Micromega M-100/150 field reports

I have the M-150 and have had it in my listening room for several months. I ignored the MARS (came stock) for about a month and then calibrated the room using the included microphone -- it made a tremendous difference as I have a challenging room full of concrete and glass... i know, i know... However, this is one of the main reasons I purchased this integrated and it's paying significant dividends.

I'll echo what's been said above that the streaming capabilities work very well and I typically run iTunes or Pandora via the airplay interface via the LAN input. I wouldn't say it sounds sublime, but it's the best I've heard considering the source material.

I use a Oppo 203 as a CD source, connected to the line input. I don't have fancy interconnects, but the CD sounds a little bright in general. Extremely detailed, however, and very enjoyable. I have also used the digital out of the Oppo connected to the optical input of the M-150 and this sounds much much smoother and refined. I have yet to explore further.

My turntable, a Linn LP-12, sounds tremendous via the MM input. Enough said there. I was skeptical, but it works. My only complaint is that volume levels need to near 45-60 for decent listening levels -- I'm not sure if that's normal for this amp or not and would be interested in others' perspectives. For the record (pun intended!), my cartridge is a Grado Silver2 and I believe the M-150 sensitivity for MM is 12 mvrms (1.2 mvrms for MC input). As an additional inquiry, if anyone knows, do I risk any damage to my phono stage or speakers if I plug into the MC stage? I have tried it and normal listening levels occur at 25 or so, which I rather like, but I'm not sure if there is any risk of damage to the system. 

Happy to continue engaging in this thread, but these are some thoughts for now.

regarding temperature, this was an area I too was concerned. i was unsure what would be considered too warm/hot, and my only point of comparison was my prior integrated amp (A/B) which only ran slightly warm (but also had a massive case and plenty of airflow).

i measured the surface temperature to be ~78 degrees when off. this was similar to ambient temperature in the room, if maybe a few degrees warmer. when running, after about 20-30 minutes it gets up to max temperature, which i measured to be approximately 105-107 around all sides of the outer case. after 3-4 hours of simply keeping the amp "on" (no music), the temperature stayed the same.

i emailed Micromega tech support with my questions and information. tech support was extremely quick to respond that they keep the amp "on" for 6-7 days at a time, never turning it off, and occasionally turning it off over the weekend (at their shop). they measured their temperature to be 107 F, and indicated "it's completely normal. the fan comes on when needed, and doesn't interfere with sound quality."

i've now owned my amp for 3-4 months and i enjoy it on a daily basis.

on a separate note, i've used the headphone jack a few times, sparingly, and concur with others that it may be underpowered? i've only tried it with Grado SR-80, and I turn the volume to 50-60 to be fully immersed. for reference, these headphones' impedance is 32 ohm with 99.8 db sensitivity.

can anyone comment on the gain value of the MM and MC phono stage? the manual lists the only specs as the following:

Phono MM, 47 kOhms 12 mVRMS
Phono MC, 110 Ohms 1,2 mVRMS

However, I would like to know how many X db at 1 kHZ of gain there is for each MM and MC....

I've emailed Micromega and no response yet...

Thanks!     

re-asking in case anyone might have updated information.... does anyone know (or has measured) the gain of the phono pre-amp? 

thanks for your reply. i have tried numerous times on the website email 'form' and have not received a response. i'll try the m-one email address you show in your response -- again, thanks!!!