The truth came out after we really cranked it up! Mc451
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ต.ค. 2024
- How does the McIntosh Mc451 sound? 🔊 Listening to the amplifier was an eye-opening experience for our whole team - honesty, transparency and communication are key!
More on the MC451:
audio-excellen...
Music we mentioned,
Ceci: "Mining for Gold" - Cowboy Junkies
"Volver Volver" - Buika
"Lean On Me" - Keb' Mo'
Lewis: Stylistics
"On My Own" - Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonald -
Adrian: "Oh my Sweet Carolina"- Ryan Adams
" Smile" - Charlie Chaplin
Sonus Faber Amati G5 Review: • WORLD PREMIER REVIEW: ...
Sonus Faber Serafino G2 Review: • How Good can they be? ...
If you are interested in our playlists, here is how to get them:
Donate to your charity of choice and email the receipt to info@audioexcellence.ca, Adrian's playlist is $10 . Lewis's is still in the works!
Pre-owned Section:
www.audioexcel...
Social Media:
linktr.ee/audi...
We match and donate all the funds we receive from TH-cam for the videos, so please support us by watching, subscribing and liking them. Thank you very much for your support. Here is the link to our fundraising efforts to date: • How much we've raised ...
As always, we would love to hear from you, so please if you have any questions about hifi/audiophile or anything audio related, leave your comments and feedback below. If you have suggestions for future topics, please let us know.
Audio Excellence Inc. is a high end audio/video store in Markham, Ontario, Canada, a suburb of Toronto. We've been in business since 1991.
Check out our interviews with designers and audio luminaries like Daryl Wilson of Wilson Audio, Paul McGowan of PS Audio, Paolo Tezzon of Sonus faber, Wendell Diller of Magnepan, John Atkinson of Stereophile, Dan D'Agostino of D'Agostino Master Audio Systems, Nelson Pass of Pass Labs and others.
Contacts:
Adrian@audioexcellence.ca
Info@audioexcellence.ca
Audioexcellenceca@gmail.com
Lewis@audioexcellence.ca
![[UNCUT] “บอสณวัฒน์” ลากไส้!! ใครหนุนหลัง "แม่ตั๊ก ป๋าเบียร์" I คนดังนั่งเคลียร์ I 30 ก.ย. 67](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/QlD7mU2KKRk/mqdefault.jpg)
i know it is not my business but what happened to villip and does he have his own youtube channel and i like longer episodes
He gone.
Ceci's reviews are refreshing because she gets to the heart with emotion felt in the music. Being an old audiophile I find the traditional terminology old and stale. Ceci please keep the emotion in your reviews by being yourself!
Ceci is better looking than Vilip !!
One thing for sure is that audiophiles are mainly a bunch of dirty old men.
She makes best ever audiophile explanation I have ever heard , raise her salary NOW
I will! Let's see, 2 x $0 = ... Just Kidding!
The Eagles song Those Shoes came to mind...because all I could think of the first part of this video was Those Nails!
Agree! I suddenly understood on another level👍
Interesting observation that one amplifier shows a black and white rendition while the other puts it into colour. Adding tubes tends to do that and a great insight made by someone relatively new.
And it nice so audiophiles can see what a woman looks like.
I prefer the longer versions. I can snooze to them.
Ceci is the best thing that has happened on this channel in a while. Her fashion sense and music taste is absolutely incredible 😍🙃🤩
Regards
J.
Thumbs up on the editing. Much more powerful. I was hoping to hear a comparison with the MC-901.
Cici is incredible ! Wonderful addition to the Audio Excellence team!
Adrian, brilliant move bringing Ceci into the fold. She comes to us with such honesty and wonder. As many have said, she reminds us of why we started our own audio journeys, but many of us (self included) can get so lost in the pursuit (of gear) that we forget why we are on the journey to begin with. I keep thinking "from the mouths of babes" when she speaks about what a system can do to your soul (honesty in it's purist, not an age reference). I hope she will stay. You guys are all great, but she is that rare missing piece that refreshes this whole hobby. Thank you guys for all you do.
Thanks, she and Tristan are indeed special. Unfortunately they are both here just for the coop season, and will be leaving in April
@@adrianlow2114 Bummer, maybe she can be lured back, but I understand. Ok maybe Tristan too.
I prefer limited editing. Ceci is an excellent edition, btw. Genuine, respectful, expressive, and eager to learn.
I prefer the longer unedited ones, it's a lot more natural and we get great insights into their personalities. Keep up the good work Ceci, you're doing very well!!
I like the long winded versions better!
lol
Welcome, Ceci. Because you are young, you are going to be able to hear much more high-frequencies than the guys.
Ceci is such a pleasure to listen to!!! A great addition to the crew!!!
Cici is a wonderful edition to the crew. Nice to have a new opinion and outlook.
Cici is Great!!! Im similar in knowledge with regards to HiFi... I appreciate her input Very Much... Thank you.....
PS. Adrians a Awesome Dancer!!!
lol
Thank you Adrian for all the great content! This was a very fun episode!
Thanks!
I appreciate how fun your reviews are. And Cici is indeed a huge addition.
Speaking of the Ice Age, I saw the Grateful Dead's "Wall of Sound". Giant stacks of McIntosh amps, blue VU and all. Every time I see a McIntosh amp, I remember (at least some of) that.
Regarding the Mc451 video: You asked anyone to comment on whether one would prefer the short or longer version of your discussion. Personally, I would prefer the longer version.I enjoy civil conversations among gentlemen and lady. While I have listened to many reviews, and even though your reviews are not technically weighted, I really get the picture from ya'll. With other revewers I feel that I really don't conceptualize the myriad of words used. But, I really get the picture, eventhough it is not technical, I get a strong, honest, impression of the equipment reviewed in your reviews. I walked away from this discussion, with a good understanding of how that Mc451 must really be. I have a decent McIntosh system myself and, eventhough, I cannot afford that beast. It will certainly be on my wish list.
Thanks Julia. According to the TH-cam metrics, the vast majority of viewers stop watching after 7 mins, so we are trying to be more succinct
Ceci really captures my attention, way to go girl!
You are very lucky to be able to be at Audio Excellence Cici. I have spent quite a few years perfecting my system. After each change, I am always astonished at how things can still improve. If you have not had the luxury of hearing many high-end systems, it's a very gradual learning curve. You are on a very quick trajectory and are soaking it all up very well.
Great review. Personally, I prefer the unedited version as I think the review flows better and it shows what each reviewer is emphasing their thought process for their point of view. In my opinion, the edited version requires the audience to focus more to keep up with the review and hence requires much more mental effort to take in what each of you are trying to say.
Apparently that's what we are trying to achieve! lol. To keep your attention
I am not a fan of these heavily chopped up videos. Found it too convoluted and hard to follow. I prefer to have the longer videos with all rambling and tangents. Like many others here I am glad to see Cece as a part of the team. Her perspective as a young woman new to the hobby is invaluable, a welcomed shot in the arm to a pastime mostly comprised of us old farts.
Before my current setup, I bi-amped with two pairs of B&K Sonata monoblocks (remember those?); it was suggested to me by the dealer. I was further persuaded of bi-amping's benefit when one of the pairs went out for repair. With a conventional monoblock setup, the sound was thinner; the bass was reduced noticeably. With my current amps (MC501s) I used two pairs of speaker cables on different taps, then later on the same tap; then a few years later got bi-wire speaker cable. Was hoping to duplicate what I had before. Don't know if I truly did, but no complaints.
I am a big fan of all of the 3 of you! How cool that Ceci joined the group! You all approach the reviews with the right attitude in mind. Will like your channel even more now. Please don't cut things in too short... those videos are made to enjoy and chill out... no hurry here. Thanks a lot!
Cicis comparing the difference with going from black and white to color is very interesting. I have had similar experience when listning (without any drugs mind you).
Why not
Since Adrian mentioned that he wished the Mc451s had more power, it made me wonder how they compare to the McIntosh Mc901 when played through the new Sonus Faber Amati G5.
In a way, that might answer the question on how to get the best possible sound from the Amatis and also when the step up from 451 to 901 may be worthwhile.
Also, I always like to hear not only how emotionally involving a system is, which is a top priority, but how well it images, especially in height. Love your videos!
I'd like know as well how they compare.
Ceci, its very refreshing to hear her perspective. Someone with a newer and fresher insight on audio gear. Her speed cadence is very good. Not too fast, and she just brings a simple and first impression insight without all the head knowledge. Love it. Guys you are also very good as well. Glad you shortened the video.
A lot sexism in the comments... I NEVER read before that Vilip was Beautiful and had a Lovely Soul
Not sexism. I think it is more accurate to say that 90% of audiophiles are dirty old men.
@@Mark-rw3kw You MAY be Right... 😆😆 However , it is possible NO One thought Vilip was Beautiful and had a Lovely Soul
Unedited are always best…
I wish you wouldn’t edit the videos to make them shorter. Let these people babble on as long as they want. I really like your newest reviewer.
She is very eloquent, she draws you in with her dialogue. I strongly feel she will bring you a new generation of audiophiles. She is an amazing addition to the team.
Ceci has a bright future in what ever direction she pursues. I love her emotional connection to the music when paired with these great systems.
Thank you to the crew as always..
Adrian, why does McIntosh put their speaker connectors so close to the heatsinks? Also, your content has improved in Spades with Life and Energy and Ceci is a great addition to her Audio Journey.
The connectors are actually quite a manageable distance from the heatsinks. I've never had any issues connecting cables.
Good job Cici. I can tell your song choices is highly influenced by Adrian. Not a bad thing. But interested to see your song choices. Well done team.
One thing I'm missing. How do you set up the crossover on the amp in relation with the speaker crossover? By ear and trial and error? Double crossing is happening here, surely there is the potential to mess this up and have some of the lower treble or some of the upper bass around the speaker crossover cutoff frequencies go altogether amiss. Confused..
A good start is to use the crossover point that the speaker manufacturer indicates. You can set this frequency on the amps
@@adrianlow2114 Many manufacturers do not specify the exact crossover points. In addition all crossovers are not the same, they use wildly varying slopes. I'm still puzzled. The only way I see is play it safe and make sure there is significant overlap. I still find the idea of the built in crossover somewhat lacking unless one has modified the speakers to be crossover-less thus emulating an active system. But in that case much more knowledge is required with regards to cabinet and driver behaviour to select the correct crossover point and what about the slope? I would probably choose to run the amps full range as in a traditional passive bi-amped system or run the tube amp low enough to make sure its well below the speaker crossover freq. With >2-way speakers the issue becomes even more complex.
@@razisn I agree that it is not as simple. That's why bi-amping is more challenging than just connecting 2 amps. So far I've tried the Mc451 with the Sonus faber Amati G5 and B&W 802 D4, and absolutely amazing results. Don't know about other speakers.
@@adrianlow2114 It's still not clear to me when using the 451 whether bi-amp connections at the speaker are required, or whether the 451 crossover can work just using one speaker connection that is not bi-amped at the speaker (or the two bi-amped connections on the speaker are bridged) and the 451 crossover would handle the splitting of the frequencies? audiophiles
Lastly, I think there needs to be a clear statement upfront in a listening review as to what other equipment is being used, especially for the speaker (if the speaker itself is not being reviewed). But even in a speaker review, we need to know which pre-amp and amp are being used, because there is such a big difference between sold-state and tube (or hybrid).
@@Mark-rw3kw The way I see it you have to use the bi-amp facility of your speaker. You cannot sum the outputs of the two amps to one set of speaker posts as this will result in electrical problems to the amps due to feedback. So the only question is, do you ran the two amps full range and rely only on the speaker crossover or do you combine the crossovers in some way and hope for the best?
This girl had the Best explanation I have heard from anyone on this Channel or any other audio review channel. Feeling, emotion, happiness and sadness isn’t that exactly what music is all about. Thank you CC for absolutely beautiful comment.
How long the amp tubes usually last and how much do they cost to replace?
Should they last significantly longer in this amp, where they are not handling bass in comparison to the full range tube amps?
Do the tubes progressively wear out degradating the sound quality over time or they always work at their best until they fail?
Ceci is Adrian’s secret weapon for sales ,…,…On the serious side I think Ceci is well spoken and can put a sentence together far better then I could if I were to speak on TH-cam channel ,….
So wounderfully described being connected with the music by Ceci. I hope she will a natural part of reviews for a long, long time. All the best to you all.
We can tell Ceci is getting more comfortable in front of the camera. Add oil.
I slipped a Marchand XM44 into my system yesterday----Class D driving the mids/lows, and the 75 monoblocks driving the highs. Works a charm. I am gunna drag the laptop upstairs and run REW so I can do some final tweaks. What I found similar to you ---the dynamic range is vastly more noticeable.
McIntosh has a responsibility to give the people with more money the brains the equipment the can afford.
Cissi is absolutely beautiful 🤗she has young ears which means far better than Adrian and Lewis 😆 she also has the sensitivity of a women and is very well spoken too 😊 I just hope that all this qualities will be appreciated and reflected in her paycheque every month 😉
One more quality, she has no audiophile-biases yet 👍
Adrian, you are a lucky man !
Yes I am
Ceci's expressions on the sound are awesome!
Great review, I do prefer the unedited versions though. Have a great day!
I’ve been out of the game for a while (health issues) and just stopped in. What happened to Vilip? I hope he’s doing ok. I really, really enjoyed his commentary and insight.
Vilip was Beautiful and had a Lovely Soul
You guys should do a line-up comparison with those 2 mentioned amps against the ma9000, ma9500 and ma12000, and also compare the new cd players with the newer models.
Thanks! This is a review that makes me want to hear the difference for myself...
WOW - Cheers to Ceci
INCREDIBLE! Watching/listening to her explain and share her FEELINGS about the experience is very comforting. It’s like “I’ve been there… like that myself”. Clearly she is getting it. It being the recognition and experience of what great HiFi is all about.
Bring the other guy back.
She did great 🙂👌!
I appreciate Ceci's impassioned approach to describing the audiophile experience. It's easy to write off younger people as uncaring about the quality of sound, but she has proven that notion to be questionable. She strikes me as being a true music lover and a real aficionado of sound. Thanks for adding her to the team.
You're welcome
Longer Bigger Harder Better!🤣
Thinking about purchasing the MC451 to pair with my B&W 801D4s. Will I be disappointed with lower power rating of the 451?
Hi Adrian, is there a different in sound quality between Mc901 and Mc451 at a reasonable listening level. Can you tell the different . If money is not an objective. Should I buy the Mc901 .
Awesome review. I got the upgrade bug.
It happened when my Paradign sub1 blew the amp. I have Paradigm S8s. Anthem P5 and A2 in a 7.1 system with a D2v as the processor. I always wanted to got back to B&W but I listened ro 800 D3 and did not love them. Then.... Heard the Sonus Faber Il creamonese Ex3me. Wow! I've bought a demo pair with the Voxx for the center channel. I listened to them for 10-15 hrs with a Moon 2 channel setup. Monoblocks m400 with Moon. Preamp.
Question what amp is needed to bring the speakers to the full potential? Can an AV processor serve well as 2 channel and theater? I've ordered Marantz AV10 we'll see how that sounds. I also loved the review on the MC901. That would be perfect but not now.
How much live music do you listen to ?
More beautiful gear!!!
Please tell: Why your review, a month ago, says: $28,000? Very high inflation! Do you think that you're in California?
Tristan - On the editing: loved the concept.
It seemed to come across as a judgement call on “how important or not was what the presenter had to say” to the editor. For example, i felt i missed out on Jerry’s description of the Stylistics.
You kept the focus tight and quick…er. Doing so, though, made it almost become a “just the facts, jack” experience instead of “old friends having a conversation.”
However, I’m 58 yrs old and prefer the latter.
That said, its a great editing idea pretty well executed. I’d like to see it used more, though , id like to savor the “the old friends having a conversation” just a tad bit more.
Thanks for your and your mentor for acting on your courage to try something new. Job well done, id say.
I agree, refreshing and great move. The editing is a bit unnatural, imo, since I've always enjoyed the relaxed and laidback tempo all set by Maestro Adrian. Thank you for everything...Francis
Ceci is wonderful young lady and seems like Adrian again knows how to attract new people to the channel,however…. Perhaps we could get another view from more experience person?
Huge respect to Adrian for bringing new listener and perspective .
Thank you very much
No new videos for a while with Dan Agostino products. Mostly MAC. Why would you spend so much on inventory on the Audio Note equipment. Curious, since Filip is gone. Do you pay sales staff salary as Upscale audio, or do you do percentage of their sales, etc.? Would seem better staff support and benefits rather than limited popular systems in inventory such as the Audio Note. The edited video today is a great idea from the college staff. Though, not the color bar breaks.
Thank you. Can you comment back on this amplifiers ability to bi amp Magnepan speakers such as 3.7. Have you tried this? These are expensive but as a Maggie owner to have tubes and solid state in one package might be magic.
I like the longer more descriptive and personal so I wouldn’t cut it I would just make it 20-30 minutes not 45 though
Very nice review. I like Ceci's comments and how she presents them. I do NOT like the editing. I jumped internally every time the audio or video jumped. It left me fealing very much not at ease. It was not a comfortable experience compared to the unedited videos. Thank you!
Bi-amping bypasses the crossovers in the speakers, not the amp(s).
Thanks for all you all do; production & audio is better as well!!
Not this passive kind of bi-amping. This does not bypass the speaker crossovers..
Just renders the woofer low pass filter in the speaker useless? I would build a bi-ampable speaker without a low pass crossover.
Where is Fillip?
I agree with many comments. And I did not read much comments on the video making. The cut and paste ended up in a very choppy video. Sorry... I will still watch your channel.
One thing that strikes me about the 951 is that it is sort of like using a speaker with a tube amp, but adding a solid-state powered sub-woofer, except in the case of the 951 one can crossover the bass at a higher frequency that is typically done with a sub-woofer. If one had two sub-woofers placed in reasonably close relation to the regular speakers (for proper imaging), a sub-woofer with a higher than normal crossover might be similar to the results as using the 951.
Stylistics! Wow Lewis... 👌
“Betcha by golly wow” is one of their most famous
Too much cutting. Waxing poetic is just what you guys do in your reviews.
Roon always makes the sound better. If I was gonna do this hobby all over again. I would write more things down. I would like to hear about some of the old school reggae groups.
Roon is holding back your sound quality, sounds much worse than standalone apps like the Innuos Sense or Aurender conductor
Love the addition of Ceci to the panel and, her description of feeling and emotion listening to music. Not a fan of the choppy edited new format.
Making the vids a bit tighter/ more concise isn't a bad thing per se but these edits are a bit too frequent and too sharp.
Ceci is as beautiful as ever
Wait!
Please say, WhatshisASS' is GONE!!!!!
Very humane approach. She was definitely needed here😂
I like listening to you guys hang out and talk. I don’t mind the non-edited style at all.
I got the Mc462 with the C49 in 2022 after listening to a JVC receiver for almost 40 years😩
I’ll bet this amp is unbelievable. Thanks for reviewing. Since you asked, the editing was very distracting with this video. Was sometimes very hard to follow your train of thought. Hopefully, the editing can improve going forward. Still loved the info and discussion.
Thanks will keep trying
Great review as usual. I completely understand the new product. However, the review left me scratching my head. Why does Adrian get up at 2:30AM? What time does Adrian go to bed?
I don't sleep much, unfortunately, but I get to enjoy more as I have more hours in the day
Great review, I would love to hear this set up in person!
Iam glad to see a Woman's point of view!
Ceci is becoming a star Adrian. Wonderful articulation really brilliantly describe review from her. She will soon be giving you a run for your money my friend.👍😁🎧
I'm nowhere near able to keep up!
@@adrianlow2114 lol
Adrian, she gets it and she is a nice edition to the videos. We need more women and younger ones, heck we need more younger people period in our hobby to keep it going. The videos are getting better with B-roll and cut scenes. Keep it going here, your are becoming a successful TH-camr as well as a successful businessman!!!
Thanks Sid
The price Adrian quotes at the beginning, $28k, is for a *pair* of Mc451, no?
yes for a pair
Getting pretty philosophical.
Where's Vilip? He's missed.
Ceci is amazing ..exactly what we need to hear, she has a wonderful skill explaining what she feels...
I noticed the new gen has great skill with this concept.
She did a very nice job
Too many edits
Thank you very much for this video! Can you please explain briefly how the Crossover works? Is the crossover analogue or digital? I hope that the crossover is not done by a DSP like the Klipsch Jubilee (analogue to digital -> DSP -> digital to analogue)? Kind regards Thomas
Crossover is analog
@@adrianlow2114 Thank you! 🙏🏻
Bring back Pete Best!
🙏🙏🙏🙏 The thing audiophiles like to listen to most of all?.... Is hear themselves talk. .. Proof at every audio show and demo. 😊😊😇😇🙈🙈🤣🤣 Sooo much talking.
Haha. Im kidding.. I love all you there. Thanks for giving our community something to enjoy and potentially learn from. Editing isnt an easy task..I definitely avoid having to do it.. haha. Thanks for your work !!
🙏🙏🌹🌹🇮🇹🇮🇹
What an out of the park video, folks!! Really well done! How does an amp like this work with speaker that can't be bi-amped, like Wilson's?
It would be a waste as you'd be buying 4 channels of amplification. Better to buy a dedicated tube amp or solid state amp
@@adrianlow2114 Thanks, Adrian. That is what I was expecting, but I was hoping for a different anwer.
@@pswitzeny You can still buy the Mc451 ... just use either the solid state or transistor portion one at a time! lol
Actually you'd be better off buying either the Mc611 monoblocks or the Mc1502 tube amp.
Call/email me. I may have something that you might be interested in as well.
@@adrianlow2114 I'm out of the country until March but I've been meaning to pop in for a while to talk ;)
@@pswitzeny no problem, have a safe trip
Lets get serious....this is a silly hobby
No it's not. If it was it would have been dead along time ago.
As many unimportant things in life are, i agree. But, what would life be without Reese’s peanut butter cup cakes? 😊
It it were just a hobby, it would be silly. But at least some of us are just trying to recreate a realistic musical experience in our homes. One in while we are lucky enough to be able to hear great musicians live in concert, but not all that often, so home audio is the next best thing if one can do it well.
Shame, shame, shame on you Adrian! How could a gentleman like yourself allow this lovely, vibrant young woman to be videotaped while wearing her tie inside out?? I can't fault Lewis as he has likely never worn one in his life, but I'm confident that you have. At 0:31 that stitched seam jumped out of my monitor and punched me in the face!
*disclaimer* I'm old enough to be her grandfather, so if this is some new fashion trend; please advise?
That's the thing about fashion ... she intended to wear the tie as you saw. Lewis wore a suit and tie for all his previous career life as a banker. I wear a suit and tie ONLY when I have to. After all, someone has to be the uncouth troglodyte
@@adrianlow2114 Humor doesn't translate very well through sterile words, and it's satisfying that you took the comment in the proper context. I actually *did* do a Google search for "wearing a tie inside out" and there were absolutely no results. Perhaps she is the pioneer for a new asymmetrical fashion trend? Regarding the uncouth troglodyte, you *finally* got rid of that unkempt narcissist last year. Surely business at AEC has improved since then!?!?
@@digggerrjones7345 lol, I wasn't referencing Vilip. My British upbringing means I enjoy self deprecating humour.