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Disappointing On Mcintosh......help

 3 Months ago  I went to NYC and stopped by the WOM  and auditioned several MCintosh gear...........and left a bit disappointed or not impressed...then I told myself   " lets give a second shot"  and went today to a  HIFI store and again Good room accoustics10K speakers , MC Preamp , MC Amplifier........ and again  the same disappointment I felt 3 month earlier.

Is that the "warm" sound people reffer to about Mcintosh?  
The sound is ample, base is powerfull  but the the sound is simply  not to clear, the hights are not too "crisp"  It sounds like the treble is set at 3 and needs to be adjusted at 9 or 10.
It seems like  the sound is  coming through a thin layer of paper ...that is the way I describe that sound.  

Then 20 minutes later I auditioned a Parasound A21+ and a JC5 and the sound was more clear and the highs were crispier

Whats your take on my experience?  or That is the MC "warm sound? 
cydrone

Showing 3 responses by decooney

decooney
2,337 posts
 


@cydrone

3 Months ago I went to NYC and stopped by the WOM and auditioned several MCintosh gear...........and left a bit disappointed or not impressed...then I told myself " lets give a second shot" and went today to a HIFI store and again Good room accoustics10K speakers , MC Preamp , MC Amplifier........ and again the same disappointment I felt 3 month earlier.

Is that the "warm" sound people reffer to about Mcintosh?
The sound is ample, base is powerfull but the the sound is simply not to clear, the hights are not too "crisp" It sounds like the treble is set at 3 and needs to be adjusted at 9 or 10.
It seems like the sound is coming through a thin layer of paper ...that is the way I describe that sound.

Then 20 minutes later I auditioned a Parasound A21+ and a JC5 and the sound was more clear and the highs were crispier

Whats your take on my experience? or That is the MC "warm sound?

Were the Parasound components (removed and replaced) paired up with the exact same source, same speakers, same interconnect and speaker cables, in the exact same room and same location as the Macintosh preamp/amplifier for a true apples-to-apples comparison?


decooney
2,337 posts
 
It's possible our taste in what we like to hear changes with time too.  Less detail and more musical midrange with full body sound is what I prefer too.  While I'm not a Parasound or Macintosh owner both offer great options. Good source and proper speaker matching can make a huge difference in preference one way or the other.  

It does not appear the OPs original post was really an apples-to-apples comparison anyhow jumping from one store to another with completely different setups over an extended period of time.  I've heard some crappy Mc systems and some really good ones all dependent on the room, component, and speakers chosen by the person giving the demo. Same setup can sound completely different when you get it home for demo too.  Lots of variables.  
decooney
2,337 posts
 
Off topic a bit, speaking of shrinking hobby,  one trend I've paid attention to is the kids with portable devices with headphones resurrected headphones a bit and then they wanted better separate/amps for their headphones, then they started dabbling in tube/headphone amps, which then seemed to help drive a resurgence in small tube amps for headphones.  

Now some of them are buying small tube amps for home use.  Now we are seeing tube amps pop back up in the USA and of course China is cranking out tube amps like crazy.   

If you check around there are several new USA based tube amp builders popping up too, who woulda knew... found several new Co.s may not making a killing on sales but surviving.  Kinda cool to see this happening. 
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