Talk me out of buying Monoblocks and into a stereo amp instead

@dman777 

I was in the exact same position you were two years ago. I ended up purchasing a pair of MC 611s and C2700. I auditioned the MC 462 with the C2700, but the 611s were slightly better. In hindsight, I wish I had purchased the MC 462 and C12000. I love the McIntosh sound, looks, performance, and brand, and I thought this would be my endgame system.

A big, however, and I know you don't want to hear this, but I just auditioned the new Soulution 331 integrated. Its retail price is equal to the total of the MC 611 and C12000. I will soon be moving away from my beloved MAC system. To put this into perspective, I have roughly $30K retail of cabling/conditioning feeding my MACs. My current system was shamed by how the Soulution 331 performed. I still can't unhear what that integrated did with a measly just over 100-watt specification. 

I wish someone had given me this advice before purchasing my system. It would have saved me a bunch of $$ in the long run.

Best of luck on your journey!

@dman777 

I think the MC 462 punches way above its weight. I was not able to demo the C12000 when I was purchasing, but I believe that combo would outperform the C2700/MC611s. The performance of the C12000 is substantially better than the C2700. I heard the C12000 on another system and found it to be more accurate than the C2700. 

@dman777 

The C12000 sounded beautiful in the system I listened to. However, my MAC system cannot compete with the Solution 331. It is not even close. The Soulution was paired with Magico A5s. I love McIntosh, but they are not in the same league. What came out of the Magicos was an eerily present performance. I read one review where the reviewer stated that the "331 produced sounds that made him turn his head and thought it was an artifact in the room." He eloquently stated what I heard, but I could not put this into my own words. 

Solution is more analytical and less warm than MacIntosh. This sound may not be to your liking, but it has made me rethink what I find important in musical presentation. 

@dman777 

Have not tried to sell yet. Still working things out. 

@dman777 

You have some valid points. Being an audiophile is a disease, and we are never satisfied. I love the McIntosh products; they are probably the best value/performance in the industry. Yes, there will always be better. I have been in this game for over 30 years and have not heard a component make such an impression. The sounds I heard coming out of the Soulution was a WTF moment. I do believe because of the Soulution's accuracy, bad recordings will sound really bad! I was always one who enjoyed a warm presentation, but maybe my sound preferences are changing. I hope to do more auditioning of that integrated since it was not fully broken in yet. 

One last thought. The weak point of my system is the C2700; some have characterized it as sounding muddy. I would love to hear what the MC611s would sound like being driven by an EMM Labs DV2i!

@dman777 

I believe my tastes have changed in regard to how music is presented. In my audiophile journey, I always preferred warmth. I loved tubes, but they have limitations. McIntosh was the closest solid state, sounding like tubes but with tremendous balls. The only other amp I have heard to provide bass similar to the MC 611s was a Gryphon Diablo 300. 

I did have a Luxman 590 AXII, which was a disaster in my system. My current McIntosh system is far superior. 

I believe the C12000 is a great preamp, and my recent audition presented as 'cleaner and more detailed than my C2700' albeit at a $16K cost. However, I did audition the Luxman M10X which sounded glorious. I believe the Luxman presents as the middle-ground between a McIntosh system and Soulution. Still, from what I recall, the Luxman did not provide the magic that the Solution did.

I would spend a lot of time auditioning different components to do it right the first time!