Upgraded Jumpers for Integrated Amplifiers?

[KMC45]

I ordered two pair of jumpers from Jena Labs, the "Dussy Jumper" and the "Thin Man" to try with my MA7000.

The company was a pretty good company to deal with. When I sent my order in for two pair they emailed me back to make sure I actually wanted two pair and didn't make a mistake in ordering. The jumpers arrived within about ten days and I have to say they are wonderfully made little cables.

I tried one pair, then the other, then back in with the stock things. Then I did things all over again, and again. The product is so damn nice looking compared to those stupid looking little stock things that I really wish I could report a positive change, no matter how small, but I can't.

Below are a couple of pictures just in case anyone doubts that I have the product. Look closely and you'll see the new, wonderful, super duper, McIntosh MC452.

[jdandy]

Keith.......I suggest you install the Dussy Jumpers, and leave them in for a week or two, then make the change back to stock. There are times when extended listening will reveal subtle differences that you grow accustom to as you listen, and when replaced by the stock jumper these difference are more readily identifiable.

[BuffaloBill]

Originally Posted by KMC45

The product is so damn nice looking compared to those stupid looking little stock things that I really wish I could report a positive change, no matter how small, but I can't.

Keith, Appreciate your input on this matter. I wonder if anyone really thinks that McIntosh would include jumpers with the MA7000 that would degrade the sound quality.

[KMC45]

Dan,

I've done that in the past, but I often found myself reaching to find differences in order to justify my purchase. While some might find this hard to believe, I don't do subtle. I believe if there really is a difference it should be readily apparent.

If I wasn't getting so lazy i'd do what i've done in the past, record some music with the new jumpers, and record it with the factory jumpers, then play it back. If a difference really existed it should be obvious, but i'm not going to bother this time.


Bill,

Those McIntosh engineers might just know a thing, or two, after all. I won't argue that some parts will be "better" than other parts, but the important issue is will they provide an audible difference once you put them in. In this case the new "better" part didn't.

[Jorge]

I'm glad I stumbled upon this thread because a friend who knows that I just got my MA7000 sent me the URL of a blog post whose author insists that upgrading the jumpers made a night-and-day difference. My reaction was, "Huh? Why would McIntosh use jumpers that deteriorated sound quality?"

I think I'll stick with the stock jumpers. My MA7000 has been with me for only a week but I can definitely say that I'll still love it when the honeymoon is over.

[kfr01]

Jorge: Welcome and congrats on the MA7000. I haven't yet found a type of music that the MA6600 doesn't wonderfully reproduce. I'm sure it will be the same for you and the MA7000. Cheers!

[bradleyc]

Originally Posted by Jorge

I'm glad I stumbled upon this thread because a friend who knows that I just got my MA7000 sent me the URL of a blog post whose author insists that upgrading the jumpers made a night-and-day difference. My reaction was, "Huh? Why would McIntosh use jumpers that deteriorated sound quality?"

I think I'll stick with the stock jumpers. My MA7000 has been with me for only a week but I can definitely say that I'll still love it when the honeymoon is over.

Jorge.....Congrats on your new MA7000, that's one fine beast of an integrated you got there! The only way to find out how much improvement you'll get from a pair of high-quality jumpers is to test some out for yourself. There are members of this forum who are very pleased with the results from their upgrade, while others didn't notice any difference.

[AudioNut]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. ..

McIntosh would NEVER do anything to degrade or deteriorate sound quality.

But, outside modifiers, tube manufacturers, wire makers, capacitor suppliers, and others, can, at usually quite high prices, offer parts or components that are "better" than the stock parts that McIntosh (and virtually every other equipment manufacturer) is able to use in their off-the-shelf audio products, because these companies manufacture to price points and can't afford to use "exotic" parts that would drive the cost of their equipment sky high, even though the exotic parts might improve the sound.

Virtually every piece of equipment ever made (with the possible exception of the humongously expensive, already exotic equipment, made without regard to cost or selling price) can be made to sound "better" through the judicious use of higher cost, higher quality parts. This is why modifiers continue to function and offer upgrades to many many, already fine products, from a variety of manufacturers INCLUDING McINTOSH.

The argument that McIntosh would never use anything to degrade the sound of a component is true . . . but many pieces of McIntosh equipment can be made to sound better with different (better) tubes, different wires, higher quality parts, different feet, etc. etc.

I use different jumpers and like them - maybe just because they look better than the cheap things that McIntosh used on my MA7000, but, in spite of the engineer types who tried earlier to shoot me down as stupid, I actually think they sound better than the stock jumpers. My ears, my equipment, my music, my 50 years of listening to good audio components, all combine to tell me of subtle differences in sound, and if I can hear it, I don't care what any "if you can't prove it, it ain't so" engineer type says or thinks.

There used to be an audio reviewer in the now, long defunct magazine, Stereo Review, named Julian Hirsch, who said that if the measurements of a piece of equipment met his standards, the equipment was perfect, and that all components that measured similarly sounded exactly the same.

Hog Wash. The only real determinant on the sound quality of a piece of equipment is a good pair of ears. I'm sure that we all hear things a little differently, but the pioneering efforts of two audio reviewers, J. Gordon Holt, founder of Stereophile and Harry Pearson, founder of The Absolute Sound changed the rules, and reviewed and recommended equipment according to the way they sounded and not according to the way they measured.

Thank the Good Lord for J. Gordon and Harry.

[kfr01]

Originally Posted by jprice

I've said it before and I'll say it again. ..

McIntosh would NEVER do anything to degrade or deteriorate sound quality.

But, outside modifiers, tube manufacturers, wire makers, capacitor suppliers, and others, can, at usually quite high prices, offer parts or components that are "better" than the stock parts that McIntosh (and virtually every other equipment manufacturer) is able to use in their off-the-shelf audio products, because these companies manufacture to price points and can't afford to use "exotic" parts that would drive the cost of their equipment sky high, even though the exotic parts might improve the sound.

Virtually every piece of equipment ever made (with the possible exception of the humongously expensive, already exotic equipment, made without regard to cost or selling price) can be made to sound "better" through the judicious use of higher cost, higher quality parts. This is why modifiers continue to function and offer upgrades to many many, already fine products, from a variety of manufacturers INCLUDING McINTOSH.

The argument that McIntosh would never use anything to degrade the sound of a component is true . . . but many pieces of McIntosh equipment can be made to sound better with different (better) tubes, different wires, higher quality parts, different feet, etc. etc.

I use different jumpers and like them - maybe just because they look better than the cheap things that McIntosh used on my MA7000, but, in spite of the engineer types who tried earlier to shoot me down as stupid, I actually think they sound better than the stock jumpers. My ears, my equipment, my music, my 50 years of listening to good audio components, all combine to tell me of subtle differences in sound, and if I can hear it, I don't care what any "if you can't prove it, it ain't so" engineer type says or thinks.

There used to be an audio reviewer in the now, long defunct magazine, Stereo Review, named Julian Hirsch, who said that if the measurements of a piece of equipment met his standards, the equipment was perfect, and that all components that measured similarly sounded exactly the same.

Hog Wash. The only real determinant on the sound quality of a piece of equipment is a good pair of ears. I'm sure that we all hear things a little differently, but the pioneering efforts of two audio reviewers, J. Gordon Holt, founder of Stereophile and Harry Pearson, founder of The Absolute Sound changed the rules, and reviewed and recommended equipment according to the way they sounded and not according to the way they measured.

Thank the Good Lord for J. Gordon and Harry.

+100. Great post! My Jena Labs jumpers should be here any day. For me, it is at least partially about the 'hunt'. I enjoy trying things for myself.

[kfr01]

Installed. Call me crazy, but I think the vocals on this Jack Johnson high res. remaster of Brushfire Fairytales are smoother than they've ever been ....