musichal
poet emeritus
Let's face it. McIntosh and Klipsch together are a classic pairing. Especially tubed models. Or any other old tube amp with Klipsch, especially the old, big Klipsches, like my '76 Khorns. But Mark Levinson and Klipsch? That sounds like some rube hit the lottery. And while I hit no lottery, I am the AudioRube. Me and my listening pals take turns sitting in the sweet spot, just four feet from the spittoon.
Here at AK, we have a democratic representation of audio enthusiasts. The high-enders usually want nothing Klipsch around, with their screechingly shrill upper mids/lower treble, their honky no-wonder-they-called-them-squawkers mids, and spitty tweets all combining to run them from the room with ear-bleed. Some of the diy-guys are certain they can build better gear themselves; I only know I can't. Vintage collectors prefer silver faces and strung tuners, and would much rather rejuvenate a classic amp than buy a new one. Those who pride themselves on spending the absolute least amount possible think buying modern amps for big dollars is wasteful.
Obviously, those are caricatures, painted with a wide, virtual brush, but including kernels of truth. So who cares what I think about the sound of this unlikely pairing? Well, nobody. But almost all of us care about sound, at least to some extent. There are a very few who's real enjoyment comes from taking a broken component and bringing it back to life, but don't listen as much as they tinker. However, tinkerers include some who are obsessed with SQ, too. We're all over the place in the spectrum of audio.
I've loved Khorns from the first time I ever finally heard a pair in the 80s, back when I could hear the (about) 16khz flyback noise of television as clearly as a doorbell. They failed to make my ears bleed. Later, after hearing speakers with smoother response, I recognized some of the Khorn's colorations. Shrillness at high volume being among them. Oddly, I have heard the same from speakers more highly regarded among some audiophiles, that somehow eluded the often vehement criticisms Khorns endure.
At any rate, several of those "better" speakers just lacked what I like about Khorns - their huge, yet intimate, presentation. Bottom line, as far as money goes, I have three grand in a pair of highly presentable (cosmetically) Khorns, but I had a midfi preamp and a BOTL $230 amp to drive them. I'd heard Khorns sound much better, and being basically house-bound, I listen to a lot of the thing that draws most of us here, the music. So I saved up and began the process of deciding on amplification.
I kept resisting the idea of actually spending a lot; maybe a Yamaha integrated would suffice. But I didn't pull the trigger. I remember how good Khorns sounded with NAD, then how much better with Audio Research. The latter was the kind of sound I wanted. I bought a custom-built ST-70, and that was a very nice improvement, until I discovered that tubes and I don't play well together. I put too many hours too soon on an amp. So I sold it in B-town and shipped it to Honolulu.
And added that back into the kitty, taking a nice loss on the sale because I included all the sets of tubes I'd ordered, but the kitty was growing anyway. I was looking at separates, of course. And then along came Mister Pig with his new-to-him JBLs that certainly look like they mean business (would love to hear them) and his powerful NuVista integrated amp. Influenced me to look at better integrateds.
I searched, I read, I waffled. Didn't want a built-in DAC, I was sure. When I found the Mark Levinson No. 585 review in Stereophile, I became intrigued. Way, way out of my range, financially. And it had a DAC. A damn good one. Then e-stat came along, telling me I could rip all my CDs to FLAC using a Raspberry Pi. Beyond my current skill-level, but I am a reasonably intelligent guy and hope to figure it out. Will likely be PMing him a few questions in the coming weeks. So maybe I do need a good DAC, after all.
Kitty kept growing, as I kept waffling, failing to pull triggers on the Halo Integrated, or a Bryston cubed, or anything else. Only considered new, because I've been burned too many times buying used, but Mister Pig suggested a used late-model amp, and the No. 585 could be had, in excellent condition, for slightly more than half the new price of twelve grand.
"You can buy a pretty decent used car for that." (Christine)
"Haven't driven in six or seven years. Listen to music hours every day."
When I started thinking about life expectancy (how long would I get to listen to this system?), I realized that I needed to change my thinking. Screw that, I want a 585, and that is where I'm headed.
So now that I have it, is it worth the money? Sonically, resolution, timbre, dynamics and every other aspect have improved greatly. So for me, every cent.
Subject cont'd from... http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/mark-levinson-no-585-integrated-amp.790622/
No audio enthusiast substrata were harmed
in the writing of this, uh, whatever-it-is.
Here at AK, we have a democratic representation of audio enthusiasts. The high-enders usually want nothing Klipsch around, with their screechingly shrill upper mids/lower treble, their honky no-wonder-they-called-them-squawkers mids, and spitty tweets all combining to run them from the room with ear-bleed. Some of the diy-guys are certain they can build better gear themselves; I only know I can't. Vintage collectors prefer silver faces and strung tuners, and would much rather rejuvenate a classic amp than buy a new one. Those who pride themselves on spending the absolute least amount possible think buying modern amps for big dollars is wasteful.
Obviously, those are caricatures, painted with a wide, virtual brush, but including kernels of truth. So who cares what I think about the sound of this unlikely pairing? Well, nobody. But almost all of us care about sound, at least to some extent. There are a very few who's real enjoyment comes from taking a broken component and bringing it back to life, but don't listen as much as they tinker. However, tinkerers include some who are obsessed with SQ, too. We're all over the place in the spectrum of audio.
I've loved Khorns from the first time I ever finally heard a pair in the 80s, back when I could hear the (about) 16khz flyback noise of television as clearly as a doorbell. They failed to make my ears bleed. Later, after hearing speakers with smoother response, I recognized some of the Khorn's colorations. Shrillness at high volume being among them. Oddly, I have heard the same from speakers more highly regarded among some audiophiles, that somehow eluded the often vehement criticisms Khorns endure.
At any rate, several of those "better" speakers just lacked what I like about Khorns - their huge, yet intimate, presentation. Bottom line, as far as money goes, I have three grand in a pair of highly presentable (cosmetically) Khorns, but I had a midfi preamp and a BOTL $230 amp to drive them. I'd heard Khorns sound much better, and being basically house-bound, I listen to a lot of the thing that draws most of us here, the music. So I saved up and began the process of deciding on amplification.
I kept resisting the idea of actually spending a lot; maybe a Yamaha integrated would suffice. But I didn't pull the trigger. I remember how good Khorns sounded with NAD, then how much better with Audio Research. The latter was the kind of sound I wanted. I bought a custom-built ST-70, and that was a very nice improvement, until I discovered that tubes and I don't play well together. I put too many hours too soon on an amp. So I sold it in B-town and shipped it to Honolulu.
And added that back into the kitty, taking a nice loss on the sale because I included all the sets of tubes I'd ordered, but the kitty was growing anyway. I was looking at separates, of course. And then along came Mister Pig with his new-to-him JBLs that certainly look like they mean business (would love to hear them) and his powerful NuVista integrated amp. Influenced me to look at better integrateds.
I searched, I read, I waffled. Didn't want a built-in DAC, I was sure. When I found the Mark Levinson No. 585 review in Stereophile, I became intrigued. Way, way out of my range, financially. And it had a DAC. A damn good one. Then e-stat came along, telling me I could rip all my CDs to FLAC using a Raspberry Pi. Beyond my current skill-level, but I am a reasonably intelligent guy and hope to figure it out. Will likely be PMing him a few questions in the coming weeks. So maybe I do need a good DAC, after all.
Kitty kept growing, as I kept waffling, failing to pull triggers on the Halo Integrated, or a Bryston cubed, or anything else. Only considered new, because I've been burned too many times buying used, but Mister Pig suggested a used late-model amp, and the No. 585 could be had, in excellent condition, for slightly more than half the new price of twelve grand.
"You can buy a pretty decent used car for that." (Christine)
"Haven't driven in six or seven years. Listen to music hours every day."
When I started thinking about life expectancy (how long would I get to listen to this system?), I realized that I needed to change my thinking. Screw that, I want a 585, and that is where I'm headed.
So now that I have it, is it worth the money? Sonically, resolution, timbre, dynamics and every other aspect have improved greatly. So for me, every cent.
Subject cont'd from... http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/mark-levinson-no-585-integrated-amp.790622/
No audio enthusiast substrata were harmed
in the writing of this, uh, whatever-it-is.
Last edited:
