I looked up this thread to find out members' thoughts on Acoustic Research/McIntosh combinations. I have a MAC 1700 (a mere 40 wpc) driving AR-10Pi's. My listening room is small, 13'x13'x6'10" high. In this space the MAC/AR combo is plenty loud enough for me. To my ears the music has a depth that I have yet to recreate on any other combo; classical music, blues and, especially, jazz have a presence and intimacy that I just can't explain. Is it an accurate sound? No. Additionally, I have to say that it does not cope well with music that is heavily compressed - a case in point being the Led Zeppelin remixes.
If I want accuracy I use an Arcam Alpha 10 (100 wpc)/Acoustic Energy AE2 combination. These are far faster speakers with metal cones. They are accurate and do produce amazing bass for a relatively small speaker. I would not describe their sound as fatiguing but I always end up spending 10 hours listening to the MAC/AR setup for every hour that's spent with the Arcam/AE2 system. The MAC/AR is just so much more enjoyable.
Just my two penn'th worth from across the pond.
If I want accuracy I use an Arcam Alpha 10 (100 wpc)/Acoustic Energy AE2 combination. These are far faster speakers with metal cones. They are accurate and do produce amazing bass for a relatively small speaker. I would not describe their sound as fatiguing but I always end up spending 10 hours listening to the MAC/AR setup for every hour that's spent with the Arcam/AE2 system. The MAC/AR is just so much more enjoyable.
Just my two penn'th worth from across the pond.
