[21qz]

Question to those with those using a third party DAC + MHA100, Is the sound quality that much better when listening to FLAC files, or you only notice with DSD?
The highest quality music i listen to is from Tidal at the moment.

 

[IceClass]

Don't be underestimating the worth of the speaker amplifier.
It's good. I hadn't planned on making much use of it but so far, speakers have been 70% of my listening with the MHA100.

 

[MickeyVee]

@IceClass I'm with you but I guess it depends on ones use case.  I personally didn't think I'd enjoy the amp and speakers so much but now, as you, I listen to speakers about 70% of the time or have the system on speakers when I'm wandering around.  Either way, it's an awesone unit!

 

[GavThomson]

Thanks for the advice. I'm still a little sketchy on the DAC, does any know how it stacks up to the Hugo? My other option is pre order a LAu and use my Hugo as the day?? I can get a listen to the mc in dubai, but the Cavalli would be blind (or deaf as the case maybe).

Again any experience out there would be nice.

Gav

 

[musicman59]

  Question to those with those using a third party DAC + MHA100, Is the sound quality that much better when listening to FLAC files, or you only notice with DSD?
The highest quality music i listen to is from Tidal at the moment.

It depends on what external DAC you have. In my case with the Bricasti M1 it does make a difference in all formats but that is a high end DAC costing double the MHA100.

 

[IceClass]

Thanks for the advice. I'm still a little sketchy on the DAC, does any know how it stacks up to the Hugo? My other option is pre order a LAu and use my Hugo as the day??

 
While I have no experience with the HUGO, I was initially a little wary of the Mac's DAC and unimpressed with its inability to output the signal directly. As such I kept my long-time favourite Electrocompaniet ECD-1 and hooked that up to the MHA100 via the XLR inputs. I gave that a short whirl. Just long enough to figure that I actually prefer the MHA's DAC/amp combo. It wasn't long. That goes both for speakers and headphones.
I am increasingly inclined to see and enjoy the MHA as a quality all-in-one that performs well in all its roles.
I am sure someone with more speaker experience than I could point out the likely limitations of the amp in real world usage.
 

  It depends on what external DAC you have. In my case with the Bricasti M1 it does make a difference in all formats but that is a high end DAC costing double the MHA100.

 
*Cough, splutter*
The big cajones I was busy enjoying after slapping down some serious coin and impressing a saleman just dried up into little raisins and ran away scared.

 

[hmizutani]

Thanks for the advice. I'm still a little sketchy on the DAC, does any know how it stacks up to the Hugo? My other option is pre order a LAu and use my Hugo as the day?? I can get a listen to the mc in dubai, but the Cavalli would be blind (or deaf as the case maybe).

Again any experience out there would be nice.

Gav

I had the Hugo and MHA100, and much preferred the Hugo over the MHA100's internal DAC. The MHA100's DAC isn't bad by any means, but it's not in the same class as the Hugo.

 

[driggs]

Well, apart from a CD/Pre car audio head unit and the MC275 many years ago, I have had little experience with McIntosh products.  With my HD800s, I used my DNA Stratus and the Burson Conductor (with Weiss DAC202), but today I tried the MHA100...  well, I must say, I have not enjoyed a musical night like this for a long time... even though my lounge room has some very high end speakers and amplifiers.  Sure, there are great things about SET sound and the 'authority' of the Burson but the MHA100 has the whole package... everything counts and even the visuals of the blue meters added to the atmosphere (which I hoped to have captured in these pics).... Music is supposed to entice emotions and the MHA in the scene certainly helps do this!
 
 

 

 

 
 As a few have said already, the MHA100/HD800 is a great pair.   It will be staying.

 

[21qz]

Nice lil set up there^^^ Are you using the internal DAC to your MacBook? My HD800's just arrived. I'll report my impressions tonight.

 

[sfo1972]

  Well, apart from a CD/Pre car audio head unit and the MC275 many years ago, I have had little experience with McIntosh products.  With my HD800s, I used my DNA Stratus and the Burson Conductor (with Weiss DAC202), but today I tried the MHA100...  well, I must say, I have not enjoyed a musical night like this for a long time... even though my lounge room has some very high end speakers and amplifiers.  Sure, there are great things about SET sound and the 'authority' of the Burson but the MHA100 has the whole package... everything counts and even the visuals of the blue meters added to the atmosphere (which I hoped to have captured in these pics).... Music is supposed to entice emotions and the MHA in the scene certainly helps do this!
 
 

 

 

 
 As a few have said already, the MHA100/HD800 is a great pair.   It will be staying.

 
Dude, excellent looking setup! What DAC are you using? What speakers are those and what's powering the up?
 
Enjoy your MHA my man, that's a nice looking AMP.

 

[21qz]

HD800 + MHA100 combo is very crisp. I'm listening to Ed Sheeran's album through Tidal and i cant stop. 
Very comfortable set. I thought it would be more on the heavy side, but no. I have the amp on 150-600 ohms w/ HXD on and 10 for bass. 
 
Very happy with this!

 

[driggs]

Nice lil set up there^^^ Are you using the internal DAC to your MacBook? My HD800's just arrived. I'll report my impressions tonight.

 
Well, that's the point I was trying to make:  Up until now, I had separate power amplifier, separate DAC and separate headphone amplifier for my desk.  There are surely advantages in some areas with separates, but in my 'old age' I am streamlining things and the MHA100 does an amazing job at being an all-rounder.  In this regard, I think it is quite fairly priced.  Even from a pure sound quality perspective, it really does stand up to the Weiss DAC/DNA Stratus amp combo and in my mind betters the Burson amp/DAC with the HD800's.  Also, with the lighting effect at night, there is also that added "atmosphere".  

 

[driggs]

   
Dude, excellent looking setup! What DAC are you using? What speakers are those and what's powering the up?
 
Enjoy your MHA my man, that's a nice looking AMP.

 
Thanks sfo1972....  I was using the Weiss DAC202 and then the DAC in the Burson Conductor but now am only using the MHA100 as an integrated.  The MHA is also powering the speakers.  The speakers are no big deal at all (I have them as a secondary listening method - I use the headphones most of the time).  They are the Pro-ject Speaker Box 5's, with custom made "extensions" that have metallic fillers (Atacama Atabites) for better all-round performance - and this also raises the speakers to the height wanted.  All of it does look natural I think....  And the sound is enough for me to rid of the SET tubes/separate DAC endeavour...

 

[21qz]

   
Well, that's the point I was trying to make:  Up until now, I had separate power amplifier, separate DAC and separate headphone amplifier for y desk.  There are surely advantages in some areas with separates, but in my 'old age' I am streamlining things and the MHA100 does an amazing job at being an all-rounder.  In this regards, I think it is quite fairly priced.  Even from a pure sound quality perspective, it really does stand up to the Weiss DAC/DNA Stratus amp combo and in my mind betters the Burson amp/DAC.  Also, with the lighting effect at night, there is also that added "atmosphere".  

Amen brother!

 

[MickeyVee]

Cr@p!! So, to make a long story short, I was offered a great deal on a MXA70 system (same unit as the MHA100) at the Toronto Audio Video Show so I had to sell off some stuff to may for the McIntosh.  One of the pieces was the Naim DAC-V1.  When I sold the Naim, I put it in my main AV system so they buyer could audition.  And did it kick butt! So out went the Naim and in came the Mc for my desktop system.  The MHA100 is well over $5.5K in  Canada and the MXA70 system with the Mc speakers is over $7.5K. No way I could afford that now.
 
So, today, I picked up a new Naim DAC-V1 to put into my main AV system.  I'm breaking it in beside the McIntosh switching back and forth between the Mc and Naim and you know, they're pretty close. Mac Mini output setup so the Mc and Naim are running at the same time.  I have to tell you, that the Naim is really close to the Mc with the HD800 with barely 5 hours of break in time. So, if you want a great DAC and very capable HP amp for the HD800 (and don't need the 50wpc speaker amp), the Naim should be auditioned and it's way less than 1/2 the price of the MHA100 in Canada.
 
Have to say that the Mc is the winner when it come to looks and will have a place on my desktop for may years to come. The shoot out begins..