Mcintosh MC60's

[tblake10]

Heard a lot (good things) about the mc30's w/klipsch on this forum but not as much about the mc60's. Would appreiciate hearing from any mc60 owners using those amps w/klipsch speakers, any klipsch but particularly the khorns if there may be some of those. And, if there happens to be any that have used both would love to hear how they compared.

One thing I like about these is the gain controls. I use a BBX pre and I like it best at the highest gain so it is an adavantage to be able to adust the gain on the amps.

Tim

[CaptnBob]

I used to have a Mac 60. A great amp, with enormous headroom. Not quite as detailed or punchy as a 275, maybe a little darker. A little noiser, too, but that could have just been mine. Some early versions had a variable damping control, which you'll probably never need. Figure on getting them refitted, as they will be over half a century old now. More dynamic than an MC 30, and to me, better sounding, although the bass did tend to be a bit tubby. In short, one of the reasons golden age tube amps have the reputation they do.

The only flaw is a tendency to instability with odd loads. I once hooked mine up to a LsScala that was about 300 feet away. The 60 didn't like it - the 6550s turned red and everything. The Altec 128a I "threw into the breach" had no problems at all.

One other odd thing - I guess it's the weight of the transformers, but a lot of the Mc 60s I've seen seem to be sagging in the middle just a little bit.

All in all, a fine amp. You'll be happy with its "classic" sound, especially with Klipschorns.

One last thing - ventilate! They run hotter than most Macs.