Michi M8 vs Mcintosh MC312

[boomerang]

Replacing the MC312 for two Michi M8, brought a serious improvement regarding low frequency power, speed, control.
(Both where used to power B&W 801D4 btw.)
But I always had the impression, that the overall sound, especial midrange and high, was somehow flatter now, less three dimensional compared to the McIntosh.
Strange, Michi got very good reviews, not only regarding power and dynamics!
Anyhow, it made me think about bi-amping, Michi for low frequencies, McIntosh for mid/high.
Meanwhile, I have made an active low pass 18db filter, to be able to bridge the passive low pass of the 801D4 as well.
After a lot of measuring and tweaking, today I got the right channel playing with the active low pass and Michi M8 for the low band, the MC312 for the mid/high band.
Both left and right channel mono, equal levels, we started to listen, left Ch on Michi M8, right ch bi-amped with M8 and Mc.
There it was again, that three-dimensional sound, more forward and open!
Is this just the difference between two amps?
Or is the McIntosh shining because it does not have to deliver low frequency energy?
I tend to think that the Mcintosh is still the more musical amp, though maybe not as well equipped for powering the 801D4.
Curious to read your comments guys!

 

[MaxBuck]

Replacing the MC312 for two Michi M8, brought a serious improvement regarding low frequency power, speed, control.
(Both where used to power B&W 801D4 btw.)
But I always had the impression, that the overall sound, especial midrange and high, was somehow flatter now, less three dimensional compared to the McIntosh.
Strange, Michi got very good reviews, not only regarding power and dynamics!
Anyhow, it made me think about bi-amping, Michi for low frequencies, McIntosh for mid/high.
Meanwhile, I have made an active low pass 18db filter, to be able to bridge the passive low pass of the 801D4 as well.
After a lot of measuring and tweaking, today I got the right channel playing with the active low pass and Michi M8 for the low band, the MC312 for the mid/high band.
Both left and right channel mono, equal levels, we started to listen, left Ch on Michi M8, right ch bi-amped with M8 and Mc.
There it was again, that three-dimensional sound, more forward and open!
Is this just the difference between two amps?
Or is the McIntosh shining because it does not have to deliver low frequency energy?
I tend to think that the Mcintosh is still the more musical amp, though maybe not as well equipped for powering the 801D4.
Curious to read your comments guys!

I think all this speculation is meaningless without controlled listening comparisons.

 

[boomerang]

Thats what we did, switching back and forth.
Just can’t figure out, is it the bi amping itself, or is the Mac just a different sounding amp

 

[VintageFlanker]

controlled listening comparisons.

Thats what we did, switching back and forth.

No, I don't think you did.
I'm afraid there's a lot of expectation bias being involved here.

Strange, Michi got very good reviews, not only regarding power and dynamics!

Absolutely everything got very good reviews, especially in this price category. Nothing strange, IMHO.

I tend to think that the Mcintosh is still the more musical amp,

I don't have a clue what that means. Joke aside : like you say, you tend to think, then you hear what you expect to hear.

 

[BDWoody]

Curious to read your comments guys!

First thought...

 

[muslhead]

Another golden eared newbie taken to the woodshed. You would think they would do some searching before posting these types of comments. Or, they dont care as they are a shill for Rotel?

 

[VintageFlanker]

More objective data about Michi M8:

Rotel Michi M8 Mono Power Ampiifier Lab Report

Lab Report As we discovered when talking with Peter Kao, MD of Rotel Global, the M8 is not a bridged S5 but a very large, single-ended power amp in its own right. Indeed, the S5 was derived from the M8 (not the other way around) and so both amplifiers have comparable engineering and performance...

www.hifinews.com

Stereo: Produkt

www.stereo.de

 

[Mnyb]

More objective data about Michi M8:

Rotel Michi M8 Mono Power Ampiifier Lab Report

Lab Report As we discovered when talking with Peter Kao, MD of Rotel Global, the M8 is not a bridged S5 but a very large, single-ended power amp in its own right. Indeed, the S5 was derived from the M8 (not the other way around) and so both amplifiers have comparable engineering and performance...

www.hifinews.com

Stereo: Produkt

www.stereo.de

Enormous amounts of power , should drive almost anything, wonder what the self noise off these powerful amps is it possible to select gain ?

 

[MaxBuck]

More objective data about Michi M8:

Rotel Michi M8 Mono Power Ampiifier Lab Report

Lab Report As we discovered when talking with Peter Kao, MD of Rotel Global, the M8 is not a bridged S5 but a very large, single-ended power amp in its own right. Indeed, the S5 was derived from the M8 (not the other way around) and so both amplifiers have comparable engineering and performance...

www.hifinews.com

Stereo: Produkt

www.stereo.de

Thanks for the link. These Rotel Michi amps look to be both clean and immensely powerful. Too bad they generate so much heat as to require those huge cooling fans.

IMO it's extremely unlikely that anyone would hear any differences between the McIntosh and Rotel amps in ABX sampling. They're certainly excellent products.

 

[boomerang]

Nice comments...
Felt like a warm welcome too! (Muslhead)

About that expectation bias; Why should I bother buying two of those M8’s, when I am biased towards the McIntosh I already have?
What would be my goal?
Just throwing money?
What a joke.

And if I understand your comments correctly, it can not be that the Mcintosh sounds “better” or even different compared to a Michi.
Noted.
My wife and I still are convinced the Michi’s alone, sounded less airy.
But maybe we where drunk all the time

Regarding “generating so much heat”.
That is not the case.
Displays never show more then 38 degr C.
You then have to put your ears very close the the amps, to be able to hear a fan.
Even after hours of listening on a fairly high level, there still isn’t any audible fan noise that could disturb listening.