac have a "Pure Stereo" selection?

Regards

I read up on your MX170. It doesn't say a WORD about two channel playback.. LOL I'm not quit understanding that BUT that is Mac.. I have a lot of Mac stuff.. Play through and a good Stereo Preamp will go a long ways..

Stick with Mac.. They just work together well.. C220-2700 or C47-52

Enjoy..

I have the D’Agostino classic 3 and it is powering the Amati’s and the Vox center channel.  Long term my plan is to get monoblocks for the Amati’s and have the classic 3 power the Vox and the rears.

I do not own the Mac yet, I have a Yamaha CX-A5100 and it needs to be upgraded.  So I was thinking about the MX170, but was also considering the Audio Research Ref6 preamp and keep the Yamaha for movies.  I am trying to get them both for a home demo so I can decide if the Audio Research really sounds that much better, if not then I will go with the Mac.