Best SDA for my mcintosh 4100?

Jerryfan
Jerryfan Posts: 5
edited March 2014 in Vintage Speakers
I have a mcintosh 4100 and I'm looking into trying some SDAs. There is a nicely modded pair of 1cs in my area for sale, but i don't think I have enough power. I'm thinking I need some 2bs. Right now I have klipsch kg4s with crites tweeters and xovers and a new svs sb12-nsd subwoofer. It sounds pretty good, but I have no depth to my soundstage, and they don't image that well. id say boy. Is a good way to put it. This new sub helps a ton! Sometimes they will sound harsh with some recordings. I listen to lots of music but mostly I play my 2300 something grateful dead flacs and some 800 Jerry Garcia solo project flacs. I came to club polk for a little guidance, thanks.
Post edited by Jerryfan on

Comments

  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,554
    edited March 2014
    A receiver isn't going to do any SDA model justice.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."


    President of Club Polk

  • ambiophonics
    ambiophonics Posts: 726
    edited March 2014
    I'm not sure on the specs of your Mcintosh but I'm currently running my 2B's off a Yamaha R-S700 (100 watts/channel) with no issues. I originally was using the Yamaha as a pre into a carver TFM-35 but after comparing both options found the Yamaha to sound a little cleaner and more focused. That being said, the 2Bs are probably one of the easier SDA models to drive.
    2 Channel - Polk SDA-2BTL, Carver TFM-35, Peachtree iDAC, Qobuz streamed via Episode Lynk using bubble UPnP server
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,802
    edited March 2014
    For a receiver, the "MAC" 4100 was a fairly serious piece of hardware...

    http://www.hifiengine.com/library/mcintosh/mac4100.shtml
  • Schurkey
    Schurkey Posts: 2,101
    edited March 2014
    2Bs aren't going to need "less" power than 1Cs. They've just got a lower upper limit.
  • Jerryfan
    Jerryfan Posts: 5
    edited March 2014
    The 4100 is 75w at 8 ohms 100 watts at 4. Mine was bought from audio classics a couple years ago, it should be up to spec. I've heard it's more like 90w at 8 and 130 at 4 and can push 2 ohm loads
  • devani
    devani Posts: 1,497
    edited March 2014
    MAC4100 will be more than okay. MAC4100 at 42lbs(19Kg) is not your typical Bestbuy receiver. The only way to find out is to bring the MAC4100 and hook it up....
    Video: LG 55LN5100/Samsung LNT4065F
    Receiver: HK AVR445
    Source: OPPO BDP-93
    HT: POLK SPEAKERS RTi6, FXi3, CSi5, VTF-3 MK2
    2Ch system: MC2105, AR-XA, AR-2A, AR9, BX-300, OPPO BDP-83
  • Jerryfan
    Jerryfan Posts: 5
    edited March 2014
    Thanks for the info! How do SDAs respond to room treatments? My room is 13x13 and opens up to a room the same size. I have 4 2in panels behind the speakers, and 3 behind the couch.
    I tried to upload pics but I'm having trouble.
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,554
    edited March 2014
    I stand by my comment.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."


    President of Club Polk

  • Polkie2009
    Polkie2009 Posts: 3,834
    edited March 2014
    Hi Jerry, I thought maybe your Mac4100 had a tube amp section pushing 100 watts per channel @4 ohms, but it's a SSA right? I would think to get the best out of a pair of SDA's (depending on which model you get), you'd want to throw at least 200 watts and up per channel @4ohms solid state. A number of members here run various sized tube amps on their SDA's and I want to say they are usually pushing at least 50 watts per channel @4 ohms on up. I hope someday to join the tube driven SDA section of the forum :).
  • Jerryfan
    Jerryfan Posts: 5
    edited March 2014
    Why do I need 200w for 2 6.5 woofers and a tweeter?
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,554
    edited March 2014
    If you heard them on some high powered, high quality gear, you'd know right away.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."


    President of Club Polk

  • Jerryfan
    Jerryfan Posts: 5
    edited March 2014
    I'm saving for an mc2300. Then I'll talk about some SDAs. I've always wanted a mini wall of sound anyway.
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,802
    edited March 2014
    The 4100 is all soiled state. Some of the earlier MAC receivers (McIntosh wouldn't apply the "McIntosh" moniker to a mere receiver; they were MACs) were hybrids.
    http://www.roger-russell.com/rcvrs.htm

    Remember that the difference between 100 watts and 200 watts is 3 dB (10*log(200/100) = 3 dB)
    Now, that doesn't mean that going from a 200 wpc amplifier to a 100 wpc amplifier will "only" result in a reduction of 3dB of ultimate SPL for a given (pair of) loudspeakers... but it does mean that the real, intrinsic, fundamental physical difference between 100 wpc and 200 wpc is very slight. The differences invoked by other posts to this thread relate more to qualitative rather than quantitative differences -- not to trivialize the qualitative.

    As a completely irrelevant aside, McIntosh also - briefly - tried an even more massmarket receiver approach with McIntosh designed, Japanese manufactured receivers branded "Stereotech".
  • Schurkey
    Schurkey Posts: 2,101
    edited March 2014
    Jerryfan wrote: »
    Why do I need 200w for 2 6.5 woofers and a tweeter?
    The amp is stupid. It doesn't know how many or what size the drivers are. It responds to Ohm's Law; specifically impedance, but capacitance and inductance also figure in. The Polk speakers were described as "easy to drive" except for their low-ish "4- or sometimes 6-ohm" impedance. The low impedance will require an amp with genuine drive capacity.
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,802
    edited March 2014
    just to be clear... impedance is a complex (literally) quantity that includes DC resistance, capacitance, and inductance. Specifically, these are vector quantities.
    http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/electric/impcom.html

    Fortunately for folks like me, with the mathematics skills of a Paramecium, impedance - like DC resistance - follows Ohm's Law.
    The tricky part is that impedance depends on frequency... that's why the nominal impedance of any loudspeaker is just that... a nominal quantity.

    :-)

    Thus, when it comes to amp/speaker pairings - within reason - one cannot beat empiricism; "trust, but verify".
  • dpowell
    dpowell Posts: 3,068
    edited March 2014
    If you have an opportunity to grab a pair of modded 1C's for a reasonable price, go get them and forget about the amp. They are one of the top 5 modded SDA's, period. Don't miss out on an opportunity for an amazing speaker.

    F1 is right, you won't fully appreciate them until you hear them on high quality gear. Get the speakers, enjoy them on your 4100 for now, then add a high power amp when you have the funds.
    ____________________________________________________________

    polkaudio Fully Modded SDA SRS 1.2TLs + Dreadnaught, LSiM706c, 4 X Polk Surrounds + 4 X ATMOS, SVS PB13 Ultra X 2, Pass Labs X1, Marantz 7704, Bob Carver Crimson Beauty 350 Tube Mono Blocks, Carver Sunfire Signature Cinema Grande 400x5, ADCOM GFA 7807, Panasonic UB420, Moon 380D DAC, EPSON Pro Cinema 6050
  • motorstereo
    motorstereo Posts: 2,133
    edited March 2014
    dpowell wrote: »

    F1 is right, you won't fully appreciate them until you hear them on high quality gear. Get the speakers, enjoy them on your 4100 for now, then add a high power amp when you have the funds.
    Agreed; The 4100 is a nice receiver but you're in for a real treat when you move up to quality separates.