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Opinions on McIntosh MHA200?

I’m considering a McIntosh MHA200 to drive my LCD-X, LCD-2, and AKG K412 headphones. I’m wondering if anyone has an opinion.

I’m a bit suspicious of McIntosh prices. They have a great reputation and cult following, but has that allowed them to overcharge for underperforming hardware?

I'm looking for good dynamics, bass impact, and extension. Maybe McIntosh is good at those things.

My understanding is that McIntosh amps are "lush" and musical and forgiving. They brag they’ve been using this "Unity Circuit" thing for 80 years, but really, I would expect it’s better to advance your technology over time. Perhaps this gives them a signature sound, but is it a colored sound?

magon
soix
10,362 posts
 

Here’s another amp you might wanna consider, and like LTA they also offer a trial period.

https://soundnews.net/reviews/amplifiers/laiv-harmony-hp2a-review-the-one-that-challenged-the-many/

magon OP
91 posts
 

@soix

Thanks. I skimmed the review, but boy does Sandu Vitalia (the writer) desperately need to learn to edit. 

To narrow down the choices, I think I'm going to stick with tube amps. This HP2A amp is complete overkill for me, as well, given that I don't have low-sensitivity headphones.

Mike

 

magon OP
91 posts
 

I just received the MHA200 from the private seller. He said it would come with Gold Lion upgrade tubes; however, the amp specifies 12AT7 and he put Gold Lion 12AX7 in there. Will this create a problem?

EDIT: I sent an email to McIntosh support but not sure if they will answer correctly or just say some boiler plate like "wrong tube."

EDIT 2: It’s been warming up for 30 minutes. The seller said the tubes only have about 10 hours on them. So maybe too soon to evaluate. It has elegant sound, but very flat dynamics. Really not impressive at all at this point. Maybe the whole amp including the transformer wire has to burn in.

 

v-fi
269 posts
 

@magon How are you getting on with the MHA200 by now? I wanted to love that amp but felt pretty much how you described it, pretty flat sounding. Also I don't think it has enough guts for more difficult loads. It does sound pretty in a way though.

I much much prefer the big MHA100 and nearly identical MHA150. I know, very different animals as those are integrated speaker amps with onboard DAC and headphone outputs. But they do seem designed primarily with headphones in mind, and the speaker outputs are more of a bonus. Most integrated amps are the other way around. 

magon OP
91 posts
 

@v-fi 

I replaced the tubes and suddenly there were dynamics. I'm burning in the new tubes now. I used JJ for the 12BH7 and Electro-Harmonix for the 12AT7. 

I think it's a good sounding amp in general, but my complaint is the tonal balance. Through my AKG 712 and LCD-X headphones (both about 80 ohms; using the 80 ohm tap on the transformer) the amp is bright and hot in the sibilance region. It's not a flattering sound to many recordings, especially violins. I tried the other transformer taps and it only gets brighter.

I don't know if this is a function of the tube choice.

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