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New member Username: StantonPost Number: 1 Registered: Dec-07 | Hello, and Happy New Year to all! As someone who has been an audioholic for close to 30 years, I can't remember a time where I have been more frustrated. First off, I listen to a wide variety of music; everything from 60's-70's Soul/R&B/Funk to Acoustic Jazz and female vocalists. My mainstay brain (amp) for the past 17 years has been a Mac MA6100. I recently purchased a new NAD C370 as a "just in case" backup should the Mac bail out on me. My speakers are Maggie 1.6's, which I hoped to be my last main speaker purchase ever. Over the years I have owned many different brands, but the Maggies have always been my dream purchase. As it stands right now, my equipment throughout the house includes: Mac MA6100 NAD C370 10 Year old Yamaha Stereo Receiver 10 year old Sony CD changer 5 year old Pioneer 3 CD changer + 1 record tray Maggie 1.6 speakers Boston Acoustics CR-7 Bookshelf Speakers The Yamaha/Sony/Boston setup is in our living room and mainly gets played at Christmas. The Mac/Maggie/Pioneer setup is in my family room and gets played several times a week. Here lies the problem: The Mac/Maggie/Pioneer setup sounds great with well recorded music, and is tolerable with lesser quality stuff. I get smooth but not too bright highs, awesome midrange, and tight, full bass. Unfortunately, I have to dial the Mac up to around 10:30/11:00 to get it to really open up, which can sometimes be too loud. This has always been the case with my Mac, even when it ran some old Klipsch floorstanders some years back. When I swap in the NAD C370, the sound changes completely, with more detail coming through around 8:00/9:00 on the volume dial. But...the sound is totally different: The highs come off as almost shrill, the mids are good, and the bass drops off remarkably. Keeping in mind that so much music recorded on CD is recorded loud and without any space between the instruments, it is becoming harder and harder to enjoy either of my Maggie/amp combinations. Again, this didn't just start with the Maggies, it is just now more pronounced. Over the past several years I have had this discussion with other music lovers who told me that I always heard things (good and bad) in recorded music that others didn't pick up on. Recently I thought that buying a new CD player would help remedy the situation, but then a weird thought entered my mind: What if Bose has it all figured out? OK, maybe I'm being a little sarcastic, but their speakers don't do much of anything well; they just play music. I was over a buddy's house last week listening to his Bose 301's and noticed one thing in particular: Poorly recorded CD's didn't sound that bad on his system. LOL! Bright CD's were almost warmed over and made listenable. Help! I'm losing my mind! Before I get too far off track, is the NAD line that much of a drop off from Mac? For those that are familiar with my equipment, am I describing the differences correctly? Will a new CD player help? If so, how little can I spend to hear a noticeable improvement? Does the Mac sometimes muffle the mids and highs until you really open it up? Does Paradigm still make an active bookshelf model (this might solve everything-LOL). |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 9531 Registered: Dec-04 | Hello, and welcome Stanton. Your Mac needs a recap and a tuneup. Then decide again. |
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Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 11932 Registered: May-04 | . I'm not certain what sort of "tune up" Nuck would suggest. If the caps are not giving you a problem, which you would notice as a low frequency hum, then there's no particular need to replace caps unless you are the sort who deals with problems before they arise. The 6100 is a three decades old piece of equipment that will eventually require service. I would say the Mac is quite a jump in quality from the NAD. However both are simply telling you the Magnepans are difficult speakers to drive well. The Magnepan design typically maintains a fairly consistent impedance load but presents a high inductive load that makes life tough on most amplifiers. As a line the Magnepans require a reasonable amount of power before they begin to open up and sound like music. Your impression of where this occurs on the two amplifiers is irrelevant to the position of the volume control. The Mac uses a linear taper volume control while the NAD has an audio taper vc. This means the position of the vc means nothing to the amount of power the amplifier is delivering to the speaker load. So, ignore the position of the volume control in this discussion - it is not important or comparable. Will a better CD player make an improvement. In all likelyhood, yes. It's pretty difficult to tell since I have no idea what you listen for or how you listen. But dump the Pioneer and buy a real CD player. One disc at a time and between $600-1k should get you much better sound quality. You don't indicate you've made any attempt to improve the acoustics of the room so I suspect you are having some problems related to how the dipole panels are interacting with the room. An investment in some room treatments and possibly a new speaker set up should improve things. Otherwise, you'll have to decide whether you want to have an amplifier that plays well with your speakers or speakers which appreciate your amplifier. Neither the Mac nor the Magnepans are going to change their basic character so you'll have to make an attempt to get equipment that is better matched. An amplifier that plays well with the panels is somewhat expensive and speakers that play well with the Mac won't sound exactly like the panels. But the Magnepans require a high current amplifier and the Mac integrated isn't really that amplifier. The new Magnepan MMG's have better sound in some ways than your panels and would be happier with the Mac though this is still not a match made in hifi heaven. A separate pre amp/power amplifier combination would be my suggestion with your present speakers. Stay away from tube power amplifier with these speakers. Solid state McIntosh separates, Krell, Rowland or a dozen others would be capable of driving your panels with better control than the 6100. Use the pre amp section of the 6100 if the budget is tight. But no matter what you put with the panels, they require power to sound right. Buy a couple hundred watts of high current amplifier. Parasound has something at about $2k that would do the job but its character is not an exact match for the Mac as a pre amp. . |
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Silver Member Username: Mike3Wylie, Tx USA Post Number: 992 Registered: May-06 | These could work; http://buy.audiogon.com/cgia/cls.pl?ampstran&1204058142 http://buy.audiogon.com/cgia/cls.pl?ampstran&1204214068 http://buy.audiogon.com/cgia/cls.pl?ampstran&1203981658 and you would maintain the Mac sound you have become accustomed to and apparently enjoy. |
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Silver Member Username: Nickelbut10Post Number: 920 Registered: Jun-07 | I agree with Jan, the Characteristics you have described of the NAD and Mac are not the typical sound I have heard from these two brands. Therefore it must be a case of poor synergy between the two amplifiers and the speakers, mixed with a mediocre cd player. Is MAC a step up from NAD? Absolutely when it comes to build quality/quality control. Does it sound better? Most would think so, some may not. I have talked to Mac lovers, and Mac haters, claiming they do not like the sound MAC brings to the table. I on the other hand, feel MAC sounds great, bringing the warm, musical/flat sound like NAD does, just a bit fuller. Either amp you have should sound great giving the right synergy and a good source. I would look at that, and the fact that these speakers may be having issues with your room. |
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Bronze Member Username: MagfanUSA Post Number: 74 Registered: Oct-07 | Jan scores 100% for his answer. I have 1.6's too and the associated equipment is critical. Find Magnepan dealer and go have a listen. I tried a Krell integrated and it was fine....not shrill and plenty of power, but it got TOO hot. Some people like Bel Canto or PS Audio w/Maggies. |