Why the hate for mcintosh amps?

You don’t need to bias any of the older Mcintosh valve amps unless you rebuild the power supply. Then only once. You can replace the little pot they use to set the bias with a fixed resistor. You measure the value of the pot and match the resistor. I install a better pot and then I can change it if I want.. I seldom do..

The only thing better than Mac is another Mac.. The only start to finish system made. Down to the wall plug. There is not a single component you need to go outside of Mac for, including speakers. I made their speakers work well with little change. I’ve yet to find a speaker that makes me completely happy other than my own contraptions anyway. I like a few of Macs LS speakers.

50% of the sound is the room anyways. A ground up approach, Electrical, Room, Subs, and everything else. 40-45% at the most is split between, the recording, the source player, amplification, main speakers (up to 3) and cabling. The actual power amps if given a number 15-20% maybe.

The one thing folks seem to forget. The equipment’s job is to make ME happy not anything else. The reason I LOVE Mac it is very neutral, and true to the WAY the music was put to the media. The great part is, I may not like the way it sounds, but with a Mac, I can change any of it to make ME, not YOU happy. AND Certainly not "rules set forth by rooky audiophilers". Like no tone control, silliest thing I’ve ever heard.

They ALL started with tone control and then CHEAPED out and removed it on a lot of equipment. WHY? Because they are CHEAP that’s why. It’s not easy or inexpensive to design a good tone control system like Macs with VARIABLE loudness, not fixed. It’s EASY to leave it out. It’s hard to put it in. You pay for what you get. You open any NEW Mac what do you see? Vishay, WIMA, silver traces on the IC boards, Glass, two part chassis, plated, powder coated. They are not cheap to make or design..

Mac has seen a LOT of companies come and go. My C2500 was just fixed, guess how much? I have to pick it up. Go ahead guess, blown right channel, cable drop blew a 20 amp house fuse..

Happy new year.

.Regards

50 years with Mac, last June. There are products I don't care for and I don't buy them. The prices have always been high. The return has always been high.

I like Mac Vintage tube gear more so than anything else. BUT!  There are some special sounding SS preamps that are really nice too. C45 and a MX120, No idea why, don't care why.. The C2200 on up all are good units. I have a C2500 that is just wonderful. I use a Cary V12r, Six Pacs, (on loan) pair of 211s (pretty nice).

I've paired them with Samra C11, 20, MX110s (2), C22, C2200, MX120, C50, MX150, MX160, C2500, C2600.

I owned 601, 1.2k, a pair of MC2300 and MC2500 at the same time, the only thing I ever seen make the house light dim when they were firing up.

MC240, MC2300 (2) and a MC2500, will net you a 300.00 increase in your electric bill, 20 years ago. MY WIFE had a cow...NO $hit, me too.

I went with James B and some modded Ampzilla's he had and sold all the SS Mac, gear at a whoppin' profit I might add.. My PG&E went to the normal 50.00 increase..

I still have 25+ pieces of Mac valve Vintage..

Listen to a tricked out MC225 or 240 or a pair of MC30 or 60 with the right valves.. C11,20,22 or MX110z. Mercy..

Same type of speakers, small planars and ribbons.

The only thing missing. A REMOTE!!

Really ebm? You're a Mac guy?

Normally you go on and on and on about everything..

Can't get a word in edge wise.. :-)

Mac guy, who would have thunk?

Magico too. Nice combo, What do you use for a preamp/source?

Regards

Hardly ever heard them. I imagine they sound good but they look so pretentions. If you wear several rings and large gold chain they may fit in a lounge that has velvet paintings of cigar smoking, sombrero wearing, pistol toting Mexicans.

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Probably because you weren’t welcome to listen to some of the finest gear ever produced. Especially if you know what to look for or what your talking about.. You know guys like Jerry Garcia, Carlos Santana, Brian Wilson and lil-ol-me, the American Irish kid..

Best parties in the world Amigo..

Just so you know most are not haters, they are just plain jealous. They should be, if you know what you’re looking for, just like anything else Mcintosh will fill most ANY requirement.. It can cost a bundle too.

There are some folks that trick out Macs best equipment and just like any other piece of tweaked (one of a kind) gear, MAC does hold up, pretty darn well. C1XX - CXXXX control gear is pretty good stuff.. 20-40K before tweaks but I like Mac.. BTW I like tone control and VARIABLE loudness.. and they have a TT I just want. So what!! :-)

Regards

If you flip a switch, they are line stage.
Flaw, I don’t think so. Either or in all their new gear..

Some people think line stage means volume only, not even a balance.
I personally wouldn’t own just a line stage. The closest I have ever owned is a Krell HT and it had sub and bass management.

The other 15+ preamps I own ALL have tone control, maybe 5 or 6 have tone control bypass.

Sure nice having tone control breaking in things.. Cables, speakers and the like.. A little tweak until things settle down a bit. I stay at + 1 to -1 on the bass. Crap CDs get a treble adjustment every now and then..

Regards

You know femoore12 you can always return the gift.. No need to accept any of the gifts people offer.. Just sayin'


Regards

The question is not the amount of bass it's the quality and timing of the bass. A lot of folks are finding out the difference. A sub on either side of the seated position and mains set in a good triangle about 1/3 further away than the subs, might change your mind. I use a setup that the front of the sub is an 15" passive and both sides are 12" HE actives. 6CF boxes.

The 2 passives are the first sub driver to hit my position. Some recordings are NOT phase correct, I just flip the 180 switch on one sometimes both.
It's still 6 drivers in 6 different directions into the room. Its a DBA in two boxes. Best idea I had in a while to tell the truth.. I tried it over the last week or so... A second 12" passive facing the wall? It would act like 8 drivers because it would be 8 drivers.. No need for 8 boxes though..
Just Distributed BASS, no array. Maybe radial bass array. or ARC BASS

I also use GRs servo subs turned sideways on either side of the seated position 4-6 12" OB HE drivers... (they are setting right now.)

It's how the room pressures and the timing. If you decouple your mains and subs. AND add as much room treatment as you can stand.. That is 50% of the sound anyway.

I like a ported room to. Some people like a sealed or semi sealed room, that makes a ton of difference in EAR pressure. The heavier the bass the more I port the room... IF I want to listen for a while..

12-24 Helmholtz tuning tubes should smooth out the rest. Where is Master M? Room first, tubes last... :-)

I'm going to buy one more Mac. Tube C1100 all tricked out. My ears are going to need that tone control soon enough.. 

I don't care who hates Mac... More for me.. :-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr1IA8Vnw0A