Hello everybody,
I just recently acquired a McIntosh MC2100 power amplifier with a McIntosh C2200 preamp to go with it and I'm now looking for speakers. Most people recommand "vintage" speakers, which I would not mind but, since I've heard so much good things about Axiom, I'm considering the M80 v3.
Anyone ever matched M80's with vintage McIntosh (and what was the result) ?
Thanks in advance for your much appreciated feedback !
Welcome, Zuruck!
You'll find that here, like everywhere else, there are those who think that different amps sound different, and some who feel they all sound the same (excepting tubes).
I personally wouldn't recommend vintage speakers. There was no technology available 20 years ago that isn't available to speaker designers today. And you're likely to have maintenance issues with cone surrounds needing replacing, etc.
I don't remember anyone running M80s with McIntosh in particular, but there's absolutely no reason to think that it would be a bad match.
By far, the biggest variables in the sound will be the speakers and the room. So really, there's no better way, in my opinion, to buy speakers than to try them in your own room for 30-days risk free!
No experience with this combo either but I would love to hear your impressions if you give them a trial. Welcome to the forum!
I'm sure someone will chime in, but I would think that would be one awesome setup.
Hi Zuruck,
I think you'd be thrilled with the combination of the Axiom M80v3s and your vintage McIntosh MC2100 power amp. Those were built like tanks and so long as it's been kept in good repair, should be excellent. I think the MC2100 has the load-independent auto-formers on the output, so the marriage of the M80s and the McIntosh would be problem-free.
In any case, McIntosh amplifiers have massive power supplies and will not be bothered by the 4-ohm M80 load.
Regards,
Alan
Thank you all for your comments and greetings. I can't wait to let you know how the mix works out but I must first get my McIntoshes checked out before "test driving" them.
In the meantime, all suggestions and comments are welcomed!
Z, welcome. Your McIntosh equipment is excellent and will power any speakers, certainly including the M80s, with transparent ease. There's no "match" involved. That term implies that the amplifier would have some sort of sonic coloration that would neutralize an opposite coloration in the speakers. Nothing of the sort exists with McIntosh.
If "most people" recommend "vintage" speakers, they're out of touch with the realities of modern audio technology. Speakers aren't perfect and never will be, but there've been great advances over the past 20-30 years, and the process continues today.
I find the people who prefer "vintage speakers" are usually people who prefer the deep, but hardly accurate, sound of speakers that had HUGE woofers built into them, as was popular for a while.
I'll admit, sometimes that can be a refreshing sound on rock music but I usually soon tire of it and I don't seem to like them for many other genres other than rock. Also, there is the wear and tear on the old paper and other lesser material cones that has to be carefully considered.
Good points, JohnK and Murph. I'm not especially fond of "vintage" speakers but I recently had the chance to hear a pair of Klipsch "La Scala" and found that their sound was really nice (I could not fit them in my living room, though!) but, as Murph mentions, I found they lacked in "versatility" a bit.
I've also always been a fan of Canadian speakers (even though I'm yet to hear any Axiom). I've recently listened to some Totem creations (Arro, Sttaf and Hawk) and, personally, I've had small ECM (first I could ever buy !), Energy 22's and Athena home theater and, no matter whatever else you could hold against them, I've always found that their highs were unique. Maybe it's "coloration" as some would say but they really did fit my taste. I know that all of the speakers I've owned - except for one pair of KEF - were from the same "realm" but I can't wait to hear another NRC inspired creation...