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Posts: 1272
Joined: March 28, 2000
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The MA2275 Arrives and all is NOT good!
My speakers now consist of Sonus Faber Guarneri Mementos and I LOVE THEM with a passion. I have owned them for two years and they are not going anywhere. I had some Cary/AES six pacs powering them and while they gave a huge soundstage and had that sweet delicate sound I spoke of I decided to give McIntosh tubes a try. I bought the HUGE MA2275 Tube Integrated. Only 75 Watts per channel but its more like 100 tube watts and 200 Solid State watts! This thing is also TWICE the cost of my AES Monoblock Amps and Preamp with NOS tubes so I was anxious to have an eargasm when I put it in with my speakers.
When I put in the Mcintosh 2275 the first thing I noticed was the sound went FLAT! Oh man, I just sold off my beloved six pacs and AES Pre amp, spent double the $$ and ended up with a dead, flat sounding amp?!?!? I wanted to cry, and almost did! BUT I visited McIntosh forums and read that you have to let it burn it for at least a week. Also, swapping the stock tubes has been said to work miracles. In any case, I let it run all day long, every day for a week before judging the sound.
Well, it has now been 3 months and I can say right now that I am sort of disappointed in this integrated amp. I am using the McIntosh high end MCD 500 for my CD playback and at moderate volumes, this 2275 sounds sort of lifeless when compared to the less expensive AES/Cary setup. The soundstage has shrunk and the detail has diminished. The AES setup NEVER gave me listening fatigue and neither does the Mcintosh, but the sound was so much more open, so much more "magical" with the AES setup. That set costs $3800 new for a pair of tube mono block amps and a separate pre amp. This Mcintosh is a one piece integrated for $7500. OUCH.
BUT...
One area DID improve with the McIntosh MA2275. Volume and Heft. See, there is so much midbass coming from the big MAC that ROCK music sounds good on my speakers. Rock music on my previous setup was sort of hit and miss and a little weak due to lack of big fat bad ass bass. On the McIntosh you can crank it and jam to rock or metal, even with my Guarneri mementos! Yea, I have been jamming to my favorite 1980's hair bands with speakers that are supposed to excel with vocals and jazz! It's been fun no doubt.
When I do listen to Diana Krall, Enya, Frank Sinatra, or even Miles Davis I do sort of miss the "air" of the AES six pac amps. The McIntosh is more of a hard ass..more of a direct sounding amp. The music flows but flows STRAIGHT out of the speakers. With my previous setup, the music "bloomed" all around the speakers. I guess there are fans of the McIntosh sound, and yes, this 2275 does deliver it in spades with maybe a little more warmth. If you like your music full, fat, and analog sounding then the MA2275 should be on your list of auditions.
If you like hyper detail, huge soundstage and air in your music then this is probably a skip. For me, it is a HIT and a MISS. Here is why:
MA2275 HITS -
1. Its built like a tank. Literally. I can see this outlasting me easily and I can pass it down to my son.
2. It's TUBE! Tube audio is always special and provides more "warmth" to the sound instead of sounding "hard and fast" like solid state. I did find the tube magic a little lacking in the 2275 though. Maybe i just prefer the EL34 sound?
3. HEFT, WEIGHT, BASS - This thing pumps out the bass and midbass making your music sound VERY full and FAT. My speakers are already a warm sounding speaker so I may have too much of a good thing. I would pair this with brighter sounding speakers for a match made in heaven.
4. Blue meters - some love them, some hate them. Me, I love them.
5. Made in the USA with great warranty (so was my AES/CARY setup)
6. For 75 watts it sounds more like 200 solid state watts. My speakers could probably use a little more power and current but this amp can drive almost any speaker.
MA2275 MISSES -
1. PRICE - Holy cow..$7500 new, about $5000 used. This is one expensive integrated amp and do not forget tube replacement costs at about $300 a set every year.
2. Too warm, almost muffled sounding at times. Some CD's sound pretty muffled on the 2275 and i am not sure why as they sounded GREAT on my previous setup.
3. PRICE!!!
This amp retails for $7500 and is NOT cheap! I have seen them used in mint condition for around $4,000 on audiogon.com so deals can be had. When compared to the 250 WPC Solid State MA7000 from McIntosh, the MA2275 is warmer and but its not the magical tube sound we love. Instead it sounds like McIntosh cranked back the treble to -30 and set that as default. Man, I miss my little AES setup.
As for build quality of the McIntosh, it's built to last 100 years and from the looks, it will. It weighs in at about 75lbs and its glowing blue meters give off a true beautiful night show in the dark. I like to sit back in my recliner that is positioned in the sweet spot, sip a glass of wine or absinthe and listen with all the lights out.
I know I have been tough on this amp but guess what? I am stuck with it. No way I can sell it after paying so much for it. Looks like I will have to get used to this sound for at least 2-3 years. Maybe then my wife will have forgotten how much we paid for it :)
If you have Sonus Faber Guarneri Memento speakers I can NOT recommend this integrated UNLESS you only listen to Rock music. BUT, if thats the case I suggest running to Best Buy for an all in one setup. To me, the McIntosh MA2275 is a bit overpriced. When a modest $3800 CARY/AES setup destroys it in most areas then something is not right. This integrated should go for $3500 - $4500. If you can find a used on in that price range then its worth it.
I also bought the McIntosh MCD500 SACD/CD player and I am THRILLED with this item. Best CD player I have ever owned.
Ahhhhh!
The tubes...
Some quirks I had with the 2275...
I did have a few hiccups with my MA2275. 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. I do feel that McIntosh could provide better quality tubes for the money you have to spend on this thing.
I also feel that if you are an "Audiophile" then the McIntosh sound MAY NOT be to your liking. Some so called audiophile components sound overly detailed, bright and edgy. Those systems make my ears bleed after 20 minutes. With the MAC you get the music. While it is sort of dull and muffled, it is that big fat sound you remember as a kid when you played your LP's.
UPDATE: TWO more fuses blew in this thing making me think...maybe it has a defect somewhere? 4 fuses in 3 months. Hmmm. I just ordered three bags from Radio Shack to keep here for my bi-weekly fuse replacement. I did not yet upgrade to new tubes as I am afraid of spending $300 on a new tube set. Many say it does improve the sound but what if it doesn't? if i get new tubes and it makes a difference I will update it here.
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