Audiophilepure

In a world where over-priced complexity all-too-often seems to be the norm, McIntosh’s MC830 monoblock amplifiers offer a warm and welcome vacation from a seemingly incessant over-complication of our lives. Feed these amps power through decent A/C cords, attach good speaker cables, turn them on, and—voila—you’ll hear soul moving sound!

If you’re looking for a pair of solid-state monoblock amplifiers priced beneath the $10K retail mark, I would strongly recommend auditioning a pair of McIntosh’s MC830 amplifiers.

The Armageddon is a more neutrally tuned amplifier when referring to warmth and lushness, but it does have a full bodied presentation from top to bottom. You get a weighty sound over the whole frequency range, no matter what headphone you connect to it. It however is perfectly controlled weight, and there never is too much (or too little). For me, SAEQ got it just right body wise on the Armageddon, but for some it might come over as too full sounding.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/musical-fidelity-a1-integrated-amplifier

In this month’s Gramophone Dream (p.21), I describe my experiences with First Watt’s new SIT-4, which uses new, industrial-grade “SIT” output transistors. I couldn’t stop myself from checking out the flavor achieved by pairing Tim de Paravicini’s line and phono stage to Nelson Pass’s latest no-feedback, low-power (10W into 8 ohms) amplifier.

The SIT-4 costs $5000, and I was relishing its effect on my LS3/5as fed by HoloAudio’s $3098 Serene KTE preamplifier. I was curious whether the A1’s Pre Out would be as uncolored and transparent as the Serene’s, which I regard as state-of-the-art invisible. And by golly it almost was. It was at least 90% as transparent as the Serene.

This arrangement also let me compare the A1’s power-amp section to the SIT-4. Powered by the A1-pre/SIT-4 combo, the Falcons presented bolder, cleaner, more liquid, tactile, and exciting than they did powered by the A1 integrated—its preamp stage and output stage. This suggests that the A1’s signature boldness and tactility are spawned largely in the preamp section, which appears to be a world-class component in its own right.

https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/equipment-menu/1247-electrocompaniet-aw-300-m-mono-power-amplifier

I enjoyed my time listening to the Electrocompaniet AW 300 M monoblocks. I was also very impressed with their internal layout, the attention to detail, the relatively compact dimensions, and their luxurious appearance. They have fulfilled the promise I first saw in the ECI 6 DX Mk II. When they go back to their rightful owner, I’m going to miss them.

At this price point, I can recommend these monoblocks if your speakers are inefficient or present a difficult load, you like to listen at realistic volume levels, you appreciate truly deep bass, and if, like me, you enjoy a forward presentation. But a purchase of this nature mandates extended auditioning in your own home, or at a dealer who can set up partnering equipment similar to your own.

In a world where over-priced complexity all-too-often seems to be the norm, McIntosh’s MC830 monoblock amplifiers offer a warm and welcome vacation from a seemingly incessant over-complication of our lives. Feed these amps power through decent A/C cords, attach good speaker cables, turn them on, and—voila—you’ll hear soul moving sound!

If you’re looking for a pair of solid-state monoblock amplifiers priced beneath the $10K retail mark, I would strongly recommend auditioning a pair of McIntosh’s MC830 amplifiers.