New 2301 owner..... Almost!

[RxJedi]

Hello all!

I’ll try to make this short, but I’d like to give a little background.

...grew up having seen a piece of McIntosh gear in the house, and was hooked! Always wanted some, but could never afford it...

Fast forward, and I’ve been blessed with the ability to purchase some gear. Started with a few smaller pieces, and finally ended up years later with a trio of 601’s. Now, I’m adding a pair of 2301’s!!!! Woop Woop! Sorry, but I’m excited!

I’m waiting for the next production run for delivery, so I hope to have them before Christmas. But, I’m also learning in this “hobby”, and would love/appreciate some advice, suggestions and experience/learnings to help my journey through this time.

We have a large room, and several kids (I’m trying to balance some Harry Potter with a private listening of Jackson Browne)... So, I’m trying to create a hybrid theater; something to satisfy everyone. While navigating through learning what works and what doesn’t, I’m slowing adding to the space; a/v controllers, speakers, subs, etc.... As I mentioned, I added some 601’s, with some Revel Solon2’s. Now, adding the 2301’s creates an opportunity to establish an entire different dynamic, while at the same time learning a lot first hand about solid state / tube differences.

Other than chewing all of my nails off waiting for the 2301’s to arrive sometime in December, can anyone offer some learnings that can increase the enjoyment of my new additions?

As always, thank you to everyone here for the time!

RxJedi

[crwilli]

Congratulations and welcome to the club!!!

Best advice, set them up and just enjoy them!

In time, consider a pair of Sound Anchor stands (Contact MasterLu)

Then consider a set of Gold Lion KT 88’s to replace the OEM tubes. It takes a bushel of them so it is an investment.

[W9TR]

I've owned 601's and have three 2301's in a theater setup - you'll love 'em!
You could change out the tubes to GL's .....Vintage Tube (Bob) on this site is your best bet for getting the 16 KT 88's and 4 12AT7's you'll need. I would just enjoy them for awhile with the stock tubes. Either way they are awesome amps. Enjoy!

[RxJedi]

I apologize in advance if this sounds dumb, but the most common item always is about replacing the stock tubes with gold lion’s.

It seems to be universally accepted that the stock tubes are “average”at best, so why does Mc continue to use the tubes that most users find to be inferior to other available products?

As I’ve never had the product, I can’t add to the conversation. But it’s hard to find any owners posting that the stock tubes can hold water against the gold lions.. Makes me wonder if I should just order the tubes now, and have them for when the units arrive.

[richardallred]

I use the stock tubes and I love the sound, I have never herd the GL’s. So I don’t know what I’m missing. GL’s are on my list.

[vintage_tube]

Originally Posted by RxJedi

I apologize in advance if this sounds dumb, but the most common item always is about replacing the stock tubes with gold lion’s.

It seems to be universally accepted that the stock tubes are “average”at best, so why does Mc continue to use the tubes that most users find to be inferior to other available products?

As I’ve never had the product, I can’t add to the conversation. But it’s hard to find any owners posting that the stock tubes can hold water against the gold lions.. Makes me wonder if I should just order the tubes now, and have them for when the units arrive.

Congratulations on your upcoming amplification.

There is no one on any forum who knows the answer to your question or willing to open post -- just not privy to all the backchannel decision process & logistics, etc. McIntosh tube & preamp amp owners have opinions why -- but nothing concrete.

Suggest you listen and enjoy those amps for awhile even though that's not what I did -- I ordered GL's ahead of arrival & on unpacking, loaded them & placed the unused McIntosh stenciled tubes in boxes -- should I sell the amps at some point -- they'd be with NEW, Unused stock tubes. My MC2301's will be 10 years old next June. Oh My.

A brand new McIntosh stenciled KT88 BTW is $110 each -- ouch.

Best Sir,

Bob

[W9TR]

It seems to be universally accepted that the stock tubes are “average”at best, so why does Mc continue to use the tubes that most users find to be inferior to other available products?

McIntosh's position has always been that their amplifiers are voiced using their tubes and you don't need to change to get higher performance.

A lot of things go into manufacturer sourcing decisions. A few of them are:
Financial stability of the supplier.
Ability to ensure demand can be met, especially spikes in demand.
A comprehensive reliability engineering program.
A comprehensive quality assurance function.
Robust manufacturing process monitoring and control.
A viable disaster recover plan.
The ability to customize the product, in this case marking.
Flexible payment terms.
A program to eliminate the use of conflict metals.
Proper health, safety, and environment (HSE) function for employees.

I'm not saying that New Sensor / Gold Lion does or doesn't have any of these things - just the the sourcing decision is a complex one with a lot of factors that go into it.

[For The Love of Music]

Originally Posted by W9TR

McIntosh's position has always been that their amplifiers are voiced using their tubes and you don't need to change to get higher performance.

A lot of things go into manufacturer sourcing decisions. A few of them are:
Financial stability of the supplier.
Ability to ensure demand can be met, especially spikes in demand.
A comprehensive reliability engineering program.
A comprehensive quality assurance function.
Robust manufacturing process monitoring and control.
A viable disaster recover plan.
The ability to customize the product, in this case marking.
Flexible payment terms.
A program to eliminate the use of conflict metals.
Proper health, safety, and environment (HSE) function for employees.

I'm not saying that New Sensor / Gold Lion does or doesn't have any of these things - just the the sourcing decision is a complex one with a lot of factors that go into it.

Great gear for the OP; AA is a great source to consider options!

Tom, love the listing of the source decision attributes.

[jdandy]

Love, love, love my MC2301's. .

[crwilli]

I also never heard my 2301s with Stock tubes so am only saying they sound fantastic with GLs. I suspect they sound fantastic with the OEM tubes as well.