ncdrawl
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improvements aside, Bryston has a house sound(and I know, having owned several bryston products for use in the studio)
may not sound exactly the same, but the house sound will be there...not a fun sound, but a laboratory clean/precise sound!


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So...your position is that every Bryston amplifier has to sound the same?

There is no possibility that their engineers have made major improvements to the sound?

Hmmmmm.

commsysman
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"not a fun sound"???

All I can say is that my system is sure a lot of fun to listen to! It is drop-dead gorgeous. Voices, instruments...they never sounded so warm, clear, natural, and realistic. "Boring" or "cold" is the last thing anyone would say about it!

It must be system synergy. Perhaps if I heard my amp with different speakers, for example, I would not be as enamored with the sound quality as I am. There are certainly many "audiophile" speakers that I would describe as being a bit on the "cold and clinical" side.

I DO have a hard time believing that you, or anyone else would find anything cold or clinical or boring about the sound of my system; exciting, realistic, warm, and dynamic are the words people use. Too bad we can't try it out on you personally for a reaction...lol.

Jan Vigne
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Quote:
I DO have a hard time believing that you, or anyone else would find anything cold or clinical or boring about the sound of my system; exciting, realistic, warm, and dynamic are the words people use.

Apply that same logic to the person who owns a McIntosh system.

Welshsox
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Why do you have to be so pushy on the Brystons ? they are a good product but as with all hifi its a matter of taste there is no right or wrong.

Ive listened to $100k + systems that i hate, ive listened to $5k systems that sound great. It really depends on what you are looking for.

Use a car anaolgy, the redneck would love his new V8 Challanger, the italian would hate it and crave the latest mid engined Ferrari the same is true in reverse.

Everyone acknowledges that the Bryston is a good amp that can appeal to a wide range of people, exactly the same as a Mac would. By their very nature they are going to appeal to different people, the Mac appeals to someone want a nice warm easy going sound who is willing to loose the last little bit of detail for the warmth while the Bryston is the analytical sound that presents every last detail but is colder and dryer as a result.

Of course you could go with Krell which blow them both away !!

Alan

ncdrawl
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Quote:
Why do you have to be so pushy on the Brystons ?

Thats what I was saying, Alan. I came to the conclusion that he may be a dealer for them

Quote:

Everyone acknowledges that the Bryston is a good amp


yep, else I wouldnt use them in my studio. They(Bryston) are greatat extracting every bit of detail,good looking, built well but are quite cold and emotionless(Like a German woman)


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Of course you could go with Krell which blow them both away


Welshsox
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NC

You need to get out more !!!

You need to meet some German women, just because they like real beer and drive cars that turn right doesnt mean they are not exciting !!!

America is a great country but lite beer and Chevy suck !!!

Alan

ncdrawl
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Man, I lived in Germany not too far south of a decade, and let me tell you, ive been with my share of German gals. Not my taste, just like Bryston.

I agree about the automobiles. I bought a BMW the 2nd week I was in country, and the week I left, I was still driving it. Nary a trip to the autohaus for repairs(only oil changes/tuneups) also had a nice Opal and SEAT.


Quote:
NC

You need to get out more !!!

You need to meet some German women, just because they like real beer and drive cars that turn right doesnt mean they are not exciting !!!

America is a great country but lite beer and Chevy suck !!!

Alan

Welshsox
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Why is that a great country like the US makes such shitty cars ? I understand that the roads are straight and full of potholes so a small car like VW Golf/Rabbitt is not as suited as say an Impala but why do the have to be built like crap with low end materials.

Compare the Taurus with the Mondeo, they are basically the same size car. The Taurus is built from recycled cardboard with 2 inch panel gaps, the Mondeo looks like it was built by anally retentive robots !! the quality is excellent and it is equal to a 3 series or C class. It just doesnt make sense to me, I think the US automakers have got away with building crap for so long now they cant change the mentatility, why is that we export about 9 cars a year ? yet the Germans & Japanese export millions ? are they better workers and engineers ?

Alan

ncdrawl
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Cars, maybe. Trucks...Americans have the market there. and for the record, I have owned 2 Taurus in my life, both of which were very reliable. Never had any issues other than the standard stuff(oil, brakes, tires, etc). My father in law wont buy anything other than Ford SHO (Similar to a Taurus, no longer made) as he says they are the greatest cars ever.(He is a mechanical engineer for HP)

in general though..Italians and Germans are great innovators, whilst the Oriental companies are great copycats.

regarding the truck thing..

have you ever seen a foreign truck? about the most homosexual looking poofmobiles i have ever seen.

I dont drive anything but trucks most of the time as I live on the farm. My 1987 f-150 is still kicking ass.

commsysman
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...Since we seem to have digressed to cars...rofl:

I have driven many many cars over the years, and raced a few in the 1960s in SCCA sedan racing (Anglia, Mini-Cooper, Lancia), and the best car I have ever driven or owned was a 2000 Lincoln LS. Amazing handling and kick it in the ass at 70 and it would be up to 120 MPH so fast it would take your breath away; amazing DOHC V8. It also had the best stereo (by Alpine) that I have ever heard in a vehicle, and the rain-sensing automatic wipers molto cool...lol.

I compared it to a BMW 700-series at the time (2000), and that BMW weighed almost 6000 pounds and felt as responsive as a truck to me; what a tank! The LS had it beat in every department (the BMW had a very slight edge in straight-line acceleration, but it felt like it was busting a gut to do it, while the LS seemed effortless...). As far as I was concerned, the LS was a far better car and a bargain at $40,000. As far as being American, however...it was built in the US but was essentially a twin to the mid-sized Jaguar sedan; same engine, chassis, stereo, etc. It was not quite an American design...lol (on the two occasions I took it to a dealer they whined about having to use "Jaguar parts"...lol).

Amazing car though, especially for made in Michigan (Wixom Lincoln plant); and absolutely reliable for 8 years (but certainly exceptional as American cars go). I guess the thing that really describes that car best is that it would do anything you wanted with a sense of EFFORTLESSNESS...acceleration, cornering, highway cruising, etc, ; it perfectly defined the Grand Touring car (and I averaged 21 MPG for 8 years; amazing for such performance).

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The LS is one fine automobile. My Buddie's Cadillac CTS-V is the same sort of car. It can really get out of it's own way. If you just want a world class fast car get yourself a Corvette Z-51. It's the equal of any exotic in performance and about one third the price. Plus, you can take it to any Chevy dealer if it breaks! I think it looks good too!

Welshsox
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Im not saying that the US doesnt have some god cars, vette, mustang etc but the everyday models are awful. Impala ? Pontiac ? F-150 etc they might be reliable but the fit and finish is terrible

tom collins
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welsh: with all due respect, have you taken a look lately? fit and finish seem to be much higher quality in the last 3 or 4 years on domestics. yes, chrysler still uses cheap looking plastic in some of its cars, but gm and ford seem to be making some well-made mid level products now. may be too little too late, which i hope not, but better now. i'm not in the business btw.

commsysman
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Well...you can take it to any Chevy dealer that hasn't closed down yet...our local one went broke last year and GM is shutting down more of them...lol.

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I drive a '97 Dodge Intrepid ES POS and I love it.

The radio plays, the AC works, and it is invisible to the highway patrol.

It does zero to sixty eventually, and I get 28MPG driving like a man running from death down the two lane blacktop.

The trunk is capacious and the back seat folds down for carrying speakers.

Once, late at night, on a curvey road going around Walker Lake, a big ol' rock jumped off the cliff and I smacked it with the right font wheel doing about 95, and the car took it in perfect stride, saying, "No worries, you can slow down, but we're cool."

That effing rock 'sploded the tire and broke the rim and messed up something that connects the wheel to the car, but it was no problema except for being strandied in the exact middle of nowehere at 0200.

If I didn't have that car, I'd settle for an F40.

Anyway, did you notice McIntosh is doing a promo where they will give 75% of the original retail price for trade in on new gear?

ncdrawl
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Quote:

Anyway, did you notice McIntosh is doing a promo where they will give 75% of the original retail price for trade in on new gear?

that sounds like a car ad right there.

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Quote:

Quote:

Anyway, did you notice McIntosh is doing a promo where they will give 75% of the original retail price for trade in on new gear?

that sounds like a car ad right there.

I went and checked the old MSRP of my Mc gear and I couldn't really dent the new reissued gear, but it would be fun.

They must be doing credit checks. I tried to sign up for more info on the new preamp and amp releases and got no reply.

Jan Vigne
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The May issue review would lead me to believe Kal enjoyed "The McIntosh Sound".

Kal Rubinson
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Quote:
The May issue review would lead me to believe Kal enjoyed "The McIntosh Sound".

Did you have to read between the lines?

Kal

Jan Vigne
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There is stuff between the lines?!!!!!!!

I knew it! I knew it all along, man!

See, I been telling the docs that for years and they been saying, "Oh, no, there's nothing between the lines, now take this little pill and you won't think that any more."

But, now, ...

I know for sure ...

Thanks, Kal, I'm breakin' out o'this joint tonight! Got my magazine, got my bar of soap, let's see what else?

rogerellis2
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I have just bought  preowned McIntosh C2300 preamp and 2X MC275 amps driving KEF 207.2 speakers .Source is a modified ( improved capacitors mainly) Marantz  SA7ST. I was considering a McI. SA500 player but my dealer, an honest man, said that the McI. wouldnt improve on and might not even equal the Marantz which is no longer made after the earthquake destroyed the Marantz Legend factory. 

I previously had MF `KW preamp and MK KW750 amp.: a highly regarded combination.  

The first things  I noticed with the Mcs  were  fuller bass; better space and acoustic and wholly stress free treble.The mid range had a creamy realistic quality which is still the main impression. 

I dont know whether this is more 'accurate' but it certainly sounds more like live music than the MF did for all its precision and power. The MF often sounded great but any hint of edge in the recording was exposed and made for a tiring experience. 

While sound is obviously the main thing, the finish and heritage of the Mcs gives added value I think. 

I do hope this thread can be revived and  return to an exchange of perceptions between Mc owners rather than the confrontational tedious argument between two posters which  monopolised the whole thing. 

Looking forward to more helpful postings trying to put  the McI. qualities into words !

 

Roger

rdiiorio
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No I can't,  you have to get out of the house and experience it for yourself.

R Warfel
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Your Audio Research reference regarding The Mc sound is spot on! It's like easy listening, soft, dreamy,...really good Mid Fi. A bit too boring for me. Not accurate thats for sure.

R Warfel
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Owned and sold. 40 years both sides of the counter. Mc is very soft and rolled.....not very accurate. It is easy listening, really good, overpriced Mid Fi. Never offensive, but never truly involving or exciting. It's never like being there......which is what we are after right?

es347
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..midfi eh? What a boatload of BS..

Laen
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McIntosh sound+ musical on the warm side of flat

ssimon
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I have 2 McIntosh amps and a Bryston 4B SST2. I think they're all pretty enjoyable in their respective systems.
All best
S

steve59
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I just bought a hegel h360 and tbh dont feel the need to slam any other product to enjoy listening to it.

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I have an all McIntosh set up including XRT-24 Speakers/MC 7270 Amp/ C31V Pre-Amp/ MCD7007 for almost 28 years (except for the speakers which I picked up in 1996); they are sweet and cozy and great with my main enormous jazz collection. A little slow, perhaps.

On the other hand, my Hi End Music on the go consists of Astell & Kern AK380 Player (Korean) with Bayerdynamics T5P (2nd Generation) Headphones (German) which is truly amazing, accurate with very good hi, mid and lows. I enjoyed my jazz on this set up as well and with more details.

So I guess I can accommodate ladies of three nations.

Peaceunderearth
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I read your original post and it was pretty crass. I come to these forums to learn about and enhance my understanding of my favorite hobby. It’s BS like this that ruins it for me and (I would assume) most other people.

Peaceunderearth
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I guess I had better learn how to post a little better. My comment was supposed to be to a member who was saying that his “friend“ had a shop with an older Mcintosh to be amplifier.
At the end of The day, this is supposed to be a place where people can share their thoughts and feelings about stereo equipment and music.
I really enjoy hearing different perspectives and opinions. (Until they get ugly).

Peaceunderearth
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Well said!

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