McIntosh C54?

[jfray]

Thanks for the great input! I will look at the grounding plane….. my diffusion in the front is structural and integrated into the room. The shelves and items on them act as diffusion. It’s hidden diffusion but the rear of my room is completely lacking it so it’s a fair point. Honestly I have had a friend and expert dial in my speakers and he was surprised on how good the acoustics are without treatments….

Pic below

Originally Posted by Puma Cat

Hi Jfray,
Your wall construction is good, but the use of sheet rock, studs, and green glue does not obviate the necessity and requirement of using effective acoustical panels in the listening room.

Acoustical panels, both diffusion and absorption panels (and bass traps in corners), as well as 13-root quadratic diffuser panels on the ceiling (one of the largest reflection surfaces in the room) are required to keep sound waves from reflecting off of the front wall (the wall in front of the listener, behind the speakers), the ceiling, and at the 1st-reflection points on the side walls. Also, slab floors do not prevent these problems either, because, at a specific frequency, concrete quite literally rings like a bell really loudly; this can be easily demonstrated by placing a small music box mechanism on the slab, and simply turning the the little crank.

Here are some reference articles speaking to this:
https://www.wavetrain.com.au/the-imp...ound-quality/#

https://www.gcaudio.com/tips-tricks/room-acoustics/

Here's a pic of my system set-up as an example. I listen in a "quasi-nearfield" set-up, with the speakers 6.5 feet apart and 7 feet from the speakers (measured with a laser tape measure). In this small-ish listening space, note how many panels I have just on the front wall.

There also GIK acoustical panels at the 1st reflection points and a 13-root quadratic diffuser on the ceiling (not shown in the photo).


There is also a GIK Slatfusor on the wall behind the listener....




Not as big an impact as the room acoustics and the use and placement acoustical panels for effective managment of room acoustics, but a good power distributor, quality power cords, and an Altaira ground-plane noise reduction hub, are the 2nd most important foundational part of your system, and MUCH MORE important than a new amp.

To sum up, the priority of the most important factors are listed in my first reply, and here in more detail. And most respectfully, you will have a MUCH more realistic, immersive, engaging, and beguiling musical experience for yourself and your friends by addressing the points (acoustics, power distribution and ground-plane noise reduction) discussed in the first post and here than switchin' out one amp for another. Talk to any good recording or mastering engineer, e.g. Rick Rubin or Glen Tabor, or an acoustical engineer like Norm Varney, and they'll agree.

Cheers and my best regards.

[jfray]

WELL the C55 IS HERE!!!

https://www.mcintoshlabs.com/products/new-products/C55

After everyone’s input I may not move this direction but still it’s fun…….

[FreddieFerric]

Originally Posted by jfray

WELL the C55 IS HERE!!!

https://www.mcintoshlabs.com/products/new-products/C55

After everyone’s input I may not move this direction but still it’s fun…….

New models with the same old DAC? What's that all about?

[vintage_tube]

C55 Front Top.jpg

Bob

[miner]

Originally Posted by jfray

WELL the C55 IS HERE!!!

https://www.mcintoshlabs.com/products/new-products/C55

After everyone’s input I may not move this direction but still it’s fun…….

Was just getting ready to post. I know, not a C54, but it should do you well.

[jfray]

Originally Posted by miner

Was just getting ready to post. I know, not a C54, but it should do you well.

[aclearspot]

Originally Posted by jfray

WELL the C55 IS HERE!!!

https://www.mcintoshlabs.com/products/new-products/C55

After everyone’s input I may not move this direction but still it’s fun…….

Prolly in six months Mac will release the C54 with Dac3.2

[jfray]

I do like a lot of the features but it wouldn’t quite nix my MEN220 but it does have volume calibration for a set of outputs which would be nice when switching back and forth between my Tubes and SS amps (to match volume). I would keep the MCD1100 or get a MCT500 I think but a $9k for the C52 Hmmmm wonder what my C52 would sell for

Originally Posted by aclearspot

Prolly in six months Mac will release the C54 with Dac3.2

[Puma Cat]

I'm going to wait for the C56...

[jfray]