Mcintosh MAC7200 or Hegel H390 for a new pair of Kef R7 META

hegel if it was only between the two you mentioned, take a entry level accuphase over either tho

@aphilc Good explanation. If money was no object, what amp would you get for the speakers I'm looking at? 

If money is no object, I do believe you'd be happy with Hegel H390 Integrated amplifier. However, I have never listened to the KEF r7s and don't consider myself an expert on pairing an amp to them. What amplifier was used when you may have auditioned them? Plus, I do susbscribe to prior comments you saw in this thread that usually pair electronics that are slightly less expensive than the  speakers themselves. So, since the KEF r7s sell for around $5,000 or so a pair (as I recall), you owe it to yourself to consider the Benchmark AHB2 if you want the purest, non-colored sonics in its price range ($3499 last I looked) OR the NAD M23 - very clear, but since it's a Class D amplifier, you might be hesitant but people tell me it also delivers very clean, articulated sonics. Wish I had the time to delve into this further, but this is the best I can do. Good luck to you.

I can vouch for the Hegel flag. I’ve never heard the 390, but I replaced my Pass Int 60 with a H590 and never looked back. Nothing wrong with Pass but thought my upgraded speakers needed more watts. Whoever posted colorless is right. You get what seems to me a true representation of what was recorded. You can easily tell what poor engineering and acoustics is and good.  recordings sound really good!

I had a similar choice to make earlier this year as I went back and forth between Hegel H390 or McIntosh MAC7200 / MA8950. Luckily, a local dealer had both to look at and audition.

Both companies make outstanding integrated amplifiers (receiver in the case of the MAC7200). You can’t lose with either. Old McIntosh (from decades ago) had a house sound which is referred to a lot on these boards, but modern McIntosh products are much more neutral sounding in their design.

As mentioned, the ability to upgrade the DAC inside the McIntosh products as things advance is a great feature. The DA1 and DA2 (I have McIntosh products that have each of these internal DACs) both sound excellent.

Hegel integrated amps are manufactured in China (designed in Norway), though I would not be surprised to see Chinese components in McIntosh gear. That may or may not matter to you.

Food for Thought Category: I was tempted by several used Hegel H590’s at that time that were heavily depreciated from new with seemingly good histories / owners for (around) the price of a new H390.

I fully agree with the thought process of the MA8950 over the MAC7200 if you can do without the tuner to get the DA2 Digital to Analog converter.

McIntosh or Hegel units with 200+ watts should be more than enough for most listening sessions and environments. Both have tons of power; again a toss-up.

I replaced a bottom of the barrel McIntosh MA5300 which I put up for sale immediately (which was a really, really nice sounding integrated). I took a loss (of course), but it sold very quickly; so resale is good on McIntosh products.

Buy the unit that speaks to you more...but you can't lose with either!