MA6900-Performance & Used Price?

J

joekapahulu

Active Member
Saw a MA6900 on Craigslist locally for $2800/neg. Needs a new glass and waiting to see if if can be auditioned but curious as to what you all think of its sound, reliability and a fair used price? I dont know that I have ever seen or heard one. Reviews on line seem to be mixed? Owner does not have remote or boxes and states it was pulled from a system earlier this year? Any comments appreciated.
 
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Dig up the February, 2002 Stereophile review by Sam Tellig, who loved the amplifier.
It was also listed as "Class A" in their Recommended Components section at the time.

It's a sleeper - it doesn't sound like most integrated amps - more like separates.

Excellent complete MA6900 amplifiers sell for $3500 - $4000 on eBay.
 
Offer him $2,200. These don't sell on Craigslist locally like they do on e-bay. A new box from McIntosh is about $100. New Glass is about $150-$200. More than likely a couple of light bulbs will be out too. And then there's the remote. Add in labor for installing glass and bulbs. Then factor the discount the seller will give you for the convenience of local pick-up with cash and no recourse.

I bought a used MA6900 a couple of years ago. I cracked the glass when I was lifting it from the box by myself. NEVER pick it up by a corner as the chassis can flex and crack the glass (yes, I learned the hard way). It was a fantastic unit. I got a great deal on it as it was part of a package (divorced wife got the equipment and wanted to piss off ex-husband!). Very powerful and clean. I personally think the $3,500 - $4,000 is way overpriced for an integrated unit. But if you can get it for $2,500 or less, you've got a great deal.
 
joekapahulu said:
Saw a MA6900 on Craigslist locally for $2800/neg. Needs a new glass and waiting to see if if can be auditioned but curious as to what you all think of its sound, reliability and a fair used price? I dont know that I have ever seen or heard one. Reviews on line seem to be mixed? Owner does not have remote or boxes and states it was pulled from a system earlier this year? Any comments appreciated.
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I saw that posting too Joe.....let us know if you decide to pick it up. :yes:
 
I have heard a couple over the years at different dealers and the unit really impressed me. It has those wonderful Graphic tone controls. I has some features the newer units don't have. You can read the owners manual on this site. It has great head room and great dampening factor for a unit with autoformers. Its only one generation behind the current stuff, The remote isn't as flexible as the later units, but that would not stop me from buying a great unit. If you have speakers with over 90 db efficiency and can handle the power its a great choice. Though it doesn't have the fancy speaker connectors the current amps have, if you use gold pin connectors that are soldered on your speaker wires and keep the pin connectors clean with annual maintenance, like I do with my 207's , you'll be secure in knowing your getting the best performance from your 6900. Its very Quiet for an integrated and would even make Klipsch fans happy.
 
MA6900 thoughts

Thanks to all for the feedback. I am going to audition the amp locally. I use Ohm Walsh 2s with the 100-3 units. I am currently running them with an old Mcintosh MC250 which sounds good and have also used an ATI 1502. However, I like the Mac house sound as it is musical but not overly detailed. I have found that my ears cant handle excessive detail for too long. I heard the 6500, the next model down, in SFO with Kef 201/2 Reference speakers and loved them. Will advise how this plays out.
 
I agree with HamDog. I saw a used unit for sale at a dealer that looked to be in good condition (it was a static display). Had power cord, remote (don't know if it had the box). And the asking price was $2,750.
 
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