How would the S5 match up with a pair of McIntosh MC601's

[Hans Christian]

Does anyone have this combo or heard it. Aside from the two Mc's My preamp is the C2500. Would this be a good pairing.
I currently have some older Dali's but I was almost going to pull the the trigger on a pair of B&W 800 which I have heard with my amp setup.

Looking for any good insight/experience from the Magico group.

Best
HC

[TOGA]

At least a famous Stereo Sound magazine matched Mc with S1 in latest issue. Toga

[jazzman]

The S5 are quite easy to drive. Any good amp will be a good match. I have not direct experience with Mcintosh. If your amp is not good, you will hear it with the S5, because it will be much more transparent to the source than the B&W. But if it is good, you will hear your music like never before ;-)

Originally Posted by jazzman

The S5 are quite easy to drive. Any good amp will be a good match. I have not direct experience with Mcintosh. If your amp is not good, you will hear it with the S5, because it will be much more transparent to the source than the B&W. But if it is good, you will hear your music like never before ;-)

+ 1. The only thing i'd add from my experience is the S5's seem to sound best with tube-like solid state amps which are on the warm side. I haven't heard Macs set up with S5's, but you can only give them a try. The most haunting sound i've heard from Magico was a pair of Q1's paired with a Vitus SIA-025 & Vitus SCD-010 front end. I now own an SIA-025 and am having great success running it in Class A mode. Think quality over quantity

[CLEE]

Originally Posted by Bodhisattva

+ 1. The only thing i'd add from my experience is the S5's seem to sound best with tube-like solid state amps which are on the warm side. I haven't heard Macs set up with S5's, but you can only give them a try. The most haunting sound i've heard from Magico was a pair of Q1's paired with a Vitus SIA-025 & Vitus SCD-010 front end. I now own an SIA-025 and am having great success running it in Class A mode. Think quality over quantity

+1. I drive my S5 with an ASR Emitter II which is slightly on the warm side. The sound is most enjoyable.

Originally Posted by CLEE

+1. I drive my S5 with an ASR Emitter II which is slightly on the warm side. The sound is most enjoyable.

That is a terrific integrated as well, though a bit too big for my space limitations. I'll hopefully get a chance to hear one at the Melbourne Hifi show this Saturday

[jesusdima]

Sorry to hijack but I was wondering the same thing, I was thinking about pairing MC1.2KW or Pass x600.5 with the magico S5, has anyone listened to something similar.

[Penthouse-D]

why not Pass XA160.5'? I had Q5's originally with Mc 601's. Disaster.

[jazzman]

Originally Posted by Penthouse-D

why not Pass XA160.5'? I had Q5's originally with Mc 601's. Disaster.

At Tokyo show last year, Magico distributor (who is also distributing McIntosh) was showing the S5 with both a pair of Pass and the Hegel combo. The Pass sounded slow and muddy in comparison to the (cheapest) Hegel. The whole McIntosh range was showed in the same room, but in static display... so I assume he would have used one of their amp if they sound better than the 2 amps he chose.

[willyjack]

Originally Posted by jazzman

At Tokyo show last year, Magico distributor (who is also distributing McIntosh) was showing the S5 with both a pair of Pass and the Hegel combo. The Pass sounded slow and muddy in comparison to the (cheapest) Hegel. The whole McIntosh range was showed in the same room, but in static display... so I assume he would have used one of their amp if they sound better than the 2 amps he chose.

Yes Hegel sounds awesome with S5. Beating amps many times more expensive.