matowi
New member
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2015
- Messages
- 31
- Thread Author
- #1
Hi All,
And let me start with a warm and sincere "thank you". I've been a quiet reader of this forum for quite some time and eventually decided to go "all Mac". Reasons for me included: distinctive sounding, unique design, a solid piece of in-house engineering and a legacy of true dedication. Few companies offer this blend, and McIntosh wins hands down with the unmistakeable, consistent look and feel of their products.
To introduce myself: I come from Poland, live in Warsaw, have had an affair with love to music for a good 10 years and the Mac gear is my third system. Throughout the years the two companies I've kept being faithful to include: Thiel and Transparent. The Thiel speakers were the most affordable for me within the rare breed of 100% own engineering, honest sound and craftsmanship, in other words the qualities that count (to me at least). I went from their entry level 1.6 model, to 2.4 and now 2.7. My room is too small to allow for the 3.7s, which I absolutely love. The cabling by Transparent repeats much of the same: in-house genius, commitment, honest craftsmanship and definitely consistent sound. Here too, I moved through the ranks and currently my cabling is from the "Ultra" level, which is top of the line of mainstream products. Above sit the "reference grade" products, which for now are out of my budget.
Electronics have come from three manufacturers, including Mac. First was Cyrus. A small UK based company which produces electronics in "shoe box size". Can't not love them for the unique idea, the execution and the sound. It ranges from basic, well ordered, honest and pleasant (entry level products) to quite serious and proper (transparency, accuracy, dynamics, stage, extensions) at the very top. The products have their limitations (given size and weight), but for 90% of listeners that should never be a problem. Yet, here are people who fall into the other 10%...
So my second set up was from Electrocompaniet. This Norwegian company fits squarely in the European kind of sound, with a distinctive Nordic flavor. My own reflection when listening to music through their system (on Transparent's Ultras and Thiel's 2.7s) was that of a winter evening on a Norwegian fjord (I.e. Freezing cold) and a cracking fireplace. The system was super crisp and clear, almost as if cut with a surgeon's knife. Precision and control were the clear objectives of the designer team. What it lacked was lower end extension and warmth of the bass. Mids were fluid, and warm, highs diamond cut.
And then, last week, it happened. I traded my Norwegian gear (top of the line, top loader CD player, top of the line pre-amp and a mid level stereo am) for "The legend". In my case, the legend consists of only two components: the MA8000 integrated and the MCD550 source.
First impressions... Not impressive. Transparency, staging, crispness, elegance, smoothness, warmth of the mids and shine of the highs... All GONE, GONE, GONE. To my dismay. The system was left playing at 15% volume for 2 days and 2 nights. Things started to improve, firstly in the bass (low registers), which became tight, controlled, full and fluidly warm. I am hoping for the rest of the spectrum to follow suit.
Given that the average life span of my gear is 2 years (I upgraded within Cyrus family once and within Electrocompaniet also once), I am starting to save up for a proper upgrade. Thinking of going to 500 pre-amp (tube) and 601 amps. Would that be the right route? Or would the MCD550 need to go as well and give place to the 1100?
Some food for thought.
Happy to be here. Happy to gaze at the blue meters, greenish display, green logo and all the other Mc artifacts
. Wishing all of you many an evening with the music you love delivered in the way you love!
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
And let me start with a warm and sincere "thank you". I've been a quiet reader of this forum for quite some time and eventually decided to go "all Mac". Reasons for me included: distinctive sounding, unique design, a solid piece of in-house engineering and a legacy of true dedication. Few companies offer this blend, and McIntosh wins hands down with the unmistakeable, consistent look and feel of their products.
To introduce myself: I come from Poland, live in Warsaw, have had an affair with love to music for a good 10 years and the Mac gear is my third system. Throughout the years the two companies I've kept being faithful to include: Thiel and Transparent. The Thiel speakers were the most affordable for me within the rare breed of 100% own engineering, honest sound and craftsmanship, in other words the qualities that count (to me at least). I went from their entry level 1.6 model, to 2.4 and now 2.7. My room is too small to allow for the 3.7s, which I absolutely love. The cabling by Transparent repeats much of the same: in-house genius, commitment, honest craftsmanship and definitely consistent sound. Here too, I moved through the ranks and currently my cabling is from the "Ultra" level, which is top of the line of mainstream products. Above sit the "reference grade" products, which for now are out of my budget.
Electronics have come from three manufacturers, including Mac. First was Cyrus. A small UK based company which produces electronics in "shoe box size". Can't not love them for the unique idea, the execution and the sound. It ranges from basic, well ordered, honest and pleasant (entry level products) to quite serious and proper (transparency, accuracy, dynamics, stage, extensions) at the very top. The products have their limitations (given size and weight), but for 90% of listeners that should never be a problem. Yet, here are people who fall into the other 10%...
So my second set up was from Electrocompaniet. This Norwegian company fits squarely in the European kind of sound, with a distinctive Nordic flavor. My own reflection when listening to music through their system (on Transparent's Ultras and Thiel's 2.7s) was that of a winter evening on a Norwegian fjord (I.e. Freezing cold) and a cracking fireplace. The system was super crisp and clear, almost as if cut with a surgeon's knife. Precision and control were the clear objectives of the designer team. What it lacked was lower end extension and warmth of the bass. Mids were fluid, and warm, highs diamond cut.
And then, last week, it happened. I traded my Norwegian gear (top of the line, top loader CD player, top of the line pre-amp and a mid level stereo am) for "The legend". In my case, the legend consists of only two components: the MA8000 integrated and the MCD550 source.
First impressions... Not impressive. Transparency, staging, crispness, elegance, smoothness, warmth of the mids and shine of the highs... All GONE, GONE, GONE. To my dismay. The system was left playing at 15% volume for 2 days and 2 nights. Things started to improve, firstly in the bass (low registers), which became tight, controlled, full and fluidly warm. I am hoping for the rest of the spectrum to follow suit.
Given that the average life span of my gear is 2 years (I upgraded within Cyrus family once and within Electrocompaniet also once), I am starting to save up for a proper upgrade. Thinking of going to 500 pre-amp (tube) and 601 amps. Would that be the right route? Or would the MCD550 need to go as well and give place to the 1100?
Some food for thought.
Happy to be here. Happy to gaze at the blue meters, greenish display, green logo and all the other Mc artifacts
. Wishing all of you many an evening with the music you love delivered in the way you love!Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
