As you know, I took delivery of the Triton Reference speakers the third week of July. I was driving them with an Odyssey Stratos 150wpc Extreme amp and it sounded quite good. Of course, the "what if" started and I sold the Odyssey and bought a Conrad-Johnson 250wpc solid state power amp. I was not very happy with the sound as it became thick and slow. I stopped listening to that system and concentrated on my secondary system which I use every day. I ended up with all McIntosh gear and liked it so much I figured "what the Hell" and decided to do the same with my main system.

So, in mid January, I purchased a McIntosh C2500 all tube preamp, a MC152 150wpc solid state amp and a MR88 FM & HD tuner. Everything sounded better, but I still found I was enjoying the secondary system much more (that system has GE Triton 1 speakers). I tried all the usual, taking a lot of time moving the speakers, etc. but I still wasn't satisfied. The McIntosh power amp uses output transformers which gives it their house sound. On a whim, I changed the speaker cables from the 8 ohm taps to the 4 ohm taps.

Holy smokes, that did the trick. The speakers sound much more life like! Previously, I had the level controls on the speakers dialed way back to about 10 o clock as the bass although not overwhelming, sounded very muddy. The mids and highs also seemed out of synch with the bass. All of that has now changed as the mids and highs are in perfect synch with the bass. I was now able to set the speaker level controls back to the midpoint. The bass is now very solid, tight and tuneful and the rest of the spectrum is right there. My amp puts out 150 per channel into 8, 4, and 2 ohms, so no power was lost. I do have to put the volume control on the preamp up a couple of notches higher to get the same volume but McIntosh told me that is normal. Why these speakers sound so much better on the 4 ohm taps is a mystery to me, perhaps the Moderator can chime in here, but I am now loving the sound and am listening to the system for a couple of hours a day again. The system is my current configuration. The Audio Rack is across the room from the speakers.

Good deal, good job, good pics, well done Steveo.
Obviously the 4 ohm tap is a better match.
Great you solved that dilemma.
Is everything all set up and running again?
Happy listening,
God Bless,
Wayne

stereo5 wrote: On a whim, I changed the speaker cables from the 8 ohm taps to the 4 ohm taps.

Holy smokes, that did the trick. The speakers sound much more life like!...Why these speakers sound so much better on the 4 ohm taps is a mystery to me

Nice rack, Steveo!

One possible reason is that the TRefs, while nominally 8 ohms, do have some impedance dips to below 4 ohms. This impedance curve is from the Stereophile review.


Also, John Atkinson stated in his T1 review that the T1s would benefit from a 4 ohm rated amp. The T1 impedance curve is similar to the TRef.

Yes, we always suggest using the 4 ohm tap with any of the GoldenEar speaker models. It can make a substantial difference.

It is funny because my Triton Ones in my other system, being driven by a 200wpc McIntosh integrated amp, sound better on the 8 ohm setting. Go figure.

Stereo5:
After reading your post, you have me interested in the MC152. I've only heard McIntosh Amps on two separate occasions, and that being about 20 minutes of total listening time. If possible, can you refresh my memory, and describe The McIntosh Sound. Do you feel 150 W is sufficient? Are you satisfied with the wattage or are there times you wish you had more? I'm highly interested in this Amp.