Yesterday I received a McIntosh MC 2200 amp, to compliment my C2300 preamp. I am a wishing to convert to Hi-Fi, and trying to upgrade from Mid-Fi. Prior to acquiring the MC 2200 amp, I was only using HD-800 cans with the C2300 which was utter bliss!!!
The mids and highs through my Paradigm speakers are piercing to me with this amp, I just can't stand it! I am tapping into 8 ohms with the amp. I have two sets of Paradigms to choose from, the Titan Monitor 5s and Monitor 7v5s. As a final note, I never had these speaker issues with my Mid-Fi Onkyo receiver.
Does anyone have suggestions or ideas? I realize the MC 2200 is an old SS amp, that have never been recapped. Again, with the cans the sound out of the C2300 is phenomenal even without a headphone amp. Via the amp/speakers I'm better off with the Onkyo, which is very sad to say!!!!!
For 4K new, you should think about Vienna Acoustics Beethoven baby grand (BBG) for 5K or VA Mozart (3.5K). They are amongst the least fatiguing speakers at that price point, yet high resolution. I heard VA BBG with MC452 last week at a MCintosh audio store and they sounded fantastic.
I want to thank everyone for their help and suggestions.
I took the advice about running the Paradigm's out of the 4 ohm tap of the amp. Between doing that and upgrading interconnects has made a tremendous difference. So once more thank you.
I agree that my speakers are still the weakest part of my present audio chain. So I am looking to upgrade to McIntosh XR50s, and will be demoing a pair this week with a dealer. My cash flow has limitations, with this pair being in my price range at around $4K new.
Absolutely agree, as this has been discussed numerous times in many threads. The 8 ohms of a speaker is the nominal rating, however it varies as the speaker plays due to different frequencies. I have read that many Paradigm speakers will drop significantly from the 8 ohm nominal rating as it plays, and one member found that his Paradigm speakers had a better overall balance using the 4 ohm tap instead of the 8 ohm tap. This will not cause any problem whatsoever, or result in any damage to amp or speakers. Doing the opposite, that is, using a speaker with a nominal 4 ohm rating on the 8 ohm tap is not recommended, as this could result in a problem to the amp. Again, I highly recommend trying the 4 ohm tap with your 8 ohm Paradigm speakers. Here is a quote by Bifwynne, the member with the 8 ohm nominal Paradigm speakers, in one of the threads I mentioned,
Bass is clearly more extended and tighter. No surprise there since the output impedance off the 4 ohm taps is less than the 8 ohm taps (therefore higher DF). Plus, speaker impedance in the "power zone" (say 60 Hz to 700 Hz) is for the most part 4 to 5 ohms), ergo a better impedance match for the amp where it is being called upon to deliver most of its juice. Imaging was less forward (probably because midrange/treble was less emphasized as a result of higher impedance), so I turned up the gain and imaging came back. In short the rig plays louder, but not as harsh (i.e., maybe less distortion).
Paradigms can be bright, and the models you have presently are lower end. I'd suggest they are the weak link, I've got the 7v3 which can be brighter too. Glad that cabling helped, but in the long run you might consider an upgrade there, take your time though.
For speaker cables I got a big upgrade in clarity and soundstage with Audioquest Type 4. Replaced OFC fine strand 12 guage.
Once you get rid of your 'new' amps, take a look at some of the Cayin/VAS product. They are great value and sound. The thing about Cayin/VAS product is that they have taken Mc designs and executed them in new form with SOTA parts and components. You get up to date sound.
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