ML Vantage and Mcintosh MA 6500

[adrian]

Hi guys!
It's the first time I audition the ML speakers and I'm impressed.My local dealerr has a pair of Summit driven by some Mac Amplifiers(don't remember the numbers) and they sound really nice to me.Today, I visited my local Tweeter store and heard a pair of Vantages driven by Krell amplif....Once again I was impressed.(Actually I kinda liked the Vantage better than Summit in the low end)
My question is...has anyone actually heard the Vantage/Mac Ma6500/6900 combo...or ,in general,what do you think about the ML with MAC amplification?
thanks
Adrian

 

[adrian]

 

[karma]

HI Adrian,
There is only one way to answer your question. Listen carefully for your ears will reveal the truth. Learn to be a critical listener.

The direction you are heading is into High End audio. The path is rough. Ask anybody who is experienced on this forum and they will tell you that they have made mistakes (sometimes expensive ones), bought something for the wrong reasons, turned down something for the wrong reasons. It's a learning process.

Eventually, you will learn, hopefully, exactly what you like and what your audio goals are. Nobody can help you decide.

There is one cosmic truth that you must pay attention to. You get what you pay for. Of course, that is not the complete answer because there is a lot of fine equipment on the market.

Good Luck, Sparky

 

[adrian]

Thanks Sparky!
My ears loved the sound... I guess that's all it matters...
Until I hear something better , I'll stick with this combo and hope to keep loving it.
Thanks again
Adrian

 

[timm]

Thanks Sparky!
My ears loved the sound... I guess that's all it matters...
Until I hear something better , I'll stick with this combo and hope to keep loving it.
Thanks again
Adrian

I have heard an all MAC setup with summits/aeons/ & ascents. I think the mac stuff gives a very nice presentation. A warmer sound - full - big soundstage etc.... I listened to a MAC solid state amp with - I believe a tubed pre. It sounded mahvelous..... with any Logan I had hooked up to it. I've also heard Audio Research gear w/ Maggie 20.1s.... also very nice. I think if you are thinking about amps... See if you can compare - say a Krell to a Mac or a Rotel to a Mac. For the record - I have a Sunfire. However, I bought it because of a great history I have had with Carver amps. If I were to do it again - I would do a little more listening. I might come to the same conclusion as before. What sold me on the Sunfire was a direct A/B comparison to a Rotel hooked up to Paradigm Studio 100s. Rotel has a very good name - and to these ears the Sunfire was just leaps and bounds better. I found a great deal and jumped at it. I have also heard Rotel w/ logans...again very nice sound - more clinical I think - It will take awhile - bring your own music and play the same stuff on everything you listen to.

 

[adrian]

Thanks Timm!
I listened to the Vantages paired with a 100w/ch Mac tube amplifier and totally hated the sound.Do you think it has to do with the amplifier not being powerful enough?
Adrian

 

[DTB300]

Thanks Timm!
I listened to the Vantages paired with a 100w/ch Mac tube amplifier and totally hated the sound.Do you think it has to do with the amplifier not being powerful enough?

What didn't you like about the sound???? Curious about your observations.

Have you listened to some other Tube Amps to see if you get the same results??

The rated power of an amp "usually" does not equate to the sound quality.

 

[adrian]

Well... I have not heard the Vantage with other tubes,only with krell(ss),conrad and mac (tubes).
My last audition ,Mac 100w tubes and Vantage ,made me wonder if the amp has enough power,because it felt(to my ears) like the low end was not really there .I don't listen to music with a lot of base anyway,but this time i heard a struggle in that area.For me,the music is something very "visceral" and whatever raises the hair on my hands,I consider it to be awesome.Excuse my lack of technical words for my experience...
...they had the detail , soundstage was better than most speakers and larger sweet spot than Maggies...
I wonder if the sound was mediocre because they used a MAC dvd Player instead of a dedicated cd player.Previous set ups I've heard had Krell,Arcam and Esoteric cd players.I liked Krell player/amp and ML vantage combo the best.......

 

[edwinr]

I'm not sure whether Mac's like electrostatics. Your observations interest me. The other thing is, you pay an awful lot of money to get into McIntosh. I've heard the Mac tube amp the MC275 and I wasn't really impressed. I wonder if we might be paying for the name... I'm willing to stand corrected on this issue.

 

[adrian]

I asked my local MAC/Ml dealer about the best way to drive the VAntage and a guy there told me:Solid state MA6500/6900.I didn't understand why at first ,but I am starting to get it now.The set up they had was Esoteric cdp,MAC tube preamp/amp and ML Summit speakers and these are my impressions:
-good overral sound:amps were powerfull enough do drive them
-awesome mids and highs..especially with female voice and guitar
-base was just average and it got worse with music like trance/goa/and electric guitar;very good with classical music and bluess.
-now,the soundstage...mmmm..very large indeed,you can't even tell where the sound comes from,but,at the same time, the "separation"(I think that's what it called-I'm not a specialist) of instruments made me focus only on a couple of them at one time.It felt like the whole was gone and I was listening to pieces/parts of the sound.I like the kind of sound that is very focused and at the same time has all the instruments present.For me,too much separation came as a distraction.
I believe that the Vantage speaker has the kind of sounstage that I love,the kind of sounstage that keeps everything in front of me and gives me the sound with power...so ,I preferred the Krell/Vantage much better...
.....But this is only my opinion,what my ears like and don't indend to contradict or offent anyone....
Adrian
.

 

[adrian]

...one thing I must add...
I think was too close to me Summits(about 10 feet) and that caused too much "separation" for me;I would probably like them in a large room.
As for the low and,I still couldn't find an excuse