What is it about McIntosh?

[AudioTodd]

Schadenfreude alert. Check that.
Snark alert.

Aww, it's adorable...

View attachment 110777

https://www.mcintoshlabs.com/products/new-products/MHA200

What? We KNOW it will max out, indeed SURPASS, the capabilities of the Audio Precision analyzer since they say it produces "pristine" sound!!

 

[Dialectic]

Cute indeed. I just wish - I JUST WISH - McIntosh would loose those silly green LEDs under the tubes in all their current amplifiers. I know they have a thing about green, but really.....

At least they are not blue LEDs.

 

[mhardy6647]

At least they are not blue LEDs.

Good point.
Of course: blue LEDs could mean - "I need warranty service, stat." (code blue)

I believe the current Mac ethos includes LEDs that monitor... well, you know, something very, very important when the amp is switched on and the tubes reach Nirvana umm I mean their carefully tuned operating points. Red means that very, very important thing is bad; then it turns green, indicating to the technically savvy purchaser of this essential lifestyle accessory that the very, very important thing is good.

oy, I must be in a mood today, eh?

 

[Sal1950]

Cute indeed. I just wish - I JUST WISH - McIntosh would loose those silly green LEDs under the tubes in all their current amplifiers. I know they have a thing about green, but really.....

Nope, that's the Mac thing and it lends a cool look IMO.
Now $2500 and all that over-engineering is completely silly to drive a set of headphones, but if ya got it, flaunt it.
My only concern is that it doesn't technically perform as good or sound as good (accurate) as could be done with a handful of SS components and a battery stuck inside a throat lozenge box?
But that just wouldn't get it in the high end audio market.

 

[Doodski]

a handful of SS components and a battery stuck inside a throat lozenge box?

RFLMAO

 

[Objectivist01]

No measurements available? a pass for me. And hypex and benchmark exists with glorious numbers.

 

[mhardy6647]

RFLMAO

That's the CMoy amplifier, it may be recalled.
It was a thing, what? 10? 20? years ago.

https://www.headphonesty.com/2017/03/cmoy-amp-kit-headphone-amplifier-kit/

 

[ricdelros]

May I know what model of McIntosh that inspired to make an Mc901..Is it the Combination of Mc3500 for Vacuum tube amp and the Mc2300 for the SST??..Thanks

 

[Sal1950]

That's the CMoy amplifier, it may be recalled.
It was a thing, what? 10? 20? years ago.

Out of curiosity, any one have one laying around to send to Amir for measurements?
Truth be told, for the vast majority of headphones, the needed power etc is minimal and a SS amp should be
a very simple box to put together. Like a phono amp, there's no way in hell you need a box and circuitry the size of a AVR to drive a set of headphones to a SOTA level. That plus a couple hundred bucks should cover it..

 

[Objectivist01]

It's marketed scam imo. Those vu meters are nice. Other than that, a ncore can destroy it in spades

 

[MediumRare]

It's marketed scam imo. Those vu meters are nice. Other than that, a ncore can destroy it in spades

Try selling your ncore in 20 years and let me know how much you get for it. My MA6900 is worth what I paid for it 20 years ago. I'd have to buy 2 Benchmarks (that's $6,000 so you don't need to look it up) to have the same power, but then I'd have no preamp.

Oh, and let me know if you can hear the difference between 0.005% and 0.001% distortion on 400 watt peaks. Oh wait, the Benchmark in bridged mono can't do that.

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

Try selling your ncore in 20 years and let me know how much you get for it.

I'd speculate that it would be worth about as much as my 4 year old Android phone, if its still working at all.

 

[preload]

Out of curiosity, any one have one laying around to send to Amir for measurements?
Truth be told, for the vast majority of headphones, the needed power etc is minimal and a SS amp should be
a very simple box to put together.

As a matter of fact:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ously-strong-cmoy-headphone-amp-review.16540/

 

[Kegemusha]

From the TV Serie Bosch, he has some nice setup. Very good TV show, IMHO.

 

[preload]

Try selling your ncore in 20 years and let me know how much you get for it. My MA6900 is worth what I paid for it 20 years ago. I'd have to buy 2 Benchmarks (that's $6,000 so you don't need to look it up) to have the same power, but then I'd have no preamp.

Oh, and let me know if you can hear the difference between 0.005% and 0.001% distortion on 400 watt peaks. Oh wait, the Benchmark in bridged mono can't do that.

If I had room for my McIntosh MC352 power amp, I would take it 10x over a pair of bridged AHB2’s. But I don’t. So I’m stuck with my Benchmarks.

 

[MediumRare]

If I had room for my McIntosh MC352 power amp, I would take it 10x over a pair of bridged AHB2’s. But I don’t. So I’m stuck with my Benchmarks.

That's a beautiful amp. 2 x 350 at any impedance and under 0.005% THD at all frequencies and output levels. Plus this little nugget:
"Intermodulation Distortion 0.005% maximum if instantaneous peak power output does not exceed twice the output power rating." http://www.berners.ch/McIntosh/Downloads/MC352_bro.pdf

One more nugget just for your consideration: "Peak Output Current > 100 amperes"

(Not hating on Benchmark, I think it's wonderful. Just noting that McIntosh is not just "marketing" piffle.)

 

[Sal1950]

As a matter of fact:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ously-strong-cmoy-headphone-amp-review.16540/

OPPS,, thank you so much.
I got stoned and I missed it.
Check this out

 

[Ralph_Cramden]

Not a fan of their current products, but their vintage stuff has a certain je ne sais quoi...

 

[preload]

That's a beautiful amp. 2 x 350 at any impedance and under 0.005% THD at all frequencies and output levels. Plus this little nugget:
"Intermodulation Distortion 0.005% maximum if instantaneous peak power output does not exceed twice the output power rating." http://www.berners.ch/McIntosh/Downloads/MC352_bro.pdf

One more nugget just for your consideration: "Peak Output Current > 100 amperes"

(Not hating on Benchmark, I think it's wonderful. Just noting that McIntosh is not just "marketing" piffle.)

Thanks rub it in. Still saddened that i had to sell it.
After a certain level of measured performance, I stop worrying about audible differences. That’s when appearance/design starts to matters (at least to me).

 

[Mashcky]

I'd speculate that it would be worth about as much as my 4 year old Android phone, if its still working at all.

Try selling your ncore in 20 years and let me know how much you get for it. My MA6900 is worth what I paid for it 20 years ago. I'd have to buy 2 Benchmarks (that's $6,000 so you don't need to look it up) to have the same power, but then I'd have no preamp.

With genuine curiosity, what is behind these arguments? Is there a defensible reason a chip board Ncore won’t last as long as my MC2100? We don’t have 20 years of history with Ncore amps, do we? Are all chip amps made with the same durability? I see a lot of equivocating high end class D with cheap chip amps in these arguments. Is this correct?

Not trying to stir controversy here — I’m actually planning on selling my 50 year old McIntosh for 8 channels of Ncore with over double the power, three times the efficiency, and probably one-quarter the weight. Is this a bad idea? Same goes for my MX117 pre-amp; it can almost be exchanged dollar-for-dollar for an Okto DAC8.

If these newer units survive, and I don’t yet know why they wouldn’t, they can depreciate to $0.00 as long as tunes still come out the way they did when I bought them.