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A track I have recently been using to judge a speaker's low-frequency behavior is "All Too Well (Taylor's Version)" from Taylor Swift's album Red (24/96 FLAC, Big Machine Records/Qobuz). At 2:25, when Swift sings "'Cause there we are again in the middle of the night," the bass line drops an octave. The effect sounds awesome even on the little KEF LS50s, but on the Monitor Audio with the ports open, it was all too much.

I blocked both ports on each speaker and listened again to the low-frequency warble tones. Now the tones were reproduced evenly down to 63Hz, but the 50Hz and 40Hz…

Description: Three-way, reflex-loaded, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive units: two 8" (203mm) RDT III woofers, 4" (102mm) RDT III midrange unit, MPD III tweeter. Port tuning frequency: 32Hz. Crossover frequencies: 650Hz, 3kHz. Frequency response: 25Hz–60kHz, –6dB (free-field); 17Hz–60kHz, –6dB (in-room). Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Minimum impedance: 4.0 ohms at 3.75kHz. Sensitivity: 88dB/2.83V/m (freefield). Recommended power: 200–800W, music program. Maximum continuous power handling: 400W, pink noise with 6dB crest factor. Supplied accessories: screw-in cone…

Digital sources: Roon Nucleus+ file server; Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP universal player; MBL N31 CD player/DAC; Ayre Acoustics QA-9 A/D converter; NetGear Nighthawk router.
Integrated amplifiers: NAD M10, Audio Research I/50, Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 800.2.
Power amplifiers: Parasound Halo JC 1+ monoblocks, Naim Classic 200 Series NAP 250.
Loudspeakers: KEF LS50.
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Vodka (Ethernet), AudioQuest Coffee (USB), DH Labs (1m, AES3). Interconnect: AudioQuest Wild Blue (balanced). Speaker: AudioQuest Robin Hood. AC: AudioQuest…

I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone with an Earthworks microphone preamplifier to measure the Monitor Audio Platinum 300 3G's farfield frequency behavior and dispersion. For the nearfield responses, I used an Earthworks QTC-40 mike, which has a ¼" capsule and thus doesn't present a significant obstacle to the sound. I also used this microphone for the in-room behavior. The impedance magnitude and electrical phase angle were measured with Dayton Audio's DATS V2 system.

But when you look at a Rolls or a Bentley, you immediately recognize it for what it is, and you want to sit down in it. And so it is with McIntosh, except you don't want to sit down in it; you want to sit down in front of it, between the speakers of the hi-fi system it occupies.…

The Golden Road (to Unlimited Devotion)
Setup was easy. After connecting cables, my first order of business was to narrow the many available inputs down to the ones I actually use: one balanced, line-level input fed from my Bricasti DAC and one phono input from my VPI turntable. Unusually for a preamplifier, you must also choose an output, tubed or solid state. Any unused outputs can be turned off. Inputs can be renamed, their trim levels adjusted. I set phono gain and loading to appropriate levels. Then I started listening.

I began my listening by A/B-ing solid state and…

Description: Two-channel, hybrid (tubed and solid state), dual-chassis analog preamplifier with phono stage. Vacuum tube complement: six 12AX7A, four 12AT7. Line inputs: six balanced (XLR), four unbalanced (RCA). Phono inputs: two (RCA). Outputs: two balanced (one solid state, one tubed, XLR), one unbalanced fixed, one unbalanced variable (RCA), one headphone (¼", selectable impedance). Input impedance: 50k ohms balanced, 25k ohms unbalanced. Maximum output voltage: 20V RMS balanced, 10V RMS unbalanced. Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz, +0, –0.5dB; 10Hz– 100kHz, +0…

Analog sources: VPI HW-40 turntable, VPI 12" Fatboy tonearm, Pro-Ject Classic EVO turntable, Lyra Etna cartridge, Ortofon Bronze Cadenza cartridge, Sumiko Amethyst cartridge. Digital sources: MacBook Air running Tidal, Roon, Qobuz. Bricasti M1 Series II DAC, Musical Fidelity M1 CDT transport, Pro-Ject CD Box RS2 T.
Preamplification: Audio Research Corporation Phono REF3 phono preamplifier, Audio Research Corporation REF6 preamplifier, McIntosh C2700 preamplifier.
Power amplifiers: McIntosh MC462 Quad Balanced Stereo Amplifier, McIntosh MA252…

I measured the McIntosh C12000 with the preamplifier chassis sitting on top of the controller/power supply, the two joined with the supplied umbilical cables. I used my Audio Precision SYS2722 system for the measurements, confirming some of the results with the higher-performance APx555. The C12000 has five independent outputs: one balanced pair labeled "T" for tube output circuitry; another balanced pair labeled "SS" for solid state output circuitry; an unbalanced pair labeled "Main" that can be switched between tube and solid state output circuitry; a second…

My pal Jon, a singer-songwriter now living in Sweden, responded to the emailed link. "This…