Macintosch 8950 or parasound a21

No worries! I appreciate  your help .I wasn’t  ready to run out and buy anything I was just asking opinions.I think I am going to stop here not liking the vibe from some of sound engineers that feel need to chime in on advise that was not asked for ,not even knowing what my rooms looks like.

I had the A21 power amp driving my revel salon1 speakers and it was beautiful. I took a peek under the hood and couldn’t believe how luxurious it looked for the price! That said, with the salons the a21 added some audible upper bass thickness that wasn’t obvious until I started bringing other amps home to compare. I haven’t had a chance to hear the A21+ so can’t say if the new one is the same? I took a long time to get around to McIntosh because it’s not easy to get a deal on them. They have tube, solid state and hybrid components and I expect whatever you pick will affect the sound.  I am happy with the quality and sound 
 

@bobster50 

I don't think you should let it discourage you. This is just how the world seem to be these days...  It's hard to get a read on someone's tone on here but there also seem to be folks who will say something from behind a keyboard that they may not say to you in person. I spend almost no time on Social Media for this reason but I figured I would start posting on here more. I like to help people where I can. And yes, if you leave, you'll avoid the bad apples, but also the good ones!

@bobster50 

Room treatments/problems are overrated! Let me share an interesting AGon story:

I posted on the forum for some help powering my KEF Reference 1 Metas regarding no bass output. I was utilizing the legendary Luxman 590AXII 30W Class A. The overwhelming response was that my room was the problem. The Luxman should have no problem powering the baby KEFs. I greatly appreciated the forum's help and support, but I knew that the advice didn't seem right. I brought the amp to a local dealer and A/B against higher power amps. Magically, the bass appeared!

Short story long, I ended up going off the rails and purchased a pair of McIntosh MC611s. & C2700. My bass output in the same room is easily 300% better. 

Lastly, you mentioned the "sound engineers" on the forum. I guarantee you that if you took measurements of their rooms before and after treatment, the rooms probably had better measurement results pre-treatment. It only sounds better because they justify the cost of some obscure piece of pillow foam changing the dynamics!😁 The best and most significant improvement would be to add a nice carpet and drapes if necessary. 

@jeffreyw

Shots fired! 🤣

There’s a lot to room treatment but I basically agree. It’s hard to effectively treat a bad room and also have it continue to look like a living space. Strategic absorption and diffusion can be effective but problems with bass are another story.

Also, I love that you pulled the trigger on the Mac rig! My system is similar but opposite - I stuck the larger amount of cash into the pre; C12000 and MC462. Are you still using stock tubes in the C2700? If so... I’m currently using Northern Electric 12AX7s and Mullard NOS CV4024 / 12AT7s in the line stage. I tried a bunch of 12AX7s and for my money, the Northern Electric wins out. Of note, they’re taller than any other 12AX7 I’ve used, and I have to leave the "hatch" off the tube compartment. The tubes run lukewarm at best, so I’m not overly concerned. If you don’t want to get "adventurous, I found the New Sensor Mullards and Genelex Gold Lions work well too, maybe lacking a touch of the liquid-smoothness and magic of the Norther Electric.

Also, nice to hear you got the Ref 1 Metas to sing. I’m also a KEF dealer and have heard good things. Unfortunately, I tried to bring in a pair for demo and they were backordered until forever.

Micah