New to Mcintosh (and forum) - Excited To Begin My Journey!

[Killergurt]

Hi all,

I just joined this form a few days ago, I have been lurking and reading a lot and just love the amount of information and how dedicated to this hobby people are.
I wanted to ask for advice from people who have been in similar shoes or been using the same gear that I have.

I have recently made a change to my setup and found myself a little bit "stuck" in terms of what to do next. Even though I owned anything but, I always wanted to own Mcintosh and build a system that has most if not all components by the same company.
I am an avid movie watcher but I listen to a lot of 2-channel music.

Up until 3 weeks ago, my setup for 2-channel listening and 5.1 surround, was:

B&W 802D1 main speakers
B&W HTM2D1 center
Pre-amp: Marantz 8802A - for home theater use
Main amps + DAC: Devialet Expert 400 monoblocks - for stereo listening
Surround amp: Emotiva XPA-3 (Center + 2 surround speakers)

I decided to just go for it and switch to Mcintosh and replaced my pre and amps with a brand new MC452 (for the 2 main speakers) and an MX122 processor to control both surround and 2-channel listening. The rest remained the same.

My impressions so far (very short break-in period) are very positive when I watch movies (multi-channel).
However, 2-channel listening sounds just OK. It's good but it's nowhere near the sound quality I had with the Devialet. I assume it is mainly due to the superior DAC the Devialet has compared to the MX122, which is understandable as the MX122 is a surround-processor-first.

When I listened to music on the Devialet it was almost jaw-dropping. The soundstage was open and accurate but I felt that I wanted more power, this is why I switched to the MC452, hoping it would "open up" the sound further.
Now, with the current setup, the way I hear it, the sound lacks a bit of definition, it's not as accurate, it's very different. Maybe it's the Mcintosh sound that everyone is mentioning and I need to get used to it?
I was under the impression that the new generation amps have more neutral sound to them.

So, to make along story short, those are my questions:

1. I was thinking of replacing the MC452 with 2x MC601 amps to try and drive the 802's with more power. Based on some reviews I read in this forum people say that they do open up the sound and create better bass response.

2. Adding a c52 pre-amp specifically for 2-channel listening but I have no idea how it compares to the Devialet DAC and what it would sound like. I assume that by adding a good pre+DAC I'll be able to significantly improve the 2-channel sound quality.

I will cost me the same to upgrade the amps or get the C52, but I can only afford one of them, so I need some guidance as to which I should go for.

Thank you all in advance, really appreciate getting feedback from more experienced people on this forum.

Gurt.

[4music]

Hi there, not to spend too much words, but I would add a third option (which I would personally do) and that is D1100. State of art DAC + volume control. I think you would get the best results with this option. Also, check if speakers are connected to the 8 ohm tap, use quality power cable for the amp (the more AWG, the better) and try it connected directly in the wall socket.
Cheers

[4music]

Also on the picture I see a very long loudspeaker cable. Have in mind that the shorter, the better. Sometimes using shorter speaker cables behaves as if you added 100watts extra to the amp.

[Killergurt]

Originally Posted by 4music

Hi there, not to spend too much words, but I would add a third option (which I would personally do) and that is D1100. State of art DAC + volume control. I think you would get the best results with this option. Also, check if speakers are connected to the 8 ohm tap, use quality power cable for the amp (the more AWG, the better) and try it connected directly in the wall socket.
Cheers

Thank you 4music.
I would go for the D1100 but if I am not wrong, it doesn't have a HT pass-through feature so I would not be able to integrate it into my home theater setup.
Does that D1100 have a better DAC than the C52? Do you know how they are different?

Speakers are connected (bi-wired) to the 8ohm taps.
I replaced the original power cables with Kimber cables and everything runs through a Furman Elite 15 (which is connected to the wall).

Cable speaker length is 4 feet, which is a little longer than what I currently need but I intend to space them out more soon. Also Kimber cables.

[4music]

Originally Posted by Killergurt

Thank you 4music.
I would go for the D1100 but if I am not wrong, it doesn't have a HT pass-through feature so I would not be able to integrate it into my home theater setup.
Does that D1100 have a better DAC than the C52? Do you know how they are different?

Speakers are connected (bi-wired) to the 8ohm taps.
I replaced the original power cables with Kimber cables and everything runs through a Furman Elite 15 (which is connected to the wall).

Cable speaker length is 4 feet, which is a little longer than what I currently need but I intend to space them out more soon. Also Kimber cables.

Unfortunately, I do not have an HT experience. The DAC in the D1100 is the best made by Mcintosh. What I would advise is to remove the power cord of the amp out of the Furman and plug it directly in the wall. I bet the Furman is seriously limiting the amplifier.

[jdandy]

Killergurt.......Welcome to Audio Aficionado.

You did not say how long you have had the MC452. Break-in on that amplifier takes a minimum of 120 hours. You may want to read this McIntosh MC452 Review. Many owners of the MC452 have posted in that thread about extended break-in time.

[Killergurt]

Originally Posted by jdandy

Killergurt.......Welcome to Audio Aficionado.

You did not say how long you have had the MC452. Break-in on that amplifier takes a minimum of 120 hours. You may want to read this McIntosh MC452 Review. Many owners of the MC452 have posted in that thread about extended break-in time.

Hi Dan,

I have only had the MC452 for 2 weeks with maybe 10 hours of play time (busy time at work). Before going through with the break-in period, one of the things that i was trying to figure out was whether it would make sense to switch to MC601's or not.

Also, for clarity: will I be able to use the D1100 in addition to the MX122 in a pass-through mode?

And high level, what would be the best way to address the issued I brought up earlier:

1. Upgrade the amp?
2. Break it in?
3. Add a pre-amp for 2-channel listening?

Thank you again!

[edward3132]

It is always best to use a dedicated pre-amp for 2 channel listening if this is a priority. The MX122 will never come close to a truly dedicate pre-amp.

I had used a MX121 in my system but also use a C2300 for dedicated stereo listening in passthru. The sound is night and day.

[GeAllan70]

Sexy!!

[Killergurt]

Originally Posted by edward3132

It is always best to use a dedicated pre-amp for 2 channel listening if this is a priority. The MX122 will never come close to a truly dedicate pre-amp.

I had used a MX121 in my system but also use a C2300 for dedicated stereo listening in passthru. The sound is night and day.

Hey Edward,

Thank you for this, I think that this is what I should do. The question is which one to get. I definitely need a pass-through option because I am going to use it as part of my HT theater setup.

> I still don't know if the D1100 is a good fit (not sure if it has the pass-through functionality) and there is also the C52. Is there anything else I should be looking at?

Thank you!