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McIntosh amp dilemna

Hello all. I am looking to move to a McIntosh amp to pair with my upgraded B&W N802’s. I’ve narrowed the list to an MC402, MC302 and MC7270(assume all are serviced and up to date). The wild card is a Coda #8 V1. Does anyone have experience with any of these pairings or have solid advice to give? I don’t want to get flamed but am currently running a restored Sansui CA 3000 preamp that will be moved to a secondary system in near future. Thanks community and have been following and learning for many years. 

RW

rwmiler
vip428
31 posts
 

The CA2300 is not the Omega Reference Monos.  Totally different amp.  The Omegas can deliver almost unlimited current.  4000w into 1ohm.  There is one voltage regulator per transistor.  That is 32 per amp. Also No Global Feedback vs the CA2300 which is more like half a CAM600 so one Transformer vs 2.  Having owned a CA101, 201, 301, 401, and Omega Reference Stereo all of the amps sounded different.  I found the 301 and the 101 lacking.  As for Krell, Steve Javarian of High Performance Stereo has resurrected Krell's repair side with Rondi's Son and old staff.  They are back up and running.  Mac's look beautiful and are reliable but do not have the sonic signature that you are looking for.  I was on a similar journey.  But we all get the itch that needs to be scratched.  I will ask the gentleman who bought my Omegas if he is willing to talk with you.  If he is I will give you my contact info and share it with you privately.

liquidsound's avatar
liquidsound
205 posts
 

Not having any McIntosh products ever so I can't comment on those, I recently bought a CODA 0.7x preamp and after about 100-hours of break in, boy it sure is terrific !  Everything that was said above about CODA is true.  I replaced a Pass-Labs XP-22 with it and I was concerned that it wouldn't be as good but, in my opinion, and my listening, it definitely is better for me.  I have a CODA #16 being built/tested right now so I can't wait to hear the combination of the two in my system.  

Good luck with your amp search !

mark200mph
825 posts
 

Mcintosh has it all. The house sound , high resale value  ,blue meters,service centers and parts forever. Pairs well with my b &w matrix. Enjoy the hunt

 

rwmiler's avatar
rwmiler OP
12 posts
 

Love the info folks, thank you all!

jfrost27
97 posts
 

I’m a McIntosh guy since the 70’s. They sound great, look great, keep their value better than most, and are bulletproof. 
 

I currently have a MC402 in my system. It powers the surround speakers. I’ve owned it since 2009. Still sounds, and looks like new. Can’t comment on how it would pair with B&W’s though as I have never tried that. But the combination of gear that sounds great to you is all that really matters. 

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