McIntosh MA 6500 VS Musical Fidelity A308?

System matching is critical as you can see from the posts above. That is the problem in audio: You never know how good any equipment actually can be. Arthur

I heard MA 6500 with some Totem loudspeakers and SONY SACD in some dealer demo, to was mid-hifi at best (I was thinking about buying it too), so audition is a must. I used to have MF A300 amp, contrary to rave Stereophile review it was not a very musical amp. I used to like much more my previous amp Electrocompaniet.

It's a nice unit, still have to auditon it with respectable speakers. I've had the 6500 for about 9 months now. Looking back, i would check out some integrated tube amps or arcam integrateds.

Once again I note I have yet to hear the full dynamics due to the fact of the current speakers being utilized. None the less the sound is very warm.

i was considering a 6500,but never heard one. did you buy one, if so what is your opinion on how it sounds?

Thanks for the input guys.
Dan

I use the A308 with a pair of Infinity Renaissance 90 speakers. Its performance is outstanding. You should consider a different set of speakers. The MF has more flexibility than the Mac. More power. Able to drive digfficult loads. Has mm and mc swithable input. Has aux inputs for a processor to act as preamp. Doesn't look like an antique. Don't just buy a name !

I found that MF don't match to good with B&W. I tried a A302 with some 705 and it didn't work. It works wonderfull with JM Lab for example. I tried the same Amp with the Electra 926 and it blow me away.

I had just the opposite experience than Aball. I had the 308 paired with B&W signature 805's and was very happy with the sound. Involving and very listenable. Jeffjarvis has a good point though. The Mac gear will always have better resale. But..you could get into the 308 for cheaper than a mac. Last check, I saw a 308 for about 1750 dollars.

The beauty of the Mcintosh integrated is that it sounds great and you can easily resell later, recovering most or all of the investment.
That makes it practically free.

The MA6500 on ebay goes for $2000 and gets lots of attention.

I auditioned the A308 with some B&W N804 and didn't care for the sound. It just didn't seem inspiring at all.

The 6500 is just the opposite (although different system and different store). The Mc has life, emotion, and transparency in spades. I have heard it with Tannoy (big Dimensions) and Dynaudio and was very impressed both times. I like the Trivista series but for the money, I would get the 6500. Just my opinion. Good luck! Arthur