Thanks much for taking the time to make this vid. I just came across your channel. I heard my first Mac system in the 1960s when I was stationed in the Military near Seattle, Wa. I never forgot the sound and how it made me feel. Everytime I went to an Audio store I would always listen to their Macs and compare with other brands (Accuphase, Luxman etc). Finally in the early 90s I purchased the Mac Amp and Pre-amp that I still have and enjoy almost daily. I am now almost 82 yrs old, I know there are many good sounding brands out there that are loved by their owners, but Macs are still my favs. Im still on the Mac mailing list and just yesterday I received news of their new Hybrids of solid state and tubes. I will have to find a dealer and have a listen. Maybe you can review one of these models - thanks again for your vid.

Thomas - congrats, your ability to deliver and convey your thoughts on audio has progressed to the point where I really believe you are the best out there right now. Has been amazing to watch your journey. Please keep sharing your insights with us who share your interest in the hobby.

Great video Thomas. Love hearing your stories. Nice to see mini videos of your friends' systems integrated in here! Cheers from France.

I really appreciate this kind of vid and totally enjoyed seeing the gear and the mcintosh startup. It's very unlikely I'll ever see gear like this in person so for me it was very enjoyable.

Definitely review the high end gear! You present content very well like the amp that demands your attention!!

Hey Thomas, I wanted to send my thanks to you for adding a/b demo at the end of your video. Most people who wanted to sell something on their channel would invalidate this video making thousands of excuses, but the videos / sounds do translate the content's point of view. Kudos to you and your buddies.

That Audio Research setup is straight-up awesome. Fantastic!

While upgrading my system, I was looking and reading about everything but Mcintosh. Then I realized over the years I had been hearing great systems driven by Mcintosh amps. Ended up with Mcintosh MC462. No regrets I love it!

I enjoy all your videos Thomas. Thank you. I think I’m learning something with each one that I watch 😀

You do you, Thomas. Good stuff as always.

I would say it depends on what you’re looking for. If you want a “live” sound then go for the AR, it feels like the band is in your living room. If you want HiFi then go for the McIntosh, it’s real high end and you’ll get a perfect sound. Both are absolutely great and fantastic.

Thank you for your thoughts. I decided on a McIntosh and bought a MC5300 intergraded amp. Very, very happy with it. Please keep posting your insightful videos.

Great video, down to earth discussion of your likes. Loved it.

I love your videos and would be really interested in hearing more system reviews. Synergy is so important and I’m not good at figuring that out. When you combine cables it’s very complicated .

Hi Thomas! Love such content from you! While I am more of a desktop nearfield or headphone listener, I very much appreciate such videos. This video is only possible thru lotta time and dollar spend and half a lifetime of experience. Thank you. Maybe one day I will have the space :D

got my mac's used in the late 70's. they were recommended by a friend that is a electrical engineer. he said that they were built to near military standard. still enjoy them. took them to a mac service center to have them recapped couple years ago. technician told me not to bother. 50 years without being serviced. have gone thru many speakers, turntables etc, but these are still the foundation of my main system.

Hey !! ...Just found your channel. !! ..Really appreciate your clear sound gear description....Keep up the great style & work..

Awesome. Yes I’d love to hear some reviews of the 275, 3200, and the AR gear. I would also love to see reviews of Vintage Mac, because a lot of us own them (like me) and don’t have a real reference point with modern day reviewing. I’d tune in all day to that!

Thanks Thomas for another excellent share. Yes - please - I vote for more ARC and McIntosh discussions. Greetings to you and yours

Wise words as always, Thomas! I can’t afford either, but now that you showed the McIntosh powering up, I’d have to buy that. I would spend all day turning it off and on, to see the tubes light up and change colour!

Excellent overview and insight. Thank You

Today's video is really amazing! I hope you do more of such video :) Feels like I have more audiophile friends haha

Really enjoyed this discussion. I appreciate the discussion of high end audio, and these are two great brands to compare. I'd love to hear the comparison now of AR vs Pass Labs. To me both have a sound that catches my attention in a good way. I always love the look of the 275, but when I heard it at an audio show, I was very disappointed in the sound. It seemed colored and vailed. So it was interesting to hear that they have changed since the 70's. Your description of the AR system suggests to me that it passes more low level information. That is a positive thing for me especially on very well recorded music without a lot of trickery in the mastering. Keep this up. I'll enjoy it and you will get to rediscover your own gear.

I really enjoyed this video! Thank you!

Wow you can really hear the difference between those two set ups on your songs at the end. I have to agree with your assessment of the difference between the two sounds signatures. I have a lot of old Macintosh equipment and I tend to like that sound.

One of my favorite videos of yours.

I appreciated the comparison of two relatively high-end tube amps. I looked longingly at McIntosh’s offerings, and I especially like the models with dual Vu meters. Everyone says they hold their value. But they also have configurations that integrate more functions than I want (like DACs), or proprietary connections (like their own transports). If I do find the configuration I want, the price is through the roof. I’m not saying their systems don’t offer value for money, especially in light of the company’s support and customer’s experience of long and trouble-free service; I’m just saying I couldn’t find what I was looking for at a price I was willing (or able) to pay. A critic might say I brought my trouble on myself by trying to use gear from different manufacturers in the same system. If you opt for McIntosh, I can certainly see why people go all in with them. They make upgrading within their own offerings very easy. 🙂

Thanks Thomas for another great post! I’ve always been around McIntosh gear as that was what my father was in to. So now I too have a McIntosh power amp a MC 162 and pre amp a C39. The only Acoustic Research gear I’ve owned has been their famous old school belt drive turntable and a pair of their old (not so good) book shelve speakers. I’ve never heard or experienced any of their power or preamps! I’m now quite curious and will look for them in the future.

Hi Thomas, I know that a number of serious audiophiles do not consider sound demos definitive. Yet, using the same recording method, same song, same encoding, we do get impressions which are easily comparable to each other. The system in this video with both amps do convey the scale and the clarity, my favorite two versions so far! Thank you! ; Janos

Nice video, I owned one MA7200 with atc20, the mid-range is so well that you can't forget, but it is soft. I will like to try Audio research later. Thanks for your work.

I am considering this exact mac system. Thank you Thomas would love a review.

It’s about time I saw a turntable in your stuff

Interesting Goliath vs Goliath commentary by Thomas. Who needs a Christmas tree with the Macintosh power amp!

Love this Thomas! I love my MC402 & C2600 tube! I was using it with a Denafrips Ares ii.. realizing everything was too warm... then i recently moved to a D90SE.... Now with its granular detail its an incredible balance of synergy with the Macs!..... i know you had a video recently about matching and synergy... thats all it comes down to... much of the gear out there today is excellent.. its all about how each match to each other in pleasing the listeners ears

Can't say I have lot of experience with Audio Research gear. Few month back I tried the Ref 6 SE with my previous Plinius Reference A300 power amp. It sounded very nice indeed. Great synergy. May get it back one day to try with my current gear!

This video is officially approved by the KZfaq Audiophile Board. :) Enjoyed this - informal experience videos are a great addition to the channel. This passion is all about sharing experiences.

"The Edit" Now that's an edit. I really liked it because it had something I have been wanting to see in editing for a while, the change of clothing and kind of keeping the colour coordination within a keeping moment. You should try it more often, its all in the timing. Keep up the good work Thomas..

On a side note, I have a Conrad-Johnson tube pre-amp 20 years old. It sounds great. Smoothed out the solid state amp I use with it. No problems. Cost me $795 bucks.

Great video! I almost pulled the trigger on the McIntosh mc275 until I tried the Carver Crimson 275. Jim Clark audio in Chicago gives you 30 days to demo a new unit. If you don’t like it, send it back for a full refund. After two weeks I knew I was keeping the Carver. I love McIntosh, I have the c50 preamp, mc352 amp, Magnepan 1.7i & Klipsch Hersey IV’s, DIY Cornscala’s. I really wanted another McIntosh in the room, but when I heard the Crimson I just did not think the mc275 was worth an extra $2500! I also own a Yamaha p2200 amp that sounds just like the mc352, but I spent 3K more to get the McIntosh looks in the mc352. The yellow meters in the Yamaha just did not move me like the blue McIntosh meters do. Keep up the good work!

Loved it, thanks, Thomas!

Another great video Thomas!! Yes, please review the MC275.

Would love to see you add the Pass Labs INT25 to the mix next time. Get a new ARC I-50 and have some fun!!

I rather enjoy direct comparisons. One rarely sees this type of review. Good job and thank you.

Thomas, thanks for the great video as usual. Please do review the McIntosh gear you have. If you are reviewing the power amp if you can give some perspective and compare it to some other high end non-McInosh tube amps you may have, that will be really insightful and perhaps demonstrate to those of us who haven’t spent time with Mac gear what makes them so special.

Great video Thomas yep I'm still rocken my old McIntosh amps. I love that old slow bass cause it never gets tiring. I listen to mostly jazz and it plays it so Damm well. McIntosh play jazz so well it really tames the horns and as for the slow bass it gives more definition to the acoustic bass as if you can see the strings. Yeah at times I'd like more air but you can't have everything

Hi.. recently discovered your channel, like it very much. Regardless: Video & sound quality is good enough for me.👍

Would love to hear more about your high end gear Thomas. Always nice to know where this rabbit hole can take you! Preferred the McIntosh sound sample, softer without losing resolution, the AR gear sounds like there is a slight tilt in the upper mids, very focused but also slightly dry to my ears. Both sound quite solid statish, the MC30/40 is sweeter sounding, slightly more up my street if you don't need the power! Still wow 👌 👏

I really enjoyed this conversation about two iconic name brands I could never afford! Love the looks of the Audio Research. I'm still enjoying my entry-level 250 watts/channel Acurrus A250 power amp and P10 preamp I bought new in 1994. That's about as close to high-end gear I'll probably get. I just get better speakers every 10 years or so. But I love learning about all the other hi-end gear that's out there! Thanks for sharing!

Thank you very much for your analysis and opinions! I actually agree with observations. I've owned Audio Research gere for twenty years and agree with your statement of it commanding your attention. It very natural and neutral. Thanks again!

Loved the comparison of both iconic brands, which was hard to do without upsetting hardcore fans of these brands. :) But you nailed it. (five thumbs up) I like both brands. But when I see the meters on Mcintosh, I don't want to see anything else. I am still in the market for a good integrated amp. I am considering Mcintosh, Luxman, Accuphase and Audio Research.

Hello, it has always been a dream of mine to own a Mcintosh audio amp of any type. Unfortunately marriage to a widow with 6 children put many things as a priority before a sound system. I’m 55 years old now and I still hope and dream to someday get a Macintosh Labs product. Even if it is broken, I have the ability to fix such things. I have been fixing gear for over 30 years now, but it is always somebody else’s. Thanks for the wonderful video, your equipment sounds and looks amazing!

I salute to your sir!..I really enjoyed watching it and learned more from you 😊

Awesome discussion.

Really like the review.

I'm amazed I could tell the difference. The AR system is more open and the highs are very visible versus the warmish muted sound of the McIntosh system.

Each listener has their own perceived sound in home audio equipment. We should respect their opinions about their own own systems or a new piece of gear. And they should respect our perceived listening experiences as well. I have not listened to Macintosh equipment since the 1960s and it was so overly warm I never wanted to hear their products again but now I am going to set up an appointment for a sit down. Currently I am using PASS phono and line stage preamps with an Audio Research amp driving Maggie 3.6 speakers and a carver true subwoofer. The only thing I really need to add is a second subwoofer and I am considering selling the Carver and moving over to 2 REL’s. Thanks for your balanced presentations and opinions. A breath of fresh air.

Sir great insight and fun thank you.

"We do stuff just for fun"! I absolutely agree that a big part of listening to music & equipment should be fun!

The very first stand-alone power amplifier I ever bought was an Audio Research D-100 (maybe the D-100B model). I liked it a lot for what it was.

In the early 90s I went into my 1st high end audio shop over in Pasadena ca. I herd the AR gear and was HOOKED for life. My jaw dropped and knew I was wrecked :).

That audio research combo sounded much more like a fully digital system to me, which came as a complete surprise (even though you already explained about it).

Since you own both amps, vintage and modern, it would be nice to see a video comparison between the old MC240 and the recent MC275; how a 50 years of evolution have changed the sound of the McIntosh gear.

I love McIntosh gear, for the sound and for the look but more important they are made in the USA and McIntosh still supports 95% of all the equipment they've made in the past. I think that alone makes McIntosh unique in the high end audio world, right?

I have a MC-240 and MX-110. I’d love to see a video of your MC-240 setup and pairing!

Thomas, wrote here earlier just how much more the Audio Research "lifted the vail in front of the music" vs the Macintish... the obvious increase of transparency over the venerable Macintosh. (Actually saw this video much earlier though.) Well, I watched a few more videos afterwards, did a bit of research, auditioned it and took ownership of an Audio Research 6SE. The transparency and detail is incredible. It certainly will take some time to get used to the articulation of this preamp though. Your video was the catalyst.

This is a very enjoyable review. The MC275 has long been amongst my favorite amps. The first time I saw and heard one in person I was struck with the audio Cupid's arrow. Particularly the limited edition in the gold chassis- beautiful. I listened for hours, spinning vinyl. On a veiled test, I probably wouldn't be so enamored with the sound, but it's visual presentation put it over the top and had me drooling. Since that first encounter, I considered many times about getting one for myself, which would be a good pairing for many of my high efficiency speakers, but I've always settled on solid state and liked those type of Class A amps that give the very organic warm sound that many people think about when thinking about tubes- but without the hassle (or joy for some) of having to mess with tubes. Also, I typically want pore power on tap, since I rotate speakers a lot and need a bit more juice to drive those lower efficiency speakers. The AR amp looks very interesting as well, although never having experienced one, I would still consider it regardless of it's different sound signature because I like one type of sound for a while, then switch out amps to go with a totally different type of sound (gravitating back to warm and colored mostly). The AR looks great also. Visual presentation adds a lot to the enjoyment of the gear. Nice review!

Well done Thomas a great video given you used your phone. And very interesting comments. I enjoyed this one a lot.😁

11:09 "A question of taste...my favorite line in audio. It gets me out of trouble every time." Hahaha, just found your channel and love the chill vibes and great info. Looking forward to seeing more. Cheers and greetings from Seattle :)

Great video Thomas. I Think you would love the sound of Gryphon amps.

I have listened and auditioned many high-end systems for both music and movie (especially music) and will always be resorting back to the Mcintosh gears.

I had a customer who built a full blown reference Audio Research System. Anniversary reference 600 watt tube monoblocks, two chassis preamp, CD transport, and so on. He paired it with 600lb Duntech speakers. What a great sounding system. Though I carry McIntosh and Mark Levinson, for audio I never had anything high-end enough for him. Sadly he passed away a bit over a year ago. I did get to build his home theater though, a serious undertaking.

My MAC6700 is my first stereo amp and it remains my one and only stereo amp. 🤘🏻

I used to be an audio salesman back in the 70's. I grabbed up a customer trade in on first sight. It was a MC 275. It needed to be refurbished, and was upgraded slightly in the process. Now in the 70's.. I found other tube amps to be slower than the Mac. On a few recordings I found the damping to be a little weak. But, the sound with my KEF 104 AB's could be astounding.

Wow! You beat me to the punch with Christmas lights!

I love audio research more myself, because I use to record in a studio and I by nature avoid artificial tonality. But that being said it is nothing bad to say about adding colour. Simply by making it neutral actually enables people to add colour easier. It is easier to add than take away!

That start up sequence for the MC275 VI was actually just a gimmick they made for the tradeshow debut of the amp. After feedback they got from attendees they decided to make it a real feature. Been thinking about trying tubes in my system again.

Thanks for the great video! As the previous person commented, I’d love to hear comparison of Pass Labs and Audio Research as well, if you were so inclined….

Once upon a time when I was young and an audiophile I'd have loved any of this equipment. In those days I couldn't possibly afford it. It's amazing what becoming an engineer does to you, how drastically it remolds your mind. Setting out to understand sound and acoustics I pretty much lost interest in the equipment. It became a means to an end, it was the system design that mattered. When I became able to afford any of it, it never entered my mind for one second to buy any of it. Instead my adventure in sound went in an entirely different direction. It is remarkable how complicated sound really is and there are so many variables to deal with. Creating something new and entirely different takes a lot of effort but you don't mind if it's a labor if love. Nearly 50 years and I'm still having fun experimenting, adjusting tweaking. I know what I want to hear and I figured out how to get it. The older equipment works just fine for my purposes. Yet I can relive my early days watching you and others who see things as I once did. I'm not being judgmental. In a way I admire your enthusiasm and enjoy watching your adventure, how you explore things and how your views change over time.

I’ve got a MC2002 from the mid 80s. It is 200 wpc direct coupled, no autoformers. This amp is not warm nor does it have slow bass. It’s clean and clear. I can say because I’ve also got an MC2155 with autoformers. It’s also from mid 80s and it is a touch warm colored. You match them with appropriate speakers and DACs and voila, you have magic.

I'm following up a comment that I made 10 months ago. I use Pass line stage and phono preamps with an Audio Research amplifier feeding Maggie 3.6 R's. I can honestly say that the system synergy with this combination is outstanding to my ears.

Very interesting comparison, on the sound comparison (with youtube compression), I can CLEARLY hear a MAJOR difference! Audio Research sounds like having MORE REVERB, more open, and sound more like live recording, while McIntosh sound more like studio recording. McIntosh sounds more "natural" to me, but it's impossible to say unless you're in the room!

McIntosh gear is as conservative as it gets. This buys you good reliability, excellent resale value, and decent sound. But it doesn't buy you the best possible sound quality. Going all the way back to the early days, Mac stuff was designed to be, first and foremost, rugged and reliable. It was really originally designed for use in commercial applications. The tube power amps run in Class B with very low idling current. This makes the tubes last a long time, but it also generates crossover distortion. McIntosh "cures" this by using gobs and gobs of negative feedback. The output stage, with its cathode coupling provides huge amounts of local feedback around the output stage, which cancels crossover distortion. On top of this, global feedback is also used. The driver stages have to swing the full output signal voltage to make up for the fact that the output stage has virtually no voltage gain. A McIntosh tube amp clips almost like a standard solid state amp. No "soft clipping" in this design. Opinions about what sounds better are just that: opinions. I've owned lots of tube gear, including McIntosh, Marantz, Dynaco, etc., and have heard lots more. I'll take a Marantz 9 over a Mac 275 any day of the week. That just my opinion, and that said, I don't think their stuff is "terrible" by any stretch. Just a bit more show than go. And I may be in a minority here, but I think the styling is downright ugly....glitzy and overdone.

Hi Thomas, thank you for the video worth watching, I hope you will be producing video’s of this calibre in the future. I do agree with you I have owned and listened to many pre amps, but Audio Research Ref3 out performed all of them. I am sorry I sold it, and a good second hand one is hard to get, so I opted to purchase Denafrips Athena. Denafrips Athena is new with warranty and fully balanced, the sound quality is as good as the Audio Research Ref3. Maybe be when you are doing video’s like this should include something like Denafrips Athena and maybe be Rogue Audio M180, so people like us have an option to purchase either second hand highend gear or comparable new one. Thank You.

Superb equipments...MAC sweet!

Yes, Thomas do that review !

The best amplifier is the one which results in a great match with certain speaker. It is about finding system synergy.

I would love for you to review Bob Carvers relatively new gear. His crimson 350 will will give these Macs a run for its sound.. Would be amazing for you to step out of your usual zone and give these a receive.. keep up the amazing work.

Hi all - I have an AR D400 MKII solid state amp for summer listening and an AR VT100 tube amp for winter. The tubes run too hot for summer use. Thomas explained their sound qualities well. High definition with great bass. The down side is that male vocals don’t sound all there to me. A little weak in the midrange. Both amps have what Thomas called a a live sound and I like that. Great customer service from ARC.

Definitely review the mc275 and the little tube luxman too.

The reason I like one over the other is the transparency... and one is easily much better than the other. This is why I crave an Audio Research and I only enjoy the Macintosh. You can even hear the difference in the KZfaq video, it's like a veil has been lifted in front of the music. It's obvious and so impactful.

I have the ARC ls17 pre together with a Mcintosh mc302, a match made in heaven,best of both worlds.

I went from the vintage McIntosh to Threshold, Mark Levison, ASR, then my ears are like old red wine today I returned to the New MA7900. I had few years into tube amps but tired of changing tubes. Anyway, my thought is McIntosh is a overall good system that I can close my eyes and forget about it.

I agree with the “AIR” of Audio Research!!! That is why Audio Research sounds great with Magnapan!!!!! But the modern McIntosh is fabulous!!! I have the C2700 preamp & MC312 power amp!

That was very interesting. Yes I would like to hear your opinion about more expensive gear, even though I probably wouldn't afford it. BR, Joe

Definitely some differences in how these two setups presented the sound. I don’t know that I prefer one over the other which means either would work for me. The Mac system seemed that it had slightly more bass but not necessarily in a better way. The AR system seemed a little more forward in presentation with a quieter background. That whole synergy thing again. It makes me wonder how different things would sound mixing these amps and pre-amps. 🤔

Mac power-up is utterly awesome! I'd buy it just for that!

Very nice video. I too like " color" in my playback electronics, not too much but just enough. Modern Ultra High-end electronics (all those Swiss made stuff) are more like the AR sound. Clean, fast, focus, and neutral sounding. This type of presentation is very captivating. But I also find this "new sound" to be distracting from the essences of the music being played, and directs your focus on the nuances of what the electronics is capable of reproducing. A highly resolving system can be a double-edge sword. To reinforce your point, system synergy is key.

The earlier McIntosh amplifiers just sounded so overly warm I was turned off to them when I listened to the first Dalquist DQ 10 speakers being driven by my friends Macintosh Amp. I immediately purchased a pair of the Dalquist’s but I owned an SP3-1 B and a D-76 amp which sounded so wonderful that I gave up on Macintosh a long time ago. I haven’t really listened to Macintosh gear since then but I guess with so many fans of Mac’s I need to get to an audio salon to hear what they sound like now. I’m sure I would probably enjoy them immensely. Sid Smith may have been the turning point designer in the new Mac sound but I’m talking off the top of my head right now.

I’d love a review of McIntosh integrateds!

We always appreiate your reviews and opinions Thomas! I'm with you, I prefer the AR- background seems blacker, better seperation and suprisingly way more air, which I wouldn't have guessed Now you gotta get your hands on a new Brystom BR-20 and throw it in the mix! 😃