Amps for around $600 or so. Need suggestions...

[enit]

With the Mc7108, I'd be tri/ bi amping my speakers away!

I'm using my mc7100 right now bi-amping my center channel, with mc300 as my left and right.

Initially bridged my mc7100. It did well for an 8 ohm speaker, but when i changed to a 4 ohm, it didn't sound too right. It was not recommended anyway. Passive bi-amp sounded better.

Mc7100 was my very first McIntosh amplifier feeding an XR16, which is a 100watt 8 ohm speaker, and it sounded great. The result is a combination of both the speaker and the amplifier so it's hard to say. I've also tried it on Focal Chorus 826W, and that was a good sound too, but it's hard to describe it as an amp alone.

The mc7100 with the xr16 provided deep bass, lush, rich mids. I love dynamic orchestra music, and jazz, so on the orchestra side, I'm always up at the limit with power guards, and they don't provide any fatigue. I guess it is very hard to relate because no other speaker really does what McIntosh speakers do.

On the chorus 826w, I got really nice upper bass, sweet highs, without being too bright. I can't say I've ever hit power guard with those speakers. The combination is spacious, punchy. If you're thinking tight bass, it goes deep too. Better than the Emotiva 150 watt amp that I had when reviewing. Mc7100 had Better staging, better tone.

Am always on the look out for a McIntosh power amplifier if a good deal comes along.

Someone had a mc7106 for $1,400. Slim end caps generation which was early 90's McIntosh style that I'm looking for, but I missed the boat. If you're looking at those at under $600, damn, I'd be grabbing it. I just have to say, I'm slowly trying to build a full 90's McIntosh slim end cap system. I have on stereo now, and considering home theatre, wondering to go c39, or c100, and eventually mc1000. This is for the master bedroom.

Of course I've got all the new gear in the living room, the dedicated room, and entertainment room in three different residences. But accomplishing the "vintage" one would be quite nice.

I'm 28- so early 90s seems vintage for me, and I remember seeing them as a little kid- of course I don't know the models as I do now, hence I think I've still got a long way to go. So you know, my priorities are different from yours as the "vintage" stuff isn't my main system, though I use it every night when I'm in town.

I had very fond memories of my mc7100 playing stereo with a modified denon receiver. I added stereo line outputs from a denon receiver without line outputs, but the impressions that really stuck was after the preamp was changed. Old mc is better than a new jap receiver, I'd say my mx118 & mc300 sounds much much better than my marantz sr7006 which was 4-5 years newer than the denon receiver. Using line-out, as well as the amp section. No competition there.

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[mraudio]

Originally Posted by cma29

Hi, Charles.

I had an Aragon 4004 Mk II for 20 years and that was a great amp. I'd look into that one.

I just bought, a couple of months ago, a primo condition Aragon 4004 MKII amp and couldn't be happier. What a killer amp! Powers both my Magnepan MG3.6s and my Martin Logan CLSIIAs like it was made for them.

I did a ton of research before I bought it and I forgot how HIGHLY praised the 4004 MKII was.

I have owned MANY amps and this is now one of my favorites!

[chops-tube]

As much as I'd love to get a Mac amp, even another MC250, I just don't think I'm going to be able to afford one any time soon, or any other amp for that matter. The $$$ I received from selling the Monarchy amp ended up going to an unexpected expense just a day ago.

Just when I start getting ahead a little, something comes up and I have to start all over from scratch again, very slowly. It absolutely sucks.