It's Finally Here! The Amazing McIntosh MQ112 - A Very Deep Dive
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ก.ค. 2024
- We've waited decades for this product. I's finally here and meets every expectation.
We take a deep dive on the MQ112 including:
Interview with Ken Zelin from McIntosh
A look inside covering the design and construction
Passing a signal through live to see its effects
Reviewing different ways to connect the MQ112 to your system
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00:00 Intro
01:18 How to Purchase
02:06 Features
05:36 Who is it for
09:14 Connections on Back
13:16 How to Connect it
15:11 Signal Tests
18:42 Interview with Ken Zelin
49:10 A Look Inside
51:25 Final Thoughts
WHO WE ARE
SkyFi Audio is a small startup business specializing in the purchase, reconditioning, and reselling of select high end audio equipment. We only buy equipment that we admire and are passionate about. No mid-fi, no gimmicks, and no junk.
Each piece of equipment is cosmetically restored and fully tested in our well-equipped lab by an engineer with 30+ years of experience in the HiFi world. If it does not meet or exceed the original manufactures specifications, it will not be sold. We are very selective about the equipment we purchase, focusing on mostly analog, high-build quality, American, and European built units.
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Great overview and thanks for taking my call today. I'll be in the shop after the holidays.
Great video - this channel provides an outstanding balance between overly technical and too simple. The moderator actually explains the equipment and its functionality. If I did not have an MA 12000 integrated amplifier with an 8-button equalizer, I would consider this product.
Great to hear! Sounds like you have the best of both worlds, tube preamp stage, built in EQ and plenty of solid state power to drive anything (and a DAC). The MA12000 is a stellar value.
Great deep dive on this product Fernando. Thanks for taking the time to do that interview and open this puppy up. Keep up the great work.
My pleasure! Will keep on it.
I was one of the people that Stereo Shops came out to my house with Gordon Gow in the mid-70s. They voiced my room and build a custom equalizer for my ML-1s. I still have the ML-1s. They've been restored and still sound great with a Denon amp.
I have the McIntosh MA12000 integrated amplifier and the on board equalizer works wonders fine tuning the dynamics of recordings that fall short. I have the MEN220 on order and hopefully it'll correct issues in having with a corner and window condition and an opening into a larger adjacent room.
Looks interesting but after looking at owners manual it won't work with my system. 2 MC 601 mono blocks and c1100 preamp. Only one set of balanced inputs on the MQ 112.
Greetings, the new 8-band MQ-112 model does exactly the same job as the equalizer that comes on the front of the MA-9500 Integrated Amplifier? Or does this new MQ-112 model make more of a difference? What I mean is that if I have a Mcintosh amp that has the tone knobs on the front panel, and I decide to buy the MQ-112 I can get better performance with the MQ-112 than with the tone knobs. Thank you.
Another great video Fernando. The interview was great 27:30 glad to hear my old C-31V has me coved. You’re really getting me psyched up for the hi-fi season ahead, with winter on the way.
With that, I do need to reach out to you for service advice, (thinking email)? Looks like I need a re-foam on the midrange drivers, XRT-18’s. Here’s my take on local guy thing. When I called them, they said they had a guy. Really filled me with confidence. (And they blew me off when I called about picking up a MB20, last year). You’ve earned my business. Through the content you’ve provided, I’ve seen the care that you put into your work. As far as I’m concerned, you are the guy. I really don’t want anybody else to touch it.
Hey Jimmy, give us a call, we will try and help out.
I just spoke to an an Audio Accoustian..an audio industry guy.
He told me that this product from McIntosh
looks well made abd easy to use but that limited band EQ's will do little to tame leading causes of room problems...that proper bass trapping is the most effective and cost effective way.
Yesss finally a review of this. I've been super interested. Thanks SkyFi! Soon I'll be able to retire my Schiit Audio EQ to a different setup. Sorry Schiit, don't blame me :P
Hi Bob, thanks for the interest and for taking the time to comment. It's a killer product and well worth the price of entry. Cheers.
this McIntosh unit is sexy, for sure.
I really enjoyed the interview, history, and usage tips.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Loved this video ....very good explanation on how this eq and other eq's work. I found the interview with the gentleman from McIntosh very interesting but had to chuckle at his vintage audio system in the background. It wasn't a McIntosh, but what looks to be a vintage Garrard or Lenco turntable on top of a Harman Kardon 330 or 630 receiver!
Ken is quite a hoot and has endless amazing stories about the hifi past. Funny you noticed his system in the back, he's quite proud out it and I'm sure it sounds great. I bet there is some McIntosh somewhere else in the house.
I have a NAB equalized reel to reel player and I have CCIR equalizes reels, could I use something like this or other equalizers to achieve CCIR equalization?
I guess you could use to get get close to a CCIR curve but I imagine there are specialized products that will get you there more easily and accurately.
ok so does it impact the sound in any way when bypassed of when controls are set flat - soundstage - transparency ??
When the controls are set to flat there is not impact in the sound, however, if you want to remove it entirely from the signal, you se it to bypass.
Is the circuitry better in this as a standalone vs the other Mc products that offer an EQ?
Can this be used to create a curve of your existing room acoustics? Men 220 doesn't provide any graphing of your current listening environment it's sort of does whatever it wants to. It would be nice if there was a product I could easily provide a room curve of your existing sound environment but all the interfaces out there seem to be fairly poor toward doing this. Unless you can think of something that's really good to do, it might make using this equalizer a little bit easier if it's a standalone separate independent animal
No it's not capable of any of that. This is an old school EQ with 8 knobs. Your turn the knob your hear the difference. Cheers.
Thanks for posting this thoughtful video.
I am thinking about stepping up to a McIntosh MA9500 Integrated Amplifier.
It features an 8-band
EQ/Tone Control built-in module. I like that feature. Does anybody have an idea about how this built-in MA9500 tone control module, compares with the McIntosh dedicated EQ that was reviewed here?
Thanks,
David-
Great video. Yes we need to User EQ to make sound adjustment especially for Records from the 70s and 80s. Its why used preamp Mac C53. Thanks for making this video. 🤙🏽🤟🏽
Thanks for sharing! For those of you that are not familiar the C53 solid state preamp has the same 8 band EQ built into it.
Nice video. I just ordered the MQ112 today. One way I use my EQs is make corrections for my hearing damage. I have my hearing curve from the Audiologist and I make adjustments at 3Khz to compensate for my hearing loss.
That will make your hearing damage worse. Bad idea...
It won't Hurt your hearing unless you play it loud. But thanks for the advice Dad. @@user-bd6eo9wk9j
It won't hurt your hearing unless you play it loud. But thanks for the advice Dad.
I was recently gonna but the Schitt Max until I just saw this. I have the Audio Research Ref 750s. Mono amps along with the Ref 6SE pre Could I hook this up with them. I’m in Maywood NJ and id like to come in and see it and buy it.
Sure thing, give us a ring to make an appointment, we are in Glen Rock NJ, not far. REF 750s deserve a piece of this quality level and superb specs.
this seems like a fun and easy way to make your stereo sound great. I want one of these.
It is!, Thanks for watching Michael.
EQ's can be fun!
Looking at the technical specifications, I find a quite high output impedance of 1000 ohms (balanced). What do you expect regarding 7m balanced cables to connect the MQ112 to my monoblocks (Mark Levinson No.436) with 100 kohms input impedance? Might the sound be degraded under these conditions? Will the MQ112 drive such a long cable? Thanks for the informative video and best regards from Germany!
Watch the part with Ken Zelin, he talks about this pieces crazy ability to swing up to 10V output to make sure every combination is covered.
@@SkyFiAudioThanks for the reply. The unit is not yet available in Germany but will arrive here in mid-December, I assume. Can‘t wait to test it in my environment…
Will you be reviewing the new McIntosh ML1 speaker
Funny that he assumes most of these will be sold to Macintosh owners, but I predict lots of non-Mac audio lovers will be buying this EQ as possibly their first piece of Mac gear, possibly like myself. I already have an EQ that I like very much, but I really want this one!
Thanks for pointing out. Most of our clients are ardent McIntosh fans so I forget there are other system out there :-) As long as you have a separates, and integrated with pre-out or a tape loop you can use this unit.
You are absolutely correct, I have had numerous McIntosh amps and preamps and have concluded that they are way overpriced for what they offer and like Harley Davidson or MAC computers it is pretty much a cult following. I have gotten much better performance for cheaper, I feel ripped off when I look inside there units and I see a lot of real estate still available meanwhile my current components are occupied with point to point wiring. That being said I have tried a few EQ's including the Schiit Loki Max (which was totally transparent and full bodied) but the way the frequencies are implemented did not work for me. I did order and own this McIntosh EQ as the way it is implemented works better for me in my system. I will say it is NOT as transparent as the Schiit Loki Max and quite honestly I feel the TILT feature is wasted as a properly implemented LOUDNESS feature would have been of better use, also a tape monitor loop would have been of use for those that have to use there loop if it were available on there preamp. In the end I am satisfied with this unit but like the rest of there other components I have owned I also feel this product is overpriced for what it offers (especially when you see the inards). The ONE GOOD THING about this brand is that it always has GREAT RESALE VALUE!
My 4 channel JVC Nivico Victor EQ is a little older. But this a nice McIntosh EQ indeed!
I have no problem with eq, I’ve been looking for an option that will work well with my MAC-6700
The MAC6700 has the pre-in/out you need to connect the EQ. Would be a stellar match.
I just bought this from Skyfi audio on Thursday 11/ 16/23. I have to tell u that I love it. I have a very high end system also with B&W Matrix 800 speakers. Audio Research Ref 750s mono amps. Audio Research Ref 6SE pre amp. Rega Isis CDP. My room is definitely not stereo friendly and no matter what I can or will do to it will not make any difference. This MQ112 is just what the doctor ordered. I had an appointment and met Elliott from Skyfi Audio and he was such a nice guy. He demonstrated it and answered any and all my questions I had. As soon as he started demoing it I knew this is just what I needed. Right before I heard about about the Q112 I was gonna buy and try the Schitt Loki Max. I’m so glad I didn’t. This unit is really also fits into my high end system very nicely. Much better than a mid fi unit from Schitt. Could not be happier!!! Thanks Sky Fi !!!!! 👍👍👍
Thanks for sharing your experience with the unit. I have one question you might be able to answer. Did you hear any difference after inserting the MQ112 between your pre- and poweramps with the equalization function of the MQ112 turned off compared to the direct connection of your amps without the MQ112? Thanks!
@@hans-ingo3039 Yes. There is a huge difference after hooking it up between my amps and preamp. Plus u can also hear the difference by taking the unit out of the signal path by turning a knob.
@@tattednyctrkman8119 Thanks for your answer. However, I am surprised. To my understanding, with the EQ control knob on the left side of the unit switched to "out", the MQ112 should not affect the signal and thus there should be no or only a very minor audible change in the sound as compared to the entire unit removed from the system. So if you hear a difference upon integrating the MQ112 into your system with the knob to "out", the unit must affect the signal quality. Am I right here or do we have a misunderstanding? It is quite important for me, because it appears difficult here in Germany to receive an MQ112 on loan from a dealer for testing at home before a possible purchase. Thank you very much. Regards, Ingo
Hi. I have misunderstood your question. Sorry. Yes u are right. With the unit switched to out the MQ112 does not affect the signal in any way shape or form. There is no audible difference even with the unit taken completely out of my system. I highly recommend this superb McIntosh MQ112.
@@tattednyctrkman8119 Well, these are promising news. Thank you very much. Regards, Ingo
Very nice. I’ve been using a Technics SH-GE70 for the last few years because my hearing took a turn for the worse. I’m very happy with my solution especially given it was $200. Not sure I would pay $7,000 AUD for the Mcintosh but good to know it exists. Ideally though it needs some presets and remote ability like the Schiit model has if it’s to be used to tweak recordings.
Thanks for sharing, great points. The challenge of inserting an EQ into a high end system is making sure you dont put in a bunch of noise as well. If you look at the specs on this this its it measures incredibly well. Probably the lowest noise floor in the market, hence the price.
Do you have Ken’s training on this that you can share?
I would put it in the tape loop. Between the preamp and amplifier it's never truly out of the system, which I would want when not in use.
Spoken like a purists! great point. luckily each person can choose how they want to connect it. If you have a sub you're probably gonna want it inline.
@@SkyFiAudio Hey Fernando, just picked one of these up from my local Mac dealer. Very impressed with the fact that I can't hear it (set to zero dB of course)! I use it a lot more than I anticipated. Love this piece! Thanks for your "deep dive".
Unfortunately Houston doesnt have a dealer
I tried to speak with them but they just said we don’t carry it anymore
I have to buy 2nd hand
Have you tried these guys? ICON LUXURY SOUND
4444 Westheimer Rd
C-115
Houston, TX 77027
P: (713) 670-5733
www.iconluxurysound.com
Thanks for the great, in-depth post for your customers and followers. Very informative. I own an MEN220 and, for me, it’s a must-have. This new equalizer is certainly a beautiful piece of kit, and the explanation of its utility with vintage speakers was very interesting. I’d love to see Mac do an AVS/TVS passive pre - particularly cool for folks using digital sources
Great addition to a system that already has an MEN220. Enjoy.
Would this be effective for addressing vocal sibilance??????
Not with a live source..... must be recorded music.
Correcting for speakers is better done via the room correction module. a basic manual equalizer like this is more for album song or genre correction.
Big difference between using an EQ to even up the sound of a good system or certain recordings, as opposed to trying to correct a fundamentally bad system from yesteryear. Finally, some reality to the audiophile universe, many audiophiles will be surprised at what a good EQ can do. Your mileage may vary.
I agree John. I found this EQ to be great at solving bad recordings. While I wish it had memory settings for the most common issues, I find the tilt knob to be great at doing a quick adjustment.
Bose!!! was that Speaker ..
The room is big challenge Thanks for the upload
Bose speakers required quite a bit of EQ. Thats how they got away with those unusual speaker designs.
You are correct I was but it's also the company that will sue if the flaw is pointed out in the product sold by them.
It's "Bose" no matter how much U EQ something will always be missing in their System.
👍equalizers. Everyone has different ears, rooms and needs. EQs are a great tool to get the best sound for your ears, in your room, with your equipment. What could be wrong with that?
Knob EQs are harder for our brains to perceive (and set) the curve of. Slider EQs offer a much better visual representation of the curve you are setting.
I tend to agree but I cant think of a single McIntosh product with a slider other than perhaps an old preamp for balance. It would also need to be twice as big.
@@SkyFiAudio I can tell you one thing - as a lover of the Loudness button (I know, the horror!) I definitely appreciate high quality components like this one featured here. As always, great video!
Why not use your EARS instead of your Eyes, to equalize? Neary EVERY pro EQ in a mixing studio uses knobs instead of sliders..... for a reason.
@@TheMirolab Do you close your eyes every time you touch your gear so you are using only your ears at all times? Why do knobs have visual level indicators on them if ears are the only thing that matters? It's ok to use both Eyes and Ears. Say you want to dial in scooped mids as a starting point, with a gradual leveling off in the highs before you fine tune with your ears, a fader style EQ is easier and faster to dial in.
They use knobs for EQ on studio boards due to space constraints and most of those EQs are a low-mid-high situation rather than having 10-30 freqs like some EQs have. They also need space for gain and other settings. Studio boards usually do have faders/sliders levels on each channel but with hundreds or even thousands of adjustments there is no room to make them all faders, so they use faders for the arguably most critical to manipulate with visual aid during the mix.
@@Think_UpI’m with you- love the loudness button…🍻
The H/K 330b in the back is classic.
Good eye sir.
@@SkyFiAudio the H\K 330b was part of of my first system when I was 13 in 1974, I gave it to a friend and with a small recap it still is working. Regarding EQ’s yes , sadly most don’t understand how use them.
I love McIntosh and sound but I believe and know there are as good sounding amps and preamps etcetera for half the price , McIntosh is in the Leica camera it's more about status and the jewelry around your neck in imo btw I love your TH-cam
That tilt looks like what’s in an old Quad 44?
good catch. I just looked a the Quad 44 and it appears to be the same. Wish I had one in the shop to compare.
Is it an overkill to have c1100, men220 and this?
In the interview you'll hear Ken mention that the MQ112 is a great addition to the MEN220. Totally different tasks, the MEN220 will correct for room and speaker abnormalities while the MQ112 will correct for recording deficiencies or personal preferences.
Dude, it's Hi-Fi. Everything is both overkill and never enough at the same time :)
you have an auto DSP device to get you 85% there, and an EQ to take you the last 15%.
Bring back the loudness control!
If you can't quite afford a 3000 dollar EQ , American made Schiit audio has EQs from $149 to $1499 depending on your needs. A head to head listening session with their flagship with the Loki Max would be interesting.
yeah but then it would not look like a McIntosh :-).
Looks don’t matter sound does!!
I refuse to buy a system that I can't equalize. It's a must for me.
Cool, what are you using? Do share...
@@SkyFiAudio I don't have anything extravagant. Just bits and pieces I've been putting together for basically my entire life. I've got a Harmon/Kardon avr510 driving a pair of Technics sb-lx50 and a svs pb1000 pro for my surround sound. My bedroom setup is and Aiyima a07 paired with a SAE two pa10 driving some passive Sony subwoofers and a pair of Jensen jp1200. This is wired at 2ohm and it sounds way better than I had anticipated so I'm pleased with it. Everything I have is pretty much vintage lol. I've got a schitt magni and Loki mini for my headphones. I've got Kenwood vr209 thats a backup in case something craps out.
34:40. Variable Loudness. Why on earth can they not bring this back?
In this era of technology this device would have been better with digital encoder knobs and the ability to save and recall EQ presets and do all processing using DSP instead of analog components which cause phase distortions that cannot be compensated for. Doing this digitally could use higher order filters and even different filter topologies for minimum phase etc.
What i thought "audiplophiles" hated eq
Posers!
First tone controls disappeared, then EQs became extinct, I dont get it.
1000 cycles you will hear clearly on a grand piano as well great unit
Looks like a nice piece of audio gear. But it really has to be used in my view in the DSP adjusting arena. It's a shame that McIntosh created a piece of gear that does not provide a before and after graph of the room environment. The men220 as far as I know just evaluates the sound levels throughout a room and makes changes as it sees fit and that's all they do. Why They don't provide before and after graph is beyond me especially since most people wanna know this and because you're spending four or so thousand dollars for this device.
I think their aim is to provide a simple and easy to use product. Them MEN220 is just that, effective and simple. There are plenty of products out there that provide the capabilities you are asking for.
Agree with Skifi, there is plenty of DSP products , but very few old fashioned ANALOG EQ's the use your ears to tweek it how you like,,,,you don't need a program to tell you how you like the sound.
If all recordings were equally well recorded, mixed and mastered then I would say no to equalizers, however the real world demands tone controls... or at least I do.
Spot on, if find for example some early digital recordings need softening up a bit, while most orchestra recordings could use a bit more base.
I personally think EQs get a bad rep because the vast majority of EQs on the market are not transparent in the least.
Bring EQ and loudness buttons back so we don’t have to turn our wallets in to a equalizer. Clever move by manufacturers.
I EQ everrything. I haven't yet met a speaker that doesn't benefit from some EQ. I use a RME Adi2Pro with it's gorgeous 5 band parametric EQ. Everyone's room is different, everyone's ears are built different. I don't understand people who refuse to EQ their gear.
Rarely do I meet an old RECORD that doesn't benefit from some EQ!
Good point. Based on the popularity of McIntosh preamps equipped with EQ's and this product I think the general buying public agrees with you.
After looking at the inside I’ll rather keep my Yamaha eq
Have you looked inside you Yamaha? Doest take many parts to do an EQ. Simple is good in the audio world.
7k for glorified tone controls ? The insides lookin pretty budget for that.
It's not $7k sir. It's $3k if we are talking US dollars.
@@SkyFiAudio OK,thanks for the correction. In the EU its around 4,5k€.
Selling your soul for rich man’s toys. 😂😂😂
If I'm dropping thousands of cash on mac I shouldn't have to buy an eq, really
How does spending more money on the system fix the recording??
I totally agree. It's the other way around in my opinion - since you are dropping thousands on a system, you might want to get an EQ to ensure it sounds good with ALL recordings.
I am an audiophile and I cant live w/o tone controls
When you buy McIntosh you will never be 100% happy with the sound. Looks are not all that matters. With this EQ you can tailor the sound to your liking but with each turn of the knob you win some and you loose some. It will never be the way you hope it will be.
While you cant achieve perfection with just adding a EQ, you can certainly get to a better place.
I'm 100% happy with my Mac amps. 😁
Jesus that is cheap garbage from inside. Dig a little deeper into your pocket and buy a Manley Massive Passive. Sorry but that thing is a midfi toy.
There aren't many components required to make and EQ. Everything in there is of the highest quality in both parts selection and design. I don't get your comment, would you want them to put in a bunch of unnecessary stuff? The Manley is a tubed unit thats why there are so many more parts involved.