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Cary pre-amp with McIntosh amp

I'm looking for a new (actually used) amp to replace my BAT VK-60. My speakers are Wilson WP6's. Despite the reccomendations of some, I have not found this amp to work well with these speakers. In my opinion this is due to the high output impedance of the VK-60 - around 3 Ohm!.

As its replacement one of the amps I'm considering is the McIntosh 2102 (tube). (Not sure about the output impedance on the Mac, but the input impedance is 40K in balanced mode). My preamp is a Cary SLP 98P. Can anyone comment on this combination?

P.S. I live in Alaska so my auditioning options are somewhat limited.
jensmunk
macdadtexas
1,794 posts
 
I second the Cary CAD 120s with the preamp!
frepec
17 posts
 
I have owned a 2102 for the past 7 plus years. IMHO, this is a great amp! Absolute sound made it a product of the year and Stereophile's Sam Tellig raved about it. Not that any of that means anything but it does show that there is some positive feedback about this amp. I absolutely love mine. It is capable of producing great sound in the right system. (I am currently using the C2200 preamp which I also feel is a real quality product). I have a small listening room and when I bought this amp I was looking for a tube unit that produced wonderful sound at moderate listening levels. (In a small room, moderate is loud!) Driving JM Labs 937B speakers, this amp fills my room with a full, wide, sound stage, deep, pinpoint accurate but not overpowering, bass you can feel, and the most gorgeous mids and highs. I would think that your Cary Preamp would do well with this amp.
jensmunk OP
20 posts
 
I'll put the Cary on my short list - but honestly I'm getting the McIntosh bug - bad... I've read several reviews and clearly it's well regarded (plus it's drop dead georgeous!)

My listening room is also on the small side so the power is not an issue. At any rate, the Wilson's are pretty efficient, and 100W should be plenty (if necessary I can always buy two 2102'2!)

I have a feeling this may be my last amp.
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