McIntosh vs. Krell amp for Home Theater

This is a little off the subject but I met a guy who replaced his Krell Showcase SSP with the MX135 and he loves the improvement. He wants a 207 next.

I have a Krell showcase - I'll keep it and upgrade just by adding amps for the front speakers, so I get the best during music and the most important channels for me (fronts since I have no centre) during movies.

ive never owned the mc207 but i did briefly own a mc206 & i hated that amp,i know its not the same amp as the mc207 your asking about but the 2 different model amps cant be that far off from each other,i thought the mc206 sounded thin & weak & it clipped very quickly.

i much prefered the mc7106 over the mc206.

mike.

why limit your search to just those 2?

Actually, McIntosh has really tried to make the 207 very different from the 206. Output trasistors are different and biasing scheme is VERY different. My dealer says the 207 is much more transparent.

I considered Parasound and Sunfire but no dealers in Charlotte had one to demo.

Any other brands in the $6,000 - $7,000 range I should consider.

What are the specs on the mc7106

Alan

hi alan,you can find out about the mc7106 in this link.

{http://www.roger-russell.com/aboutmc.htm}

alan,i was short on time when i posted the link above but i have some time now so i'll expand.

the link i posted above will tell you the specs of the mc7106 but it wont tell you how it performs,the mc7106 isnt the typical mcintosh home theater amp.

i dont really care for the new line of mac ht amps as i think they sound weak & lack dynamics,as aball said above the mc207 may very well be more transparent than the mc206 but im not sure that a transparent sounding amp is what you need to fill the needs of home theater & 2 channel too.

i would think that for home theater an amp with balls would do a better job as you will need all the dynamics you can get,ive tried 28 different mcintosh amps & the mc7106 reminds me of a mc7270 in the way it sounds,extremly dynamic with lots of grunt & pretty good on the detail too,you can have all the detail in the world but if your amp lacks dynamics your all done in ht & ive found that the new line of mac ht amps lack the ability to dig deep when needed.

there are 3 amps within the mcintosh line that are IMO real sleepers,the mc7104 & mc7106 & the mc7200,from all the mcintosh amps ive tried i think that mcintosh has taken giant leaps foward with their 2 channel amps but i also think that they have taken giant steps backwards with their ht amps.

mike.

Mike,

Thank you for all the information. I ended up purchasing an MS402 and will use my existing amp to drive the center and rear speakers. Long term I plan to purchase three MS501 mono blocks to drive the fronts and center and use the 402 to drive the rears.

Thanks,
Alan

Hey Alan - Great choice in amps!! I couldn't have suggested any better. did you get your Mcs at Sound Systems in Charlotte NC? Great dealer - I really like those guys and they know their stuff.

That is where I got it. I sounds awesome and they are fantastic. They came out set it up a let me listen. They left it at my house even though they didn't have a way to charge me for it. I had to go in on Monday to complete the sale. They are coming back out to help me set up my speakers even thought I didn't buy the speakers from them. They are knowledgable and very customer centered. Thanks for all the info.

Alan

I found it intersting that my wife who is not in to audio said the second it was connected and she heard it she knew I was going to buy it because she could tell how much better it sounded. My existing amp is an Acurus 125 X 5. It is a good amp but doesn't compare.

I just auditioned both the MC207 & the Krell Show Case 7.1 Ive been an admirer of Kree Equipment for yrs along with McIntosh and Classe. I was astonished at the poor showing Kreel gave at both playing SACD and movie DVD's. The sound was brittle and harsh very fatiguing.
Then it was off to hear the Mac MC207 mated with the Mac MX119 A/V all i can say it was breathless.All the music was sweet the sound stage perfect and the opening sound track from SEA BICUIT -galloping wild horses-was spine chilling the underlining music pure and compleing.

Try "Classe" or "McIntosh" you'll be pleasently surprised and mite save some money

Does anyone own a Mac MX119 with a MC207 if so tell me how you like or dislike it.
Rich