MACKIE1975
Super Member
2TB of lossless music add a nice DAC with a Mc amp and a quality pair of speakers will do it for me.
Anyone use Mc amp to drive Meyer speakers?
Anyone use Mc amp to drive Meyer speakers?
2TB of lossless music add a nice DAC with a Mc amp and a quality pair of speakers will do it for me.
Anyone use Mc amp to drive Meyer speakers?
...Long gone the day that you have to make the fire to cook your meal
2TB of lossless music add a nice DAC with a Mc amp and a quality pair of speakers will do it for me.
Agreed. Lossless files are the way to go. Access to so much music is so convenient too.
People still love vinyl, just not for me. I can't never get pass that annoying crackling noise. Plus additional body movement, get the big bulky album, move the needle etc. I guess the world is moving on why hold yourself back. Long gone the day that you have to make the fire to cook your meal
Not really. It's just much easier today by pushing a button or turning a knob, rather than rubbing two stick together or hoping for a convenient lightning strike.
Lighten upAll off topic and doesn't address the OPs question, this is not general audio and if you all want a format debate start your own thread for it.
I've been auditioning some really nice CD players in the $2,000-$3,000 price range and noticed that the McIntosh MCD550 unit retails for 2x to 3x that price range.
I was wondering how much better the McIntosh units are compared to other models from the likes of Moon, Rega, Cambridge, Marantz, Yamaha, Luxman, etc. that are more within my price range.
I have no need for SACD support nor for a built-in DAC but I do have an extensive collection of CDs and my wife still loves using a CD player.
BTW, I own the McIntosh MAC6700 stereo receiver.
I've learned some difficult lessons over the years in audio. One of the most valuable is to never assume anything.
To the OP I say, take you own ears to your local dealer and listen to the McIntosh MCD550 vs another player that you're also considering. Take two identical CDs. Have the dealer connect both disc players to the same preamp. Start the CD in the MCD550 on your favorite song, and then start the CD in the 2nd CDP 15 seconds after. Listen to a passage on the MCD550 and then switch to the 2nd CDP (remotely from a comfortable chair would be nice) and listen to that very same passage again. This way, you can evaluate 15 second chunks of what you just listened to.
Report back. I bet lunch you won't say that they both sounded the same.
This is exactly the approach I've been taking the last few years with various DAC's, CD players, preamps, phono preamps, headphone amps and headphones. Quick and easy switching/comparing is essential. Ideally you will be blindfold and you'll let someone else do the switching. Then things get really interesting....I've learned some difficult lessons over the years in audio. One of the most valuable is to never assume anything.
To the OP I say, take you own ears to your local dealer and listen to the McIntosh MCD550 vs another player that you're also considering. Take two identical CDs. Have the dealer connect both disc players to the same preamp. Start the CD in the MCD550 on your favorite song, and then start the CD in the 2nd CDP 15 seconds after. Listen to a passage on the MCD550 and then switch to the 2nd CDP (remotely from a comfortable chair would be nice) and listen to that very same passage again. This way, you can evaluate 15 second chunks of what you just listened to.
Report back. I bet lunch you won't say that they both sounded the same.
I've owned both the MCD201 and MCD205. If you rank the MCD201 as 100%, the MCD205 comes in at 95%. The only way I was able to decide which one was better was to A/B them with the same CD. The MCD201 loads much slower.I'm not sure if buying used is a consideration, but I can vouch for the McIntosh MCD-205. Yes, it's a changer (the horror of convenience) , but it sounds nothing like the black box carousels of the 90's. They can be found on the used market for half your budget and sound fantastic. There's a Sam Tellig review out there if that matters to you. The MCD-201 (single disc) sounds similar, but oddly enough seems to have more mechanical issues than the 205. These units are still serviceable and replacement parts available. The same cannot be said for the 7000 series units.
I think too much is made of the you have to have the latest and greatest CDP to get good sound. I also have a 20 year old CDP (fully balanced Pioneer PD-T07) that sounds as sweet to my ears today as any other CDP I've yet heard.When I first got involved in hi-end audio, my first cdp was a Linn Karik. The asking price was around $3500.00. That was a lot of money for me at the time and still a chunk of change for a hobby. While I've enjoyed this player for close to 20yrs now. I would never spend that kind of money on a stand alone player now. I find it makes more financial sense to just get a dedicated transport or an older player with a digital out and pair it with a great DAC. As the technology changes so can your DAC. Of course if your wanting to keep your system all McIntosh, then that makes your choices harder.
Good thread.
I am in the market for a new player/transport. The following are under consideration:
Moon Neo 260D (transport) US$2K
Mac MCT450 (transport) US$4K
Bryston BCD3 (player) US$3.5K
I am leaning towards the 260D as it is the least expensive and plan to run it through my D100 into my MA6600. Fortunately, I have a local dealer who will let me home demo the 260D and possibly the MCT450.
At present, I am using a Cambridge CXC (transport) which sounds very nice, but I feel I can do better. The CXC replaced a Linn Majik player which sounded superb, but was a reliability nightmare and ended up begin a very expensive lesson in purchasing. "demo" units from dealers who overstate warranty coverage. I wound never again purchase a high end used or demo unit.