Your favorite Mac amplifiers?

[Logan Nolag]

Originally Posted by Charles

It would be a beautiful system but I would go with a 1.25KW for the bass. Solid State makes for better bass.

Best

Charles

Yeah that's a good idea and it would bring the whole system a lot closer to the 2000w max of those speakers. With 3 2301s I would only be at 900w.

[PHC1]

Don't have a favorite... I lived with MC501s for a few years and loved them.

I guess I could try to fall in love with a pair of these bi-ampable tube/ss monstrosities.

They even come with built in high/low pass filters.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Logan Nolag

Yeah that's a good idea and it would bring the whole system a lot closer to the 2000w max of those speakers. With 3 2301s I would only be at 900w.

Logan, tubes can't match solid state in the bass, IMO.

Best

Charles

[SAM992]

Originally Posted by Charles

Logan, tubes can't match solid state in the bass, IMO.

Best

Charles

I found the best combo was a tube pre-amp like my C1100 that has a very low THD, and a solid state amp... get the best of both sounds, and probably what they designed the MC901 to do with it's hybrid design.

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by Charles

Logan, tubes can't match solid state in the bass, IMO.

Best

Charles

Charles, some SS/speaker combinations sound very dry in the bass due to parameters such as very high damping factors and certain woofer designs. Musical instruments do not stop on a dime... they resonate until the tiniest of the vibrational energy is dissipated. I typically prefer tube bass to SS but with one caveat, the tube amp has to be matched to the speaker power, impedance and sensitivity wise. Tube bass is much more "analog" then. I've owned very nice SS designs as well as some of the tube designs held in high regard. I would never say that SS always beats tubes.

[Logan Nolag]

Originally Posted by PHC1

Charles, some SS/speaker combinations sound very dry in the bass due to parameters such as very high damping factors and certain woofer designs. Musical instruments do not stop on a dime... they resonate until the tiniest of the vibrational energy is dissipated. I typically prefer tube bass to SS but with one caveat, the tube amp has to be matched to the speaker power, impedance and sensitivity wise. Tube bass is much more "analog" then. I've owned very nice SS designs as well as some of the tube designs held in high regard. I would never say that SS always beats tubes.

In this imaginary world I don't think there would be any problem buying 3 pairs of MC2301s and 3 pairs of MC1.25kws and then mixing and matching to determine which combination is best.

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by Logan Nolag

In this imaginary world I don't think there would be any problem buying 3 pairs of MC2301s and 3 pairs of MC1.25kws and then mixing and matching to determine which combination is best.

Never owned the 1.25 but I have lived with MC2301s and 501s.

A pair of the MC901 would be plenty.

If you ask MasterLu, the MC2KWs is the only way to reach nirvana

[crwilli]

This is mental masturbation.

[Logan Nolag]

Originally Posted by PHC1

Never owned the 1.25 but I have lived with MC2301s and 501s.

A pair of the MC901 would be plenty.

If you ask MasterLu, the MC2KWs is the only way to reach nirvana

lol Yeah. Could pick up a pair of those as well.

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by SAM992

I found the best combo was a tube pre-amp like my C1100 that has a very low THD, and a solid state amp... get the best of both sounds, and probably what they designed the MC901 to do with it's hybrid design.

At this price range, chances are that there will be large and exotic speakers thrown into the mix. One doesn't usually buy $35k worth of amplification for small speakers. The larger speakers typically benefit from lots of power, lots of overhead reserves and current. That is typically not tube territory. Now that customer can have the best of both worlds with the ease of having low and high pass filters AND being able to truly bi-amp with matched level signals like it is supposed to be. Beauty of tubes and beastly bass control.

It's like a Disney story came to life