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MC-30 or MC-60 recommendation....

O

onedrop

New Member
Hello,

I was wondering what you McIntosh experts would recommend for me for my current setup. I have a pair of A/D/S/ L-1590 monitors. These guys rate at 90dB @ 2.8 VRMS. That being said, I am currently running my VPI turntable through a Wright Sound WPP-200C pre-amp and into an Arcam Solid State amplifier. I would like to go all tubes with my vinyl setup and leave the Arcam for other media. I was looking at either a pair of MC-30's or MC-60's and was thinking that the MC-30's wouldn't provide enough power for the ADS speakers. Would you folks agree? They can be bi-amped with a crossover, so I suppose down the line I could run another set of amps however thats not going to fly with the current budget. Also, I see plenty of vintage mac gear on the fleabay but would guess that they should probably be overhauled by a professional. What should I factor in for that type of service?

Thanks
 
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onedrop.......A single MC275 MkV would make you very happy.

And welcome to AudioKarma, the best audio forum on the web.
 
Depending on the size of your listening room, how much background noise it has, and how loud you listen to music, I'd be inclined to support Jdandy's suggestion. Those are big monitors, IIRC, and they'll need some humph to get them going. Have you considered other speakers instead?

On older tube amps, in general, unless you find a steal-deal on some older amps, your restoration costs plus round-trip shipping costs to a bench tech could add up. Generally, the MC-30s I've worked on required a number of resistors and capacitors to be replaced. Add in some tubes to that and, for a bit more, you may well get close to a nice, used current-model MC275 w/tubes.

Don't get me wrong, here, I'm not trying to steer you clear of some good 'ol Mac tube amps. I'm just concerned that your speakers will do justice to what they can actually do due to their efficiency.

And, yes, welcome to AK!

Cheers,

David
 
Hi I've got 1590/2. The woofers in these have a large magnet and like alot of power. I was running mine biamped with a Yamaha M65 for highs 170 wpc and 2 nad 2600a for the woofers in each tower at 400wpc. They really wake up with more power to the woofers. Yesterday I switched over to an MC2255 that amp alone powers these better than all 3 other amps. I was cranking it today with a steady 25 watts on the meters it was really rocking. So depending how loud you like to listen and how big you room is a pair of 30's,60's,or 275 maybe enough. If you buy right and keep shipping and repairs low you always be able to get your money back out of Mc amps.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. Perhaps its worth looking into the newer MC275 models. I am by no means "set" on getting MC-60's or 30's. The speakers I have are monsters, however it would be silly for me to replace them for an amp that I dont have. They sound too nice IMO to be ditched for higher efficiency speakers at this point. I have also thought of Bi-amping the low frequency with SS, leaving the uppers to the tubes but that again is another whole project.
 
MC275 would be the best choice as you will be using a fair amount of its rated power with the 1590s. I used to run some 1290s on a MC275 and it worked very well. 1590s go lower though with the same high end as the 1290.

Thanks,
Ron-C
 
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