The McIntosh and the Rowland gear both have their strong points and it is personal preference as much of this hobby is. We all like different things |
Both are great, just personal preference. |
They are both great in their own right. The Mac will probably have a fuller sound. That is a sound that I prefer. just a little bit different in their presentation. Things will get better in time. Mcintosh gear sounds very 3 dimensional on many systems. |
I am suprised by the comments about McIntosh not being 3d. I think it has to be something else in the system. When I hear systems that are supposedly 3d, 99% of the time they sound thin and sterile with no bass. Usually a very uninvolving sound. Accurate, detailed, sterile, thin and no bass. Lifeless. Many like this sound. I can listen to it for about 30 minutes. Then the fatigue starts setting in. Not my idea of enjoyment. Each to their own. We all hear differently, that is for sure. A friend of mine had Pass Aleph's hooked up to quads and then Atmosphere hooked up to quads and he asked what do you think? I said, could you turn it up, I can't hear it. Detailed, thin, accurate, "3D", no bass, as usual. I bet some could go to the actual venue itself and say it did not sound 3d to me. lol |
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I have never heard a so called 3d system sound anything like the real thing ever, especially when it comes to orchestral music. Anyone who frequents the concert hall will know this immediately, it is no secret. What you have with these 3d system is a very fatuging detailed sound that is nothing like the real thing. Anytime I hear people talking about this type of sound probably never heard the real thing or very seldom have heard the real thing. What you have is a detailed illusion of a sound that is totally unreal sounding. Some like this, I do not. Most of the time I will hear a system like this and i get bored almost immediately, totally uninvolving. Detailed and not musically satisfying. |
IMHO, just because one spends lots of money on a system does not mean it will sound good together. If you go that often to the concert hall, you should know that music does not sound as detailed as it does on your system. I sit four rows back right in the center, right in front of the pit. I never hear the instruments in the rear of the orchestra sound anything like they are portrayed in most systems. What it sounds like to me is mono, like an old mono symphonic recording. That is the closest example to my ears at least. I have had or listened to many of the same components you have mentioned and they all sound different, but not necessarily "better" than any given component. I hear all these amps with their "Class A Stereophile rating" whatever that means, and the so called experts who review them. A system is only as good as the person thinks who listens to it. I wonder if we closed our eyes and were asked to listen to several systems and asked which one we liked the most, I wonder what we would pick? Would it be the 100K system or a 20k system that was well matched, or maybe a 10K system? Who knows. I do not prefer most detailed, solid state, or otl systems. They sound boring, sterile, most are very light in the bass, and uninvolving to me. They may not sound this way to the next person, but they do to me. When I owned or heard these systems, I never liked the way they sounded, and I could not listen to anything less than the best recordings. I fought this for so long. I wanted it to sound great because everyone told me it was "the best". So I was not listening to great performances anymore, but to detailed sound that was not very musical. I do think that McIntosh does make very musically satisfying components. much more so than some of the other stuff I have owned regardless of what many say. I am very glad that I finally have a system that I can actually enjoy, and it does sound much closer to the real thing than anything else I have owned or heard.
I am not saying you do not have a good system, heck is sounds like a great setup. We all just like different things. The Rowland is a great amp, and the Mac is also a great amp as well. |
What did you notice when you swapped out the golden reference? I am looking for a new IC for my CD Player. I am interested in your response. The golden reference is a great interconnect as well. |
How are we supposed to know what is best for his system? Do we really know which is better? To my ears or to your ears. They both are good, they sound different. I do not know about better? They are different sounds, I am not sure that one is necessarily better than the other. To my ears, I like McIntosh, but I prefer tubes anyway. |
The Rowlands are great, well built amplifiers. They are not my cup of tea, I can see how someone else could really enjoy them. There is something about the autoformers in the Mcintosh that is really addicting. They sound more like tubes. Personally, I love the sound of tubes and will not look back. To me, the difference in the sound of tubes vs. transistors is as pronounced as night and day. |
Rowland gear is good, that is for sure. I could certainly live with it. I just love the sound of tubes. |
I really like the sound of the 275. I have heard many different amps and at this point, it does enough things right for me to keep it for a while.
The C220 is a fine preamp and is designed to mate with the 275. you probably could find better preamps I am sure but it sounds great to my ears with the 275. The tubes it comes with sound okay, but I have rolled mine and it sounds much better with the NOS tubes.
I am sure the 275 would sound great with the Capri. It sounds great with just about anything. If I had to put words to describe the sound, I would say "romantic and liquid" sounding. You also can voice it to your own taste. What kind of speakers do you have? |
I guess it really comes down to what you like. All the components you mentioned are great. You probably cannot go wrong with any of them. I have never heard Lamm equipment but it is supposed to be out of this world. I would be interested in what you think of it if you audition it. |
The harbeths will not play very loud with any amp. |
