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C1100 vs Reference 6 vs No 326s
As I was auditioning speakers last week also had a chance to compare 3 well known preamps and wanted to pass along my observations. The rest of the system was ...
Wilson Sasha 2 McIntosh MC-601 AR Dac9 Berkeley Alpha USB Windows Laptop with Roon All Transparent IC and SC Firstly ... I was there primarily auditioning speakers and brought my preamp so the system would be the same minus the room! So here goes ... McIntosh C1100 ... the first time I heard the setup was with the C1100. Right from the start I didn't emotionally connect with this combination which surprised me quite a bit. I had heard something similar with the older C1000 and really liked that combo. The best way to describe what I heard was that it seemed a bit overdone on the top end. Could have been the cable combination as well. Something to note though is that I had been auditioning ML 15a's as well and with the C1100/MC-601 combo it seemed bright and flat. Even my wife described it as flat sounding. Anyway ... that was what prompted me to bring my Levinson in for a listen No326s ... The brightness that I heard with the C1100 if you could call it that was immediately gone. Bottom end was better defined and the sound stage really exploded. The music now had more body and was a much richer sound without being overly lush. Detail was similar but with more space and a much blacker background. This combo was by far a better combo. Again not sure why but we all agreed. Ref 6 ... This combo is NOT supposed to work well from what I've read. I talked to an employee from Audio Research at a Sales Event last year and he mentioned that he thought the combo worked fine. That said ... it did more than work fine. It was by far the best I've ever heard the MC-601 sound. The sound stage height exploded and while I didn't realize that there had been a lack of presence before ... now with the Ref 6 in the chain it was a real eye opener. Much more 3 dimensional than before and just sounded more real to life. Less like a recreation of the event and more like the event. It was startling how much more open the Reference 6 was than the Levinson. There were areas that sounded very similar between the two ... detail retrieval, harmonic texture, and surprisingly ... the bottom end. Yes ... the bottom end sounded just fine with the Ref 6 and the MC-601. Not fuzzy at all just good extended tight bass. So ... I guess I know what my next step is once I recover from the Sasha purchase! Again ... all of this is only valid with the setup I listened to in the room and with the cables we were using. So ... long and short of the story is just because you have and love the MC-601's don't rule out the Ref 6 if you are shopping for a preamp. You might just be surprised. George |
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How much beak in time did the C1100 have. As a long time McIntosh Tube amp and preamp owner I know everytime I've retubed one of them they sound bright. I put new tubes in both my MC2102s 3 months and they sounded like breaking glass. After the tubes had 50 hours on them they returned to magical amps! Same with my ARC VSi60. New tubes bright sound.
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George |
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C1100 vs Reference 6 vs No 326s
Something doesn't add up. I own the C1100 and MC601 set up and the last thing I hear is a overdone, bright top end and overall flat sound. Wonder if you would have went back to 1100 at the end if it would have faired better. Well maybe it does add up ... chalk up another one to overall system synergy but with respect to C1100 and 601, the combination is right as rain in the context of my system.
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Preamp: McIntosh C1100T/C1100C, McIntosh MX180 Amp: McIntosh MC611 (2), MC601 (3), MI254 Digital: McIntosh D1100, McIntosh MCT450, Meridian 808v6, Aurender N20, Aurender ACS10, Oppo 203 Analog: McIntosh MT10, Hana Umami Red Phono preamp: Simaudio Moon 610LP, 820S Signal cables: WW Gold Eclipse 7 speaker cables; Shunyata Sigma v2 XLR (2); Sigma v1 XLR (2), Transparent Ref XL (MM2) XLR; WW Silver Eclipse 7 (4) Digital cables: Shunyata Omega USB, Omega Ethernet, Sigma Ethernet; WW Platinum 7 Coax, AES/EBU Switch: Innuos PhoenixNet Power: Audioquest Niagara 7000, Audioquest 5000, Audioquest Dragon, Hurricane PC, Shunyata Alpha HC, AQ NRG Edison outlets, (8) 20 amp dedicated lines, 125 amp subpanel Speakers: Wilson Sasha DAW, Dynaudio Contour 30, Dynaudio Contour 25C Subs: REL s/812 (6), REL s/510 (3) Accessories: HRS M3X2 shelf (MT10), Stillpoints Ultra II v2 w/ bases (21), Ultra SS (12), Mini (12), LPi v1 Sound treaments: Artnovion Last edited by j3brow; 07-23-2017 at 03:21 PM. |
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I don't think beak in is a significant issue for the 1100. Guess it's what happens when paired up against world class preamps. I heard the Ref6 in a all AR Ref system .... it was sublime. The 326s isn't no slouch either. I'm just surprised the McIntosh pre didn't fair better paired with McIntosh amps. Maybe if I could hear a Ref 6 in my system I would understand better. But the C1100/601 combo leaves we wanting for nothing at the moment.
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Preamp: McIntosh C1100T/C1100C, McIntosh MX180 Amp: McIntosh MC611 (2), MC601 (3), MI254 Digital: McIntosh D1100, McIntosh MCT450, Meridian 808v6, Aurender N20, Aurender ACS10, Oppo 203 Analog: McIntosh MT10, Hana Umami Red Phono preamp: Simaudio Moon 610LP, 820S Signal cables: WW Gold Eclipse 7 speaker cables; Shunyata Sigma v2 XLR (2); Sigma v1 XLR (2), Transparent Ref XL (MM2) XLR; WW Silver Eclipse 7 (4) Digital cables: Shunyata Omega USB, Omega Ethernet, Sigma Ethernet; WW Platinum 7 Coax, AES/EBU Switch: Innuos PhoenixNet Power: Audioquest Niagara 7000, Audioquest 5000, Audioquest Dragon, Hurricane PC, Shunyata Alpha HC, AQ NRG Edison outlets, (8) 20 amp dedicated lines, 125 amp subpanel Speakers: Wilson Sasha DAW, Dynaudio Contour 30, Dynaudio Contour 25C Subs: REL s/812 (6), REL s/510 (3) Accessories: HRS M3X2 shelf (MT10), Stillpoints Ultra II v2 w/ bases (21), Ultra SS (12), Mini (12), LPi v1 Sound treaments: Artnovion |
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Doc, The question is not if you will discover a better sounding preamp. If you are happy with the 1100, don't move. Seriously. JUST DO NOT LET THE REF6 GET INTO YOUR HOUSE for a tryout. [emoji23] I have been very happy for years with Black and White TV. Until I discovered colors !
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There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats Albert Schweitzer |
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While the 326s is really really good ... I was blown away at how much larger a sound stage the Ref 6 was capable of along with better micro detail retrieval with everything else staying the same. I had been totally and completely happy with the 326s until that moment...
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