Recently purchased a McIntosh MAC6700... swap to MC8900???

Vince11281

Vince11281

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I have recently purchased a McIntosh MAC6700 and I am definitely quite happy with it. McIntosh has recently announced that it has come out with a MA8900 integrated which is basically my set up, but with an upgraded digital section and a 5 band equalizer. My dilemma is, do I just stick with my 6700, or do I pay the difference and swap up to the 8900, as I am still in my audition period and have that option. Part of me just says leave well enough alone and be happy, but the grass is always greener. If it helps I mostly just stream Tidal HiFi and I have recently order a Aurender N100H to handle the streaming duties... as always, thank you in advance
 
The limiting factor is the source material. If the bitstream is presented digitally, and converted in the integrated amplifier, the last conversion matters.

If the bitstream is converted to analog before "shipping and handling" by the integrated amp, you're talking about amplification.

I'm​ not a believer in upsampling as much as I am in quiet power supplies and low distortion figures.

Lastly, if there's a substantial price difference, what else could you spend that on?

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I'd be the one to do the swap. The N100H will still feed the digital section. My C52 digital section was awesome and I never should have sold that baby. I think you get more power too.

I am the last person you need to ask but my answer is YES! :)
 
You can buy a World class chair or couch for $1000. Several concert tickets, etc.

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Ok so here goes.... spoke to my sales associate for about an hour and we sorted this all out. I was thinking of swapping to the MA8900 due to the upgraded DAC section because I wanted to feed it with a Aurender N100H. I ended up sticking with the MAC6700 and going with a Lumin D1 with an upgraded power supply. I pretty much came to this decision because the DAC in the Lumin is better then the DAC in either McIntosh, and now I can just run it balanced XLR... as always thanks for the input guys!
 
Vince11281 said:
Ok so here goes.... spoke to my sales associate for about an hour and we sorted this all out. I was thinking of swapping to the MA8900 due to the upgraded DAC section because I wanted to feed it with a Aurender N100H. I ended up sticking with the MAC6700 and going with a Lumin D1 with an upgraded power supply. I pretty much came to this decision because the DAC in the Lumin is better then the DAC in either McIntosh, and now I can just run it balanced XLR... as always thanks for the input guys!
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Makes sense to me. I have the newer McIntosh DAC in my C47 but much prefer my lowly Ayre Codex to it.
 
Seems like you have a pretty great set up! How do you like the C47.... I'm planning on doing a dedicated listening room next and was eyeing up the C47 or the C52 and a pair of MC601s.
 
Vince11281 said:
Seems like you have a pretty great set up! How do you like the C47.... I'm planning on doing a dedicated listening room next and was eyeing up the C47 or the C52 and a pair of MC601s.
Click to expand...

It gets the job done and fits my space requirements. No reason to get the C52 unless you need the better EQ or extra inputs those are the only differences. I'm hoping to make it to the C1100 some day but a DAC upgrade is my first priority.
 
Vince11281 - I'm glad you are enjoying your Mac amplifier. My unsolicited advice is leave well enough alone and enjoy what you have. I just bought the MA8900 and unfortunately, I had the opposite impression. I've always loved the look and feel of Mac gear and I wanted to treat myself to an "heirloom" amplifier, so I bought the MA 8900 without hearing it first (yes, a big, dumb mistake I know). I got it home, hooked it up and I was completely let down. I sold my Hegel H360 to fund the purchase, and to my ears, the Hegel is vastly superior in sound quality. All of the subtle detail, air, liveliness is gone with the MA8900 compared to the Hegel. To me, the MA8900 sounds bloated and slow with a strange nasal quality. It makes me sad every time I turn on my stereo now because I can't hear a lot of the musical information that I KNOW is there in the recording. I find myself turning up the volume thinking that somehow it's still there, just at a lower level. But it's not. Everyone's taste in stereo equipment is different and we all value different things. I've learned the hard (and expensive!) way that the "warm" Mac sound is not for me. On the one hand, I absolutely love the look and feel of the MA8900 and it looks awesome in my living room, but I'm also turned off by the sound. So, all of this is to say that if you've found your sweet spot with the MAC6700, stay put! Don't change for the sake of change because you might be disappointed as I was.

Oh, and for reference, I'm using Harbeth Monitor 30 speakers and an Aurender N100H like you. I love both of them!
 
Jeff,

I am so sorry that you are not happy with the 8900. I've always wondered if all the McIntosh integrateds have/had a similar sound or if each has their own signature.

Have you talked to your dealer about it?
 
I can definitely say first hand they each have their own sound signature... I ended up swapping out my 6700 for a MA8000 and it was a rather noticeable difference.
 
Jeff - maybe your 8900 has a cold? (Sorry, couldn't resist). I'm a big Mc fan, but I could see the 8900 not being the best match for Harbeth. If you can trade it out for an ARC integrated, I think that would be a better match. Air Tight and Harbeth also work well together, but AT is $$$.

I have a hunch the Ayre integrated would work well too.


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Vince,

Thank you. I am happy you love the 8000. I've been looking at the 9000 myself but then the 303 popped up.
 
joeinid said:
Jeff,

I am so sorry that you are not happy with the 8900. I've always wondered if all the McIntosh integrateds have/had a similar sound or if each has their own signature.

Have you talked to your dealer about it?
Click to expand...


No, I haven't. This was a valuable life lesson for Yours Truly - it's better to want what you have, than to have what you want. I loved the sound of the Hegel, but I disliked the industrial look of it. So I succumbed to desire and got what looked nice, at the expense of sound quality and ultimate enjoyment...which is the actual PURPOSE of the object to begin with! Silly. Hopefully I remember this the next time I get the itch to "improve"!
 
I really WANT to love a Mac, but the 8900 is not my cup of tea. How did the 8000 differ in your opinion? It's not too late for me to make a change with my dealer.
 
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