Upscale RCA Jacks - McIntosh

If the music matters, then hearing all of it as best as it can be reproduced should matter just as much.

One shouldn't have to sacrifice one for the other.

It's like the chicken and the egg.

Unless you go to concerts, you can't have one without the other.

We NEED the gear and we need it to perform to the specs it was designed to perform at.

We should look for ways that reduce the sonic dams so that more of the music can be enjoyed downstream.

One way is to use upgraded aftermarket products.
Like better NOS tubes, capacitors, resistors volume controls, fuses, wall plugs, power cords conditioners,interconnects, speaker wire, room tuning, dedicated support racks.

I've found that Furutech have exceeded my expectations when I have used their products, and yes the top of the line RCA are expensive, but take a look at them.
Miles ahead of some of the flimsy weak RCA that they've replaced.

When I see that the outrageously expensive cables from Crystal cable use Furutechs on their top level power, speaker and IC,it must mean something.
They could make their own.

No one needs anything upscale to just sit back and enjoy the music.
It's like everything in this life, we have a choice to choose what best suits us.
We should be thankful for that.

Solid, proper AWG conductors are what matters. And all the extra money that I keep instead of giving it to the manufacturers is well spent on MUSIC, which matters the most in my hobby.

BETTER?WHAT IS BETTER?JUST BECAUSE MAC JACKS ARE NOT"PRECISSION MACHINED FROM FINEST CHINESE MATERIALS AND COATED WITH PURE CHINESE GOLD"DOES NOT MEAN THAT MAC JACKS ARE NOT AS GOOD OR BETTER THAN CHINESE.AND TAKE THAT FROM MCINTOSH TECH

people who buy better outlets better rewire their home and get in touch with the electric company to make sure theiy are using acceptable cable to the house. ....or that stuff is a joke. i would like to hear an a/b test of outlets.

This is truly funny to read. Sometimes I make my own cables and for decent quality cables I use Canare cables and connectors. Their top connector fits so tight, that on lesser expensive electronics it will rip out the metal part of the connectors attached to the equipment. They are great connectors. But, yes, better connectors do indeed sound better. If you look at how many are constructed, they aren't well constructed and have poor connectivity. Heavy terminal connectors and heavy cables will eventually make poorly constructed or cheaper connectors fail. Look at it this way, if people purchase expensive or better outlets, and can hear difference using them, don't you think the signal connectors make as much a difference? They actually do. But, don't get carried away with the fluff also. There is a lot of "magic" equipment out there. I believe it is called snake oil. But good connectors and good cables (low impedance over frequency) do indeed matter.

enjoy

Mac must have figured this out, as some of their newer models have much better jacks, witness the C48/C50 Preamps. I can't comment on the newer amps, as I haven't seen them. It's a welcomee addition.

I have owned many peices of Mc gear and have never had any jack or connector fail. I have had other brands that repeatedly broke the RCA jacks as the plastic became brittle. But as far as sound quality, I really think continuity is the goal. Some say Gold coating inhibits continuity but resists corrosion. As long as it doesn't break, I guess it is doing it's job.

Even if it does not sonically make a difference; sometimes the more expensive jacks actually provide a more secure connection when the cables are heavy and/or stiff.

Rega does the same thing.. the el cheapo jacks even on the Saturn.. I think they figure "it doesn't sonically make a difference" ??

cheap doesnt mean bad. there are too many other factors more important in choosing a component rather than if they use the latest trendy part that people pretend they can/will hear a difference in.

Elizabeth- folderol?? I love it. Thanks for bringing some class to the forum.

I agree, I don't think the "better" jacks will sound any better or worse, The better jacks are secure to the equipment panel and will not break away from tight or heavy interconnects. I have damaged a few cheap rca jacks with tight rca male interconnects by pulling off the outer gold female cap with the interconnect.

Same reason they put a $100 transport mechanism in $5000+ players-it's a corporate thing.

My MVP 871 has a transport out of a Denon 2930 DVD player. I think more should be expected from McIntosh, but the bean counters hold sway on those type of decisions. A shame.