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Mini Review: Maxxed out McCormack DNA-1

Posted by Rick W on April 18, 2021 at 14:14:09

Some of you guys may remember posts from me about my quest for a new amp. My old ('91) McCormack amp was half dead. At one point I thought I was gonna get a Pass XA 25, which was highly rec'd by my tech - who is the ONLY Pass dealer in the NYC area. I find that strange and he only had the XA25 at his place. Plus, due to covid he didn't want customers in his listening room - this was months ago. But when I spoke with Pass they didn't think the XA25 would work well with my spkrs. and rec'd a higher power amp for me. They're HUGE and VERY heavy though, wouldn't fit in my rack and I woulda had to buy longer ic's. In short it would have been a PITA with complications regarding hearing before buying too.

To cut to the chase I decided to mod/update my DNA-1 Deluxe. I know it mates very well with my speakers. Yes, I could get new spkrs., but I'm an apt. dweller - likely will be for the foreseeable future - and my spkrs. are very good for my living situation. Fortunately I lucked out and avoided a months long wait to get that done and was offered a newly maxxed out amp from Steve McCormack. Too long a story how/why that became available. With what they paid me as kind of a trade-in for my old amp the brand new one cost about the same as the amp Pass rec'd. Here's some of its features - McCormack calls it a GT-20 Signature level:

Special High Level R3 PCB
Jupiter Bypass Cap Compliment
High Current DNA-225 Transformer
Full Gravity Base System
Furutech FT-816 Binding Posts
Furutech FP-901 RCA Jacks
Balanced Inputs (Jensen / Furutech)
SMc Audio UFB-1 (Ultimate Fuse Block in Panzerholz)
Furutech FI-06 NCF AC Inlet
Synergistic Research Blue Fuse

Suffice it to say my new amp betters my old DNA-1 Deluxe in every way. I would not describe my old amp as noisy at all, so I don't think the improvements are due to less noise but I guess its possible. I always thought any noise in my system came from my old CJ tubed preamp, which I'm gonna replace if I can ever figure out what to replace it with. Not being knowledgeable about electronics I really don't know what accounts for the improvements I hear.

Everything sounds more immediate, startlingly so. More clearly defined/delineated, more visceral, less "electronic haze". Bass (limited by my Sonus Faber Minuetto spkrs.) is considerably more defined - easily heard in every type of music from orchestral to small group jazz to funk. I've been startled by hearing things played by bass sections in orchestras that were somewhat muddy previously. Seems like I'm hearing not just lower bass notes but more texture too. My spkrs. are small stand mounts, but in room bass always surprised the hell outta my musician friends when they heard them. Its definitely more so now. Hard to imagine getting more/lower/better defined bass outta these spkrs.

I always felt my DNA-1 was less shrill/bright than many ss amps I heard. Full bodied sound. That is also even more so now. One thing that's readily noticeable to me is that cymbals sound significantly more realistic, less splashy, more harmonics, better decay. Lottsa recordings with piano also are startling to me because the piano sounds so much more realistic - especially the extreme low and high notes. Both attacks and decays sound more natural.

I've had the amp for months but am still surprised almost every time I listen to recordings I've heard numerous times. Last night I listened to a Miles Davis LP I've had for a long time, We Want Miles. Again, the word immediate comes to mind. Every instrument seems to stand out more, more palpable. Also played an old Donald Byrd/Pepper Adams quintet LP last night. I've never heard their sounds portrayed this realistically via my playback system, including all the nuances of their articulation. But really, I could say the same for every recording I've been listening to. The range of most instruments falls into what's generally called "midrange" by most hifi reviewers. I always thought my old amp shined in the "midrange". This new amp is on steroids in the "midrange". I always thought portrayal of vocals - both male and female - was a strong suit of my DNA-1. Even better now, and I listen to everything from Ray Charles/Aretha to opera. I can reach out and touch Billy Holiday on her intimate small group recordings.

I'll conclude by mentioning that I'm a jazz musician (saxophones/clarinets/flutes) and obviously know what live instruments sound like. I have quite a bit of experience in recording studios also. I've played with a number of guys whose recordings I own. They sound closer to what I've heard live now than I ever heard previously via my system.

For those who own a McCormack amp.....to say I'd recommend getting Steve to update/mod it would be an understatement. I'm 73 and expect this to be my last amp. No doubt there are better amps, and of course its ss and some prefer tubed amps. But I am a very happy listener.

Edits: 04/18/21 04/18/21

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