Pulling the trigger

[taylode]

Next week I’m going to be pulling the trigger on getting my “new/used” HT system. I am both anxious and nervous at the same time. However, before I actually pull the trigger I’d like know if anyone has or has at least listened to Ascent i’s being driven a McIntosh MC207 amp and the MX119 preamp? The amp puts out a true 200 watts regardless of whether it’s 4ohms or 8ohms. I’ve always been a fan of McIntosh equipment but I can’t demo that combination anywhere except my house and by then I’ve already made the commitment.

BTW, what I’ve decided on are ML Ascents for the mains, Theater for center, Fresco for rears, and the Decent for the sub. All powered by the MC207 and MX119 with a Denon 3910 CD/DVD player.

Thanks,
Dennis

 

[DTB300]

Next week I’m going to be pulling the trigger on getting my “new/used” HT system. I am both anxious and nervous at the same time......

BTW, what I’ve decided on are ML Ascents for the mains, Theater for center, Fresco for rears, and the Decent for the sub. All powered by the MC207 and MX119 with a Denon 3910 CD/DVD player.

All the ML choices look good And good things are being said about the Denon 3910.

Amp and Pre Amp Tonal characteristics are a personal preference thing. There are some who like the McIntosh sound and others who do not. If you liked the McIntosh sound in the past, there should be no reason why you will not like it now....But.... The only thing that may come up is the ML's are very revealing of what is upstream from them and you may hear things from the McInstosh stuff you did not hear before - either good or bad...

Maybe someone with the same McIntosh equipment will chime in, but then you have to also consider the room, IC's, speaker cables, power, etc. that could make the setup sound completely different in your room. In just may come down to purchasing and seeing what you have.....unfortunately....

Home auditions are always the best way to go, but sometimes one cannot have the ability to do that, as in your case.

Dan

 

[taylode]

All the ML choices look good And good things are being said about the Denon 3910.

Amp and Pre Amp Tonal characteristics are a personal preference thing. There are some who like the McIntosh sound and others who do not. If you liked the McIntosh sound in the past, there should be no reason why you will not like it now....But.... The only thing that may come up is the ML's are very revealing of what is upstream from them and you may hear things from the McInstosh stuff you did not hear before - either good or bad...

Maybe someone with the same McIntosh equipment will chime in, but then you have to also consider the room, IC's, speaker cables, power, etc. that could make the setup sound completely different in your room. In just may come down to purchasing and seeing what you have.....unfortunately....

Home auditions are always the best way to go, but sometimes one cannot have the ability to do that, as in your case.

Dan

Thanks, the other amp/preamp I'm considering is the Anthem P5 and the Statement D1 (Thanks to Robins ringing endorsements!). Unfortunately, I can't home demo either because the Anthem requires me to add a dedicated circuit and the McIntosh is used. BTW, what noise do you think that the McIntosh would put out that others would not? I thought McIntosh amps were pretty quite.

Dennis

 

[DTB300]

Thanks, the other amp/preamp I'm considering is the Anthem P5 and the Statement D1 (Thanks to Robins ringing endorsements!). Unfortunately, I can't home demo either because the Anthem requires me to add a dedicated circuit and the McIntosh is used. BTW, what noise do you think that the McIntosh would put out that others would not? I thought McIntosh amps were pretty quite.

I was not talking about noise, as in distortion, or background noise. Each piece of equipment has its own sonic characteristic no matter if they are tubes or solid state. Some of these characteristics I was referring to would be warm (rolled off highs) sounding, bright (excentuated highs) sounding, tight controlled bass, muddy/flabby bass, smooth detailed midrange, etc.

Personally I have heard more good things about the Anthem products over hearing about the McIntosh products, but there are people out there that absolutely love their McIntosh stuff. See...personal preferences are always abound on audio equipment, which in turn does not make your deicision making process any easier. Like you said, Robin just got her Anthem and absolutely loves it - and she is using it on ML's.

Dan

 

[MarkNewbie]

Next week I’m going to be pulling the trigger on getting my “new/used” HT system. I am both anxious and nervous at the same time. However, before I actually pull the trigger I’d like know if anyone has or has at least listened to Ascent i’s being driven a McIntosh MC207 amp and the MX119 preamp? The amp puts out a true 200 watts regardless of whether it’s 4ohms or 8ohms. I’ve always been a fan of McIntosh equipment but I can’t demo that combination anywhere except my house and by then I’ve already made the commitment.

BTW, what I’ve decided on are ML Ascents for the mains, Theater for center, Fresco for rears, and the Decent for the sub. All powered by the MC207 and MX119 with a Denon 3910 CD/DVD player.

Thanks,
Dennis

I have heard the MC207 but it was coupled with a C2200 and I heard it driving B&W 802s and some Apogees. I thought it preformed very well. One thing to think about here is that if you really want to try out the Mac stuff, it really holds it's value in the used market so if you don't end up liking it, it would be easy to sell. I am not going to say I am a big Mac (no pun intended) fan but I was searching for something that would take the edge off of what I consider to be that "solid state" sound. So I chose the Mac pre because it was tube and I felt it added a certain depth to my SS amp that SS pre's weren't doing for me. Honestly, prior to listening to the Mac, I thought they were over rated, over priced, and the result of some cult like following. I also was not a big fan of their look. I thought there was too much glass and black and they tried to make a statement with their green and blue color contrasts. Pretty stupid on my part but I don't claim to be smart all of the time. The Mac has been a great addition to my system and after demo'ing it, I called the dealer to order one and he told me to keep the demo unit until mine came in. I had the demo unit for almost two months! That's my 2 cents worth!

Good luck!

 

[taylode]

I was not talking about noise, as in distortion, or background noise. Each piece of equipment has its own sonic characteristic no matter if they are tubes or solid state. Some of these characteristics I was referring to would be warm (rolled off highs) sounding, bright (excentuated highs) sounding, tight controlled bass, muddy/flabby bass, smooth detailed midrange, etc.

Personally I have heard more good things about the Anthem products over hearing about the McIntosh products, but there are people out there that absolutely love their McIntosh stuff. See...personal preferences are always abound on audio equipment, which in turn does not make your deicision making process any easier. Like you said, Robin just got her Anthem and absolutely loves it - and she is using it on ML's.

Dan

Thanks for the clarification!

Dennis

 

[taylode]

I have heard the MC207 but it was coupled with a C2200 and I heard it driving B&W 802s and some Apogees. I thought it preformed very well. One thing to think about here is that if you really want to try out the Mac stuff, it really holds it's value in the used market so if you don't end up liking it, it would be easy to sell. I am not going to say I am a big Mac (no pun intended) fan but I was searching for something that would take the edge off of what I consider to be that "solid state" sound. So I chose the Mac pre because it was tube and I felt it added a certain depth to my SS amp that SS pre's weren't doing for me. Honestly, prior to listening to the Mac, I thought they were over rated, over priced, and the result of some cult like following. I also was not a big fan of their look. I thought there was too much glass and black and they tried to make a statement with their green and blue color contrasts. Pretty stupid on my part but I don't claim to be smart all of the time. The Mac has been a great addition to my system and after demo'ing it, I called the dealer to order one and he told me to keep the demo unit until mine came in. I had the demo unit for almost two months! That's my 2 cents worth!

Good luck!

When it comes to hi-end audio/HT I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed so your comments are well received and appreciated. I hadn't considered re-sale if I wasn't happy. Given that I've previously liked the Mac sound I'm going to take a leap of faith that I still will.

Thanks,
Dennis

 

[Artar1]

It's not a quesiton of being the sharpest.

My only recommendation is to buy what pleases you, not what pleases someone else.

The McIntosh gear has more of lush sound and is not a well balanced as some other gear, like Classe Audio.

If you like a well-defined sound that's well balanced from bass to treble, then McIntosh might not be for you.

The best thing you can do is listen to the gear and then make up your mind.

 

[MarkNewbie]

When it comes to hi-end audio/HT I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed so your comments are well received and appreciated. I hadn't considered re-sale if I wasn't happy. Given that I've previously liked the Mac sound I'm going to take a leap of faith that I still will.

Thanks,
Dennis

If you don't mind, let me know what you think of the MC207 as I asked my dealer about it and he had nothing but great things to say about it. He also carries Classe Audio and did say that Classe makes a better CD player in his opinion than Mac. I am purely 2CH but will eventually be doing the HT route. He claims that the MC207 is extremely fast and accurate especially when the load goes from 8ohms to 4. The versatility of 5 or 7CH is something he raved about as well. My C2200 has the HT pass through so no gear change there would be required. Look forward to reading your reviews!

 

[Spike]

Why not stay with Pass?

If you don't mind, let me know what you think of the MC207 as I asked my dealer about it and he had nothing but great things to say about it. He also carries Classe Audio and did say that Classe makes a better CD player in his opinion than Mac. I am purely 2CH but will eventually be doing the HT route.

MarkNewbie,
You already have a high-end 2-channel setup using Pass Labs amplifier. Why not get an X3 to complement the X300 and be done when you venture into HT? Why look for a 5 (or 7) channel amplifier when you don't really need it? I must be missing something about your HT outlook. The question is whether you will notice the difference of high-quality rear channels? Like you, I'm a 2-channel person and have been concentrating on the front 3 channels where I am able to notice the difference (on some music materials, not movies). I have not been able to discern timbre differences between the front and the rears. But that's just me not being sensitive to the rears/surrounds channels I guess.

Spike

 

[taylode]

My only recommendation is to buy what pleases you, not what pleases someone else.

The McIntosh gear has more of lush sound and is not a well balanced as some other gear, like Classe Audio.

If you like a well-defined sound that's well balanced from bass to treble, then McIntosh might not be for you.

The best thing you can do is listen to the gear and then make up your mind.

Atar I agree it's what pleases me; however, I have been out of the audio loop for so long it's taking a while for me to learn all of the nuances. In the past, I really liked the McIntosh sound but 20 years have gone by since then and a lot has changed. If I were able to listen to the various combinations that would be great, but I can’t. The McIntosh gear I can only pair with McIntosh or B&W and Anthem it’s KEF and I forget what else. So I’m going to trust my instincts and go with what I know I’ve liked in the past and still like with the B&W’s (not to crazy about McIntosh speakers).

Dennis

 

[taylode]

If you don't mind, let me know what you think of the MC207 as I asked my dealer about it and he had nothing but great things to say about it. He also carries Classe Audio and did say that Classe makes a better CD player in his opinion than Mac. I am purely 2CH but will eventually be doing the HT route. He claims that the MC207 is extremely fast and accurate especially when the load goes from 8ohms to 4. The versatility of 5 or 7CH is something he raved about as well. My C2200 has the HT pass through so no gear change there would be required. Look forward to reading your reviews!

Mark: I'll absoutly let you and everyone else, probably until they're sick of hearing it, what I think of my set up. From what I've been able to gleen the MC207 is a great amp and a huge improvement over the MC206 that it replaced.

With luck I should be able to post a review sometime during the week of 9/18.

Dennis

 

[MarkNewbie]

MarkNewbie,
You already have a high-end 2-channel setup using Pass Labs amplifier. Why not get an X3 to complement the X300 and be done when you venture into HT? Why look for a 5 (or 7) channel amplifier when you don't really need it? I must be missing something about your HT outlook. The question is whether you will notice the difference of high-quality rear channels? Like you, I'm a 2-channel person and have been concentrating on the front 3 channels where I am able to notice the difference (on some music materials, not movies). I have not been able to discern timbre differences between the front and the rears. But that's just me not being sensitive to the rears/surrounds channels I guess.

Spike

I was actually thinking of moving my Ascents to the rear and adding Summits or whatever ML was offering at the time to the fronts. I do not see myself doing the HT thingy for at the very least, another year and maybe even longer. You bring up an excellent point as I was not planning on taking my X-350 out of the loop. What I really could do would be to add a processor and another amp and I would be set to go then. Is that what your saying Spike? My Pass will only drive two speakers and a sub so I would need to at the very least, add another amp.

 

[Jeff Zaret]

Mark,

This is what I have done. I have not posted all the new/old stuff I have added but basically I built a nice 2 channel system and then created a HT around it.

In terms of ease or convienence it is not like many setups where there is a receiver and/or NT receiver-processor but the sound for me is what I was going for and I believe I have achived that. I have to get up and turn on several devices because there is not remote and to walk two steps is not that much to ask.

I would build it slowly and you will be amazed.

Just my tired 2 cents worth

Jeff

 

[Spike]

I was actually thinking of moving my Ascents to the rear and adding Summits or whatever ML was offering at the time to the fronts.

Adding the Summits opens up a whole new possibility due to their beefy internal 200w amplifier for the bass, relieving you with having to deal with a wide frequency range from your amplifier. For the Summit, you should explore the tube route to explore just how far you can take the Summits. A couple of Cary V12R Monoblocs, or BAT vk75 SE, or ARC, CJ to name a few. To keep the Mac synergy, you should also explore the MC275 or the top-of-the-line MC2102! This is just icing on the cake for the Pass X350 is no slouch to start with.

What I really could do would be to add a processor and another amp and I would be set to go then. Is that what your saying Spike?

Yes, this is exactly what I'm saying. Add the Pass X3 which is a 3 channel amplifier driving the center & rears to complement the X350 driving the left & right fronts. The thought of all ML speakers driven by all Pass electronics is VERY intriguing!! Not too many people are that lucky!

Spike

 

[taylode]

The first bullet has left the gun

Well today I made my first acquisition! I picked up a pair of immaculate cherry Ascent i’s. They look great unfortunately I don’t have anything to drive them with yet. However, I did get to listen to them using McIntosh equipment. The previous owner was powering them using a McIntosh MC352 amp and C42 preamp – sounded pretty sweet! All in all I’d have to say today has been a pretty good day.

Dennis

 

[Kaliar]

Congrats taylode !

Those Ascent i are great speakers. You won't regret your acquisition !

Happy listening !

 

[taylode]

Thanks, I can't wait to cobble the rest of the system together.

 

[MarkNewbie]

Mark,

This is what I have done. I have not posted all the new/old stuff I have added but basically I built a nice 2 channel system and then created a HT around it.

In terms of ease or convienence it is not like many setups where there is a receiver and/or NT receiver-processor but the sound for me is what I was going for and I believe I have achived that. I have to get up and turn on several devices because there is not remote and to walk two steps is not that much to ask.

I would build it slowly and you will be amazed.

Just my tired 2 cents worth

Jeff

Jeff - I think that is exactly what I will end up doing. Sitting on my rear and pushing buttons is not the goal so taking some extra steps like you do would not be an issue. I can't help but think that you must have one incredible sounding system as a result.

Spike

Yes, this is exactly what I'm saying. Add the Pass X3 which is a 3 channel amplifier driving the center & rears to complement the X350 driving the left & right fronts. The thought of all ML speakers driven by all Pass electronics is VERY intriguing!! Not too many people are that lucky!

Sounds like your telling me to do what Jeff did as well. This sounds like what I would love to have eventually but this is at least a year off and perhaps a lot more. Thinking about it kinda gives me chills...

Well today I made my first acquisition! I picked up a pair of immaculate cherry Ascent i’s. They look great unfortunately I don’t have anything to drive them with yet. However, I did get to listen to them using McIntosh equipment. The previous owner was powering them using a McIntosh MC352 amp and C42 preamp – sounded pretty sweet! All in all I’d have to say today has been a pretty good day.

Congrats Dennis! Can't wait to see your posts when your driving them!!

 

[taylode]

Congrats Dennis! Can't wait to see your posts when your driving them!!

Thanks, I can't either! Now they're just sitting their looking very cool but very quite.