The new gear ... The Full Report ...

twiiii - as usual, your stories remind of the standard question - WHERE ARE THE PICS MAN? OMG - you could have published a book with all of the stuff you've seen over the years.

I bet that shit sounded good!

damacman said:

Not many people around anywhere are into audio anymore. I've had friends over so infrequently to listen to music I just gave up asking. Shame really but it is what it is. I guess that's why we hang out here.

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Beautiful system, Tony!
I know what you mean. I have a real excitement about my humble system, but I get the impression from guests that they 'just don't get it', and would rather listen to their iPod.
They can't take the 'punch', if you catch my drift.
Whatever. I'm the only person that needs to be happy with what I hear.

Most of my friends here simply have NO interest in audio. The ones that do are just far too busy to take time to come by ...

Just open all the windows and doors and crank "HELLS BELLS" till power guard kicks in. They will come over.

.....if I invite someone over to hear my humble system, I insist they bring their favorite CD with them....(you're miles ahead at that point)....then, when I play their CD, I start out at very moderate levels and let "them" ask for the volume to be raised....(people don't like their head fried right off the bat, especially women)....I don't make it louder unless they ask for it....besides, if your system doesn't sound good at moderate levels, you don't have much of a system, imo.....

Anytime I get the oppty to do a demo, which isn't often, I like to start with Gold Dust Woman on CD. This is a song everyone has heard a million times on the radio but not a song that they've heard on an excellent system. You don't have to play it loud as the recording is a work of art with excellent ambience and dynamic range. The really great thing is that the dynamic range is best during the last third of the song so the listener has had time to acclimate during the first two thirds of the song. Once I've played that, you've got their full undivided attention.

The more I listen to this setup the more I appreciate its remarkable abilities. I miss the Altecs a little, I won't lie, but the XRT22s driven by the MC2600 is just stunning via the C100. McIntosh statement components from any era make for an incredible system. I can't imagine being able to actually afford these pieces new but bargains can be had assembling such a system if you're ok with decades old gear.

I think I'm most surprised at just how good my Pioneer CDP sounds running fully balanced all the way to the power amp. Kind of makes me wonder how an MC602 would compare to the MC2600 as then you're fully balanced all the way through. Oh hey - look, the MC602s are now old news ...