tzh21y,You do have some nice tubes. Had a pair of 275s back in the day, far enough back that "vintage" tubes were almost current production. MC 60s are all I need now, with ZU Def 4s they are overkill. There are some supposedly NOS Tung Sols up now but too pricey for me. Since I don't really need max power I use Sylvania 5751s in place of the 12 AX7s. Probably set for the long haul as well. I don't need more power, bass is really good, otherworldly to be honest, and resolution is dramatically good for my tastes.
Mac stuff sounds great. Have been using it in one form or another for 40+ years. |
I have vintage tung Sol 6550 with Telefunken smooth plate 12ax7 and rca triple mica 12at7.
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The only time I was getting comments from the house guests about my stereo was when I had MacIntosh SACD player on the rack! Once upgraded to Wadia, its back to "normal", just a background music :-( When not using Pono or iPod, MacIntosh player for iPhone (freebie from iTunes) reminds me of its beauty! |
I love my MA6500 and that's all I have to say about that!! |
Hey tzh21y - interested in your comment on replacement tubes over time. What did you replace with? Same as OEM McIntosh or did you "upgrade."
IMHO - audiophiles are like cyclists. I have a $3.5K road bike that is the most comfortable and efficient I've ever had, and the group I ride with all have $10K+. One day, A guy was talking or "bragging" about replacing a seat post that was 400 grams less than his current one at a cost of $600. That's 0.89 lb decrease in weight. I said "Hmmm. You have about 25 extra lbs on your gut - isn't bike + weight of person = total weight? - In that case - a week of Atkins is $2,000." I love my 275 and, as Forrest Gump says "That's all I have to say about that" |
Tubed pre and solid state amp are a match to behold - very musical, noit harsh at all. |
Back when I was in college I snagged an MC225, enjoyed that amp but was offered much more than I paid for it, sold it and snagged an MC275, which was good, but needed service a college kid couldn't afford, again was offered much more than I paid for it.
In the late 70's-early 80's I worked in high-end audio shops, sold McIntosh and always lusted over their electronics.
I spent much of last year upgrading my system, took months to audition lots of different speakers, found the combination of a C50 pre-amp and MC452 power-amp sounded most "musical" to me, snagged that pair and have been happy with them ever since.
I know lots of audiophiles have a low opinion of McIntosh equipment, this is just a hobby and that is their right, but it's disturbing to see all the personal attacks levied on these forums towards people who do like the brand. |
I've heard lots of amps and the sound that comes out of my mc275 is great. I love the bass. Sounds like real music. Truly, a music lovers amp. Must have good now tubes to perform its best. I will have mine till my last days. |
McIntosh may not be the last word in audio, but the Grateful Dead is !! |
When I sold the 275, which was mint with two sets of tubes, it took me about a year to move and went for about 20% less than new. It was about 10 years old, so not a bad investment but you are not going to make money off them.
The days of buying a 275 off grandpa for 100 and selling to someone in Asia for 3000 are gone. |
BTW, it is pretty much only their tube products hat have a great resale value. Not so much with their solid state or their speakers, which generally get panned.
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It looked like they were pushing those amps into clipping.
I had an MC275 for a while. The second re-issue version. The bass was flabby, although the midrange was nice and the high end was very good, too, At the time, I liked my Classe better.
I live 37 miles from the factory and have listened to many McIntosh based systems at Audio Classics. They make a good product. They are not as bad as critics would lend you to believe, nor as great as their fan boys would have it..
They do wind their own transformers and have weathered the difficult years for tubes.
To me McIntosh is an American Icon much like Harley Davidson. It is a good product with large American pride associated with it but not the last word in hi fi.
$3000 for a product is considered expensive these days? A good meal out for two can cost you between 100 to 200. New cars are going for 30-50,000 and homes are climbing into 400,000 range. Sneakers are up to 125, jeans are 40-100 and a midline new acoustic guitar is going to run you close to 2000. Take a family of four out to a professional sporting event and you are going to drop between 300 to 600.
3000 for a McAire, which seems to have a lot of features, is a down right good value.. |
I have toured the factory when my wife and I went to NYC in 2011. My Randall gave us the tour and played Dire Staits on their system. |
Awesome link, I spent some time watching the other videos as well.
thanks for sharing |
