McCormack DNA 0.5 Justice served.

dkfreebird

I have always felt the 2.3tl's I upgraded deserved better and I think I finally have done it.The McCormack 0.5 I just picked up has brought them to life.It is not that they have ever sounded bad but I knew there was more to be had.I have added a dac and cables and all have made an improvement but this amp is a game changer for me.

The sound seems to flow out of them now,I'm not gonna pretend top know all the jargon about describing spatial this and that but what I'm hearing now is something special to me.
I know there is more to be had but it is time to sit back and enjoy.

The clarity that this amp has given them is amazing.I have never heard the separation of instruments and the precision of bass that this amp delivers.I have ran through about 8 different amps and this by far is the best one yet and it is the least rated watts wise out of all of them.Sorry this isn't as technical as some reviews out there but it is the best way I can relay my happiness with this amp.I know this is probably old news to a lot of people on here but it is new to me and I'm loving it.P.S I told my wife when I purchased it that I would not buy anything else for 1 month but I didn't realize that I would be able to keep that promise until I hooked this baby up.

vcwatkins

Congrats dk!

dkfreebird

Thanks,I had this hooked up to my 3.1tl's with a Sunfire Pre and was gonna wait and do a comparison between the Parasound 1200ii I had but when I heard it I couldn't wait to pair it with the Dared 2000a and the other gear I had and it did not let me down.

11tsteve

funny how consistent the reviews on the McCormacks have been....

what does just serviced mean... something local to previous owner or at SMc?

dkfreebird

(Justice served) It means that I finally have given my 2.3's what they deserved.I always felt there was something lacking in what I was feeding them.

PSOVLSK

Congrats man. "...time to sit back and enjoy..." seems about right

11tsteve

dkfreebird wrote: »

(Justice served) It means that I finally have given my 2.3's what they deserved.I always felt there was something lacking in what I was feeding them.

Wow.... my brain really reinterpreted that one.

tonyb

Congrats man, glad your digging it. Quality over quantity as we like to say in watts talk. The other amps you have are no slouches in their own right, could just be a synergy thing too.

Jhayman

Congrats on finding your Justice, lol
I love my McCormack gear, if you can get your hands on a RLD-1 pre that goes Great with the DNA 0.5

tonyb

11tsteve wrote: »

funny how consistent the reviews on the McCormacks have been....

Bingo....a sign of a piece to get your ears on.

Skip, I think you'd really dig it too. They have a rhythm and flow, a tonal character, a musicality to them that is far and few between in SS amps.

dkfreebird

I will do that Skip,I did put the pangeas in with the parasound and the dared and they made a noticable difference. Once I moved the McCormack over to the main system everything just seemed to jell for me.The soundstage widen so much I couldn't quit grinning.I left everything on last night and when the wife left for work a put in some Dire Straits and just sat there and smiled.

It is like you and everyone said everything matters in the chain and I never really grasped that until now.I see what you mean by the sound signature of the Sunfire differs greatly than the MCCormack.The Sunfire is awesome for surround duty but this amp is so musical it just hit the mark for me.

vmaxer

dkfreebird wrote: »

I will do that Skip,I did put the pangeas in with the parasound and the dared and they made a noticable difference. Once I moved the McCormack over to the main system everything just seemed to jell for me.The soundstage widen so much I couldn't quit grinning.I left everything on last night and when the wife left for work a put in some Dire Straits and just sat there and smiled.

It is like you and everyone said everything matters in the chain and I never really grasped that until now.I see what you mean by the sound signature of the Sunfire differs greatly than the MCCormack.The Sunfire is awesome for surround duty but this amp is so musical it just hit the mark for me.

Gotta agree with you, I recently got a DNA 1 and love it.

dkfreebird

Man I hear you vmaxer,I just got through running some George Benson and am listening to some Robert Cray right now and I don't think I will be able to peel my away from this tonight .I really want to thank vc69 for pushing me over the edge to take it .I called the guy and told him I would take it when he said just get the thing.This amp has so much authority over the music it is unreal.

dhart86

11tsteve wrote: »

dkfreebird wrote: »

(Justice served) It means that I finally have given my 2.3's what they deserved.I always felt there was something lacking in what I was feeding them.

Wow.... my brain really reinterpreted that one.

HEHEHE....that's funny Steve, my brain saw the same thing. I had to go back and check the op's original post

Congrats dk.....Njoy the music!

usp1

Today I implemented one of Steve McCormack's suggestions - albeit with a twist. Steve recommends using a spike to anchor the rear of the amp. Because of some confusion I ended u with the wrong size of Herbies threaded gliders for a stand. But they happened to be just the right size to work to spike the amp. I adjusted the spike so that the rear amp legs were just barely touching the shelf.

I was not expecting very much but was pleasantly surprised how it seemed to tighten the bass. At first, I thought that the highs were clearer as well but I think it was the tightened bass that improved the overall presentation. I don't know if a spike will be better but the glider, which has Herbies dbneutralizer material, seems to work very well. A cheap enough tweak with very positive benefits.

dkfreebird

I kinda looked back at the title and thought what the hell does that mean myself but it was to late to edit.

MrBuhl

Been in synergy heaven since I got mine. Like you dkf I had never really had it all "click" before the Dodd/McCormack combo.

tonyb

MrBuhl wrote: »

Been in synergy heaven since I got mine. Like you dkf I had never really had it all "click" before the Dodd/McCormack combo.

Nice isn't it ?

I kinda liken it to growing up eating grocery store food your whole life, then having a chef prepare you a meal using only the freshest of ingredients. The flavors all bounce around yet gell with each other and you go....WOW, that's what food is suppose to taste like ?

Once you experience that synergy in your own system, it's hard to go back to something without it.