[Shooter41]

My MHA200 is driving a Susvara, a pairing some told me was a bad match. It DID take an exceptionally long time to break the Susvara in, but once it did I felt and still feel like my search is over for both 'phones and an amp. My signal goes thru an Okto Research Stereo DAC which has a volume control and allows me to never have to touch the Mac's finicky volume knob. I did the Mullard tubes change pretty much right off the bat. At this point I'm unlikely to ever get rid of the Mac unless they come out with an even better model.

 

[gonzalo05]

I don’t have experience with the other amps, but I have the Empyrean and the McIntosh MHA200 and it’s from another world if you ask me, I do have another DAC though, the Matrix X Sabre 3, but the sound is very sweet.

My favorite part of the MHA200, where this occurs more than most tube amps I've heard, is the lush and seemingly infinite bloom of midrange detail... it's like hearing this:

What's the dac and are you using a preamp? Thanks.

 

[warrenpchi]

What's the dac and are you using a preamp? Thanks.

Just a Hugo 2, and no preamp.

 

[TSAVJason]

My MHA200 is driving a Susvara, a pairing some told me was a bad match. It DID take an exceptionally long time to break the Susvara in, but once it did I felt and still feel like my search is over for both 'phones and an amp. My signal goes thru an Okto Research Stereo DAC which has a volume control and allows me to never have to touch the Mac's finicky volume knob. I did the Mullard tubes change pretty much right off the bat. At this point I'm unlikely to ever get rid of the Mac unless they come out with an even better model.

Stay tuned! There may be a new model coming in about 1.5 years

 

[gonzalo05]

Just a Hugo 2, and no preamp.

Thanks.

 

[warrenpchi]

Thanks.

You're welcome! There's something special and euphonic about an MHA200 + Chord source pairing. I've actually thought about getting a Qutest just for the MHA200, tucked out of the way so that it can't even be seen. That would free up my Hugo 2 for portable (or transportable) use.

 

[rfernand]

Impression after a few months of bliss.

Yggdrassil A2 + MHA200 + Focal Utopia’22 was a magic combo for me. Unusual, since I always feel no headphone set does Yggy justice. The MHA200 is super opinionated about music placement - it puts the mids very forward, so there is a bit of a 3D “V” pointing at you in the soundstage. All the Yggy magic shows up nice. The Focals really shine - detail, speed, everything is just sort of ”matched up”.

I’ve pre-amped the MHA200 out of a Freya+ (in diff buffer mode) just to get a better volume knob with no discernible audio impact.

 

[TSAVJason]

Impression after a few months of bliss.

Yggdrassil A2 + MHA200 + Focal Utopia’22 was a magic combo for me. Unusual, since I always feel no headphone set does Yggy justice. The MHA200 is super opinionated about music placement - it puts the mids very forward, so there is a bit of a 3D “V” pointing at you in the soundstage. All the Yggy magic shows up nice. The Focals really shine - detail, speed, everything is just sort of ”matched up”.

I’ve pre-amped the MHA200 out of a Freya+ (in diff buffer mode) just to get a better volume knob with no discernible audio impact.

That should be a pretty good combo

 

[tomina666]

My favorite part of the MHA200, where this occurs more than most tube amps I've heard, is the lush and seemingly infinite bloom of midrange detail... it's like hearing this:

So is the Macintosh really that great? Although it is said to have some minor bugs - Potentiometer and its sensitivity..

I want to hear it before I buy it and compare it to the Feliks Euforia Evo.

 

[yaps66]

You're welcome! There's something special and euphonic about an MHA200 + Chord source pairing. I've actually thought about getting a Qutest just for the MHA200, tucked out of the way so that it can't even be seen. That would free up my Hugo 2 for portable (or transportable) use.

Well I love the MHA200 + TT2 pairing and never looked back! The only time I have to forgo the MHA200 is when I need the power of a KGSSHV Carbon!

 

[warrenpchi]

So is the Macintosh really that great? Although it is said to have some minor bugs - Potentiometer and its sensitivity..

I want to hear it before I buy it and compare it to the Feliks Euforia Evo.

Well, great is highly subjective of course, but I absolutely adore mine. And yes, you should absolutely hear it before you even consider buying it, as is the case with everything in this hobby. For example, I had the opportunity of hearing it at @TSAVJason's place before I bought mine. It was that audition that drove my decision, and not brand name or others' opinions.

Well I love the MHA200 + TT2 pairing and never looked back! The only time I have to forgo the MHA200 is when I need the power of a KGSSHV Carbon!

Yeah, that's a good rig right there! And for flexibility's sake, you have an easy upgrade path in an M Scaler whenever you want.

 

[overband]

I've been finally using my Mcintosh MHA100 with headphones (beyerdymanic 1990pros) and now have raced down the rabbit hole. I stream through my iPad Pro, but lately it seems to struggle with some lossless formats and I need to cycle the power to reconnect. I just ordered the mha200 and a mojo2 and anxiously expecting a noticeable difference (anyone experienced the MHA100 or 150?). ... with all the bashing on the volume control, I assume setting the right output level with the mojo2 feeding the amp should get me the desired level for proper control? ideally the fewer blocks in the signal chain the better so I am confused with the purpose to the extent that I do not understand if this was designed to best preform with a preamp or not?

 

[TSAVJason]

I've been finally using my Mcintosh MHA100 with headphones (beyerdymanic 1990pros) and now have raced down the rabbit hole. I stream through my iPad Pro, but lately it seems to struggle with some lossless formats and I need to cycle the power to reconnect. I just ordered the mha200 and a mojo2 and anxiously expecting a noticeable difference (anyone experienced the MHA100 or 150?). ... with all the bashing on the volume control, I assume setting the right output level with the mojo2 feeding the amp should get me the desired level for proper control? ideally the fewer blocks in the signal chain the better so I am confused with the purpose to the extent that I do not understand if this was designed to best preform with a preamp or not?

It’s a very popular combination, so popular we keep stock on both because they are both on backorder often

 

[warrenpchi]

I've been finally using my Mcintosh MHA100 with headphones (beyerdymanic 1990pros) and now have raced down the rabbit hole. I stream through my iPad Pro, but lately it seems to struggle with some lossless formats and I need to cycle the power to reconnect.

If that's an MHA100 issue, @TSAVJason would probably know more about why that's happening.

I just ordered the mha200 and a mojo2 and anxiously expecting a noticeable difference (anyone experienced the MHA100 or 150?).

Nice! That should sound roughly similar to my rig.

I've heard, but not owned, the MHA100 and MHA150. They're interesting lifestyle products, in that they tried to cover a lot of ground. But in the end, I didn't like the way they sounded with headphones - a bit too thick for my tastes.

If you decide to add a Poly later, you can AirPlay music to the Mojo2Poly (via AirPlay v1 - the lossless one). It's a small thing, but it's nice not having your iPad Pro constantly tethered to the Mojo.

ideally the fewer blocks in the signal chain the better so I am confused with the purpose to the extent that I do not understand if this was designed to best preform with a preamp or not?

It was designed to work with a preamp, yes, but I simply adjust the volume knob as needed. I can understand the OCD behind not liking the unity gain detent, but honestly, it's really not that big of a deal.

It’s a very popular combination, so popular we keep stock on both because they are both on backorder often

MHA150 and DT1990? Or Mojo and MHA200?

 

[warrenpchi]

with all the bashing on the volume control, I assume setting the right output level with the mojo2 feeding the amp should get me the desired level for proper control?

Oh I almost forgot, yeah you should be fine. The Mojo is actually very powerful for a portable, so adequate levels shouldn't be an issue. And its volume control has many steps for fine tuning levels as desired. I primarily use my Mojo for IEMs - if the volume steps were too course, believe me I'd know!