McIntosh Receiver

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  • JesseRJ
    Junior Member
    • Nov 2003
    • 14

    McIntosh Receiver

    I am new here so I hope this is the right forum for this topic. I wrote on the Rotel Club forum about going to a high-end dealer today. I have B&W 802s and am planning a home theatre setup in our apartment living room. The salesman recommended that instead of Rotel, I purchase the McIntosh receiver for not that much more money. I heard some of my CDs and saw part of a film at the dealer and was quite impressed with the sound. They had everything hooked up to B&W 803 which are not as great as the 802s but somehow the sound was wonderful. Perhaps the McIntosh had a lot to do with it. I would appreciate any information you may have on the McIntosh receiver. It sells for $6,100 plus another $500 if you want the tuner installed in it. Thank you for any advice.




    Jesse Joseph
    Jesse Joseph
  • jimmyp58
    Super Senior Member
    • Aug 2003
    • 1449

    #2
    JesseRJ:

    McIntosh is good stuff but not nearly as good as it used to be. I believe they are now part of D&M Holdings with is the company that owns Denon & Marantz. For $6,100, that's a heck of a receiver. For a little bit more you could still go separates with another manufacturer if you are no longer thinking about Rotel. Anthem comes to mind. Their AVM-20 pre-pro is top flight and their MCA-50 (225W X 5 --- 8 ohms) is very impressive. You'd be in the same ballpark financially and I am very confident you'll hear an improvement over the McIntosh receiver. You just can't fit everything into one box without something having to give. Plus, those 802's really deserve a higher-end amp.

    Gotta go for now but I'll get back to you with some other thoughts.

    Jim
    jpiscitello@ameritech.net

    Comment

    • Lex
      Moderator Emeritus
      • Apr 2001
      • 27461

      #3
      McIntosh is an image, a statement. If you buy into that green light glass front, which is cool, then it may be for you.

      I don't see it as the best value for your system. At 6100, I certainly would look at separates. Used Lexicon MC-1 or maybe even MC-12 if you could find one comes to mind. Good amps are a dime a dozen, and I think for 6K you can come up with a great combo of separates.

      Separates will usually best most receiver's sound.

      Lex
      Doug
      "I'm out there Jerry, and I'm loving every minute of it!" - Kramer

      Comment

      • jimmyp58
        Super Senior Member
        • Aug 2003
        • 1449

        #4
        Some other thoughts. Lex brings up another alternative that I was thinking of as well. Regardless what the sales rep says, I would still go with the Rotel RSP-1098 pre-pro for one the reasons I gave at the Club Rotel site. If in fact you will add a universal player to your system, it is really a nice feature to have your dvd-a menu on that tft screen vs. your plasma/hd rptv. The sound is impeccable and is very flexible with the number of inputs, etc. It also does upconversion to component too. It's a great product and a great value. Rotel matches up nicely with B&W too.

        Bryston has the 9B SST amp (120W X 5 @ 8 ohm) that is a top-rated amp. They have a great sound. Many folks that like Krell like Bryston even better if they give it an audition. The MSRP for this amp is $3,300 (U.S.). So if you went this route plus the Rotel RSP-1098, you'd be right around $6,300 MSRP --- it's a tad higher than the McIntosh receiver but it would be a phenomenal combo and I believe a better sound.

        Another alternative could be the Rotel RSP-1098 pre-pro and a Krell Standard Theater Amp series. For the Theater 5, it is rated exactly like the Bryston 9B SST and has a MSRP of $4,500. You'd be a bit more with this combo than the McIntosh receiver but you'd have an updated Krell amp that has been very highly regarded.

        Even though I am getting rid of my Rotel RMB-1095 multi-channel amp, I am definitely keeping my 1098. I am leaning toward getting the new Anthem Statement P5 multi-channel amp (325W X 5 @ 8 ohms) to go along with my Bryston 14B SST (600W X 2) which I use for my fronts. I guess one person might say with all the upgrading I'm doing, would I be upgrading my pre-pro? Why? It is really a phenomenal piece. If I don't opt for the Anthem, I'll get a Bryston 7B SST and a 9B SST.

        I do not have a tuner with my system. I am not certain if it is worth $500 to add to your receiver. Many purists believe you get RF interference from it which can degrade your sound from your system. I haven't had a tuner in years so I can't comment on this personally but I am just sharing what other theorists have mentioned on this and the Club Rotel forum.

        One last alternative, though a much more expensive one if you have the funds to do it would be a Classe' CAV-500 (or the 180). B&W uses the same U.S. distributor as Classe' and I believe in the very near future there will be some co-marketing done with these two labels. Check the Classe' website for details.

        Questions...PM me if you want.

        Good luck!!!

        Jim
        jpiscitello@ameritech.net

        Comment

        • Burke Strickland
          Moderator
          • Sep 2001
          • 3161

          #5
          Another separates combo well within your price range definately worth considering is the Integra DTC-9.4 THX Ultra2 Certified Preamplifier/Processor/Tuner and DTA-9.4 7-Channel Pure Digital Home Theater Amplifier. They work their magic on movie soundtracks with virtually all the latest processing "bells and whistles" but also acquit themselves quite nicely on music (two channel or surround), as I have heard from my own auditioning of them.

          For more information about the products, http://www.integrahometheater.com/pr...lass=Separates

          and to find a dealer in your area, http://integrahometheater.com/locator.cfm?loc=1&type=d

          With all the fine choices that have been suggested, you have a tough decison to make, but you are bound to end up with a really nice system, which ever way you go on this.

          Burke

          What you DON'T say may be held against you...

          Comment

          • Andrew Pratt
            Moderator Emeritus
            • Aug 2000
            • 16507

            #6
            I agree I can not see any good reason to spend $6K on a receiver...no matter what name is one the front. For that much money you ought to be looking at true seperates. The Rotel 1098's a great unit and I'm thrilled with mine but I'll be the first to admit that there's a lot of other great choices at this price point that warrent a listen as well.




            Comment

            • Claude D D
              Senior Member
              • Jan 2003
              • 465

              #7
              We have the McIntosh receiver hooked up in one of our sound rooms powering a Monitor Audio Gold series speaker system and it sounds quite stunning.The thing is also a beast physically.

              Comment

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