McIntosh and focal/jmlab

Love the Focals......the Mac.....not so much. Hey, if it works for you well then okay. At a very attractive price should mean about 5K new. For that much there are great options with better resolution and sound staging. The new Luxman integrated used for that much....yum...

Focal Be and McIntosh is a good combo.

I would think they would be a good match. The Mac will be smooth and warm. Focal will be very detailed, sometimes to much. They should complement each other well.

The MA7000 is a very fine integrated. I beleive the amp section is the same as the MC252 amp, which I have. I was a devout anti-McIntosh early in my audiophile-dom but have bee converted once I sat and heard what it was all about. Besides, made in the USA. Let your ears confide in you.

I came very close to buying JM Labs yeasr ago to run with my McIntosh system. The dealer had McIntosh and they sounded very good together. As long as you go solid stae. They played them with tube amps and they sounded a little bloated. But with the SS amps it was a beautiful marriage.
I just ended up buying Revels, but sometimes wonder if I should have gone with the JM Labs. But I am a McIntosh guy and may be biased. As some who dislike Mcintosh are biased against it, one thing is McIntosh will serve you well for many many years and you can always find a buyer. The MA7000 is a great piece and you will love the sound and features of it.

Thank you everyone for the input. I will let you know what I do. By the way, the Mac was available at $4900.

I'm running 501's with Micro Be's (w/ Revel Sub30) and absolutely love the combination. Overall, a very liquid and transparent sound without being analytical or "hyper" detailed. Along with an incredible sense of the recorded space there is an organic flow to things that draws the listener in. Of all the set-ups I've had over the years (there have been many) this has been by far the most rewarding musically. Gone are the days of listening to just one track on a CD if you know what I mean. Is it really 3am? ;-)

Happy Listening!

I am running MC501s with Alto Utopias. If I am not mistaken, the Nova Utopias were revieved a few years back by Stereophile and the amps driving them in the review were MC501s...or it may have been a review of the 501s using Nova Utopias. Look in the archives of Stereophile (or was it Absolute Sound??). I forget--look into that archive as well. Maybe someone else can chime in with more accurate info or a link to the review. The reviewer was VERY impressed--FWIW.

I really like my Alto Utopia/MC501 combo.

Pepe

I went ahead and bought the ma7000 and I love it.

Good for you! I have the 6600 and can only imaagine how great your 7000 must sound. Enjoy!

It's a great unit. Sounds just amazing.