What makes the old McIntosh stuff so good?

[bigjppop]

I've never had the chance to listen to any vintage McIntosh stuff but everyone/everywhere seems to rave about them. I have heard some of their newer stuff and really loved it, but its just WAY out of my price range.

So what makes their old tube stuff so sought after? Other than the fact that I think their stuff is cool looking, is there something special/unique about their designs? Are their any clones/schematics available for the DIYer to recreate "the magic?"

Love to hear your thoughts.

[DigitalJunkie]

I think it's mainly the iron,they used good quality output transformers,usually with Cathode feedback,or a unity gain setup.

[SY]

The circuitry is quite innovative, but the reputation is mostly based on the name and the appearance- sonically, they're nothing special. Norman Crowhurst wrote extensively about the designs; you can find much of this online.

[Poindexter]

I'm with Stuart. It's a very idiosyncratic, very elaborate circuit, with a ton of feedback in two or three nested and partially nested loops. That's what it sounds like; a pentode amp with a lot of gain stages and feedback. 'Transistory' was the first impression I had.

Beautifully built, well engineered (except from an elegance standpoint) and have the very great advantage for a tube circuit of being self biasing, self adjusting, and pretty much immune to variances in the tubes. You can change from the finest Mullard EL34s to unmatched Soviet wafer-based 5881s, and the amp sounds the same.

That's my experience with two examples of the MC240 (EL34 stereo) that I repaired. They're good amps, but undeserving of their iconic status, IMNSHO.

Aloha,

Poinz
AudioTropic

[Wavebourn]

They made a good name investing in solid design and good looking when the rest tried to cut costs.

[indianajo]

Best chrome plate in the industry. The tube amps had 3 lb (est.) output transformers, 3 times the size of a Dynaco ST70. In a world where bass sells iron, before transistors, McIntosh was the best I ever heard. In a world after transistors, I doubt if a tube Mac ever blew up a $500 speaker. It would take a vast lightening bolt to get through all that iron. I've always spent 3-5 times the amp cost on my speakers, and I'm a bit sensitive about blowing the speaker. I'm sitting here today, watching my transistor ST120 throw welding sparks from the ring the R27 resistor is soldered to, to the 6-32 nut clamping it down to the output transistor collector. (Infinity ohms). And most of the other transistor amps connect this point directly to the speaker?

[TheGimp]

Klipsch specified to fuse the speaker wires at the speaker. I've always done so.

[tvrgeek]

Iron and reliability. I too have always considered Mac products to be average sonically.
I would not say you are just paying for status, as their quality and reliability is what you pay for. THere is actual value in that.
When looking for "tube sound" I liked CJ better.

[indianajo]

Fuses have a voltage stop rating. 1/4x1-1/4" fuses are rated either 32 vdc, or 250 VAC. Above that rating the plasma of the fuse lets the arc continue across. Fuses will not stop a lightning bolt. A shorted heavy power transformer might. We get a lot of lightning here in the middle, a strike took out the bus on my Windows 98 computer from the phone line. One hit my ST120, something exploded the neon tube, but no other damage. I know about the MOS device you can install in your electrical box. If you don't check it every day, you don't know it is ruined and unable to stop the next one.
Factories here in the middle use a 10 lb. SOLA transformer on expensive computer controlled production equipment. Keeps the weighers running.

[cowboy99]

Picture is worth.........

Check out this wonder site for schematics etc
Berner's McIntosh Site
Charles