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McIntosh MA6500 Integrated amp

Hello all,

Thank goodness the list is back, thank you Audiogon!

I am looking for people who have had a chance to audition or owns the McIntosh MA6500 integrated amp.

I have read a few user reviews on this amp lately that have given it high praise. I was in a shop today and was able to try it. It was hooked to Kef Model Two speakers and the source was a $500 Marantz Carousel. I too was very impressed with this amp.

If anyone else has had any experience with this please share.

Thank you.
brianmgrarcom

Showing 2 responses by hassel

hassel
248 posts
 
The MA6500 and 6900 do NOT sound the same. The 6900 is the better unit, sounding more tube-like when called for, sounding more convincing with voices and instruments. Having said that, the 6500 is a terrific amp, which I owned myself. The only downside in my system with Shahinian speakers was that the 6500 did not control the bass as well as other amps (e.g. Plinius, Densen). If your speakers are easy loads, however, you can hardly go wrong with both amps. I would, however, go for a 6900 used.
hassel
248 posts
 
Williammeredith,
You cannot confirm with the engineers, but with your ears only. This I have done, and these amps sound different, as experienced by others who have compared them - see the thread mentioned above. As far as Mac´s engineers are concerned, they are very much from the measurement-school. Chuck Hinton e.g. told me it did not pay to bother with speaker cables, "as they sound all the same". However, changing speaker cables has made one of the most noticable differences in my present Mac-system.
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