DAC suggestion to pair with MC275 & Usher Spk

Marakanetz, thanks for that informed response. Add the Voltikus power supply to the Antelope Zodiac Silver?

ok last question. How do I get more base out of this? I know the Voltikus power supply will help but do I need to look at another MC275 and run as mono blocks and or add a sub? thanks again.....

by the way the system is up and running now without the Antelope; running CD's for now. Sounds Great! Wife wants more base.

Marakanetz,

thats a great base suggestion. I like the 3 speaker design for responsiveness. I will look at adding 2 Vandersteen 2wq, the Antelope Silver with Voltikus very soon. Following that i will eventually add a 2nd MC275 and I will let you know how it works.

by the way the Usher Mini Dancers are floor standing speakers they are not the monitors. Never the less the mid and high tones are outstanding.

Thanks again for all your informed recommendations.

Lewinskiih01, From reading on line the vandersteen 2wq provides the biamp option and crossover but i have to call them on the performance at 90Hz to 100Hz. I also want to understand what happens to the low freq roll off that is sent to the main speakers and want to understand the effects on the warmth of sound of the SS amp in the sub as compared to tube amp warmth; i suspect nothing at that range. I like how the Vandersteen does not feed the sub directly from the crossover to maintain the sonic signature. I am new too all this so I could be missing a lot of obvious so please excuse my many questions and constant questions.

in regards to the digital front end i have just become bit hungry; there seems to be never enough and the quality variation from CD to CD is amazingly sad. so for me its more bits, great DAC, and now starting to think about analog as in vinyl and tape.

thanks for the insight.

A visit to the McIntosh store here in Taipei provided the following suggestions for the "more base/low tones" request in my posts.

1. 2 MC275's as mono blocks if of the same vintage and tubes. (Is this enough wattage and responsive enough?)

2. 1 MC275 (vintage) for the mid and high range on both speakers and running 1 MC275 (new) for the low range on both speakers. (Is this enough wattage and responsive enough?)

3. 1 MC275 (vintage) for the mid and high range on both speakers and running 1 MC501 mono block for the low range on both speakers. (how is the sound effected with the SS MC501?)

4. Same as board suggested here (Vandersteen). Add base speaker with built in amp.

Toward the end of the visit i was getting the impression that they thought option number 3 was the solution and that 2 mc275's as mono blocks would not give me what I wanted; could have been the translation. Later this week I will visit again when the english staff is there and drag my vintage MC275 down and run some actual tests.

Any thoughts?

Here is a short update and summary in regards to DAC question and More Base Question:

1. I have learned a lot about the content and variation of the recording quality since I original posted and have to say with the right quality recording the base of the MD2"s is very nice. But I would agree more power would bring more out.

2. Since posting i have had a chance to listen to newer versions of the MC275 and there is as expected a big difference in performance when compared to the vintage MC275 so much that the new MC275 is not acceptable in my opinion and not an option for vertical bi-amp pairing with the vintage MC275. The new MC275 was bright, fast response, but missing detail and in fact in some content specific instruments just dropped off especially in the mid range.

3. Since posting I have added a vintage McIntosh C22 Preamp with Telefunken tubes. The pairing of the MC275 with the C22 is nice; more warmth, more base, more detail and extension of the sound stage.

4. Since posting I demoed an Antelope DAC...more on this later. Seemed flat, way to bright which could have been the SS amp running it and no I don’t remember the amp or system but I did not prefer it. I will have to run the Antelope on my system.

5. Vertical bi-amping with SS on the low end will cause problems with the response time/ rise and fall mismatch between amps. I have not tried it but can tell it will be a problem so that is out

6. Added a Music Hall MMF 5.1 turntable but looking for a vintage Thorens. Again learning about the quality of the recording and the many variations. Leonard Cohen is a kick.

7. Ultimately I believe I will add a second vintage MC275 for the additional power, a back up system and more base even though I am starting to be happy with what I have now; C22 made a nice impact, content getting better, and speakers starting to break in. In fact they system is down right impressive.

8. Purchased 4 match KT88 Genelex Gold Lion Tubes mfg in Russia. The mfg states they are mfg to the exact design of the original Genelex tubes and that they are licensed to do so. The tubes look identical to the originals and the electrical tests were spot on. I am not however able to check the materials; I have to think there is a variation based on environment regulations. As for the sound quality they only have 50 hours on them and they sound brighter than the originals and maybe not as clear or detailed. At a cost of $50 a tube vs. $350 its worth further exploration; I think they could use a 1000hr burn in then see how they sound.

9. Cables are next to review but I am hearing I should be moving to silver coated copper cables for the turntable and the pre-amp to amp.

10. I apologize for the variation in information that is furthermore not related to the original post. I will see about breaking it up to more appropriate sections of the forum. Thanks for all the input.

Thanks and yes I do get the Bay area just about each month and will try and arrange to hear this DAC you are recommending.