Any opinions on the Anthem mca 5 series 2 ?

polkfarmboy

Any thoughts on the amps or have you ever had your ears on one ? Whats is the going rate on them used ?

I really am getting sick of the Emotive and it seems the emo sells used for more than I paid for it brand new so I will have to get that binding post fixed and sell it. I cannot stand the way it sounds to my ears through my Martin Logans especially on the Vista fronts for 2 ch

mrbiron

Bid on this one.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MODIFIED-ANTHEM-MCA-50-AMPLIFIER-/120987826534?pt=US_Home_Audio_Amplifiers_Preamps&hash=item1c2b6fb966

I really have nothing to compare it too but my MCA20 is awesome!

dorokusai

I'm a big Anthem fan but they can be hit or miss when it comes to AVR's BUT Amplifiers are spot on and shouldn't be passed up. The circuit design in them is solid and they're almost bulletproof.

Emotiva has zero flavor and I'd drop that dog as fast as possible. Where the resale comes from I have no idea but it's online hype. I would not buy anything from that manufacturer.

Mark

polkfarmboy

Thanks Mrbiron, I will keep my eye on that one. In the add it has been modded and I looked up the prices and found that partsconexion charges $150 to mod each channel and there is 5 in that listing :eek:

dorokusai wrote: »

I'm a big Anthem fan but they can be hit or miss when it comes to AVR's BUT Amplifiers are spot on and shouldn't be passed up. The circuit design in them is solid and they're almost bulletproof.

Emotiva has zero flavor and I'd drop that dog as fast as possible. Where the resale comes from I have no idea but it's online hype. I would not buy anything from that manufacturer.

Mark

I have the avm40/50 preamp and really think for HT I should go with Anthem for the synergy they should have. I did buy an Anthem mrx 300 and it sounded great and very detailed for HT but it took a complete nose dive is SQ when I hooked it up to my emo amp.

I have been reading the specs and cant figure out if the mca 5 and 50 would be good for the martin logans when they dip down in the ohms

dorokusai

Martin Logan is not as hard to drive as some would lead you to believe. It's all about a solid amp and design. I've been a planar fan for many years and not found and amp that couldn't run with them yet. I've also ran Dalhquist DQ10 @ 89db efficient off a 50 watt Cambridge amplifier....no problems, poetry in motion. This is a more difficult hobby when you over think it.

If you buy crap, you get crap. The only issue you really need to pay attention to is ohm's and rating at that stage.

tonyb

dorokusai wrote: »

If you buy crap, you get crap. The only issue you really need to pay attention to is ohm's and rating at that stage.

Says volumes.....+1000.

Mark hit it, this hobby isn't too difficult and we do seem to over think things a tad. I think where most have problems is just understanding the fundementals of power, and how that relates to your gear/size of room, and the ever so troublesome volume dial. Once you get that down pat, the rest is just a matter of personal preference.

Dawgfish

I can't speak for the MCA series as I have never heard them, but I have two Anthem Amp 2 SEs, an Amp 1, and a Pre-1L and I will never get rid of any of them. The build quality is very impressive.

mantis

I'm no Anthem fan of any kind. I don't like their amps , integrated , receivers or preamps. I feel they are over priced. I have found NAD and Integra to be a much better value.
I actually replaced a Anthem AVM40 pre with a Integra DHC80.3 and the customer and myself felt it was a much better sounding unit. It really added some much needed life into his system. The amp was a NAD 7 channel and it rocked the house. Speakers where Paradigm Signature series , S8's as mains and a sub 25 to handle the low end.

polkfarmboy

Well I bought an anthem mc5 series 2 today and it should be here Tuesday and its in silver color like my Anthem pre :cheesygrin: . I did audition the integra 80.2 and it was a great but a little to sparkly sounding for my taste . If you have an Anthem pre without ARC then it wont sound all that great, in fact an anthem avm with ARC will sound better than a D2 without according to anthem engineers . I find that everything out there these days is awesome but its the room correction that makes the diff for me as it was best suited to my brand of speakers

playback

Hmm! I'm planning on switching from an Anthem AVM 20v2 to an Integra 80.3 in a few months, besides room correction and the like does the Integra's analog bypass hurt the sound say from an Oppo 95 which through the Anthem I love but I want to try room correction but not at the expense of the great playback from the 95's Sabre dac's. My room at the moment is acoustically treated very well but the best of both worlds is always the pursuit for me.

Any futher thoughts or suggestions on Integra 80.3 vs Anthem avp's

polkfarmboy

Anthem is better:cheesygrin: