[Dillan]

I'm really looking forward to getting this amp/dac in this week. I think it uses a burrbrown dac - anyone know which one? I think it is the same chip they use in all their stuff.
 
I didn't like their crossfeed feature, but I did think the bass boost was interesting. McIntosh just make great products and I am looking forward to using this (and maybe reviewing it).

 

[Rossliew]

All hose a fairly efficient headphones that really do not require a speakers amp follower them correctly. Why do you want to go on that direction?

I just love the extra headroom a powerful amp can provide. I've used my HD600 straight out of the speaker taps of the vintage NAD3020 amp and it definitely sounded better than most other headlamps i have, The sound is effortless with more dynamics and palpable bass response. It just sounded better overall.

 

[Dillan]

Does anyone else find that their MHA100 sounds like a dark tube amp (even though its solid state)? First impressions with their demo made both the HD800 and especially the HD800S sound the best I have ever heard them.. But with extra warm cans like my LCD-4 it made them sound very veiled and dark (which is actually my preferred sound signature most of the time).. it also sounds especially good with the Grado sparkle. A great balance with treble heavy headphones.

 

[m8o]

I think it's the autoformer effect you are reacting to (1/2 of a transformer, but inductive reactance and impedance matching, and the 'magic' that happens within the coils of wire & core, is in full effect). And yes, I had the same realization. It's the best of both solid state and tube worlds.

I don't get that if using the speaker taps.

 

[musicman59]

I don't get that if using the speaker taps.

Because the speaker tabs do not use the Autoformers. They are fixed to 8 ohms.

 

[m8o]

I know. I'm telling him. Hehe. I need to be more exact with my words I guess.

 

[groovyd]

I know. I'm telling him. Hehe. I need to be more exact with my words I guess.

here's the thing... i think it uses the exact same amp for both speaker taps on the back and headphone on the front as you cannot turn one on with the other also on or am i wrong?  it would seem you could only get the best quality result for headphones using the headphone jack and selecting the proper impedance that they let you tap off the transformers from. in other words, it is one amplifier driving either headphones via auto-formers or speakers fixed.  you get the full power capacity of the amp regardless of which connections you use.

 

[groovyd]

i just wish it was a tube amp since i already have the D100 and really don't need the DAC but i much prefer tube sound to solid state.

 

[m8o]

One amp. Whether the voltage on the power device rails is lowered when in autoformer mode, I do not know. Likely not, and a 50wpc amp always. (About 12wpc to the HE1000 via the speaker taps)

- When you switch to the 'Speaker' out, you hear a click of a relay disengaging he autoformers.
-- signal is also sent to line-out, and only then (which put the kebash on a lot of ideas I had).
-- no signal is fed to the headphone jack.

- When you switch off 'Speaker' to any headphone impedance, you hear the click one time as the relay disengage the speaker out and engages the autoformers.
-- line out is disengaged too.
-- goes without saying but will anyway, hehe, headphone out is live.

 

[IceClass]

  i just wish it was a tube amp since i already have the D100 and really don't need the DAC but i much prefer tube sound to solid state.

 
The MHA-100 is the least solid state sounding amp I have heard.

 

[IceClass]

I'm getting ready to start assembling a speaker rig for the living room and am debating whether the MHA goes into the mix combined with a power amplifier or stays in the office.
 
Has anyone yet put the MHA's preamplifier section a good enough workout to determine whether it's worth the investment to be combined with a good power amplifier?
 
The onboard 50 watts won't be enough for what I have in mind but I'm still debating whether to integrate the MHA or just buy a good integrated for the living room speakers.

 

[Dillan]

The MHA-100 is the least solid state sounding amp I have heard.

100% agree.

 

[groovyd]

also really need it to be able to power the speakers out at the same time as the headphones since i listen to both and sometimes at the same time.  ie. headphones for detail and peakers for body feel and take off the headphones to do something in kitchen and want to still hear the music and back and forth often.

 

[musicman59]

  also really need it to be able to power the speakers out at the same time as the headphones since i listen to both and sometimes at the same time.  ie. headphones for detail and peakers for body feel and take off the headphones to do something in kitchen and want to still hear the music and back and forth often.

That won't work with the MHA100. Is either headphones output or speakers bot not both at the same time.

 

[MickeyVee]

   
The MHA-100 is the least solid state sounding amp I have heard.

Totally Agree! It has curbed my want/need for a tube amp again.