Suggestion from owners please

[miner]

In my listening room I am McIntosh driven. In the living area my gear for background music is Rotel. I am thinking about replacing my Rotel RC-1090 pre and RB-1092 amp with a Mc integrated. I am intrigued by the MA2275 but not sure if it is enough for my B&W N804 speakers, and don't want to drop the coin for the MA7000 - but it is very nice unit. MA6600 or MA6300 a possibility also. Please chime in with your thoughts.

[Jerome W]

Originally Posted by miner

In my listening room I am McIntosh driven. In the living area my gear for background music is Rotel. I am thinking about replacing my Rotel RC-1090 and RB-1092 with a Mc integrated. I am intrigued by the MA2275 but not sure if it is enough for my B&W N804 speakers, and don't want to drop the coin for the MA7000 - but it is very nice unit. MA6600 or MA6300 a possibility also. Please chime in with your thoughts.

Kevin,

Try to find a MA6900 second hand and you will be a happy camper with your 804.

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by miner

In my listening room I am McIntosh driven. In the living area my gear for background music is Rotel. I am thinking about replacing my Rotel RC-1090 and RB-1092 with a Mc integrated. I am intrigued by the MA2275 but not sure if it is enough for my B&W N804 speakers, and don't want to drop the coin for the MA7000 - but it is very nice unit. MA6600 or MA6300 a possibility also. Please chime in with your thoughts.

Kevin.......You mentioned the living room system is primarily for background music. With that in mind, the MA2275 will be fine with the B&W's. If you are going to be cranking it up from time to time then Jérôme's suggestion may prove the better option with it's 200 watts per channel of solid state power versus the MA2275 tube output of 75 watts per channel.

Some additional considerations might be the five band EQ on the MA6900. The MA2275 has only bass and treble controls. The MA2275 does provide one set of balanced inputs, where the MA6900 only offers unbalanced inputs. The MA6900 also offers Loudness compensation, where the MA2275 does not.

MA2275



MA6900

[Formerly YB-2]

Having owned the MA6900, MA2275 and the MA6600, in that order, I would happily own another MA6600, but neither of the other two. Obviously, YMMV.

[Jerome W]

Originally Posted by Formerly YB-2

Having owned the MA6900, MA2275 and the MA6600, in that order, I would happily own another MA6600, but neither of the other two. Obviously, YMMV.

Why ?

Sent from my iPhone using A.Aficionado

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by Formerly YB-2

Having owned the MA6900, MA2275 and the MA6600, in that order, I would happily own another MA6600, but neither of the other two. Obviously, YMMV.

Glenn.......I have heard similar comments in the past. Can you elaborate on your experiences with the MA2275 and the MA6900 compared to the MA6600?

[Formerly YB-2]

Well, drat. Answered at some length from the wife's iPad last evening, but the response seems to have gotten stuck in the time warp between France and the U.S. I'll try again once we are home next month.

[miner]

Thanks for all replies - interested in YB-2s explanation.

[unitycoupled]

miner: My suggestion would be a solid state integrated. Integrated because in your living area, you'll probably want to keep the clutter down and also because it will be easier for "non-enthusiasts" to operate. Solid state because you can leave it on for prolonged periods without worrying about tube life. And also because solid state will tolerate power cycling better than a tube amp.

[Formerly YB-2]

Originally Posted by miner

Thanks for all replies - interested in YB-2s explanation.

OK....... Finally somewhere with a decent internet connection.

Owned an MA6850 back in the early '90s. Terrific integrated. Meter failed after ~2 years, so traded for a C38/MC300 combo. Then an MC500. Got moved back into the condo and downsized to an MA6900 in '01, maybe '02. Big step down in sonics. Simply did not sound like McIntosh to my ears. Tried for six months with three different sets of well regarded speakers, but simply never worked for me with my mix of classical/jazz & some rock. Always sounded rolled-off at both ends. Big disappointment.

Was happy with a C2200/MC275MkV driving a set of Joseph Audio 7XLs about 3-4 years ago. Again, back into the condo and need to downsize. Ask Frank Gow to send me an MA2275. Frank, being the wise person he was, suggested that I hang on to my present amp/preamp until completely happy with the MA2275. No comparison. Tried tube rolling, cable swapping, etc. But, at the end of 30 days the MA2275 went back.

If you have not spent time with some of McIntosh's better systems then you may well be happy with an MA6900 or MA2275 compared to other marques. However, trying to downsize into them did not work for me and I would not suggest for others if you have an alternative.

The MA6600 is worthy to downsize into. To my ears, it has the same sonic signature as the larger solid-state amps. If I had not made the move back to tubes I would still be happily using an MA6600. To me, it is a modernized MA6850.