Mcintosh sound

Brian & Bongofury, Thank you, now these are a very good comparision that I was looking to find out about! Now should I take it that the newer Mac integrateds have a tighter control over the bass region yet still retain the smoothness and warmth of ealier Macs? What is the autoformer function as well, I didn't find info at the Mac sight and I don't know what it does? Mac sounds like a real contenter in my search for my "last" change in a peice I can add it to MF, NAD (I've gotta listen to NAD yet)and I think I've now exclued Krell and Bel Canto, so this has certianly helped butI still gotta find a way to hear 'em yet Mac that is)!

Rsjm80

I have been in the pro music touring space for 30 years and have no financial ties to the companies listed below.

Mcintosh: In simplistic terms, the circuitry you mention protects the internal electronics from overload and smooths out the transients when outputting the signal to the speakers.

The amps are very smooth in their delivery top to bottom, and for that reason, match well with other smooth sounding speakers like KEF Reference, Pioneer EX, DeVore and Harbeth. The 7000 has a purer solid state sound and will pair well with precise studio speakers like ATC monitors, which can take advantage of meaty bass and drums or full orchestra productions.

I have been a three decade user of NAD products at home and at work. The first products were designed in Europe and made in Taiwan, and distributed with KEF studio monitors (the classic BBC sound). Build was remarkably good--I had one amp, the 3200, for 20 years. Later, they sold the company to a Canadian concern and moved production to China. They are brilliant designed and engineered products, but the newest models have had quality issues associated with China. You should read the numerous strings about these problems here in this blog. I started with the legendary 3020 amp in 1982, had the 3200 power envelope in 1987, and have the M3 at the office studio for two years. These amps throw a wide soundstage, are great in the lower to middle ranges, but lag a little in the upper ranges in detail. The 3020 and 3200 had a faintly warm and romantic sound, while the new Masters Series M3 is very quiet and solid state like in its neutral qualities. My understanding is that the new 375 amp released this month takes all of the advanced Masters technology and delivers it in package at 1/2 to 1/3 the price of a M3. I personally have never had problems but Chinese production can be hit and miss.

McIntosh in NY and Luxman of Japan are still made onshore. The ss engineering is brilliant and they stand behind the product with well thought detail. You will likely be very happy.

I can also recommend the tube integrated amps by Leben, a Japanese company with a rabid cult following, and Shindo Labs, if you are looking for a warmer sound. Both sound incredible with the genres you love. Tube maintenance is the only issue with these products--the musicality is second to none.

If you want a pure solid state sound, I would also look at LFD products, made in the UK with an incredible level of attention to build detail. They are relatively low powered (60 watts) so you need to match your speakers well. For a more powerful product, I would also look at Bryston out of Canada, which offers a 20 year warranty on their product line.

Bongofury, Thanks for your explaination and (IMO) objective assesment of other manufactures. I'm trying to make that last change in my integrated amp and have struggled with who to look at as well as finance and want to be in position when I decide to make that "last" move. I do have shps that carry some of the above mentioned product laines but.... they don't have a display to listen to and do an order only as requested. That doesn't seem like good business to me but they have to pay the bills. Thanks again for your opinions and help, I'll post again later when I decide on one.

Retail is always a problem. I have been looking to upgrade as well and have found it difficult at best to navigate.

I very much echo Bongofury's comments. Let me say upfront that I have a lot of respect for Mac gear.

From your comments I gather you are a person looking to buy components for the long run. Hence let me strongly urge you to consider Mac. I feel one of the strong suites of Mac is 'Musicality'. If that is your preference you will relish Mac. Also as others have metioned the resale value, reliability, servicebility & pride of ownership will be second to none!

I have used many brands(mid product level) Mac, Linn, krell, Levinson back to Mac & so on. My main preference now is 2a3 SET with horns. But my HT is full Mac (MHT100, MC252) & this pair is there for the long run. Although I love SET I would easily settle for Mac if I had to. As they say about Mac "Sound of tubes for the price of SS".

I too have used NAD for many years. My first THX218 (China) was superb. But as Bongofury has pointed the most recenet stuff from China has poor quality. My T742 had problems & C272 blew up! NAD backed their warranty & issued a new unit without any questions.

Bryston is a good choice as well due to the warranty. This was not my cup of tea soundwise. Could work if matched with the correct speakers.

Plinius is nice & warm as well. Class A sound (SA102). Gets really hot though. Longevity?? There are so many integrateds around offering good sound & value.

I believe as audiophiles we have the tendency toward something out of the ordinary to touch & feel good while delivering the sound we want to hear. If these conditions are met we tend to change gear less freqently while listening more. Personally, I would love to cherish a Mac for the long run. MA6900 would be an excellent choice (my first Mac).

GOOD LUCK with your decision!