BBZink Posted October 23, 2017 Posted October 23, 2017 Time to upgrade again and i am kindly asking for your help? CAV45 or MA5300? I need to replace my integrated and i am puzzle between CJ & Mc? So i am kindly asking your help to decide between purchasing: Another tube amp and go for the CAV45 (i loved the CAV50), so my guess it would be a continuity in sound, because CAV45 is his successor? but on another way, just heard today the Mcintosh series and since i have to replace my amp, why not go for it so any comment on the MA5300 with the DA1 DAC in it? or should i go for something bigger the MC7200 with transfo? BTW, is it still worth it to go receiver since station are low quality and most signal are available in streaming on internet? should i go for MAC7200? So any comment on the Mc MA5300 or the CAV45 with a pair of Forte from klipsch, what is the best and what are the difference between those to set-up? Any experience you're willing to share is welcome! regards Greeting from Canada Quote
justinsweber Posted October 23, 2017 Posted October 23, 2017 MA2275 :-). My not a fan of CJ but love Mcintosh gear. Better built in my opinion. 1 Quote
gottajam Posted October 23, 2017 Posted October 23, 2017 Why limit the choices to just those two? There seem to be a few decent tube integrateds out there. Quote
ndavis1971 Posted October 24, 2017 Posted October 24, 2017 (edited) Quicksilver makes great hand wired amps. No green board garbage like modern Mcintosh stuff. Check out their new integrated. I personally prefer a separate preamp and SET amps from Audio Mirror. Nothing to my ears has beaten my setup of these, with the Audio Mirror tube DAC, when matched with horns like the new Forte IIIs. If if I were gonna buy Mcintosh, it’d be the vintage tube separates. And some companies nowadays make stuff better like Audio Mirror in my view. Edited October 24, 2017 by ndavis1971 Quote
richieb Posted October 24, 2017 Posted October 24, 2017 16 minutes ago, ndavis1971 said: Quicksilver makes great hand wired amps. No green board garbage like modern Mcintosh stuff. Check out their new integrated. I personally prefer a separate preamp and SET amps from Audio Mirror. Nothing to my ears has beaten my setup of these, with the Audio Mirror tube DAC, when matched with horns like the new Forte IIIs. If if I were gonna buy Mcintosh, it’d be the vintage tube separates. And some companies nowadays make stuff better like Audio Mirror in my view. Audio Mirror 6h33c single ended? Yes, they are killer. Owned a couple pair over the years and wouldn't rule out a third. My current basement digs can now handle the heat from them fire breathing dragons?! 1 Quote
BBZink Posted October 24, 2017 Author Posted October 24, 2017 21 hours ago, ndavis1971 said: Quicksilver makes great hand wired amps. No green board garbage like modern Mcintosh stuff. Check out their new integrated. I personally prefer a separate preamp and SET amps from Audio Mirror. Nothing to my ears has beaten my setup of these, with the Audio Mirror tube DAC, when matched with horns like the new Forte IIIs. If if I were gonna buy Mcintosh, it’d be the vintage tube separates. And some companies nowadays make stuff better like Audio Mirror in my view. Quicksilver, i have forgotten that one, but i don't remember if sound is on the warm side a live stage or on the Scalpel studio sound? Worth to investigate? thanks Quote
BBZink Posted October 24, 2017 Author Posted October 24, 2017 Yup a horn quicksilver, i remember now..., but will need a preamp again, lots of cable... Mcintosh, all in one solution, including the dac, more like it, but no tube, the downside... CAV45 better than the CAV50? could not tell for now, worth repairing my old CAV50? Quote
ndavis1971 Posted October 25, 2017 Posted October 25, 2017 I a/b’d a Macintosh 5200or something like it to the audio mirrors and the latter were 25 percent or so better in terms of warmth, naturalness, etc. but the latter cost 50 percent more and yes have lots more cables. Never heard Conrad Johnson. My friend who recommended audio mirror to me raves about quicksilver. I noticed they recently released an integrated and it looks solid but I haven’t heard it. Call me an odd duck but the ma230 is my favorite Macintosh integrated. It sounds so organic even thOugh part of it is SS. The key though is it was early SS and I think that’s one reason it sounds so natural. If I had to have one integrated for size, price and cool factor, it’d be that one. Quote
dirtmudd Posted October 25, 2017 Posted October 25, 2017 http://quicksilveraudio.com/products/integrated-amplifier/ Quote
BBZink Posted October 26, 2017 Author Posted October 26, 2017 13 hours ago, dirtmudd said: http://quicksilveraudio.com/products/integrated-amplifier/ 8xEL84? if it goes wrong 8 times the trouble, how could you trace the fautive tube? look complicate, prefer the horn approach but for preamp i am puzzle? Quote
jorjen Posted October 27, 2017 Posted October 27, 2017 Was looking for a tube integrated pretty much around the clock all this week after selling my Marantz PM-11S1. After crossing the Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum II and a used Audio Research off the list it came down to the CAV45 or Primaluna Dialogue One. Wound up with an open box Primaluna for $1799.00 yesterday afternoon. Unfortunately due to my location auditioning anything prior to purchase ain't gonna happen. I hope I made the right choice. I am a vinyl only guy and did not want to take any chances on any problems, noise or otherwise using a phono stage with the passive CJ. Plus I have heard and read nothing but great things about Primaluna and I have always enjoyed working with Kevin or Craig from Upscale Audio. https://www.upscaleaudio.com/collections/primaluna/products/primaluna-dialogue-one-integrated-amplifier Quote
dirtmudd Posted October 28, 2017 Posted October 28, 2017 On 10/22/2017 at 10:47 PM, Tpjrs said: Time to upgrade again and i am kindly asking for your help? CAV45 or MA5300? I need to replace my integrated and i am puzzle between CJ & Mc? So i am kindly asking your help to decide between purchasing: Another tube amp and go for the CAV45 (i loved the CAV50), so my guess it would be a continuity in sound, because CAV45 is his successor? but on another way, just heard today the Mcintosh series and since i have to replace my amp, why not go for it so any comment on the MA5300 with the DA1 DAC in it? or should i go for something bigger the MC7200 with transfo? BTW, is it still worth it to go receiver since station are low quality and most signal are available in streaming on internet? should i go for MAC7200? So any comment on the Mc MA5300 or the CAV45 with a pair of Forte from klipsch, what is the best and what are the difference between those to set-up? Any experience you're willing to share is welcome! regards Greeting from Canada If you are fortunate enough to own a pair of Klipsch horn loaded speakers, you should seriously consider finding or building a tube amp. Many music lovers consider Dynaco and Klipsch to be the path to musical nirvana. Kevin from Dynakitparts.com tells me the Dynakit Stereo 35 paired with some highly efficient horn speakers is some of the best sound he's ever heard. The Klipsch forums are another good source of info about Dynaco amps. The original Dynaco designs are among the best tube amps ever made. You can buy better tube amps, but you had better be prepared to spend a whole lot of money. If you absolutely must have the best of the best and you can afford it, then look for some Conrad-Johnson tube hifi gear. http://santafemusic.blogspot.com/2008/09/tube-be-or-not-tube-be.html Quote
BBZink Posted October 28, 2017 Author Posted October 28, 2017 2 hours ago, dirtmudd said: If you are fortunate enough to own a pair of Klipsch horn loaded speakers, you should seriously consider finding or building a tube amp. Many music lovers consider Dynaco and Klipsch to be the path to musical nirvana. Kevin from Dynakitparts.com tells me the Dynakit Stereo 35 paired with some highly efficient horn speakers is some of the best sound he's ever heard. The Klipsch forums are another good source of info about Dynaco amps. The original Dynaco designs are among the best tube amps ever made. You can buy better tube amps, but you had better be prepared to spend a whole lot of money. If you absolutely must have the best of the best and you can afford it, then look for some Conrad-Johnson tube hifi gear. http://santafemusic.blogspot.com/2008/09/tube-be-or-not-tube-be.html Was fortunate to have a pair of Belle with Dynaco St-70, sold the dynaco, than sold the Belle, miss the klipsch than buy Forte with CAV50. But CAV50, is a bit old and wondering to go mcintosh, but for waf, new mc is a no go, prefer old CJ, found my part missing in china and ordered it, but delivery in décember... i went to listen Mc, not what i expected. but, friend of mine, let me listen is Ayre, and Wow factor was there, as in CJ, now i heading to find someone to listen quicksilver horn, but i am not sure about the preamp? I am looking to the simplest solution, Mc was great in that part, but simple amp with a All CD/Dac solution could be the way (Find a CD player, with connector to his Dac, so tv, streaming and cdplayer are the same machine). than connect to amplifier. If CD has variable output, than no need for preamp? but does that kind of beast exist? Will have to seriously listen Cj cav45, to find if it's better than the cav50? i am there now! Thanks for the dynaco link, very interesting Regards Quote
BBZink Posted October 28, 2017 Author Posted October 28, 2017 11 hours ago, jorjen said: Was looking for a tube integrated pretty much around the clock all this week after selling my Marantz PM-11S1. After crossing the Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum II and a used Audio Research off the list it came down to the CAV45 or Primaluna Dialogue One. Wound up with an open box Primaluna for $1799.00 yesterday afternoon. Unfortunately due to my location auditioning anything prior to purchase ain't gonna happen. I hope I made the right choice. I am a vinyl only guy and did not want to take any chances on any problems, noise or otherwise using a phono stage with the passive CJ. Plus I have heard and read nothing but great things about Primaluna and I have always enjoyed working with Kevin or Craig from Upscale Audio. https://www.upscaleaudio.com/collections/primaluna/products/primaluna-dialogue-one-integrated-amplifier Don't know the dialogue, 12 years ago i have the prologue with 6l6 and loved the result, sold it for a leben cx300 that i have sold for the 600, but the reseller lost the line and those leben amp price went overboard, so i had a sugden, rega, fisher 500, than a peachtree a dynaco and the cav50 (without mentionning, marantz, and a lot of vintage amp during those 11years). Now i want to settle a simplier system for cd and streaming, because i don't much space as i use to have... Quote
dirtmudd Posted October 28, 2017 Posted October 28, 2017 12 minutes ago, Tpjrs said: Was fortunate to have a pair of Belle with Dynaco St-70, sold the dynaco, than sold the Belle, miss the klipsch than buy Forte with CAV50. But CAV50, is a bit old and wondering to go mcintosh, but for waf, new mc is a no go, prefer old CJ, found my part missing in china and ordered it, but delivery in décember... i went to listen Mc, not what i expected. but, friend of mine, let me listen is Ayre, and Wow factor was there, as in CJ, now i heading to find someone to listen quicksilver horn, but i am not sure about the preamp? I am looking to the simplest solution, Mc was great in that part, but simple amp with a All CD/Dac solution could be the way (Find a CD player, with connector to his Dac, so tv, streaming and cdplayer are the same machine). than connect to amplifier. If CD has variable output, than no need for preamp? but does that kind of beast exist? Will have to seriously listen Cj cav45, to find if it's better than the cav50? i am there now! Thanks for the dynaco link, very interesting Regards I'm using a cj pv7 pre...and I'm happy with it..but would love a cj mv 55.. have the pv7 paired to a dared vp 20.. but looking to upgrade.. Quote
BBZink Posted October 28, 2017 Author Posted October 28, 2017 5 minutes ago, dirtmudd said: I'm using a cj pv7 pre...and I'm happy with it..but would love a cj mv 55.. have the pv7 paired to a dared vp 20.. but looking to upgrade.. PV7, great! and MV55 (great choice to!) Quote
dirtmudd Posted October 28, 2017 Posted October 28, 2017 2 minutes ago, Tpjrs said: PV7, great! and MV55 (great choice to!) just waiting to find one with original box and owners manual..at a fair price.. Quote
dirtmudd Posted October 28, 2017 Posted October 28, 2017 here's a good place to look for used equipment.. http://echohifi.com/just_arrived.php?c=1#initswap. this was what sold.. http://echohifi.com/recently-sold/?c=1 Quote
Me Loves Khorns Posted October 30, 2017 Posted October 30, 2017 On 10/22/2017 at 9:57 PM, justinsweber said: MA2275 :-). My not a fan of CJ but love Mcintosh gear. Better built in my opinion. I have that Mac, it's amazing. Quote
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