mcintech

Responses from mcintech

Turn off or leave on?
Audio repair since 1985, and can tell almost immediately whether a SS power amp is left on 24/7 or turned off. (If over 5 years old).   Especially telling on gear made AFTER RoHS in 2006, when lead was taken from solder. I say turn them off whe... 
How hot is too hot?
Several decades audio repair, and can tell almost instantly whether unit on 24/7 or shut off when not in use. The heat cooks the components (which are designed for heat to a point) AND the solder, which in units made after 2006 will be Lead-free s... 
Is $2,844 too much to pay for a fuse?
At that price, why bother protecting your gear and just install an OFC copper bar in lieu of any fuses. GUARANTEED to sound better than any fuse. 
Ever Hear a Tube CD player?
Eastern Electric Minimax CD, 6922 Output and HDCD decoding. Headphone jack from the tube out. Wonderful 
Your favorite album cover...
Grateful Dead, Blues for Allah 
Musical Fidelity A-Series: which is the best of this group?
I have the A-300 and it is my absolute favorite power amp of all time. A true KEEPER.Incredible power, absolute finesse. Drives my Maggie SMGa's with sublime accuracy. 
Speaker for Nagra VPA
When I was Nagra USA's repair tech, we had a pair of Tannoy Little Red Monitors (dual concentric HEAVEN) that SANG with VPA's. Every post-repair listening test gathered a crowd of fellow employees wanting to bask in the sound.Any Tannoy Dual Conce... 
Are there any tube amps that don't give off any---
Sorry, there are no Class D tube amps. It's glass audio PLUS HEAT or silicone junctions and less heat. 
Recapping Krell FPB-Monoblocks - Need Advice
If you really like the amps, get them completely re-capped. If a cap in the wrong place decides to cook-off you'll have a lot more than overheating issues. Think of this as a timing belt in a Honda Civic with 89,000 miles on it. You can keep drivi... 
Bazaar buzz
Turn OFF amp and wait a few minutes before attaching to preamp! (This is perfectly normal with an un-terminated input).Don’t connect to CD player!I’d turn off whatever preamp you're connecting, as well.Steve 
I went from Class D to Luxman A/AB - And most of what you think is wrong
Hi,While I love the small footprint, cool running, low current draw of Class D, there is one compelling reason I will not own one: as an audio repairman for almost 40 years (McIntosh Labs, Nagra, dCS, Musical Fidelity), I cannot even begin to repa... 
Emotiva xpa 2 gen 2 power amp
Reading the threads here, wanted to chime in: Emotiva XPA amps are ALL Class A/B. The only Class D Emotiva sells is the PA-1 using ICE modules.Hope this clears up some confusion.(Disclosure: I work in Emotiva's service department) 
Tube / SS amp that handles 4ohm loads well and delivers lively texture / palpability
Hi,I used to be a US service center for Audio Analogue from Italy, maker of small integrated amps and CD players.  The few amps that came in the door were the most tube sounding SS amps I ever heard. Sweet and musical, I still lust for one...NOTE:... 
Repair diagnosis for cdp with humming tranny
Newbee, I would lift the PC boards the transformer is attached to (INPUT and OUTPUT) and check ALL solder joints, but especially under capacitors and rectifiers and under wire connections. Chinese made gear often exhibits poor solder, especially i... 
David Lewis Audio--any customer experiences?
David Lewis Audio was always a great and customer-centric dealer for Nagra and dCS when I worked for both brand's service departments.