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In Reply to: RE: Why does the Magnolia Room at Best Buy sound so bad? posted by LA mitchell on November 09, 2014 at 08:41:57
I once auditioned a very nice looking and expensive MA2275 75wpc McIntosh tube Integrated amp on B&W speakers at a store. It was tonally warm but sounded veiled and compressed to me so I had the sales guy swap out the McIntosh and replace it with an inexpensive Musical Fidelity integrated he had in another room.
Presto! Problem solved. The relatively cheap 'mid-fi' Musical Fidelity opened up the music with clarity and dynamics that the pretty McIntosh couldn't match. Problem solved.
See the link below that I stumbled upon. The guy buys a McIntosh MA2275 tube integrated and is disappointed that he sold his 'cheap' AES/Cary SixPacs. Scroll down to the heading in the article titled: "The MA2275 Arrives and all is NOT good!"
Follow Ups:
"Its built like a tank. Literally. I can see this outlasting me easily and I can pass it down to my son."
"As for build quality of the McIntosh, it's built to last 100 years and from the looks, it will."
OTOH:
"Two of the 12AX7 tubes died within 2 weeks and the amp has blown 2 fuses in the last two weeks. I am soon re-tubing with some quality tubes and I expect this will solve this issue."
Whichever. As long as he keeps repairing it, it will "last" forever.
$7,500 is A LOT for a 75 wpc amp that goes haywire that quickly.
I was at my local BB Magnolia store the other day looking at headphones. I struck up a conversation with one of the sales guy's and told him about my BAT preamp and Pass amp. He then took me into a room to listen to a pair of Martin Logan CLX speakers with MC 601 mono blocks and matching preamp, about $60K worth of gear. I was astounded by the sound. It sounded great. They had the room set up well. I also appreciated the ceiling which had a night sky full of stars and an occasional shooting star. It was a great effect.
No doubt that it is. I sold B&W 800 series and McIntosh for years. It was never a good combo IMO. Also the opinion of all the staff. However, for some reason it sold. I have given McIntosh many chances, not only in the stores but at home. Other than the MC-275 I was let down every time.
At the stores I worked at we had certified McIntosh electronics technicians(one was an electronics engineer). They were 2 older guys that had been doing it long before I was born. Both of them greatly disliked the sound quality and in many cased to circuit design of McIntosh.
We use to joke that McIntosh customers were sheep or flies blindly attracted to the blue lights and meters that bounced around lol.
We found that most Mac customers were middle aged to older gentlemen whose dad had a Mac when they were kids and how it was the best stuff ever and there is no reason to listen or shop for something else.
First, the reviewer is an idiot.
Tube Watts? SS Watts? A watt is a watt.
His comments about the new frequency balance is just the LACK of higher frequencies, so he turns it UP and STILL lacks highs. That's what I get from his description.
I suspect some unfortunate interaction between speaker and amp. Maybe the output impedance is too high for the speakers being used? Or, as likely, the speaker impedance is all over the place and causes the frequency problems he notes.
Did he try the different output taps?
I've got little sympathy for someone who seems to have more money than brains. I've never been rich and always try to conduct myself, including my stereo purchases, as someone with more brains than money. As poor as I am, that's not too bad.
Too much is never enough
Agreed-
BB, Costco...etc., are all warehouses filled w/ stuff. They are not acoustically sound by any means.
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