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Has any heard the new McIntosh MA8900 integrated?

Hi everyone.  I wondering if anyone has heard one of these and compared it to the MA7900.  Seems like the same amp with the exception of minor cosmetic changes and the upgradable DAC.  The 7900 is much cheaper, so I'm hoping there's not much difference.  Would appreciate any observations out there.

Thanks!

Jeff


jeffp13

Showing 2 responses by mtrot

mtrot
804 posts
 
@jeffp13

What did you end up doing?  I heard the 8900 at a dealer in October and started a thread here asking for opinions.  It was paired with Wilson speakers and Nordost cables.  You can read my impressions here:

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/new-mcintosh-ma-8900-integrated-amp

In short, I thought the 8900 had all kinds of power, but was just missing the "musicality" factor.  Not sure why.  I love the functionality of the 8900, but that has to be secondary to audio quality.
mtrot
804 posts
 
I have heard the 8900 but not the 7900.  I also heard what they call a "receiver", I think it was the MAC 6700.  The two that I heard had all kinds of power, but didn't seem special in terms of musicality, sound stage and imaging, and/or moving me.

Now, at AXPONA last weekend, what DID bowl me over and sounded awesomely musical was a Mark Levinson 585 integrated.  No, it doesn't have tone controls and all the features of the 8900, but I quickly forgot all about those after hearing the ML 585.  It was paired with the new Revel F228Be speakers and OMG, the sound was incredible.
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