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Just wondering how you guys feel about new tube gear and if it's decent.
Funny story, at least for me!!!! My wife offered me a budget to find myself something nice that I always wanted.
I also had my eye on the McIntosh MAC6700
Follow Ups:
and if you listen to a good bit of classical get an absolute polarity switching pre-amp.
Warmest
Tim Bailey
Skeptical Measurer & Audio Scrounger
McIntosh makes great Output transformers.
always has.
They do have a 'house' sound.
they do have a complex driver circuit.
As E-Stat said - better caps, better PS, better connectors, etc.
It is a great amp, if you like the sound with your speakers - it could well be a home run!
I do have an older pair of MC-30s, and will keep them for as long as possible....
Happy Listening
Just wondering how you guys feel about new tube gear and if it's decent.
Hmmm. More linear output caps. Stiffer power supplies. Balanced operation. Better cable and connectors.
What's not to like? :)
...Finals on circuit board mounted sockets is what's not to like. Even the best circuit boards are susceptible to heat damage and solder/socket terminal connections prone to fatigue failure...esp if the owner is a tube roller. While a circuit board does have the advantages of layout consistency and lower assy cost, long term reliability is usually compromised.
...long term reliability is usually compromised.
Maybe some day I'll experience trouble with my 2001 VTL amps which take that approach.
Meanwhile, I'm enjoying a decade and a half of higher quality sound. :)
I'm enjoying high quality sound from 6 decade old amps with original sockets (but many new parts). You are quite fortunate to have trouble free decade old circuit boards. IME, 10 yrs is about the time period where things begin to happen. Have you recently examined the trace side of your amp's boards in the vicinity of the finals? ;-)
...(but many new parts).
That's the point! I trust you upgraded the quality of all those parts at that time. :)
Have you recently examined the trace side of your amp's boards in the vicinity of the finals? ;-)
A couple of years back, I had one output capacitor fail. Here's what the board looked like then:
Clean! You are indeed fortunate. But what's an "output capacitor"? This is a power amp, right? So output transformer but no output capacitor unless it's output transformerless/cap coupled output.
Coupling caps. Current version uses silver Mundorfs.
Do your amps run balanced connections?
No, way too old for consumer oriented equipment to have that feature...at least most of it. I have a pair of ancient Stromberg Carlson amps awaiting restoration that do run 600 ohm balanced inputs. Going to be tough finding something capable of driving them adequately.
Wow, that is tough to drive. The VTLs are 137k ohm.
I'm with you regarding Octal sockets on PCBs. It's a prescription for trouble. 7 and 9 pin miniature types on PCBs are OK, as strain levels are within reason.
Eli D.
The MC275 always has been (and always will be) an excellent tube amp. I've experienced several of its iterations over the years and have consistently been favorably impressed. If I were in the market for one it would be on my short list. Also, the new MC75 mono blocks would be under strong consideration.
I wouldn't waste my time or money on one of Mac's overpriced receivers, but that's just me ;-)
Cheers,
SB
I'm not really a SS guy. I mean I like some of it but at the end of the day my heart seems to be in tubes.
My other thought was a MC152 but again - ???
I walked into our local McIntosh dealer on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in the early fall of 1971 looking to hear some new equipment and maybe spend some money.
I wound up with a 2105/C28 combo. The glossy black faceplate, big meters, and fancy blue illuminated lettering were what sold me. What a big effin' mistake! I could have had a 275/C22.
I was too impressionable, young, and naive. I'd like to think that I've learned a lot since that BIG mistake. This was the second time that I went for SS over the tried & true valves. The first time was when I heeded Julian Hirsch's advice and sold my Fisher 500 to get one of those accursed AR amps. OMG, the story that it was supposed to smooth out and sweeten up after a long break in turned out to be absolute BS. My fault, I really should have known better.
If a listener REALLY preferred SS there are many better choices than Mac SS. That First Watt amp is a killer, for example.
Cheers,
SB
I wound up with a 2105/C28 combo. The glossy black faceplate, big meters, and fancy blue illuminated lettering were what sold me.
I remember first hearing such a combo as a teenager along with a MR-78 and MPI-4 Maximum Performance Indicator flush mounted in a wall driving Bozaks. I was ready for greatness! Instead, the result was just - insipid. Boring. Resolution? I'm sure it was also purchased for the light show.
I too, purchased an AR Integrated based upon favorable reviews and its clean appearance. That amplifier taught me the lesson of the limitations of Class B operation. It sounded fine driving Advents at high levels, but resolution disappeared on the low end of the scale. Good with FFF, not PPP.
Since you mention a Nelson Pass design, I found the exact opposite situation with a Threshold Stasis. That amp resolved beautifully all the way down the floor.
You know I fell for that light show a few times already. Pretty but resolution and dynamics- nothing to get excited about.
I've been reading a lot of Mac postings and I notice many of them tend to use the word loud. Or phrases like until the cops arrive.
I want a more liquid musical experience at a normal level.
Just a side note. As a result of this I was looking at new preamps. Geeze you have to be a computer geek to own one of these now.
From personal experience I can suggest these custom built, yet affordable, units are quite basic but deliver a wonderfully involving musical experience.
"The piano ain't got no wrong notes." Thelonious Monk
As a result of this I was looking at new preamps. Geeze you have to be a computer geek to own one of these now.
As for me, I'm really enjoying my ARC SP20 . It's nice to have full remote control capability and the ability to fine tune the phono cartridge loading from the convenience of your seating position. It has a tube timer as well.
No DAC included like many current McIntosh designs.
had a MC275 MkIV a few years ago and gave it away very soon again - my ATLAS Magnum from Rogue Audio smoked the mac with ease...
"Science only illustrates the current state of errors"
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