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Old 06-27-2022, 11:03 PM
kimchee411 kimchee411 is offline
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Default McIntosh MA8900 vs MC452 Soundstage Depth

Can anyone comment on performance of MA8900 compared to MC452, particularly with regard to soundatage depth?

I used to have the latter running directly from a dCS Paganini DAC and later a C8 preamp and liked it quite a bit. I've also had MC252 and MA352. The MA352 wasn't a good match for my system. No depth and overly saturated tone. I liked the tone of the MC252 but also found it flat in terms of soundstage and dynamics. The MC452 was a huge improvement and satisfied in almost every way.

I've gone through a number of amps and integrateds since and am possibly looking to go back to the warm, rich, musical McIntosh autoformer SS sound with the MA8900. I think the improvement of the 452 over the MC252 may have been due to the newer transistors McIntosh switched to around that time and the 8900 is a slightly newer vintage than the 452 so I'm hoping to get a similar sound in a smaller, lighter package.

Currently using a Luxman 509x, which is very impressive and ticks the right boxes in my brain but is a touch dry and clean for my taste so I'm finding it doesn't really tug at my heart strings. I am a big fan of Luxman and have an M800a in my main rig that I adore, but in my bedroom I want a sound I do not feel like I need to listen intently to and just enjoy the music.

Source is MSB Analog DAC with network renderer and speakers are Wilson Tunetots with REL T-Zero Mk III sub.
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Old 06-29-2022, 10:53 AM
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I have had both the MC452 and MA8900. The 8900 was used in a system used for background music, not critical listening, with B&W805D3 speakers. I could not bring myself to completely embracing the audio output. I never really had it loud enough to be able to evaluate the soundstage plus I am not completely sure it was setup optimally. I went from a MC252 to the MC452 and was surprised at the difference between the two amps. A C2300 was used with both. The MC452 was a pleasure to own and was enjoyable to listen to, never fatiguing.
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Old 06-29-2022, 11:49 AM
thughes thughes is offline
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A primary difference between the MC252 and the MC452 is that the 452 is quad balanced. I have owned both amplifiers. I quickly sold off the MC252, but I still have two 452s. I don't think MA8900 is quad balanced either.
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Old 07-02-2022, 08:19 PM
kimchee411 kimchee411 is offline
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Thanks for the replies. The MA252 and MA352 are direct coupled while the MA8900 has autoformers. I also had a direct coupled MHA100 and frankly thought the speaker outputs sounded terrible.

Anyhow I'll be sticking with the Luxman 509x. I was actually using it with the MSB Discrete DAC earlier, which is a little more edgy and forward sounding than the smoother Analog DAC, though very similar in character with the same MSB house sound. Well, spending some time with the 509x mated to the Analog DAC proved it to be a wonderful match and I'm quite happy with the sound now. The power of synergy!
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Old 07-08-2022, 05:50 PM
Wpjs Wpjs is offline
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I have the latest MA8900 and IMO it is pretty darn sweet.
Nice full soundstage in my nyc apartment.

I suppose if I had a big home and lots more space $$$ perhaps I would consider separates.
For me- the MA8900 works.
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Old 07-08-2022, 09:34 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by miner View Post
I have had both the MC452 and MA8900. The 8900 was used in a system used for background music, not critical listening, with B&W805D3 speakers. I could not bring myself to completely embracing the audio output. I never really had it loud enough to be able to evaluate the soundstage plus I am not completely sure it was setup optimally. I went from a MC252 to the MC452 and was surprised at the difference between the two amps. A C2300 was used with both. The MC452 was a pleasure to own and was enjoyable to listen to, never fatiguing.
This one has to be a tough nut to compare. A 200 wpc integrated with a 450 wpc stereo power amp. If I had to fip a coin, I'm going with watts.
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