Can a Mcintosh MC275 adequately power Aeon Is

[Scumurculum]

Alas my Thule PA350b power amp has died - although under warranty - I cannot be fixed or replaced as Thule does not have a distributor in australia any more.

Fortunately the AMP was still under warranty and my HI FI store is happy to arrange replacement with an amp of similar value.

Already I have tried the Musical fidelity A5cr - which I found very disappointing.

However - my store has suggested I try a Mac MC275 - while it only puts out 75 watts they believe it should have the oomph (current?) to do the speakers justice.

What do you guys think?

 

[tonyc]

I think you should at least try it! Sveral club members have spoken in glowing terms about this amp and Ml's tend to love tubes.

 

[kach22i]

Take it home for an evening or two.

 

[nsgarch]

I have one

Alas my Thule PA350b power amp has died - although under warranty - it cannot be fixed or replaced as Thule does not have a distributor in australia any more. Fortunately the AMP was still under warranty and my HI FI store is happy to arrange replacement with an amp of similar value. Already I have tried the Musical fidelity A5cr - which I found very disappointing. However - my store has suggested I auditiona Mac MC275 - while it only puts out 75 watts they believe it should have the oomph (current?) to do the speakers justice. What do you guys think?

driving my CLS2z's and several Vantage and Summit owners have them. In all cases, they are being used to drive the electrostatic panel ONLY. The Summit and Vantage have their own woofer amp(s) so that's a no brainer. My CLS's are supported by a ML Depth, so that's pretty much the same deal.

If the Aeon I is biampable, a modest (100W @ 8 ohms) SS amp should be fine for the bass. BTW, the MC275 actually puts out 90-95 Watts these days, but McIntosh wanted to keep the "275" model designation (sounds better than MC290 )

 

[paulo m]

Alas my Thule PA350b power amp has died - although under warranty - I cannot be fixed or replaced as Thule does not have a distributor in australia any more.

Fortunately the AMP was still under warranty and my HI FI store is happy to arrange replacement with an amp of similar value.

Already I have tried the Musical fidelity A5cr - which I found very disappointing.

However - my store has suggested I try a Mac MC275 - while it only puts out 75 watts they believe it should have the oomph (current?) to do the speakers justice.

What do you guys think?

Some people here rave about the 275 with MLs. I never tried it myself and, in any case, I would suggest doing a home audition. If that is not possible, try to arrange a way to return it, in the slim chance you're not happy with it. If you have a concern about power, remember you can always get another 275 and use the pair in bridged mode.

 

[Craig]

Give it a try. You'll be surprised at what 75+ watts of tube power can do for a pair of Aeon i's. Tube vs. Solid State is not a one-to-one comparison, it's more of an apples and oranges comparison.

 

[bob1957]

Out of curiosity, what did you find disappointing about the A5CR?

Bob R.

 

[Scumurculum]

Basicall two things - one: there was clearly much less dynamic range - the sound seemed somewhat constrained for want of a better term.

Also there was defintalty less detail to the sound.


Basically i found the music less enjoyable to listen too.

 

[Scumurculum]

Well i have the MC275 at home - all I can say is Wow!!.

While the thule had more slamm and power - even perhaps more detail- jury out on that

The mac seems to be rather addictive - i cant stop listening to it - i see what the fuss people were making ofver the last 45 years.

Even so, ill give it a few days before I make the final decison whether I will buy it.

by the way - i never expected 75 (well 95) watts to go so loud on such demanding speakers like my Aeons I s.

 

[nsgarch]

I'm doubly impressed . . . .

Well i have the MC275 at home - all I can say is Wow!!. While the thule had more slamm and power - even perhaps more detail- jury out on that The mac seems to be rather addictive - i cant stop listening to it - i see what the fuss people were making ofver the last 45 years. Even so, ill give it a few days before I make the final decison whether I will buy it. by the way - i never expected 75 (well 95) watts to go so loud on such demanding speakers like my Aeons I s.

. . . . if you're running the Aeon's full-range w/ the Mac. and not just the panels. If you want the best performance using all-tubes like that (ie, no SS on the bottom) I'd recommend two 275's running in mono. However, bi-amping will give you the best of both worlds IMO and might be less money depending on the cost of the SS amp.

Changing at least the 3 stock 12AX7's for really good tubes, e.g. Telefunkens, or the like, will make a big difference in air, detail and stage.

 

[Rich]

However, bi-amping will give you the best of both worlds IMO and might be less money depending on the cost of the SS amp.

I heartily recommend this approach. As I have stated many times before, I was enthralled with the sound my Conrad Johnson Premier 140 tube amp produced with my Ascents, but when I added some relatively cheap Outlaw Audio 2200 monoblocs to run the woofers and put the CJ to panel-only duty, it took the sound to a whole 'nother level. Not only did the bass improve tremendously (as you would expect with a solid state amp on the woofer) but the midrange became even more liquid, the highs were clearer and more fully extended. It really transformed the sound top to bottom and was probably the best bang-for-the-buck upgrade I have ever made in my system.

The trick to doing this right is to match the gain between the amps; otherwise you have to purchase a separate attenuater. If you can find a quality solid state amp (and I would consider a lot of the new class d amps for this purpose) whose voltage gain matches that of your MC275, then you will have a perfect match for bi-amping your Aeon's. This can be a very easy and relatively inexpensive upgrade that will utterly transform the sound of your system.

 

[Scumurculum]

If I do choose to get the mac - I would probaby go down that route and get a ss amp for the woofer only. (love to get 2 macs but way way way beyond my budget)

I may consider a kit amp made by a guy who is in our local audiophile club.

He did a demo of one of his amps recently and I was quite impressed.

here is his link

http://www.ska-audio.com/diy/index.html

I could be a cheapish solution.

 

[Nielsen]

Cant understand you were using a Thule 350 with those speakers !
I had a Thule IA350B when I bought the Aeons I, and it just didnt work at all, the sound was weak, thin, bad.....or is it just me ?