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PASS LABS X150.8 AMP to McIntosh MC462?

I just got a brand new Pass Labs X150.8 amp a week ago and am loving it. The sound is wonderful, as are the looks. I'm running my Bricasti M1 DAC directly to it, and love the sound. The problem is the heat! The amp is in a smallish room, without great ventilation, and so it actually starts to heat the room, which is making me think about a cooler amp.

Out of the blue, I was presented with an amazing deal on a virtually new McIntosh MC462 amp (the new model), which I've never heard, but is supposed to run very cool. I did happen to hear an all-McIntosh system with 611 mono blocks, a preamp and CD player when I auditioned B&W 803D3 speakers, and I was extremely disappointed. I loved the speakers, but the sound being put through them seemed veiled, at least compared to what I"m used to. 

My question, after that long-winded intro, is if anyone's heard the new MC462 with a high-end digital source, like my Bricasti, and how it might compare with the Pass amp, and whether it's even worth considering. I'm wondering if my problem with the Mac system I did hear was perhaps the CD player or preamp (both Mac) that were being used, rather than the amps. If anyone can decipher what I'm asking, your thoughts would be much appreciated!
liszt458
almarg's avatar
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
@wolf_garcia, no, a fan won't reduce the amount of heat the amp puts into the room. It will keep the amp itself cooler (or at least parts of it), by blowing some of the heat away from it. But the amount of heat it puts into the room will still correspond to the AC power going into it minus the power that goes out of it and is delivered to the speakers (most of which will be converted into heat by the speakers, anyway).

Best regards,
-- Al

datka3's avatar
datka3
11 posts
 
i had  MC462 for a week , did not like it , sold it within a week, it does look fantastic and build is really really good , sound was not up there, 
I liked parasound JC1+JC2 much much more, and sure passlabs probably sounds better than Parasound, 
If i were you i would not get this amp .
liszt458 OP
15 posts
 
Additional reading, and the extremely helpful and informative posts above have decided the issue for me: the Mac is out. Thanks very much to all who took the time to respond!
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