"I would like to hear how your system sounds with the McIntosh as I have heard nothing but good things about Mac."
Jeff
Hey Jeff,
I ran my Cornwalls ('78 Walnut Oiled, s/n's 16S801&2, K33E tweeters, K55V squawks, K77 tweets) with McIntosh stuff: C-26 pre, MC-2105 amp, for about 6 months before I switched over to an integrated Antique Sound Lab AQ-1003DT (30 watts push-pull with EL-34s and 12AU7s, 4 ea.
The sound with the Mac stuff was great: detailed, powerfully solid, and great high freqs. The MC-2105 was rated at 105 watts RMS, but actually put out closer to 140. I do believe all the hype about the first watt being the most important, however, and don't think the Mac was able to be as intimate and lifelike at lower volumes because of it's SS nature.
You've just got to hear it to believe it when it comes to Klipsch and tubes, however: My belief that I was hearing what was pretty close to being some of the nicest sounding music I'd heard was shattered after I heard my Cornies with 30 watts from the ASL. Unbelieveable detail, a much more lifelike presence, and wider, deeper soundstage were just a few of the immediately noticeable improvements. And I still love the Macs...
Anyway, these are just a few things I noticed after switching out the Mac stuff for tubes.
Happy listening!!!