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Used Plinius, Simaudio, or Mcintosh integrated???

I'm shopping for a used integrated amp for a bedroom or office system. It would be used with (for now) Spendor S3/5 SE's, & I want something with enough power to drive almost any 2 way monitors. I've narrowed my choice down to a Plinius 8200 MK1, Simaudio i-3, or possibly a Mac 6500. The Mcintosh is roughly double the price of the other 2 used, so it's a bit of an odd comparison, but it kind of depends on what turns up used, & when. Has anyone compared any of these? And, between the Plinius & the i-3, is one clearly superior? I'm kind of leaning towards the 8200. Oh, yeah, & I've had urges towards the Cary SLI-80, but for the price, I think I'd rather try the Mac. Thanks in advance for any advice!

Steve
steveaudio
7 responses Add your response
84audio
175 posts
 
I had a chance to a/b the I3 with the 8200 and I would take the I3 in a walk. The I3 has a sense of immediacy and speed that the Plinius didn't have for me. Also, the I3 remote gives you source select on the remote which is not offered with the 8200. Just my $.02
loudandclear
79 posts
 
Try the Vecteur I-4 or I-4.2 if you can
Absolutely stunning.
aball
2,016 posts
 
I really wanted to try the 8200 to see what the fuss was all about and when I did, I wasn't very impressed. It seemed everything was glossed over somehow. Poor description I guess but I agree with 84audio. I was comparing it to my McIntosh C712 and MC7100 separates. These two components make up the McIntosh MA6400 integrated which falls right in your budget. The MA6500 replaced the 6400. I would look for an MA6400 (or MA6450 w/o phono) in your situation - it sounds sublime. I haven't tried Simaudio yet but I am tempted. Good luck!
emster
75 posts
 
just to second the above, i tried an 8200 for awhile and cannot see what anyone was excited about. I ended up with the new Krell 400 which I love, but i am sure the sim and the mac are good choices as well.
steveaudio OP
331 posts
 
Thanks for all the informative responses.....glad I found out about the lack of input selector on the Plinius. I almost bought a used MA6500, but they're expensive, even used. And, I studied the physical measurements of the MA6500: those suckers are HUGE, for an integrated, esp. one with "only" 120 watts. Kind of defeats part of the purpose of using an integrated, at least for me. But I might take Aball's advice & at least check out the MA6400--is there a good site that describes older Mac gear in some detail?
aball
2,016 posts
 
The McIntosh bible is at:
http://www.roger-russell.com/aboutmc.htm

Scroll down and click on the "integrated-amps" heading and you will find all the models listed and described. Don't let the power ratings fool you - McIntosh rates power very conservatively. I do believe the MA6400/6450 is much shorter than the, indeed large, MA6500. Good luck finding one though - that model can be scarce. Arthur
yioryos's avatar
yioryos
723 posts
 
Check www.audioclassics.com.They stock a lot of vintage tip top shape Mcintosh.Worth your time for sure.
Hope that helps.
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