High_Noon
Active Member
This is my first post here on audiokarma. I am about 9 months away from purchasing a new system. As somewhat of a high fidelity novice, I have been researching A/V equipment for quite some time – mainly avoiding McIntosh since I believed it was out of my price range; however, after looking at some of the more modern A/V receivers and receiving advice on other forums, I always felt like something was missing. This is not to say that the advice I received previously was bad, quite the contrary, but there was something about spending a lot of money on mid-fi (such as a Denon or Marantz A/V) that left me cold - I was loathe to spend money on features I would not need, just to have a new system. I think what was missing was that I wanted a system with outstanding audio performance that I can be proud of and that will last a lifetime – I appreciate quality, longevity and craftsmanship – something lacking in Chinese-made equipment (in my opinion). I also looked at NAD A/V receivers and that is when I realized I could probably get a nice, older, McIntosh system for the price of NAD T777/T778 alone! This was when I decided to take another look at McIntosh.
My intended usage is an approximate 60/40 split between 2 channel audio and home theater. Currently, I do not stream anything, nor do I utilize a wireless connection between my current A/V system and the Internet. I may do so in the future, but this is very, very low on my priority list right now – I don’t really have the time or the patience for the new-fangled stuff – it took me 3 years of thinking about Pandora (on and off) to finally learn how to use it, and now that I have, I rarely use it – even in the car – SiriusXM is so much easier. That said, I am looking for a simple to use A/V McIntosh system that will enable me to listen to 2-channel, full range audio and 5 or 5.1 home theater. HDMI would be nice, but I can always get a DVDO VP50 for any processing, if necessary.
So here’s what I have come up with so far: My first priority will be to get a nice MX119 and pair it w/ an MC2205 or a MC7270 depending on availability/condition when I am ready to purchase. Speakers will be likely be PSB T2, and the source unit will likely be an Oppo BDP103. Later, when I expand the system to 5.1, I will purchase additional amplification and additional PSB speakers.
Questions:
1) What is your opinion of the MX119/MC2205 or MC7270 combo? Any additional options I should consider like the MX120, 134, 135?
2) What do you think about pairing the PSB Imagine T2s w/ this McIntosh equipment combo? I have looked at Focal, RBS, KEF and Revel, but I sure do like the PSBs.
2) What reasonable amplification (100w or less) should I consider for the center channel, surrounds and sub and how are these connected to the MX119?
3) What is a good source for me to learn about the cables I will need and how to hook all this up properly?
4) Anything I have overlooked?
In advance, I thank you for taking the time to read this posting and for offering your advice.
- High_Noon
My intended usage is an approximate 60/40 split between 2 channel audio and home theater. Currently, I do not stream anything, nor do I utilize a wireless connection between my current A/V system and the Internet. I may do so in the future, but this is very, very low on my priority list right now – I don’t really have the time or the patience for the new-fangled stuff – it took me 3 years of thinking about Pandora (on and off) to finally learn how to use it, and now that I have, I rarely use it – even in the car – SiriusXM is so much easier. That said, I am looking for a simple to use A/V McIntosh system that will enable me to listen to 2-channel, full range audio and 5 or 5.1 home theater. HDMI would be nice, but I can always get a DVDO VP50 for any processing, if necessary.
So here’s what I have come up with so far: My first priority will be to get a nice MX119 and pair it w/ an MC2205 or a MC7270 depending on availability/condition when I am ready to purchase. Speakers will be likely be PSB T2, and the source unit will likely be an Oppo BDP103. Later, when I expand the system to 5.1, I will purchase additional amplification and additional PSB speakers.
Questions:
1) What is your opinion of the MX119/MC2205 or MC7270 combo? Any additional options I should consider like the MX120, 134, 135?
2) What do you think about pairing the PSB Imagine T2s w/ this McIntosh equipment combo? I have looked at Focal, RBS, KEF and Revel, but I sure do like the PSBs.
2) What reasonable amplification (100w or less) should I consider for the center channel, surrounds and sub and how are these connected to the MX119?
3) What is a good source for me to learn about the cables I will need and how to hook all this up properly?
4) Anything I have overlooked?
In advance, I thank you for taking the time to read this posting and for offering your advice.
- High_Noon
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