is McIntosh known for good dynamics?
I'm mainly a classical listener. I love good dynamics and dynamic resolution. For instance, in classical music there is a lot of musical expression that comes through subtle dynamic changes from one phrase to the next. There are also sudden louds, which the equipment should present as having startle impact. There are also sudden quiets, which should have a "compelling" sense to them.
I'm wondering if the McIntosh signature sound is known for good dynamics and microdynamics.
@magon , Mac is a respected brand. I have not had the pleasure of owning any of their equipment. That being said, I think you should be considering what speaker you are pairing with. Some speakers need gobs of power, like MBL, some need less. Some amps work better with certain brands of speakers. I own Vandersteens, and Ayre seems to work extremely well. Long story short, much depends upon the whole system, rather than just one component. HTH Bob |
I’m just trying to get a sense of what might be wrong (if anything) with the MHA200 headphone amplifier I just picked up from a private seller. It’s very flat dynamically and I’m wondering if it needs new tubes, needs to burn in, or whether this is just the McIntosh sound. There's not much headphone activity here so I thought it would helpful to get a sense of the McIntosh signature sound overall. |
+1 Correct. Mac is highly regarded. Their house sound is very midrange and bass heavy. Just great for rock and roll. But not know for nuanced sound, certainly not microdynamics and detailed. Without well balanced top end, then it might seem to lack dynamics. Also, matching headphones to all but the very best headphone amps can be at least as hard as doing so with speakers. The requirements vary very widely among headphones, I have continuously had high end headphone systems for most of the last fifty years. I cannot recommend Woo headphone amps enough. I have imported headphone amps from Germany, and tried a bunch of different kinds to get enough current to satisfy the more demanding headphones. My search stopped dead in its tracks when I bought a Woo WA5. It took control of every headphone I own (Senheiser 800, Focal Utopia, etc.). The power, nuance and dynamics as well as rhythm an pace is incredible., |
I've only owned a few headphone amps and stupidly sold one of the best. All my amps have been custom modified by Igor Kuznetsoff of the New Jersey Audio Society, who does great dynamics, high-end extension, musical detail, and other things. The one I sold was a modified Woo WA6SE. It was good but I wanted to downsize. Now my main amp broke. I decided I want to get an unmodified amp so it's easier to have someone repair it. I have a Woo WA7 + tp here right now and the sound is indeed dynamics and extended. Only problem is that it's rough and high noise floor, which I attribute to the DAC being literally inside the amplifier case spewing RFI. Good news is a friend is going to give me an (unmodified) Woo WA6SE, so I'll get a chance to try that again. It seems unlikely I'll ever be happy with the McIntosh. The dynamics and texture delineation are as flat as a pancake. |
