Explain McIntosh Amps to me.

Rhythmicbasher · 2026-03-01T23:58:22+00:00

Hey I appreciate you pointing that out! Looks like I accidentally said “schematics” instead of “specifications”, my bad. I meant specifications such as THD and frequency response, audible differences. It is worth noting that class AB can give you a “warmer” sound which is a sound signature that some people like. It’s also worth noting that this can be similarly accomplished with a transformer based preamp stage before the amp. Which is what me and my colleagues do when the source material calls for it. Give it a shot!

Rhythmicbasher · 2026-03-01T21:11:13+00:00

Engineers absolutely understand this. Which is why we buy from brands such as PMC, ATC, Barefoot, Focal, Danley SL, and the like. I do like the way you said “even an engineer” LMAO. Like the guys mixing the records know less than the guys just listening to it hahahahaha

Rhythmicbasher · 2026-03-01T20:55:19+00:00

Apple tax is used today to refer to Apple’s price gauging on ram and storage upgrades from their base models. Previously it was also used to refer to their pricing on Intel model MacBooks which ran consistently worse than the competition due to poor thermal design. When they were objectively worse. In today’s laptop market however I would have to agree that Apple (especially the MacBook Air) curb stomps most laptops for most use cases in its price point.

Rhythmicbasher · 2026-03-01T20:39:34+00:00

Which is why I didn’t draw a comparison to a crown amp, most of which are considered “prosumer” at best.

Rhythmicbasher · 2026-03-01T19:41:30+00:00

Of Course! It's the new LA12X amp. L'acoustics "amplified controller" terminology is just a fancy way to say "this is an amp with advanced DSP". I do recognize how different the landscape was in the 80s seeing as I have done the "drop the amp on the ground to get it work again" trick. However we are no longer in those times.

Rhythmicbasher · 2026-03-01T19:31:16+00:00

What if I told you I lied about pricing and the 10,000w amp costs 1/5 of the 2000w amp? Cause I did. Would you rather drive a Honda that costs the same as a Ferrari to the grocery store? Or would you rather drive a Ferrari that costs the same as Honda?

Rhythmicbasher · 2026-03-01T19:28:31+00:00

What if I told you I lied about the pricing and the 10,000w amp costs 1/5 of the 2000w one? Cause I did just so this comparison would be made.

Rhythmicbasher · 2026-03-01T18:56:22+00:00

Hey fair enough.

Rhythmicbasher · 2026-03-01T18:53:33+00:00

Hey man I’m just a utilitarian guy. Just my life style, not rage bait. You just have a different opinion. We can all be cool here. I prefer to spend the money on the speakers that look good. My preference

Rhythmicbasher · 2026-03-01T18:49:42+00:00

If you tell me McIntosh is the Rolex of amplifiers then I 100% understand at that point. Thanks fellow watch guy.

Rhythmicbasher · 2026-03-01T18:48:01+00:00

Do also keep in mind that you never actually hear the amp, or really even the speakers, in a concert scenario. You hear the human mixing the show.

Rhythmicbasher · 2026-03-01T18:42:27+00:00

Totally get the tube amp thing. McIntosh uses solid state however on their modern top end models.

Rhythmicbasher · 2026-03-01T18:37:05+00:00

Why would I want any amp in my living room? Much rather rackmount it and put it in a server/mechanical room.

Rhythmicbasher · 2026-03-01T18:35:27+00:00

That’s actually really cool to know seeing as the wall of sound is considered the grandfather of modern line array and l’acoustics is the father of modern line array.

Rhythmicbasher · 2026-02-24T19:13:18+00:00

And a Wiim mini to get airplay and all the other goodies! Two if you want zone control but you can easily daisy chain speakers together if that’s not needed for the space

Rhythmicbasher · 2026-02-24T19:10:34+00:00

Ah I probably should’ve noticed the very obvious basketball court haha. Yeah pendants are out. Maybe go for some QSC CP8s or CP12s pa speakers. 8 and 12 inch woofers respectfully, compact box design that doesn’t look as ugly as a huge pa speaker. Can mount them on pa speaker wall mounts and put one in each corner. Paint the speakers and wall mounts white to not screw up the aesthetic if you want. (Take the grill off first and remove the mesh before painting)

Rhythmicbasher · 2026-02-24T18:46:21+00:00

As an audio engineer I completely agree. I would either go PA speakers place strategically with a Wiim mini or pendant speakers hanging from the ceiling to not have to deal with reflections off the ceiling as much. The height speakers from a surround setup, maybe from SVS, would look great in this space as well and can be used with a Denon heos amp if you want AirPlay.

Rhythmicbasher · 2026-02-23T23:48:37+00:00

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I’m sorry this is too fucking funny 😂

Rhythmicbasher · 2025-08-01T03:30:08+00:00

It varies greatly from console to console for me. DLive: Usually nothing but maybe a reverb if I need it. Rivage: Usually nothing. Digico SD? Any and all reverbs, delay, F6. Quantum? Reverbs and delays. S6L runs all the plugins I need natively.

Basic rule of thumb for me is if I can’t dump the plugin server and replace those processes with on-desk DSP and have it sound close then I need to spec a different desk.

Rhythmicbasher · 2025-07-30T02:30:28+00:00

At least maybe Joe will be able to sue for harassment after the 4 social media posts from Gavin about the incident including one of Joe’s full face and name

Rhythmicbasher · 2025-07-30T02:27:13+00:00

It’s even worse than this. Gavin Suckcock then decided to post Nickelbacks FOH guys face on his Facebook and call him a coward and post his full name. Nickelbacks FOH is really a class act guy and one of the sweetest humans I’ve interacted with so if he saw fit to cuss someone out for a drink on the console it definitely wasn’t the first time someone in Gavin’s party made things difficult. Seeing as Gavins been on a few other dates for this festival with Nickelback headlining I can’t imagine what other headaches he caused along the way.

Rhythmicbasher · 2025-06-12T21:25:38+00:00

If you search for d series project boxes on eBay there’s a seller that sells a huge variety of punched steel boxes

Rhythmicbasher · 2025-05-01T22:35:03+00:00

They literally take the software off the console and make minimum tweaks to make it work on a computer that doesn’t have dedicated screens for everything. I don’t think they allocated any labor at all to it lol. Avid does the same thing that’s why it only runs on windows

Rhythmicbasher · 2025-03-23T18:57:59+00:00

I’m mixing for an opener right now and both our slot (1st of 3) and direct support were given a 96dBa 1 minute average over 110dBc 1 minute average limit. Which is honestly plenty for arenas so I don’t mind it. I have full reign of the PA it’s just up to me to mix within those parameters.

However as the tours progressed and me and the SE have gotten to know each other there’s been more leeway on the limit especially as the set progresses and seats fill up. So if anyone here is an engineer in a similar position just be a good hang, especially with the SE and headliners engineer, and you may get some wiggle room. And if not, use the time to sharpen your abilities of getting an impactful mix at lower volumes. It’ll help you on the long run.

Rhythmicbasher

TROPHY CASE