New MA252 Integrated Amp

[Mille162]

Originally Posted by Formerly YB-2

Mille162 - we are fortunate to live where we do for FM. That MR78 will serve you well in our market with the Penn & Temple stations (among others).

Lol, I used to have a show on Drexel’s WKDU 91.7 in the late 90’s so I’m pretty loyal to that station

[gabor]

I finally succumbed to the McIntosh mantra after decades of owning "lesser" amps/receivers.
Bought the MA 252 to replace a 20 year old entry Anthem power amp/pre amp combo.One purpose was to reduce the weight (45 lbs to 28 lbs).

The 252 is my first amp without a "loudness" button and initially I was missing that sort of warm sound produced by those tone "enhances".I have a dedicated two channel system and play at lower volumes a lot of the time.
Then I started hearing instruments emerge from some of my better quality CDs that I never appreciated before.

I've paired the 252 with a Musical fidelity MX Dac and a pair of Paradigms Prestige 75fs and Paradigm 12 inch sub.

What I also notice is the vast difference in sound quality between sources that are mastered poorly and those that are not.These differences were less apparent with my previous amps/receivers all of which were not in the league of McIntosh price wise.

I do not hear the "hissing noise" mentioned on this thread.Maybe it's due to my high frequency hearing loss.(Can't discern the sound of Cicadas in the summer!).
I'll ask my daughter who has very sensitive hearing.

Anyway I am impressed with the sound,build quality and aesthetics of the 252.

Gabe

[mcpaf76]

Originally Posted by gabor

I finally succumbed to the McIntosh mantra after decades of owning "lesser" amps/receivers.
Bought the MA 252 to replace a 20 year old entry Anthem power amp/pre amp combo.One purpose was to reduce the weight (45 lbs to 28 lbs).

The 252 is my first amp without a "loudness" button and initially I was missing that sort of warm sound produced by those tone "enhances".I have a dedicated two channel system and play at lower volumes a lot of the time.
Then I started hearing instruments emerge from some of my better quality CDs that I never appreciated before.

I've paired the 252 with a Musical fidelity MX Dac and a pair of Paradigms Prestige 75fs and Paradigm 12 inch sub.

What I also notice is the vast difference in sound quality between sources that are mastered poorly and those that are not.These differences were less apparent with my previous amps/receivers all of which were not in the league of McIntosh price wise.

I do not hear the "hissing noise" mentioned on this thread.Maybe it's due to my high frequency hearing loss.(Can't discern the sound of Cicadas in the summer!).
I'll ask my daughter who has very sensitive hearing.

Anyway I am impressed with the sound,build quality and aesthetics of the 252.

Gabe

Congratulations, it's a great amp you'll enjoy it. Give it a week or so to reach it's final break in. I hear no hiss from mine either, even playing a silent test tone at 100% volume with ear to speakers.

[gabor]

Actually I had a re evaluation and I can confirm that described hissing sound by others on this thread.
Should I do anything about it?Otherwise the system produces a great sound....

[mcpaf76]

Originally Posted by gabor

Actually I had a re evaluation and I can confirm that described hissing sound by others on this thread.
Should I do anything about it?Otherwise the system produces a great sound....

How loud is it, and at what volume level?

[gabor]

Originally Posted by mcpaf76

How loud is it, and at what volume level?

Volume is independent.One's ear has to be within inches of the active speaker drivers to hear it.

OK:

So far browsing on our www, here are the following explanations for low white noise emanating from a speaker(including those driven by tubes amps).This excludes the obvious ground hum noise most commonly heard with an ungrounded turntable:

- is a normal property of sound produced by electricity
- is due to tubes and tune amps
-is in direct proportion to a speaker's sensitivity
- is a fault in the pre amp section of ones equipment

So,which of these "fake news" is the real truth?

[Route 66]

I also have an MA252 and to me, you're really splitting hairs to claim that this amp has a problem with hiss. Yes, if I turn the volume way up and place my ear right next to the tweeter, I hear hiss but it's in no way an issue to be concerned about.

[mcpaf76]

Is the volume with hiss and ear to speaker higher than any level you'd normally listen at with a given source? If so it probably isn't an issue and is normal.

[gabor]

Originally Posted by Route 66

I also have an MA252 and to me, you're really splitting hairs to claim that this amp has a problem with hiss. Yes, if I turn the volume way up and place my ear right next to the tweeter, I hear hiss but it's in no way an issue to be concerned about.

Agree.In previous replies to this thread, there are people who returned their 252 due to this factor...


Thanks for your reassurance!

[Route 66]

Originally Posted by gabor

Agree.In previous replies to this thread, there are people who returned their 252 due to this factor...

Their loss, not ours.