Made the leap into seperates and not looking back, ordered a MC7270 and C34v

jeff spicoli

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A few years ago I bought a MC2125 and C29. There was problems with the amp and I sold it as-is but kept the pre. I kinda had a bad experience and it left a bad taste in my mouth for a while.

On Wednesday I ordered a MC7270 and 34v from Audio Classics. It will arrive next week sometime on a pallet of all things!! I cannot wait! Its the second most expensive item I have ever bought except for my house.

My question is what do I need to get the most out of these two pieces? I want it to be special experience and I want to have everything I need (if I even need anything) beforehand and ready to go. Do I need new speaker wire? do I need better interconnects? This is my first time entering this world and I'm excited, scared, nervous, worried, etc, etc.
 
I talked to Steve at Audio Classics and he said I wouldn't need any special speaker wire, just the bare wire.....which I have been using for years. Would newer interconnects help the sound?
 
The MC7270 has screw style barrier strips. I typically install #6 fork terminals on the ends of the speaker wires for a positive, secure fit. Short of that, use whichever interconnects you're comfortable with.

FWIW, the MC7270 remains my all-time favorite bang for the buck McIntosh power amplifier. It has it all - looks, performance, and power.

About the only other thing you may want to have on hand would be a tall glass of your favorite beverage. Enjoy!
 
I'll be trying the combo with many types of speakers with one pair being Altec Valencia 846a which are 16ohms. Since the amp isn't rated for 16ohms, is there a problem hooking them up together?
 
I have a whole bunch of different speakers I want to try and eventually I will weed them out. I will try the pair with Klipschorns, AR3a's, ADS L1290, Klipsch KG4, KLH 5, KLH 33, NLA, OLA's, and JBL L88's to name just a few
 
Thanks everyone for all the positive comments. I never thought in a million years I'd be getting some good gear for once especially from a trusted seller. I'm not saying all the stuff I bought over the years was junk or that the sellers were not to be trusted but stuff wears out over time.

As a side note I do have a pair of magnapan tympanis that need restored and I'm at the financial standpoint where I can afford to send them in for restoration. Would it be worth it to restore them to use with my Mac gear? I've read where the tympani need lots of power?
 
Thanks everyone for all the positive comments. I never thought in a million years I'd be getting some good gear for once especially from a trusted seller. I'm not saying all the stuff I bought over the years was junk or that the sellers were not to be trusted but stuff wears out over time.

As a side note I do have a pair of magnapan tympanis that need restored and I'm at the financial standpoint where I can afford to send them in for restoration. Would it be worth it to restore them to use with my Mac gear? I've read where the tympani need lots of power?

Any Mcintosh autoformer amplifier will drive any speaker, and you've cherrypicked the pinnacle for the money. Restore and go with it!

From looking at the impedance curves, it looks like they're pretty good on 4 ohms, but at 83 dB per watt they're going to need all 350 watts (or so) the '270 will deliver.

With powerguard, you can run the amp at the far side without danger. (waiting on damacman; "You need 2 of them" or "perfect application for a (pair of) 2600('s)!")
 
I have a whole bunch of different speakers I want to try and eventually I will weed them out. I will try the pair with Klipschorns, AR3a's, ADS L1290, Klipsch KG4, KLH 5, KLH 33, NLA, OLA's, and JBL L88's to name just a few

Don't forget to try out C34's monitor amplifier with the more sensitive speakers such as the Klipschorns and the Valencias.

Enjoy your experimentation.
 
I started with a C32 and 7270 from AC, I think you'll love your new combo. As far as the speaker selection I did hook up a set of KLH 5's to it for a test, they sure liked that power !!! But you have a bunch of nice options in your collection, try them all :)
 
Welcome to the mac world and forum Collin...:thumbsup:

Its the second most expensive item I have ever bought except for my house.
Even though you bought from a store and have peace of mind with warranty you have to understand McIntosh. I'v never sold any mac gear for less than I paid and this is generally for buying used in the first place. Used equipment follows the price increase of new gear so it holds it's value and or goes up. This is true even for newer gear in current production that generally last 10 years a unit, but will increase MSRP over that time. I bought my MC275s new at a local store and paid local tax as well. At first as soon as I bought them if I needed to sell I would have taken a $1000 loss per amp. Well after a little over three years use, and a McIntosh increase in price over that time, I'll only have a $500 loss per amp. So lets say If I sold a MC275 It really only cost me $500 to enjoy new mac gear for three years. Of course this was for new gear and the longer you own it the better off you are. But buying used is a whole other story, and it actually only goes up and you don't have the initial loss at all.

Do I need new speaker wire? do I need better interconnects? This is my first time entering this world and I'm excited, scared, nervous, worried, etc, etc.
I think your going to want to set your new gear up with just as good of quality and ascetics as the mac gear.

I will try the pair with Klipschorns, AR3a's, ADS L1290, Klipsch KG4, KLH 5, KLH 33, NLA, OLA's, and JBL L88's to name just a few
You just entered a new audio world and this kind of buying on the weekends will change. As your system/components get better and cost more, what we drag home to try has to come close or better than we already have, and that cost will be a lot greater.

I'm at the financial standpoint where I can afford to send them in for restoration.
Well this is the time we make a move on things like this, but you have options and to many speakers. I think you would benefit stepping up your speaker game and selling off what you accumulated, this will only help the end result in your new system.

Ok lets talk crap in crap out and I know you like records.......
I spent money chasing SQ on vintage Japanese gear and common consumer equipment. I spent a small fortune on the beginnings of my mac system but still had all the same type of tables and cartridges. In fact I'd get a new table to try and then use my old cartridges on the new tables. This was all a futile effort and a sideways move at best.

Even after buying some of my Mac system I was still searching for SQ, well until I stepped up my game in turntables, arms, cartridges and staging. I came home with a SOTA Star deck and ended up swinging a deal with the seller for his SME 309, and Sumiko Blackbird. As soon as I was done setting it up and put a record on, it hit me.....I found it, I'm done chasing SQ.

When I added a head amp between the table and my preamp it really opened up my sound stage. I also ended up buying another Sumiko cartridge, the less expensive Blue Point EVO III to put on my much cheaper table. To tell the truth as far as SQ goes it was very close at a far far cheaper price.

And one other point, Records are the other half of your system and any high quality cartridge and turntable setup. Once you get the main body and front end of the system setup, and you have some records that sound like magic. The focus should be on finding the best copies made to play on your system.

Today my system stays pretty much the same, I swap in nice speakers here and there but really spend my money on very good records.
 
427 your post kinda sums up what my ultimate goal is. Purge all the excess stuff and focus on better quality. I've learned that from you with buying records. Acoustic Sounds is my go to when I'm looking for quality.

It's going to be a step process. The next step (or goal) is to have a huge sell off and get a vpi classic with a really good cart. My speakers are good enough for now but they are the next step. I just don't want to run reg unleaded gas in a Ferrari.
 
It's going to be a step process. The next step (or goal) is to have a huge sell off and get a vpi classic with a really good cart. My speakers are good enough for now but they are the next step. I just don't want to run reg unleaded gas in a Ferrari.

This is the perfect game plan you have going, quality over quantity. What we end up getting is a system that out weighs our space and that's the best we can hope for. Well unless you can build a house for your system...:p
 
You guys are all like cool older brothers to me and I appreciate all the feedback and advice whether good or bad.
 
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