My new toy

Jhayman

A McCormack DNA 500 this thing is a beast..
Will be giving a more detailed review once I get a few days to listen,weekend is coming..

http://i1103.photobucket.com/albums/g475/jhayman/image-12.jpg

http://i1103.photobucket.com/albums/g475/jhayman/image-11.jpg

polk500

Sweet that's is a fine looking beast!!

Cheers
Roger

tonyb

So you grabbed it huh....lucky dog you. Sweet amp...will do everything the 225 will, just more of it with bigger balls to boot. These bad boys don't come up for sale often. One of the few SS amps that have a tube like signature but grab onto those lower notes like a vise grip. Looking forward to your thoughts.

Dawgfish

Wow that is sweet! Can't wait to hear your thoughts on it!

F1nut

Congrats Jamie, there's no substitute for a man's amp.

headrott

Congratulations on your new amp. Looking forward to your review.

pitdogg2

audio **** so early in the a.m. SWEEEEEEEET

tonyb

F1nut wrote: »

Congrats Jamie, there's no substitute for a man's amp.

Amen to that

zingo

That is beyond awesomeness!

xjghost

That looks nice!

Jhayman

Checking out if my pic is posted right...
I would like actual pictures to show up in thread not links..
DNA 250 and DNA 500

boston1450

Congrats on your new addition Jhayman Enjoy

Jhayman

Thanks guys...:cheesygrin:
I'm very Excited before I put the 250 up for sale I think I will bi-amp a little first..
One thing I can say my Paradigms really came alive and sound the best I have ever heard them since getting my new TT..
I guess the better the source the better they sound..
They dig really deep..
Even my buddy who has the same and is a bass head says no sub needed..

billbillw

Nice looking amp. Always had an urge for the big McCormack amps, but it just never came to fruition. Now I'm solidly back on to the Integrated camp, so I'll probably never get one. Hope you enjoy it.

tonyb

How about a little mini review between the 2 amps....for those of us in the cheap seats.

soundfreak1

Very nice looking system! Love to get my ears on it! Congrats

tonyb

If you guys noticed by the pics of the guts....you won't find coke bottle sized caps. Steve McCormack believes having multiple smaller sized caps gives better transient response. So far, every owner agree's.

tonyb

BTW- if your wallet has a few bucks left in it, Bobsauto put up some fantastic pieces in the FM. I'm thinking for you...that Bat pre amp or Cary dac could elevate you to newer levels you never thought possible. Heck, everything he has listed is top notch.

Jhayman

Yup I concur..

tonyb wrote: »

If you guys noticed by the pics of the guts....you won't find coke bottle sized caps. Steve McCormack believes having multiple smaller sized caps gives better transient response. So far, every owner agree's.

Jhayman

Tonyb
l will try to have a mini review by the weekends end..

tonyb wrote: »

How about a little mini review between the 2 amps....for those of us in the cheap seats.

tonyb

Ok man...cool. Holding ya to that time frame. Otherwise.....a visit from Cathy is in order. Word has it the blood on her brass knuckles has dried....and she much prefers wet blood to lick off.

Jhayman

My thoughts on the McCormack DNA 500...compared to the DNA 250

The 500 is a Beast of an Amplifier it uses a Push/Pull design which in this Amp has Excellent control over the woofers.
I find it a little softer on the top end than the 250 which is a good thing and maybe why they say it has a tube sound to it.
I have never heard tubes so I cannot comment on it.
The soundstage is Huge and in your face sometimes a little to much, more so than the 250.
The accuracy of the instruments are better tone wise they just seem to feel more musical..
Now the bass of the 250 was Great I thought but the 500 is in another league all together, it's very commanding and powerful at first I thought it was distorting/ muddled but after adjusting my listening position and moving speakers a bit back and toe in it bang on tight and clean and BIG..
The upfront soundstage sometimes feels to big but that's probably more to do with my listening area which is very small, so to much sound sometimes I find.
But all in all I like it and that's all that matters..
I hope this little review helps those interested in McCormack Amps..

tonyb

Not sure if I'm reading it may be too much amp for your needs. I believe I said it was everything the 225 was but just more of it. Your comments seem to echo that. The 500 is a big brass balls amp with finesse in the upper regions and a soundstage wider than a Mac truck....sideways. Gobbs of current, and that might be what your hearing in relation to the 225....which is no slouch on it's own.

I wanted this amp bad when I had 3 g's to spend, but couldn't find one person to shake it loose from. People hang on to these and for good reason. If you care to follow previous owners escapades, they spend double even triple in amps to better the DNA 500....AND usually relates to tube monoblocks of a higher order. Definitely an amp you won't have to worry about when switching speakers down the road.

One thing I've noticed when good amps are injected into your system is the volume doesn't seem loud....but it is. Mainly because you are hearing clean and clear music without the harshness or hash in the upper frequencies that occur when pressing an amp to it's limits. There's something you can hear that says turn it down. With a man's amp, it gives you no warning and says' "what else you got ?" So you keep turning up the volume to find those limits....dangerous indeed, so be careful in that respect.

So what now ? You gonna move so you have a bigger room ? Looking at tubed pre's....maybe even different speakers ? IMHO....either Bat or Rogue would go well with the McCormack for tubed pre's, and speakers....well, the world is your oyster. Me...I'm a big speaker kind of dude with a preference for Legacy speakers, but I dig many others and Salk being one of them. Look at Rich's Salks he grabbed. I think those would kill. Either way, even if you do nothing more...congrats man, your one lucky dude to land that amp. Enjoy the tunes bro.

Jhayman

Hey Tonyb you are correct about the volume I found myself looking at the volume display and noticing its lower/higher than normal and you just answered the question as to why, lol Thanks
As to moving to a bigger house/ room that's not an option right now..
I've got it set up nicely now speakers back a foot my seating position is back a foot as well all better now..
Next I'll try a tube pre but my buddy says to relax and take in what I have now for at least a few months before changing to something else again, lol
I think I'll try that for a bit , but the internal upgrade clock is already ticking and I'm not sure when the alarm will go off...
Ttyl

F1nut

One thing I've noticed when good amps are injected into your system is the volume doesn't seem loud....but it is. Mainly because you are hearing clean and clear music without the harshness or hash in the upper frequencies that occur when pressing an amp to it's limits. There's something you can hear that says turn it down. With a man's amp, it gives you no warning and says' "what else you got ?" So you keep turning up the volume to find those limits....

Bingo!

Jhayman

Oh oh someone has a Rogue Magnum 99 for sale close to me.......
$895 they say it's been fully modded including the Alps Volume control...

tonyb

Jhayman wrote: »

Oh oh someone has a Rogue Magnum 99 for sale close to me.......
$895 they say it's been fully modded including the Alps Volume control...

Oh man, that's tempting. Maybe he can bring it over for an audition before committing to buy it ? If he's close, worth a shot to ask anyway.

Jhayman

Need advice guys my first venture into Tube territory...


Hello Jamie. I'm sending you a list of modifications to the Rogue 99 for your review.
Also, there are no scratches on the pre-amp, I am the third owner. The tubes were replaced four years ago.
It hasn't had a lot of usage since I've owned it.
Thanks for the picture note. I'm visually impaired and didn't know there was only one photo. I've given it another shot to upload both images. Please have another look and advise if I was successful in getting front and back views?



Modifications:

The Rogue modified preamp is a highly
modded version of the popular 99 model. It has been totally transformed
from the original design including an Alps volume control.
The Alps is
spectacular but there is 1 caveat. It negates the remote control which
although handy compromises the sonic presentation. Very nice pre with 4
NOS 6SN7 tubes in the circuit. Two RCA and 2 Sylvania tubes.
RHB Sound Dezign Mods


1. Signal Gain Stage Mod:

Consists of hand wired circuit board to control Triode bias actively.

2. Output Buffer Stage Mod:

Consists of hand wired circuit board to actively follow Triode without
linearity distortion while offering a low impedance output.

3. Signal Wire Mod:

Replaces printed circuit traces in critical signal paths with premium
hand wired gold on silver multi gauge wire.

4. Output Coupling Capacitor Mod:

Replaces existing capacitors with (Rave Review V-cap) high quality
Teflon caps to carry signal to output jacks.

5a. Power Supply Mod A:

Replaces existing storage capacitor with premium type (typically Black
Gate). Incorporate our hand wired circuit modification to existing
power supply circuit.

5b. Power Supply Mod B:

Same as above but replace manufacturers design with our own in house
design hand wired circuit board power supply.

Jhayman

Well picked it up tonight nice and clean I get it home pop the hood to take some picks put the roof back on install it and I get a loud hum..
And that's all..
There is no phono stage installed..
I have swapped rca's
Different power cords
Even just amp and pre only things plugged in
Still get the Hum through speakers even when AMP is not on..only preamp on..
One thing I did notice is that it's a two stage power supply it has two power cords to plug in, it warms up in stages the first stage you hear a little click then you wait till the second click comes in and when that happens the Hum starts..
It's too loud it's not normal..that's for sure, maybe tubes come loose?
Only went from his kitchen table to my car..

Jhayman

A few more picks of the tubes..and. furutech power connector..

pitdogg2

try a cheater plug.
I just went through the same thing very frustrating to say the least.