Terry L

My 40 year old Yamaha B2 just bit the dust and I am considering a Mac MA 6600 integrated amp. I am still using my old Dahlquist DQ 10s but am also considering new speakers. Now I know that this is not a tubed amp and therefore unworthy to some, but can I get some feedback on this unit?

bart1

No shame in Mac solid state!

Tonydec

One common comment about newer McIntosh tube gear is that it comes very close to sounding SS. That tells me you can't go wrong either way you choose with McIntosh. The benefit to tubes is that you can tube roll it to tweak it more towards your preference, which you can't do with SS.

bart1

Unboxed and hooked up my second McAmp today.

Tonydec

Nice. I have 2 MC275's, mono-blocking them. What vintage is that 225?

bart1

You have some dream amps, do you know what version?

I bought this one from the original owner, purchased in 1962.

Tonydec

1962, Nice!

I have the Mk V's, so the newer binding posts.

mdrums

I absolutly love McIntosh gear. I use a 2007 amp for my home theater...7ch true 200 watts per channel into Klipsh Ref7 speakers. I auditioned a lot of gear back in 2004 when I made this purchase and went with this set up. I've listen to McIntosh with other speaker and the product is naturally warm and detailed.

bart1

Tony, supposedly they have a slightly different sound, but the MKV have a few upgrades, like the binding posts, that make them very desirable. Incredible amps that will be great to hand down to your children.

Mike, the big HT amps are awesome too!

Mine are doing great. About to separate them in to my main system and a separate tube & vinyl system.

86 3point2

Bart:

Great thread. Been looking to refresh a system specifically for vinyl. Have NAD/Thorens/infinity RS2.....want Mac but unsure about vintage vs new. What would you suggest for a warm tube & vinyl setup?

Thx.

A.Wayne

You should check about re-capping , at that age the caps are out, both amps (PSU for sure) .....

bart1

I'm no expert, but the MX110 and MC225 I have sound like something you might be interested in. I plan to set up a second system with them for vinyl.

Yes, the MC2105 was fully recapped by Terry Dewick last year. The 225 and 110 will go through his shop at some point.

86 3point2

After recovering from analysis paralysis on what to buy for a solid 2 ch setup, I landed on a Mac. Went with MC452 + C2300....pretty jacked up as I have had Mac lust for over 20 years. The shop used to sell Krell and he has a leftover 600x2 that he was was willing to sell for ~6k which is close to half price...but really liked the Mac sound better.

At this point Mac balanced cables seemed over the top, but a "pkg" deal put them on the cart.

Would appreciate any advice on current cable technology (real performance vs. Marketing hype) - there must be a point where there are diminishing returns on the investment

I am also on the prowl for an upgrade/replacement for my Thorens 165. Mac seems way over-priced as I believe it is a brand labeled Clear Audio unit.

Thanks.

Tonydec

Nice! I have the C2300, very versatile unit. As for turntable, the Thorens is actually a decent unit. If it works well, maybe look at a tone arm rewire and new cartridge. If you just want something new, pick a price point and we can go from there. And you are right, for what they want for that Mac turntable, you can do way better and for less money.

cobalt

If your looking for neutral sound Audience AU24E cables are about as good as you would need to go assuming you are happy with the sound of the units. Simple clean accurate sounding cable in the middle of the price range as far as cables go.

Audience cables are like trailex car trailers. Reasonably priced for what they are offer all around great performance and always command close to their investment price used.

Other names worth looking at; Audioquest or if you have the money to burn Kubala Sosna, or siltec.

As far as TT's go IMO the transrotor Darkstar is one of the finest TT's at any price range. They run around $5k but worth every penny and look cool.