| Audio Emporium
Newsletter McIntosh:
Now In! Our
first array of McIntosh products have arrived. Stop in to hear and fondle this solidly
built gear! Integrated Amp The
MA-6300 is a beautiful 100 w/ch integrated amp- with enough testosterone to drive
virtually any speaker in our shop. Yet the sonic flavor of the MA-6300 is smooth as silk.
Even when you turn it up, it stays mellow. The controls are dead quiet and a pleasure to
operate. Mac uses Power Guard, a circuit that protects the amp when distortion reaches
.3%. It prevents the amp from blowing when the source, or YOU, have gotten out of control!
I especially like it with the B&W 804s & 805s! Tuner The
MR-88 tuner is the best we’ve seen or heard! With AM-FM-HD, the sound quality of this
tuner on HD Radio is remarkable. HD Radio is FREE and allows many additional channels
compared to what you’re getting over the air now. HD Radio bandwidth allows stations
to have a .1 and .2 station- two stations carried on one traditional band. Hence HD-1 is
usually popular “rock” or “talk” and HD-2 is different,
“blues” or “classics” for example. Many It
works on FM AND AM! You can improve stations
like WTMJ and WISN substantially with the use of HD. HD Radio is the only way to get
classical radio over the air free (90.7-2) in CD/SACD Player/DAC The
MCD-500 CD player rivals anything built. In addition to being a great sounding SACD and
Red Book CD player, MCD-500 allows you to use its on board DACs for other sources- like
your IPOD, Cable TV and computer. Using the MCD-500 DACs will upgrade any digital source
you throw through it. As good as any of your digital sources sound now- they can sound
significantly better! In a minimalist system, you can even use the MCD-500 as a preamp as
it has ample gain for a wide array of power amps. So if you’re musical sources are
CD, SACD, or just a few other DIGITAL sources, you can even run without a preamp! Preamp The C-220 tube preamp sounds very warm and full. With a
quite competitive retail price point, you should audition the C-220. It gives the warmth
ahead of the muscle! Power amp The MC-252 solid state power amp (250x2) is a
battleship! It provides unmitigated power for any speaker you’ll ever own! This combo
provides a mellow flavor with effortless performance. Pricing Note McIntosh does not allow dealers to post its prices on
websites. Stop in or call for specific info. Prokofiev Piano Concertos While I’m primarily a fan of the romantic era of classical music, there are some “modern” pieces I like. Step forward to the Prokofiev concertos. Number 3 is the most popular- with good reason! It has been recorded by many big names. But I recommend you consider buying all 5 Prokofiev piano concertos, recorded by Vladimir Ashkenazy and Andre Previn with the LSO. It comes in a 2 CD set (Decca 452 588). Previn is now in his 80s, a grand conductor of classics and jazz. Ashkenazy is about 70 and still records – and is himself a highly esteemed conductor. |