Amp / Pre-Amp for Sonus Faber Serafino

Are you saying that McIntosh is technically inept

No you, obviously can’t read either.
BTW you started the mud slinging

George, its always the same old story with you regarding McIntosh.  If you don't care for them, that's your business.  When you steer someone away from it because of your beliefs which don't seem to match McIntosh's beliefs, you do that person a disservice.  They may actually like their equipment.

Why am I technically inept, please enlighten me?  I am not an electronics engineer nor a DIY guy but I am curious as to why you think that?

 “When you steer someone away from it because of your beliefs which don't seem to match McIntosh's beliefs, you do that person a disservice”

Unfortunately this is a common practice regardless of the brand and not limited to any specific person. The question that was asked by the OP was about the sound quality not the design. He asked for a recommendation for “something extremely warm” and while I personally would not characterize McIntosh amplifiers’ sound as extremely warm but they do generally fall on the warm side of the spectrum.

Stereo5 many people dealers included don't like the concept that Mcintosh expouses. 

A proper solid state amplifier doesn't need an autotransfomer which robs the amp from being transparent, the resulting sound is warm and punchy but lacks detail.

A proper solid state amplifier can provide enough current to arc weld.

If you design a robust enough output stage you can power any load easily.

We feel that Mcintosh makes good gear but we would take our direct coupled Krell or the T+A gear for higher end products. 

We sell a ton of great gear, Coda, T+A, Electrocompaniet,Unison Research's intergrated are amazing tube solid state hybrids all of these devices are warm and are all direct coupled.

Yes you can have your cake and eat it to.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ

Sorry Dave, but I never heard a Krell I liked and T & A doesn't tempt me.  I have been into this hobby before you were born (I think) and after 50+ years of buying equipment and always upgrading, I realized I should have bought McIntosh since day one.  I had the same attitude everyone else seems to have regarding Mac, but that all changed when I took a chance on a used MA6600 200wpc integrated amp that I purchased at Audio Classics.  When I inserted I into my secondary system, for me it was a wow moment.

My personal taste runs to the warm side of neutral and I do not care for the overly detailed sound.  The Mac MA6600 is a perfect match for my GE Triton Ones.  I liked McIntosh so much I bought one of their SACD players and a Tuner which replaced a highly regarded Magnum Dynalab.  
My main system at that time had just received the GE Triton Reference speakers and using my Conrad Johnson MF2550 (250wpc) amp made the entire system sound slow, thick and syrupy with no defined highs.  I found myself hardly playing the system, so I bought a McIntosh power amp, tube preamp and their top tuner, again all from Audio Classics.  It was another Wow moment and I am thrilled beyond thrilled.  I ended selling off the Conrad Johnson amp, Rogue RP5 tube preamp and Magnam Dynalab MD102 tuner and recouped some of my money.. Back from 1970 until 1985, I was an audio salesman in a mom and pop store and although we sold a lot of mid fi, we did sell Accuphase, Bozak, Rectilinear, Empire plus others I can't remember.   I am telling you this so that you don't think I am someone who doesn't know how or what to listen for and  who is clueless about putting together a fine sounding system.

On Sunday, someone from the Gon stopped by my house to pick something up.  He has Pass equipment plus a lot of other expensive  pieces.  He kept saying how unbelievable my system sounded and was raving about the imaging.   This guy also had McIntosh at one time but sold it and purchased Pass equipment.  His parting words were that he never got that kind of sound from his Mac system and never knew how good the McIntosh equipment really was.


Peace...………….