tube pre & ss amp integrated


Been tooling around youtube , I know but what else is there now ? Very cautious !

Wife has fallen for  Mcintosh MA352 . I must have  tubes some place in there , she likes ss, seems to be the best of both worlds  for us . 

I am wondering what would compete with mac soundwise?

Will be using Klipsch Forte 4's with it .

Thank you and be safe.

saki70

Showing 4 responses by soix

The most important consideration is what sound characteristics you’re looking for.  Are you looking for something more neutral or more in the more traditional warmer tube sound?  What other aspects are important to you?

That said, the MA352 puts out 200Wpc and the Forte doesn’t need anywhere near that much power, and you could also save $$$ and maybe even realize better sound quality by going with a lower-powered amp.  Here’s a quote from the review in Stereophile as an example…

The 20Wpc Shindos were easily, profoundly better with the Forte IVs than the solid state amps had been. The life-affirming jazz swing pumping out of the Fortes had more impact, tonal beauty, force, and weight, and the images were larger. I was floored by the wall of sweet-toned sound coming at me like a warm music wave. With the Shindo/Forte IV pairing, all was flesh and blood, texture and tension. Hank Jones's piano glistened, Tony Williams's drums had terrific tone and weight, and Ron Carter's bass was upfront and present—all rich and first-row palpable.

Yeah, but that’s a $15K tube amp!

@jasonbourne52 That wasn’t the point. The point was that the speakers can thrive on 20 Watts of power and 200 Watts is complete overkill.

If I was you I’d seriously consider this hybrid Pathos Classic One Mklll. It has that nice warm tube sound and puts out 70Wpc, which is plenty for the Forte.  And it’s also drop-dead gorgeous to look at. Plus, at $3200 it’s less than half the price of the Mac. Kevin Deal at Upscale Audio has taken over US distribution of Pathos, which is nice because he’s a great resource if you ever want to alter the sound at all with some tube rolling. FWIW, and best of luck.

https://www.tonepublications.com/review/the-pathos-classicone-mk-iii/

In listening to some of the Pathos gear ...does anyone notice a mild midrange recess ? It seems to be a trait .

I would highly doubt that given reviews I’ve read where the mids are an area of strength for the brand.  What speakers was the Pathos paired with?  Something seems off here if recessed mids is what you heard.