advertisement


Mac integrateds...

Is this lockdown madness, this thread?

  • Yes

    Votes: 8 61.5%

  • Yes

    Votes: 5 38.5%
  • Total voters
    13
JTC said:
Maybe I'm being an idiot, but I can't stop thinking about the prospect of a McIntosh integrated amp as an alternative to the planned path of STA25. They're pricy, for sure, but I've kinda fallen for them. I just need to somehow rule them out, as it isn't something I really intended to consider. Am I a shallow person to want to like something based on its looks? ;)

I know this is unlikely, but has anyone done a comparison between either the hybrid or s/s Mac integrateds against something classic and British, such as the STA series? What would the pros and cons be?

Probably a hypothetical question as I suspect I'd baulk at the price, but it's Sunday and tea's not ready yet...
Click to expand...

A mate has two of their monoblock power amps - one of them spent two years back and forth for repair. Ludicrous as he worked offshore so they were only used half the year. Wouldn't touch them with a bargepole.
 
Over the years I had never considered McIntosh gear due to cost, and lack of confidence that the sound could match the look that many find alluring. However when I acquired a very old 2100 power amp through a trade, I was shocked by how good that amp sounds with my Quad ESL 63s. And this is a component that lacks a single light, piece of glass, or power switch so the sound and the look are separated - only the distinct font showing McIntosh 2100 suggests its pedigree.
 
urbanshaman said:
Over the years I had never considered McIntosh gear due to cost, and lack of confidence that the sound could match the look that many find alluring. However when I acquired a very old 2100 power amp through a trade, I was shocked by how good that amp sounds with my Quad ESL 63s. And this is a component that lacks a single light, piece of glass, or power switch so the sound and the look are separated - only the distinct font showing McIntosh 2100 suggests its pedigree.
Click to expand...
The MC2100 was apparently the last of the old-school amplifiers and was produced between 1970 and 1975 or thereabouts ( wikipedia says so). The manual is online and is an involved read I found.
 
God knows why he bought two as opposed to one, cost a fortune and from the lips of his wife "Only time in the last two years he has had a smile on his lips" when he borrowed my Passlabs x-250 and Supratek pre, made these disco lumps sound broken at a fraction of the price. Over the years my Audiopax have been through half the tubes these McIntosh eat. God knows why they have such a following, be as well with solid state to my ears. Crap and if they they break you are in for a life of pain.
 
They have a certain bold aesthetic I think. I saw one in the flesh last week and it is a weird mix of OMG that's huge, and somehow attractive too.
I'd not buy one but if you have space, and the hernia truss, then why not?
 
After reading Ken Kessler’s McIntosh book I was very impressed by the company and their manufacturing ability. I’ve always wanted a Mc but could never settle on one to go for. Back when it’s was $2 = £1 they were quite attractively priced. MC275 was £2495, for example.
 
Si74 said:
God knows why he bought two as opposed to one, cost a fortune and from the lips of his wife "Only time in the last two years he has had a smile on his lips" when he borrowed my Passlabs x-250 and Supratek pre, made these disco lumps sound broken at a fraction of the price. Over the years my Audiopax have been through half the tubes these McIntosh eat. God knows why they have such a following, be as well with solid state to my ears. Crap and if they they break you are in for a life of pain.
Click to expand...
I remember you having a lot of grief with your x250 though. PS. Any chance I can try it with the Ardens some time? ;)
 
Hi John, nice chap in England sorted it free at the instigation of Nelson Pass. Loved it but long gone since I replaced it with a pair of Audiopax 88s.
 
SET valve monoblocks I think. Odd but quite attractive looking things. Probably would work okay with my big Tannoys, but pricy - £12k/pair (if anyone pays full retail).
 
I don't mind the aesthetics at all, it's like the dashboard of a '57 Chevy. The other respectable thing is the commitment to functionality and build quality, all Macs are overbuilt.

That being said, they all tend to sound like sh*t.
 
Nagraboy said:
Back when it’s was $2 = £1 they were quite attractively priced. MC275 was £2495, for example.
Click to expand...

Thought they were Canadian, and similarly to the Aus$ v the NZ$, the US$ has usually been higher than the Canadian $. Any imported gear from the Americas in unlikely to come near the v.f.m. of British or even European stuff. Distance transport costs, importing costs and taxes, importers' take then dealer mark-up do add up. Repairs etc are likely to be more problematic as well. Since the £ plummeted against most currencies, this situation has been exacerbated, i.m.o.
 
Mike Reed said:
Thought they were Canadian, and similarly to the Aus$ v the NZ$, the US$ has usually been higher than the Canadian $. Any imported gear from the Americas in unlikely to come near the v.f.m. of British or even European stuff. Distance transport costs, importing costs and taxes, importers' take then dealer mark-up do add up. Repairs etc are likely to be more problematic as well. Since the £ plummeted against most currencies, this situation has been exacerbated, i.m.o.
Click to expand...

Yes, it's a long way to import from the USA and there are extra costs involved. But there are plenty of overpriced UK and EU brands that don't have the history and build of a McIntosh.

McIntosh are made in Binghamton, New York state.
 
Si74 said:
A mate has two of their monoblock power amps - one of them spent two years back and forth for repair.
Click to expand...

Did he buy them new? ... some owners do weird shit to kit. Also IF they were bought new and the fault was genuine, I'd put this down to the UK distributor not doing his job properly.
 
yuckyamson said:
I don't mind the aesthetics at all, it's like the dashboard of a '57 Chevy. The other respectable thing is the commitment to functionality and build quality, all Macs are overbuilt.

That being said, they all tend to sound like sh*t.
Click to expand...
Interesting you say that. Opinion on McIntosh amps seems very polarised. Some love them, would rate them as among the very best. Others hate them. It's curious; very few brands split opinion so significantly. I wonder how many of the 'haters' have actually heard them? Disclaimer: I'm neutral, since I have never actually heard a McIntosh amp, though I am definitely curious as they tick many boxes, provided you don't have to pay over the odds. I've often thought that perhaps we seize on relatively small things, and colour our perception on other biases, conscious or otherwise. The aesthetics and price - they definitely don't look like any other amps and they're not afraid to charge top-dollar. A bit like Naim, dare I say it, and I wonder if a lot of those biases get blown out of all proportion.

Hoping to have a chance to hear one soon, I'm not really expecting it to sound radically different to any other large, medium-to-high powered amp. I expect it to sound pretty good, actually, and it ought to at least match my current amp in all areas and perhaps better it in a few. So it should, given the price. And then I look to my (relatively speaking) inexpensive Chinese-built EE amp, and think about just how good *that* sounds, and wonder whether an amp costing perhaps 8-10x as much when new could really improve on it by a significant margin. Or, indeed, ANY amp. A bit like DACs; above a certain point, they're all good, and the last 2% of performance comes at many factors of cost....
 
I must throw one of these into the pot, hardly get a mention on PFM somehow, veiled references from me perhaps!

How can this Ayon Triton III (240V latest gen) not be be a marvellous thing to look at whilst listening to a sublime performance? I’ll bet it would rattle those Tannoys into sub territory. Strong Scottish connections too and it’s tech is very easy to live with, well as far as valve amps go, if you have the strength to lift it on the rack in the first place.
3814-AA37-999-F-4-A58-95-C6-BD3-C8-B023504.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top