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mcintosh ma6600 for B&W804 D3?

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daniel_m

New Member
Hi friends, I have B & W 804 D3 speakers, and I'm running them right now with vincent sv-237 integrated amp. I found a vendor of McIntosh MA6600 Integrated, and wanted to know if I would get an improvement in the result.

The 804 is difficult to move. The MA6600 alone with enough power to propel them on the low end?

How is the combination? Would appreciate help.
Thank you all
 

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From what I can read it looks like a perfect match to me. The impedance of the speaker dips to 3 ohms so you might start off with the 4 ohm tap as the Mac has plenty of current reserve. You always have the 2 ohm tap to try if it will make you feel more comfortable. The amp has great signal to noise and will make sure that small signal details will not be lost. The amp is rated at 200 watts and with Power Guard and the 200 watt rating of our speakers power matching is almost perfect. Your speakers have a peak at 10 Khz which might increase the fatigue factor over the long term with other amps, but that shouldn't be the case here. Macs are known for being stable without emphasizing one frequency area over another. Being a analog fan I prefer graphic tone controls, and would look for MA 6900. It would allow me to tame your tweeters with feyness, with out coloring the rest of the high frequency spectrum. Its not a deal breaker to have regular tone controls, graphics are just my preference. I also have a 11 band graphic EQ I could use, but the Mcintosh graphic controls are so simple and elegant in their performance.

One thing I did note was B&W recommended a maximum wire impedance of 0.10 ohms. So that means big 12 awg wire or larger and as short of speaker wire as possible. Follow that rule. Its important for best performance.

If your a digital fan, big time, there is the new 8900, with 200 watts per channel with a built decoding module that can be changed to accept higher sampling rates with greater dip depth as industry standards improve without replacing the entire unit. It has graphic tone controls and all the same capabilities as the 6600 with more remote control options. I'm not saying this is a better choice. But like the 6900 a choice you should be made aware . Back in the day when the only color you could have for your Model T was black. You buy one and then you see your first Red Chevy. Wouldn't you have wanted to be made aware?
 
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McIntosh and the B&W 800 series is a match made in heaven. The B&W's like power, but 200 watts of real McIntosh power is going to be able to drive them just fine.
 
twiiii said:
If your a digital fan, big time, there is the new 8900, with 200 watts per channel with a built decoding module that can be changed to accept higher sampling rates with greater dip depth as industry standards improve without replacing the entire unit. It has graphic tone controls and all the same capabilities as the 6600 with more remote control options. I'm not saying this is a better choice. But like the 6900 a choice you should be made aware . Back in the day when the only color you could have for your Model T was black. You buy one and then you see your first Red Chevy. Wouldn't you have wanted to be made aware?
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Thanks, I guess he has enough power, you helped me a lot,
Appreciate
 
botrytis said:
Definitely not. I have heard the 804 D3's on a variety of equipment and Mac was one of the ones, I didn't like - floppy bass due to the autoformers. The Mac made the speakers just sound tubby and the highs were rolled off. I am not a fan of Mac amps at all.

I would try something like Krell, Mark Levinson, Hegel, something with power to spare. I heard them on a Audio Research pre and a Dan D'Agostino amp and it was sublime.
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Can you explain more? I've seen a lot of people combine Macintosh with B & W, but they all have a separate pre-power system, the integrated 6600 is not enough for these speakers?

I have heard the Dan D'Agostino amp and I loved very much, but it is too expensive

Thanks for the help
 
botrytis said:
Definitely not. I have heard the 804 D3's on a variety of equipment and Mac was one of the ones, I didn't like - floppy bass due to the autoformers. The Mac made the speakers just sound tubby and the highs were rolled off. I am not a fan of Mac amps at all.
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You have made your feelings about Mc amps very clear. Many of us, myself included, have paired McIntosh amplifiers and B&W speakers with excellent results. "Floppy bass" has never been a factor for me with any autoformer amplifier. Nor has "rolled off highs.' Both are general objections offered by non-McIntosh enthusiasts, often without merit.
 
damacman said:
You have made your feelings about Mc amps very clear. Many of us, myself included, have paired McIntosh amplifiers and B&W speakers with excellent results. "Floppy bass" has never been a factor for me with any autoformer amplifier. Nor has "rolled off highs.' Both are general objections offered by non-McIntosh enthusiasts, often without merit.
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Now I'm completely confused. Anyone here heard this combination?
Can you move the speakers with the 6600 only?

Would appreciate help
 
daniel_m said:
Now I'm completely confused. Anyone here heard this combination?
Can you move the speakers with the 6600 only?

Would appreciate help
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I have bought five McIntosh amps. They all perform great with or without autoformers. I have some great Yamaha and Lyngdorf and Pioneer amps. The McIntosh is hands down better than all the rest. They give you true reproduction closest to live. The only amp I have close to the Mc in sound is Lyngdorf. Under hard to drive loads the McIntosh out strips it a country mile. The powerguard will protect those expensive tweeters with the McIntosh.

The others give a false sparkle up top. Listen with flat tone controls. The Mcintosh will not lead you wrong. If you wish to upgrade for more power it will hold its value.

The other poster could have heard the combo in a poor room and is comparing apples to oranges.

The poster was leading you to high dollar amps. Will they perform at the McIntosh level. An integrated yes probably as well or better. Spend the same dollars on McIntosh separates I doubt there is a contest. How much do you wish or can you spend?
 
OP - don't be frustrated by the attempt to derail your thread by someone that has a general distaste for McIntosh gear. I don't have any personal experience with that integrated or I would comment further.

Generally speaking, I've always found Mc/B&W combos very satisfying.
 
Speakers with less than critically damped woofers to extend the bass response can be influenced by the output impedance of the amp or the speaker line. BW's warning of line resistance is a veiled warning the speakers are easily influenced by wire or the amp.

I have a similar issue, and is why I bi-amp with direct coupled amps with the passive crossovers removed.

That said my amps are only rated at 100 DF where my previous amps were over a 1000. The sound of the bass was a little more euphonic with the new amps. Well I changed Av processors and the bass dried right up with the return of the speed and clarity without effecting the sound above 150 hz. So its not always the amp.
 
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Velocityboat said:
I have bought five McIntosh amps. They all perform great with or without autoformers. I have some great Yamaha and Lyngdorf and Pioneer amps. The McIntosh is hands down better than all the rest. They give you true reproduction closest to live. The only amp I have close to the Mc in sound is Lyngdorf. Under hard to drive loads the McIntosh out strips it a country mile. The powerguard will protect those expensive tweeters with the McIntosh.

The others give a false sparkle up top. Listen with flat tone controls. The Mcintosh will not lead you wrong. If you wish to upgrade for more power it will hold its value.

The other poster could have heard the combo in a poor room and is comparing apples to oranges.

The poster was leading you to high dollar amps. Will they perform at the McIntosh level. An integrated yes probably as well or better. Spend the same dollars on McIntosh separates I doubt there is a contest. How much do you wish or can you spend?
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Thanks. I think security has returned a bit, I'm trying to get a demo, and I'll know more.

My budget is 3.5K, I'm testing a used MA6600, I hope it's enough
 
twiiii said:
Well I changed Av processors and the bass dried right up with the return of the speed and clarity without effecting the sound above 150 hz. So its not always the amp.
Click to expand...

This is one of many reasons not to read too far into damping factor specifications. The biggie is that when you add the DCR of the loudspeaker into the equation, the DF becomes 1. Having said that, I do trust your personal experiences as you've outlined them, so there is definitely something.
 
damacman said:
Please report back to us after you hear the demo.
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The salesman said he would coordinate with me. It claims that this MA6600 transistor amplifier with Tube sound. I think this is excellent, because, the D3 series respond well to hot amplification. The Vincent I have at the moment, is a hybrid amplifier, and the sound is amazing.

I hope the power is enough, because I do not have money to McIntosh separates
I also order the OPPO 205, and that's a lot of money for me
 
daniel_m said:
The salesman said he would coordinate with me. It claims that this MA6600 transistor amplifier with Tube sound. I think this is excellent, because, the D3 series respond well to hot amplification. The Vincent I have at the moment, is a hybrid amplifier, and the sound is amazing.

I hope the power is enough, because I do not have money to McIntosh separates
I also order the OPPO 205, and that's a lot of money for me
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3500 will get you a great Mcintosh separate amp and almost there on a Pre smp . Like a MC 2500 with power to spare. Can you use your current equipment as a Pre amp until you can get something else from McIntosh.
 
The MA6600 is a great integrated, IMHO. Purchased mine new in 2012 as my "last" amp/pre-amp and continue to love it. Mine drives a pair of Vandersteen 2CE, SigII.
 
I just purchased a MA6600 to match with my similar spec JBL XPL 200a's (not exact, but I also powered my XPL 160's). I found the sound of the MA6600 to be the most significant change to my system of all addition/changes I have made. There is plenty of power and the sound produced is perfect to my ears. I have a turntable, universal player, and DAC connected and all sound incredible. I would not hesitate to buy if this unit has been serviced or is in great working condition. One note from me, mine came with the TM2 HD Tuner. Wow, when I demo this for my friends I casually put on the local classical station while gathering the LP's, SACD, or whatever I am going to show them. Almost everyone who has heard this has been blown away by how amazing radio can sound on this unit. If possible find one with the TM2 you will not be disappointed if you are in an area with decent HD radio options.

Long story short, go for it if the unit is in great shape. I have been blown away by my MA6600, it has been worth every penny, and I can't recommend it enough.
 
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