jdmeyers77
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2011
- Posts
- 53
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- 25
Hello All.
I have not written many real posts before, so please forgive me if I err somehow!
Having now had the chance to properly (for me anyway) evaluate the MHA-100, I thought that perhaps I would take a stab at a brief impression for the Forum.
Having been the my Singlepower phase (along with a bunch of Forum members as they were fine amps, OMHO), as well as a few other similar head amp builders, I landed five years ago upon a lovely used Cary SEI-300. Great NOS small tubes, Sophia Electric 300Bs making 11 watts. Old school stainless chases. I was hooked.
I ran modified Senn 600 and 650 at first. Always loved them with good amps. Picked up some used 800s with Cardas Clear cables and had my perception of how good cans are capable of sounding shall we say "refreshed."
(By the way, I've sadly never been lucky enough to make it to any kind of listening meet or the like.)
A year later, find a great deal on some Y1s (1st. gen) with Red Series cabling. Took me one day to determine I preferred the musical presentation in the T1s and the 800s hit the dusty trail.
Me and my T1s live very happily for a few years until the deal Audeze put on their new LCD-2C last holiday season. I literally held off until December 30th, but at last caved and ordered a pair -- having always been curious why the original LCD-2s enjoy such a loyal following.
Stone cold from their utilitarian foam-lined cardboard box, It took me less than an hour to have the T1s up for sale and on their way to a happy new owner within the day. The difference was that audible in a positive way for me.
But to the MHA-100. Fast forward two-months and I strike a good deal on barely used unit. It arrived 10 days ago. I've been buying and selling gear for 45-years. McIntosh as a teen to NAD while raising the family to McIntosh tubes to Carry tubes. I humbly submit that I never have been quite so amazed by any piece of gear since I can remember as the MHA-100. I played it back-to-back with the Cary. Both through headphones and through my beloved Spendor 1/2Es. All I can say is, "Well done, McIntosh! Good to see you've lost none of the engineering brilliance or attention to detail that my late friend, Frank Gow, once showed me what part of the company's DNA!"
Not to say that Mac hasn't dropped a duds along the way. Of course they have. But, every ten years or so, don't they come along and suddenly introduce a piece that will stand the test of time? The MC225 in early 1960s. The MC2300, MR78, and C33 in the '70s. The 80s were kind of slim, but the MC2255 was a beautiful beast nonetheless! I count the reintroduction of the MC275 in the '90s as hugely significant. I bought one as soon as I could afford to comfortably. Then, the next decade brought us the C2200. Frank told me he thought it was the best Mac preamp he'd ever heard. When I finally was able to get one, I immediately knew how a fellow with genuine golden ears would proclaim such a thing!
I believe that the MHA-100 may some day be seen in the same august company of important Mac gear. Most will surely someday be surpassed by newer Macs (though I doubt in the case of the C2200). And, already, Mac introduced the MHA-150 which boasts some new DAC or the like. Same amp. But I sincerely feel that the MHA-100 was so smartly engineered that it really will impress many who sample it with their choice of headphones to reevaluate what they thought achievable in headphone amplifiers.
I'm not a tech guy, so those who are can read about Mac's autoformers and that whole end of things going on with the amp. I just kind of know what sounds good to my ears. Big Spendor Classics and and some Harbeths. Upper-end Morrow cables. A tubed Cary 303-300 for my CD collection. And an older VPI Scout for my vinyl. The REL subs that I've tried. Nearfield loudspeaker listening only.
All I can say is that how the MHA-100 took hold of the LCD-2Cs and transported them to the next plateau was astonishing. Everything got better. Soundstage. Depth. Timbre. Pacing. Bass. Miss. Highs. Wholeness.
Its features are so very impressive. Everything one needs, nothing one doesn't. Yet I've save the secret weapon for last. It's the Mac circuit they call "HXD." (Again, I'm not a techie, so read up if you see fit!)
The recording of "Dark Star" from February, 1969, at the Fillmore West that appeared on Live-Dead remains my personal all-time favorite performance of that piece. Not only did I wear out the grooves listening to it as a 15-year old on my Senn 414s, but on the LCD-2Cs it still manages to transport me utterly into a glorious cosmos.
The Cary 303-300 decodes HDCD. All the Dead releases of the past dozen years or so support that format and the discs sound unbelievable. "Live-Dead" is no exception. With the HXD circuit disengaged, the sound spreads out in my head with tremendous width and depth. But Mac claims the HXD circuit, when used with "well recorded" live music programming, somehow makes the sound in the cans feel more like sitting in the audience at the concert. Really now?
I clicked it on. I adjusted the volume up a bit. I gave my ears a moment to adjust. Then I clicked it off. Then on. Five on, then five off. Then again. Yikes. With the HXD circuit engaged, I was sitting mid-way back on the floor of the Fillmore West. I was actually in front of the musicians, exactly as I know they were positioned that night on stage. The feeling of the room is there. It is, in a phrase, beautifully uncanny.
I tried the circuit on studio-recorded records and discovered why Mac says it's only meant for live recordings. If one wishes to call it a gimmick, that's okay. But for me, it's one that makes this amp unique. I own thousands of hours of "well recorded" live music. With the MHA-100, I can't wait.
Thanks for reading. Although I may not be able to participate in much follow up, I hope the above perhaps generates some interesting discussion.
Best,
John
I have not written many real posts before, so please forgive me if I err somehow!
Having now had the chance to properly (for me anyway) evaluate the MHA-100, I thought that perhaps I would take a stab at a brief impression for the Forum.
Having been the my Singlepower phase (along with a bunch of Forum members as they were fine amps, OMHO), as well as a few other similar head amp builders, I landed five years ago upon a lovely used Cary SEI-300. Great NOS small tubes, Sophia Electric 300Bs making 11 watts. Old school stainless chases. I was hooked.
I ran modified Senn 600 and 650 at first. Always loved them with good amps. Picked up some used 800s with Cardas Clear cables and had my perception of how good cans are capable of sounding shall we say "refreshed."
(By the way, I've sadly never been lucky enough to make it to any kind of listening meet or the like.)
A year later, find a great deal on some Y1s (1st. gen) with Red Series cabling. Took me one day to determine I preferred the musical presentation in the T1s and the 800s hit the dusty trail.
Me and my T1s live very happily for a few years until the deal Audeze put on their new LCD-2C last holiday season. I literally held off until December 30th, but at last caved and ordered a pair -- having always been curious why the original LCD-2s enjoy such a loyal following.
Stone cold from their utilitarian foam-lined cardboard box, It took me less than an hour to have the T1s up for sale and on their way to a happy new owner within the day. The difference was that audible in a positive way for me.
But to the MHA-100. Fast forward two-months and I strike a good deal on barely used unit. It arrived 10 days ago. I've been buying and selling gear for 45-years. McIntosh as a teen to NAD while raising the family to McIntosh tubes to Carry tubes. I humbly submit that I never have been quite so amazed by any piece of gear since I can remember as the MHA-100. I played it back-to-back with the Cary. Both through headphones and through my beloved Spendor 1/2Es. All I can say is, "Well done, McIntosh! Good to see you've lost none of the engineering brilliance or attention to detail that my late friend, Frank Gow, once showed me what part of the company's DNA!"
Not to say that Mac hasn't dropped a duds along the way. Of course they have. But, every ten years or so, don't they come along and suddenly introduce a piece that will stand the test of time? The MC225 in early 1960s. The MC2300, MR78, and C33 in the '70s. The 80s were kind of slim, but the MC2255 was a beautiful beast nonetheless! I count the reintroduction of the MC275 in the '90s as hugely significant. I bought one as soon as I could afford to comfortably. Then, the next decade brought us the C2200. Frank told me he thought it was the best Mac preamp he'd ever heard. When I finally was able to get one, I immediately knew how a fellow with genuine golden ears would proclaim such a thing!
I believe that the MHA-100 may some day be seen in the same august company of important Mac gear. Most will surely someday be surpassed by newer Macs (though I doubt in the case of the C2200). And, already, Mac introduced the MHA-150 which boasts some new DAC or the like. Same amp. But I sincerely feel that the MHA-100 was so smartly engineered that it really will impress many who sample it with their choice of headphones to reevaluate what they thought achievable in headphone amplifiers.
I'm not a tech guy, so those who are can read about Mac's autoformers and that whole end of things going on with the amp. I just kind of know what sounds good to my ears. Big Spendor Classics and and some Harbeths. Upper-end Morrow cables. A tubed Cary 303-300 for my CD collection. And an older VPI Scout for my vinyl. The REL subs that I've tried. Nearfield loudspeaker listening only.
All I can say is that how the MHA-100 took hold of the LCD-2Cs and transported them to the next plateau was astonishing. Everything got better. Soundstage. Depth. Timbre. Pacing. Bass. Miss. Highs. Wholeness.
Its features are so very impressive. Everything one needs, nothing one doesn't. Yet I've save the secret weapon for last. It's the Mac circuit they call "HXD." (Again, I'm not a techie, so read up if you see fit!)
The recording of "Dark Star" from February, 1969, at the Fillmore West that appeared on Live-Dead remains my personal all-time favorite performance of that piece. Not only did I wear out the grooves listening to it as a 15-year old on my Senn 414s, but on the LCD-2Cs it still manages to transport me utterly into a glorious cosmos.
The Cary 303-300 decodes HDCD. All the Dead releases of the past dozen years or so support that format and the discs sound unbelievable. "Live-Dead" is no exception. With the HXD circuit disengaged, the sound spreads out in my head with tremendous width and depth. But Mac claims the HXD circuit, when used with "well recorded" live music programming, somehow makes the sound in the cans feel more like sitting in the audience at the concert. Really now?
I clicked it on. I adjusted the volume up a bit. I gave my ears a moment to adjust. Then I clicked it off. Then on. Five on, then five off. Then again. Yikes. With the HXD circuit engaged, I was sitting mid-way back on the floor of the Fillmore West. I was actually in front of the musicians, exactly as I know they were positioned that night on stage. The feeling of the room is there. It is, in a phrase, beautifully uncanny.
I tried the circuit on studio-recorded records and discovered why Mac says it's only meant for live recordings. If one wishes to call it a gimmick, that's okay. But for me, it's one that makes this amp unique. I own thousands of hours of "well recorded" live music. With the MHA-100, I can't wait.
Thanks for reading. Although I may not be able to participate in much follow up, I hope the above perhaps generates some interesting discussion.
Best,
John
