McIntosh decisions

I have the 462 and a c53 running my Wilson Sasha 2 and its a great combo, Tons of power, strong, powerful and musical. Does my ARC REF160s amp / ARC LS28se pre sound better? Yes, bigger soundstage and more harmonics/musical - but the Mac stack is 90% and bullet proof reliable.

I have the C2700 with the MC462, and before that had a C2800 for awhile but it had a phono stage inop and I returned it.  But the two sound very similar with the 462.  My take is that the C2800 is slightly more refined, a tad (very small) bit less warm than the C2700.  Prior to these I had a C49 digital.  Both the tube preamps with the 462 are more warm and have more punch in the bass, without sacrificing clarity.  The 462 has oodles of power, the combo is dead quiet, love it and won't be needing anything more.

My take is it's a GREAT combo.  The DA2 DAC is far better than the DA1, and better than most others I've tried.  I have tried all hookups to the DA2 and for me the cleanest sound comes from using an optical cable for digital.

Best of luck!

First off, I love my McIntosh separates. C55 and MC601 monos. My only experience with Mac integrateds was the MA352 and I did not like it at all. My advice is to try and compare the 2800 with one of the solid states pre’s, like the C55. Mac tube stuff is not very “tubey” IMO. Yes, I know you can tube roll, but really not interested. I’ve come to appreciate my Mac solid state pre much more than the my previous Mac tube pre.

I used to own an MA75000 and then went to separates and got an MC452 with a C2500.  The major positive to separates is that the amplifier will never be obsolete. As long as it works, you’re set. With the preamplifier, streaming and DAC technology will keep improving and if you ever feel the urge to upgrade, you can just upgrade the pre. I also think you’ll have better resale value with the separates. Either way, you can’t go wrong with a Mac. 

The McIntosh MA 12000 has a Power Guard Technology to prevent clipping or over driving. The Amati G5 is a very amplifier sensitive speaker, during a demo an Atoll AM 400 bridged had little if any bass control, no cohesion and sounded outclassed. A MA 12000 was implemented and everything improved tenfold, not claiming I would pair the MA 12000 with the Amati G5 as a reference but still a very good synergistic match. Comparing a SF Amati G5 to a SF Nova series loudspeaker is complete nonsense.