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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 2 responses by fleschler

fleschler
2,046 posts
 
I concur that those 50's/60's McIntosh lower power amps were phenomenal.

The MC30s drove my Legacy Focuses which have low impedances.  Stock, they are rather limited in bass and highs but the best mids ever. 

The 1990s SS McIntosh amps were unable to drive my former ML Monolith IIIs at all (neither could Levinsons).  Terrible mismatches.  However, those powerful SS McIntosh amps of today can easily and beautifully power Maggies of all sizes.  
fleschler
2,046 posts
 
Moving from my former good quality media room to my great/expensive/custom engineered designed listening room was an eye opener.  The same very good/not SOTA audio system became a fabulous sounding system, making 30 year old, very good speakers sound like high end costly speakers.  With my tweaks added, I can enjoy most recordings including early acoustic ones with only the most wretched recordings remaining unlistenable.  No tone controls or DSP, just a great room (SOTA) acoustically and good room electrically (not SOTA) providing the basis for my equipment and tweaks to perform maximally.
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