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McIntosh 2275 (and other valve hits)

shrink

shrink

pfm Member
Hi everyone!

Not done much gear swapping for a very very long time so not had much need to post here but it’s time to reach out to the greater knowledgebase and see if I can get some perspective on this amp and possibly valve amps in general.

I have the “Mac” on loan from a local store and I’ve had it in a few days against my trusted old peachtree Nova 125 (class D amp). The peachtree is pretty entertaining and sure footed but into my monitor audios doesn’t always have the flesh and meat on its bones that id like.

I’ve always fancied a Big Mac and when this one came up locally I couldn’t resist.

observations are that it’s tonally much “denser” around the middle, if that makes sense. The body of the music seems to carry greater heft and has a thicker feel through much of the mids.

bass is surprisingly huge, potent and well controlled but then this is fairly hefty by valve amp standards and my speakers are not hard to drive (MA Studio 20 SE 8ohm / 89db/w). I don’t think I’ve seen the meter pass 7.5w yet! Only 67.5 more to go!

treble is grain free and sweet.

But... and it’s a big but....

All the magic, grandeur and texture only snaps into focus at volume levels that are not ideal when living in a flat. Not LOUD as such, but louder than I could justify for more than short periods in the day.

below this level, the amp is a touch flat sounding and lethargic. It’s an incredibly subtle volume change when all of a sudden the whole thing just wakes up!

my question is.... do valves in general need to be worked a bit to get more from them, is that a failing of this particular unit. Would different tubes do anything for this. Or is this just not a good fit for my needs.

answers on a postcard please :)

It’s a fairly significant financial commitment if I decide to buy it so I’m keen to make as Informed a choice as i can.
 
You could try turning down the source if its vinyl use a lower gain , if it a dac use the volume on the pc low , so you can crank up the volume on the Macintosh , if that dont do it , another pre amp may work , if not go for something like the prima luna dialogue hp , 8 valves 4 a side , more current should give you more grip /punch at low volume . phil.
 
I did try turning down source level. But ultimately the amp seems to need the valves driven to same loudness to work, so doesn’t seem to be a volume pot limitation or pre amp design. The valves just seem to want driven.

I’m not married to valves as such was just tempted by this as it’s local and was a bargain price (for a big Mcintosh). I’m only interested In integrated amps and won’t be going down a pre / power route
 
I've a feeling that valved amps in general give better low-level resolution (c.f. solid state), but maybe your Mac is a particularly powerful one which is designed to come on song with a bit of welly. My 100 watt E.A.R. mono's are fine at lower volumes, but I do have ESLs; however, they were okay with my previous ProAc Response Fours too, with a similar sensitivity & impedance to your M.A.s.

Another possibility that the Mac and your speakers are not particularly synergistic. Having said that, a local chappie has a Mac with his Mordant Shorts (or M.A.s? I forget) and all works well. It doesn't sound (!) on the face of it that you have the right combo/match by your description.

There are quite a few good integrated valved amps around, and many are British (E.A.R., e.g.) Maybe food for thought, if only for maintenance/servicing costs.
 
Not all valve amps are like this. I have one, an EL 34 based amp, that sounds great at all levels.

This is primarily a UK forum, Mac gear is rare here.
 
Can’t be that rare, I have two dealers within driving distance :)

I do accept though that they are less common for sure.

it’s frustrating because once the volume is just right, this thing has some serious magic!

I’d also be lying if I didn’t say I loved how it looked!
 
I do use MA2275 at the moment with bit more demanding speakers 84dB and 3ohm minimum impedance and have no trouble with low level listening , I live in flat as well and cranking volume up to high is not an option .
How old tubes are in your amplifier?
 
shrink said:
I did try turning down source level. But ultimately the amp seems to need the valves driven to same loudness to work, so doesn’t seem to be a volume pot limitation or pre amp design. The valves just seem to want driven.

I’m not married to valves as such was just tempted by this as it’s local and was a bargain price (for a big Mcintosh). I’m only interested In integrated amps and won’t be going down a pre / power route
Click to expand...
Been looking for MC2275 if you decide against it can you drop me a pm please
 
slawekt said:
I do use MA2275 at the moment with bit more demanding speakers 84dB and 3ohm minimum impedance and have no trouble with low level listening , I live in flat as well and cranking volume up to high is not an option .
How old tubes are in your amplifier?
Click to expand...

tubes are all new as it was serviced by dealer ready to be sold.

I’m listening more today and letting my ears get used to lower listening levels. It’s growing on me. May be My ears that need training more than anything.

however I also have the option to get my hands on an MA7200 which may possibly suit my requirements better, albeit at significant cost.
 
Probably just minor changes in tonal balance between amps. The human ear perceives less bass and treble at low volumes, hence the "loudness control" seen on many amps some years back.
 
If I kept the 2275 it may be worth experimenting with some of the better quality power tubes I guess
 
I had a mc275 once. Changing all the tubes to NOS/shuguang did a lot for the 'magic' part. But on my speakers (martin logan vantage) it newer was as sparkly as my old Radford, eventual I changed it into a solid state amp, and that added the ' tube sparkling ' to my setup ( musiclab d200, ofspring of the Gamut D200 ).
I think the lesson is that the amp/speaker match is so much more important than the Amp alone....
 
MC275 is a bit different beast - all tubes amplifier , MA2275 uses tubes as well as SS devices in preamplifier stage , power tubes make not much difference to the sound in MA2275 but I like Gold Lion reissue , Electro Harmonix is not far behind and much cheaper ,in preamplifier stage I like Telefunken tubes and Valvo, Philips or Amperex 6201 tubes in the phase splitter .
I used to own big monoblocks from McIntosh as well as few SS integrated amps , MA2275 is nicer IMO but big McIntosh is a class in itself when hard to drive speakers run from .
 
Thanks all. It’s been an interesting time with the 2275 and I’m undecided. I think it’s making me realise that my speakers may not suit my listening preferences as much as I’d like.

my current amp (peachtree) knocks off some of their more bright qualities but does so in a typical class D way, and that is with perhaps a little less glow in the mids and a slightly dry presentation. When I listen to voices on the peachtree they sound like recordings of voices.

when I listen on the 2275, they sound like voices. There, in front of me. Fleshed out, dense in texture and palpable.

but the 2275 doesn’t flatter the top end of the monitor audios so I win on bass and mids, but I lose out at the top.

seems neither combination is ideal and may mean back to the drawing board with it all.

I suspect with more neutral or sympathetic speakers, that the Mcintosh could be utterly outstanding!

I’d love to hear my old tannoy turnberrys through it!
 
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