Help me spend my money! McIntosh + Paradigm? (1 Viewer)

[chung_sotheby]

I am not sure what Alex is getting at in terms of switching IC's, but in my experience, you will not have to change interconnects at all when you switch from Music to Movies listening. If you have the front 2ch pre-outs of the Denon connected to one of the inputs of the Mac integrated, this means that with any Movie listening, you will have to switch the Mac to the designated input, be it CD, Tape, Aux1, Aux 2, etc. Doing this, you will be using the Denon's preamp section AND the Mac's preamp section when listening to movies.
When you want to listen only to 2ch, then you can turn the Denon off and simply switch between inputs on the Mac without changing any IC's. I am not sure if the connecting of the IC's directly into power amp inputs, thus bypassing the preamp stage, is even possible on the Mac integrateds, and I can not remember if any integrateds I have seen have this option.
As for power conditioners, most amps companies suggest to plug the amp directly into the wall socket, as a good amount of Power Conditioners (especially the Monster line) are current-limiting, meaning that the amp might not be able to perform to it's fully capacity because it will not receive the power from the power conditioner. Other power companies, such as Panamax, Tice, PS Audio, etc., make non-current limiting models, and I have heard some good things about them, even when the Amp is plugged into their models. I myself own a PS Audio Power Director 4.7, and I have not noticed any ill effects of having my Parasound Halo A52 plugged into it. Also, if you have your equipment plugged into a Power Conditioner, you do have the convenience of being able to turn everything on with the push of a button, and peace of miond knowing your equipment is protected, worst comes to worst.

 

[Scott Oliver]

Well I will state again that the best option you have to improve musical performance is to take the Denon or any other receiver or processor completly out of the path for music.

But don't take my word for it, since you have a local McIntosh dealer, go over there and work something out with them. Hopefully you can hear at least one if not both at home, or at the least you can drag your Denon over there to test the options.

As for the power conditioning stuff, Jack is right that McIntosh doesn't promote power conditioning. Anyhow, most amps like the Mac's are best off being plugged directly into the wall outlet with preferably their own dedicated circuit.

From what I have heard on the Monster stuff, they are better off for HT and video applications. Personally I would save your money and just buy something with some surge protection to plug your all of your HT stuff in and then look at adding a dedicated line for your system and the Mac. Oh wait just noticed you were talking about the HTS and not the AVS2000. $200 is not a bad price (AVS is $1500) for any brand of surge protector/ conditioner, but still I wouldn't plug the Mac into it. Also you could probably still save some money by just buying one that has the just enough connectivity options for your system only. No need to pay for 12 outlets if you only need 6, for example.

 

[Scott Oliver]

Also go talk to the dealer, to help eliminate any confusion over connectivity options. The dealer if he is any good will be like your best friend when you are looking to buy at this price level, and hopefully he knows more about all of this than any of us.

 

[Alex F.]

Chung:

Your suggestion of feeding the Denon receiver's front left and right preamp outputs to a McIntosh line input is precisely what I recommended earlier.

Also, with McIntosh's MA6500 and MA6900 integrated amplifiers one may connect an external preamp directly to the Mac's power amp section. But by doing so, one will not be able to use the Mac's preamp section at all, unless interconnects are switched back and forth, again as I stated previously. Hence my recommendation to simply connect the receiver's preouts to the Mac's video line input.

In my den, where I have a secondary system for both music and DVDs, a Denon AVP-8000 pre-pro is connected to a McIntosh MA6500's line input. It works very nicely.

Roy:

Don't gamble, as you put it. Ask your dealer to loan you a power amp for auditioning in your own home. A good dealer will typically loan out a product on a late Saturday afternoon prior to closing with a request that you return it on Monday. (He'll obtain your credit-card number but won't process it unless you run off with the amp.) Don't be shy--ask for a loaner. Also ask to borrow a set of quality interconnect cables if you don't already have a spare pair.

If you do like the sound of a McIntosh 252 or 402, or any other high-quality power amp, and you purchase one, you may find it becomes a part of your system for many, many years to come. You might upgrade sources or other components, but that power amp will likely remain in use for well over a decade. Investing in a top-quality power amp can often be cost-effective since you will not be upgrading it every few years.

If you prefer a multichannel power amp, as opposed to using a two-channel amp for the front mains and another amp or two for the remaining channels, McIntosh has the six-channel MC206. High-end five-channel amplifiers are available from Bryston, Pass Labs, Conrad-Johnson, and others.

Finally, if you do buy a Mac or other top-end amp, don't be surprised if it sounds better and better as you upgrade other components later. A power amp sounds only as good as the components that are connected to it.

 

[BeatCrazy]

I own the MC-402, it was an upgrade from my MC-202 about one year ago.

IMO, the MC-402 is overkill for your situation. Sure, it will make your speakers sound AMAZING! However, $5000 is no chump change, and you realize that you'd need to spend a lot more on source components, speakers, pre-amp etc. to get the most of the Mac's performance.

Trust me, I know the allure of the Mac Blue Lights. Start with the MC-252. Unless you plan on eventually getting speakers in the $10K+ range, this will be all the amp you'll ever need. It will sound (and look) virtually identical to the MC-402.

Power conditioning is not recommended for these two Mac amps. You didn't say if you live someplace where you can run dedicated A/C lines, but at the minimal cost involved, it makes a lot of sense for this level of equipment.

 

[Alex F.]

Sam:

If you critically listened to the MC252 and MC402 at length in the same system, I would greatly appreciate your observations. Also, what sonic differences did you notice between the MC202 and MC402?

Thank you in advance.

 

[BeatCrazy]

Alex,

I base my opinion on the sonic similarities of the MC-402 and MC-252 on my side-by-side observations of the MC-402/202. They were so close sonically that the MC-252 could not be far behind the MC-402. McIntosh will likely tell you the same thing. The MC-402 did have a slightly wider soundstage and bass that was a bit deeper and smoother, but the overall tone was similar between the MC-202/402.

At any type of "normal" listening levels, and with anything other than exotic speakers, IMO the MC-202/252/402 will all provide similar levels of enjoyment.

I really enjoy my MC-402, and a part of that is the upgraded cosmetics with those fiber-optic meters and lighting that the MC-202 lacked. Replacing bulbs sucks!

 

[Alex F.]

Thank you very much, Sam, for your comments. I'm most appreciative.

 

[johnbr]

If you can ask the dealer if you can they it at home.That is the best way to tell if it is over kill and if you like them with your speakers.