McIntosh C-22 MKV In The House

[Paolo]

I've had it for a just a few days now to audition with my Classic 62SE. The C22 is pre-pubescent and will need many more hours of playtime, but so far I think the synergy between amp and preamp is good. The C22 has about 35 hours as I type this and the now adolescent Classic 62SE around 140. I decided I wanted a full-function analog tube preamp and, having never owned a MAC piece thought I'd give this, the latest C22 a try. I like tone and balance controls and the MAC remote is quite elegant. One major plus is that I'm starting to happily spin vinyl again after close to two years of primarily listening to a music streamer.

[admin]

Very nice. Glad you like the combo. McIntosh equipment usually offers a lot of features. This is typically different than the "simplicity" approach that CJ employs but that is not necessarily a good or bad thing. Keep us informed how things are going.

[Big Dog RJ]

Nice Paolo mate!
Keep those tunes at their finest level... good combination CJ and Mac. When it gets right with the right type of speakers, it's a fine tune!

Cheers, RJ

[Paolo]

Thanks Admin and RJ.

My Classic 62se now has close to 300 hours on it. I think at this point the McIntosh preamp is fairly well broken-in.

The soundstage is full, deep and detailed to my ears but fortunately not forward. I'm working on room acoustics but so far I don't think I could call the music euphonic or terribly warm-sounding. I wouldn't say there's much "golden glow" if any. I'm still getting used to the more "modern sound" of tubes as presented by this pairing of CJ amp with the MAC tube preamp. I'm delighted to be spinning vinyl again.

Meanwhile I've got more work to do on room acoustics and speaker positioning. I'm waiting until the 62SE hits around 500 hours until further SQ evaluations.

[admin]

I see. I hope you will be able to get the sound you are looking for. Room acoustics can be a major issue, and often overlooked. I would definitely start experimenting with speaker positioning. Also, watch out for dead zones where reflecting sound waves can cancel each other out. This happens most often in the lower end of the frequency range but can happen higher up as well. I've found that using a calibration mic and software can identify such phenomena in a more objective manner. Your ears are of course the final measurement device and the only one that really matters at the end of the day, but technology can aid in assuring that you are getting a good frequency response at the listening position. And if not, that at least affirms one's suspicion and allows for intervention.

[Big Dog RJ]

With the CJ Classic 62se and Mac C22, now that's not something you see too often. Will be an interesting combination and one that should be mighty fine!

I've certainly tried this combination but always the other way round: Mac power amps with CJ preamps. Have used the MC275 , MC301 and MC452 with CJ's ACT2 series 1. Drove my Quad ESL's very nicely at the time. It was an excellent match!

Good stuff matey, enjoy those fine tunes!
RJ

[Paolo]

Hola Amigos,
And thank you RJ for weighing in.

It could be my imagination or maybe the winter blues or maybe it's simply that CJ teflon caps really do take 500 or more hours to break- in. Just when I thought the 62 SE was about there, my system started sounding "meh" at best. I decided to swap the SF Guarneri Homage for Maggie LRS+ and run the MAC C-22 into the amp section of an Accuphase integrated.

This combination of components gives me an entirely different musical presentation which I'm enjoying greatly. Call it a sort of audio vacation if you will. It is quite relaxing. Meanwhile I'm working on the acoustics of the room which is a fun project. I don't know if it's possible to optimize the room for both planar and dynamic speakers however, and suspect I'll eventually have to choose one or the other. Or, maybe not.

[admin]

The SF and LRS+ are going to give you a very different soundstage. I would imagine that the LRS+'s are going to be harder to place in terms of optimal positioning. I find planar speakers a lot more fussy in general compared to good old fashioned cones. BTW- I think the maggie LRS+ is probably the best speaker per dollar ever created. Different price category than the SF Guarneri Homage of course so not saying which one is better or worse, but certainly very different.

Of course play around with the preamp/amp combo to see which one suites your ears the best.

[Paolo]

I've decided to treat/arrange the room to optimize the Guarneri Homage. The C22 is a pleasure to use and mates nicely with both the cj Classic 62SE as well as the amp section of an Accuphase integrated. The phono stage is quite fine and I'm having a lot of fun rediscovering my vinyl collection. For those jazz buffs who aren't familiar, I highly recommend anything from Contemporary Records. Lester Koenig and later his son Johnny recorded many jazz giants and the sound quality of these LPs is uniformly superb.

[admin]

Paolo,
Do you just do the room correction by ear or do you employ any calibration tools?

[Paolo]

Dear Admin,
I have one of these: https://www.dspeaker.com/anti-mode-2-0-dual-core which is not in the system now but I may reinsert it.

I don't employ any other calibration tools/devices mostly because I'm not up to speed with that technology. . My methods are more primitive. Mirrors to find first reflection points plus careful listening with my vintage ears. I did assemble 6" thick x 2'x4' bass traps in the front corners of the room. The floors are hardwood with an 8.5 x 5.5 thick area rug in front of the speakers. It's a fairly "live" room. I'll probably invest in some professionally assembled panels.

My room will likely always remain far from ideal but I very much enjoy the process. My budget is modest. The process for me involves a lot of research and on the job training with occasional help from my wife who is gifted with wonderful hearing. I do wonder what my system would sound like if some expert were to visit with her/his bag of tricks and tweak everything.

[admin]

Interesting little device. I use active room correction/equalization in my home theater setup. It's near impossible to calibrate 8+ speakers all at once with simply "moving them around" or putting acoustic treatments here and there. However, my expectations of hometheater is very different than my 2 channel setup. The home theater needs to shake my bones when the plane flies overhead or when the building blows up in movies. But my two channel system needs to replicate the finest detail with the least amount of distortion.

I don't like to use active equalizers in my 2 channel setups as I have always found that it robs the music of detail, depth, and overall quality. I know some people do use equalizers/DSP but it's pretty rare. I also find that with two channel audio, you really can do wonders with simple speaker positioning, room acoustic treatment, and sometimes just moving the furniture around a bit. Using mirrors to find those 1st reflection points is also one of the methods I employ. With new speakers I do start off with a calibration mic and software analysis. These are completely passive measurements. I am basically ruling out major things like areas of cancellation or standing waves around the listening area. Then I will do frequency sweeps to look for any parts of the frequency range that is deficient or exaggerated. If I see any issues, I start moving speakers and putting up acoustic treatments to remedy the issues as best as possible. This usually gets me 90% of the way there.

Lasts but not least, I listen. Technology is great, but the last step is making sure it sounds right to my ears. I will make some minor adjustments as needed which at this point is typically minimal. The calibration mic and computer leave the room and I get to enjoy the fruits of my labor.

[Paolo]

Dear Admin,
Can you recommend a "calibration system for dummies?" One that even a 3-year old could use? I'm willing to learn or at least try to.
Thanks.
Paolo

[admin]

It's a little beyond "a 3 year old", but the basics are pretty easy, and it can do a lot if in the future you really want to get crazy with it.

Calibration mic: https://www.minidsp.com/products/acoust ... ent/umik-1

Calibration software: https://www.roomeqwizard.com

[Paolo]

Dear Admin,
Thanks very much. This is looking doable. . A modest investment in the proper mike and some on the job training might just take my system to another level.