Help me in the right direction

[n_brio]

I had Mcintosh C2600 and Mc501 but sold that and did buy Hegels new H590, but now it sounds totaly flat and i dont ever play music anymore becaus i dont enjoy it with H590

I really miss the Mcintosh gear, i sold it because i missed som low end speed and resolution in top.

Im using Hp PC with spotify and tidal with audioquest usb cable, and power to all gear thru Isotek polaris.

For now the speaker is B&W CM10 but very soon Olympica 3 or a usd pair of amati futura.

What is the next step when i start over?

Im looking for dynamics, sweet midrange with female voices, i want to feel the singer in the room.

Im on a budget but have a few options:

1: Lumin T2 -> C500T -> MC452

2: Lumin T2 -> C2600 -> MC452

3: Lumin T2 -> C1000T -> MC452

Option 1 and 2 is the same price and option 3 double the price is it worth it?

[John Jordan]

n brio-

I know nothing about the Hegels amp you refer to. New amps do need time to break-in perhaps 100 hours or so. That said...

You may well be missing the tube pre-amp. My best guess is a D1100 and 452 would not give you the sweet mids you are after. Would you consider another 2600 with a 452? Another possibility might be the 275 tube amp depending on your speaker efficiency.

Listening is always the most important factor in making these decisions. Do you have a dealer local or somewhat local that can provide a demo?

[2fastdriving]

I personally feel that a good quality analog preamp will outperform a digital one, so I'd go with #2.

However, your speakers are a somewhat weak link in all this, so yes, you'd want to replace them in order to get closer to the "singer in the room".

I don't have experience with the speakers you mention, but in an overall sense, I'd recommend you put as much money as you can into the speakers and work backward from there, not starting with the amps and working forward to the speakers.

[Mamrak1]

I agree the CM10s were the weak link over the McIntosh amp/preamp combo. Start with different speakers.

[damacman]

I'm not sure what you mean by i missed som low end speed and resolution in top but why not just get back to where you were when you enjoyed playing music on your system? I've been an audio hobbyist for 30 years and have owned McIntosh since 1994. For me, McIntosh has proven to be a key in my enjoyment of music playback in my home.

I can't imagine how the speakers you own can be considered a weak link. I've had the hair stand up on my arms from DM302s and DM580s. It sounds to me like the Mc gear you sold was a better match to the B&Ws in your listening space. Such is the hobby.

Have fun and don't take yourself too seriously.

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by n_brio

Im looking for dynamics, sweet midrange with female voices, i want to feel the singer in the room.

We are all here looking for the same thing!

[n_brio]

I know that the speaker is the weak link and im going to change them out but for now i dont have the room deepth to put the new one in and there for i start with the electronic until i move the the new place.

[Antonmb]

I’m surprised that the Hegel isn’t working for you, the H590 is a top-flight integrated, with excellent amplifier, preamp and DAC sections. You bought it because you thought you were missing something with the Mac gear, so just going back to Mac may not give you what you’re looking for either.

As others have said, the speakers are a weak link - by switching from a Mac to Hegel you may have just moved from highlighting one shortcoming to highlighting another one. The Hegel may be more neutral than the Mac gear, which may have been compensating for the speakers’ shortcomings. I also think you might try upgrading the digital front end first to make sure you’re not shortchanging the Hegel by feeding it from a pc. The Hegel DAC should be very good, so if there’s any way you can try the Lumin U1 first, that might be a good starting point.

But as John Jordan points out, if you haven’t already, make sure you have at least 100 hours on the Hegel.

[Ym2000]

I would agree with many and say speakers are more important in the sound you are after. Sonus Faber + Mcintosh are pretty damn cool. For about a month I had SF Serafinos, T2 with c2600 /MC462 and it was awesome. Had all the sweetness and dynamics I can wish for. Not exactly the components you selected but close

[thyname]

Stop messing around (and wasting money) with electronics until you buy better speakers. Even if you stay with B&W (803 D3 and up)