DAC suggestion to pair with MC275 & Usher Spk

A sub or even two.

I'd plug 2x Vandersteen 2wq. It's inexpensive and very precise sub ever made. I consider that the best value sub.

You also can get tube-friendly floor-standers instead of your monitors, but bass will not be any deeper than with sub.

Marakanetz,

thats a great base suggestion. I like the 3 speaker design for responsiveness. I will look at adding 2 Vandersteen 2wq, the Antelope Silver with Voltikus very soon. Following that i will eventually add a 2nd MC275 and I will let you know how it works.

by the way the Usher Mini Dancers are floor standing speakers they are not the monitors. Never the less the mid and high tones are outstanding.

Thanks again for all your informed recommendations.

I also have an MC275 and a sub. Rel Storm III in my case. Speakers are B&W 804S. Sounds great to me.

Lately I've been focusing on improving my digital front end, but one aspect I have toyed for a while is relieving the MC275 from reproducing low frequencies. Even if your speakers can't get that low, your amp is still bending head over backwards to reproduce the low end, which is consuming significant power and where tube amps are not best. So, introducing a crossover between the pre and amp and allowing the MC275 only to amplify say 100 Hz and up, while letting the sub amplify from 100 Hz and down looks interesting on paper. This is called biamplification and some people swear by it. I haven't tried it (yet), but thought I should bring this to your attention considering the options you are considering. Please note not all subs can reproduce 90-100 Hz well - my REL for example is not good above 60-65 Hz. Even though it's capable of doing higher fdrequencies, it doesn't sound good.

I hope this is useful.

Lewinskiih01, From reading on line the vandersteen 2wq provides the biamp option and crossover but i have to call them on the performance at 90Hz to 100Hz. I also want to understand what happens to the low freq roll off that is sent to the main speakers and want to understand the effects on the warmth of sound of the SS amp in the sub as compared to tube amp warmth; i suspect nothing at that range. I like how the Vandersteen does not feed the sub directly from the crossover to maintain the sonic signature. I am new too all this so I could be missing a lot of obvious so please excuse my many questions and constant questions.

in regards to the digital front end i have just become bit hungry; there seems to be never enough and the quality variation from CD to CD is amazingly sad. so for me its more bits, great DAC, and now starting to think about analog as in vinyl and tape.

thanks for the insight.

A visit to the McIntosh store here in Taipei provided the following suggestions for the "more base/low tones" request in my posts.

1. 2 MC275's as mono blocks if of the same vintage and tubes. (Is this enough wattage and responsive enough?)

2. 1 MC275 (vintage) for the mid and high range on both speakers and running 1 MC275 (new) for the low range on both speakers. (Is this enough wattage and responsive enough?)

3. 1 MC275 (vintage) for the mid and high range on both speakers and running 1 MC501 mono block for the low range on both speakers. (how is the sound effected with the SS MC501?)

4. Same as board suggested here (Vandersteen). Add base speaker with built in amp.

Toward the end of the visit i was getting the impression that they thought option number 3 was the solution and that 2 mc275's as mono blocks would not give me what I wanted; could have been the translation. Later this week I will visit again when the english staff is there and drag my vintage MC275 down and run some actual tests.

Any thoughts?