2. amps-preamps
  3. 1032826306

What McIntosh Amp With Thiel 3.6 Speakers?

My current main system has a Mac MC-150 Amplifier and Thiel 3.5 speakers. While I enjoy the sound of my system; I've wanted to upgrade to the larger Thiel 3.6s for some time. Not only are the 3.6s a newer model; but from listening several times, I've concluded they have deeper bass and a somewhat more balanced sound. Now that I have the means to make this upgrade, I'm having some doubts if my MC-150 can properly drive the 3.6s. I would appreciate some feedback regarding a suitable Mac Amp to pair with the 3.6s. I should also mention that I mostly play classical and pop music at low to moderate levels; and my listening room is approx. 20 feet wide and 17 feet deep.
avideo
jdevine
58 posts
 
I am very familiar with the Thiel / Mcintosh combination when I first bought my cs6 I was using a mc300 they produced a reasonably good synergy or so I thought until I bought a mc500 "what a difference" and then I upgraded my cables originaly I was using Nordost red dawn's I upgraded to spm's and the whole thing came together you know soundstage , balance from top to bottom and now I am sporting Valhalla's and I can say I could not be happier Good luck
markxiii
109 posts
 
I would highly recommend the MC-352. The 3.6's are not easy to drive and the 350 watts that MC-352 provides is just what you need. I had a chance to hear the 3.6's with Mark Levison No 335 and found the combination too cold and edgy. When plugged the MAC, the sound was transformed: smooth, musical, liquid and very dynamic. The Thiels tend to be a little bright in the upper mids and the Mac's smooth, rich almost tube-like midrange tonality really helped to tame things down. Great synergy. The same can be said about the MC352 and B&W Nautilus series, particularly 802 and 801 that also tend to emphasize the upper mids/lower treble and really require a serious amount of quality watts to sound their best.
mitcheft
9 posts
 
I have a McIntosh MC300 connected to my Thiel 3.6's using Cardas Golden Cross cabling. I really like it. Some friends tend to think that my system is a bit bright but I don't think so. I am sitting a bit close to the speakers so this probably has something to do with it. I think people either love Thiels or hate them.....I love them. I will say this about the McIntosh/Thiel combo, the mids are just a bit thin. I borrowed my bother in-law's Classe 300 and the mids filled out somewhat. I had his amp in my system for about two weeks and then went back to my Mac. There was a definite difference, but I can't say that I preferred the Classe. I sat back and listened with my Mac back in my system and it was like returning to a very comfortable easy chair. I thought about changing amps but to this day I still have my Mac. It's always hard to give up that comfy easy chair.
More to discover