Benchmark or McIntosh....
Brain says two Benchmark ABH2 as monoblocks. Heart says Mc because meters and more power. A little background info:
Mixed-use theater/listening room. More listening versus movies. Primary source is a Hifi Rose RS150B into an Anthem AVM 70 pre/pro. Current amplifier is a Wadia A315 at 150x2. Speakers are NHT M6 monitors (a 6 ohm/ 250w sealed speaker, which is exceedingly rare and why I still have them.) I have seven 21" subwoofers so it is fairly equivalent to a live concert when everything is fired up but I need a little more oomph from the monitors.
I was set on a pair ABH2s earlier this week, but I keep getting drawn back to McIntosh - primarily monos MC601 MC611 MC1201 etc...
Do I pick Mc with more power (will probably be a second-hand model due to availability/wait times/budget etc) or so I go for the Benchmark with superior SNR (pre/pro is 110db and Hifi Rose is 117db)
TIA for any real-world feedback!
@overthemoon I did get a chance to listen. They are definitely not in your face. Laid back, detailed, and musical. Rolled off for sure. As others said, easy to listen to. I will have to do some room measurements/ correction before I make a final verdict. They look absolutely gorgeous though! |
@emergingsoul The monitors themselves are not bi-ampable. With the bass modules attached, they would be. Also, $38,000 for a pair of mc901s versus $6400 for the pair of the MC601s |
@emergingsoul The Paradigms I had were all mis-matched (see previous comments in this thread about the room looking bad) so I upgraded to 18" PSA subs. I was having some noise issues during certain parts of songs so I decided to try their new(ish) 21. I like the 21 more versus the 18s, so I ended up with the two up front and one in the rear. The sidewalls have a dual-opposed 21 on each side. It works well since I don't have to push them hard to get decent output in the room so it keeps the distortion low, which is the goal. Also, the McIntosh is dead quiet. The Wadia had a little noise if you got very close to the monitor. With the Mac, nothing but silence. |
