New verses old Mac

[Coytee]

If you were toying around with amp swapping (as contrasted with wife ) are there any major differences between a brand new McIntosh MC 275 verses an old one?

(forget about price for sake of conversation)

Actually, no... let's not forget about price since I have no idea of what they go for. I presume they sell for $3,500 - $5,000 ? (just a guess)

I was told that the new MC's have differnt placements of pc board and as such are more quiet, more reliable blah blah blah...

AFter hearing how quiet my Peach plays with the Wrights, the Jolida seems kinda noisey. So I'm contemplating replacing it. Figure hard to go wrong with McIntosh?

Deep inside me, I'm rather drawn to the McIntosh MC 2102. The guy at McIntosh told me that the MC 275 was "the perfect match" for a pair of Khorns. He went on to say that the MC2102 was just a prettied up MC 275 with a bit more power & different boxing (and a lot more $$). His choice was the 275.

[Royster]

I would lean to the older units. Freshen them up, and you know what you have.

Mac today is a name only. The company is now japanese owned. IMHO the quality is still good, but NO LONGER the great AMERICAN powerhouse. A perfect example of that is the car stereo line. Made by Clarion and a Mac name printed on it.

Roy

[dewickt]

Check your source, McIntosh is no longer part of Clarion, now is part of DM&M holdings, 100% US designed and built.

[Audible Nectar]

....and the 275's are still built in Binghampton, right? I think those trannies are wound by the same ladies that wound all the other transformers for Mac over the last 20+ years...

From what I've read, the 275MKIV is the best effort given to such a model from McIntosh. It is said to be smooth, liquid and clean at any output. Supposedly sweetah than the older 275 predecessors.

[Cleve]

Over at the AudioKarma forums, I've been working to set up a group McIntosh factory tour, followed by more fun at nearby Audio Classics. It's less than a month away - August 8th.

http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=36729

[dodger]

For what it's worth, I've seen many more of the new 275s for sale. Granted there are more available but those selling seem not to have had them long.

One other note - though the new are "improved" the Gordon Gow Edition had KT-88s made by Richardson in the U.S., now I have seen Chinese or Russian tubes in them.

They are still made in Binghamton.

The older are still commanding and getting a higher price.

Perhaps Terry can give more insighte to the reasons. I am not knocking McIntosh.

dodger

[Audible Nectar]

"For what it's worth, I've seen many more of the new 275s for sale"

I read or heard somewhere that some of the dealers/distributors were buying them up, then selling at or near cost on places like Audiogon and the like. Maybe there was a minimum required order and they were just selling off the excess? When the amp was first released, there was a slew of them on used audio sites being sold for 2500-2800 (MSRP is $3500) - but usually no warranty.

Even at MSRP, it is an attractive amp - used original 275's go for $5K if in the same mint condition. When I saw the MKIV at $2500 on Audiogon, even I began to wonder what a KT88 based McIntosh can do for me

The 275 MKIV is still a curiosity for me - I do want to hear one.

[Dflip]

Some comments from the AudioKarma forum.

The MC2102 is a fine amp and is rated at 100 watts per channel. Actual typical power of the MC2102 is around 120 watts per channel. The new MC275 will work in mono and be at least 150 watts rated but 180 or more typically.

I have not used the MC275 MKIVs set up this way but reports from dealers and consumers who have are very favorable. A mono MC275 will have more iron than one channel of the MC2102. Ron

Tubes are very complex and they do have variance from tube to tube. This forms a bell curve where the ones in the middle of the yield should match the design curve and the ends are both low and high out of spec. By using selected tubes and designing a circuit to accept the variance a very consistent amp can be made.

Board layout, the transformer core and winding, part type used and the voltages all have an impact on the sound of a tube amp. The original McIntosh tube amps are not as symmetrical in circuit design as the current offerings. Compare the schematics and the new version of the MC275 is more elegant. Ron

I was wondering about break in but there doesn't seem to be any. My impression is the design improvements make this a

more stable sounding unit.(?)

As far as sound it was what I heard in my 3 auditions. Detailed

and smoother in the lows mids and highs more than any of the

other vintage McIntosh tube amps I've heard.(all from the 30's on)

I would have sit and A/B/C with the MC2102 and MC2000. Got ones I can borrow?

It does sound better than the auditions at home as I expected due to speakers used.(their Kef's)

I have plenty of TS black plates, and true NOS signal tubes to roll but I don't even get the urge to do so. At least yet.

Features? Well, It is really nice to have the power switch but I

haven't used anything else yet. Heat is less than my MC60's but that is a non issue for me.

Would I buy it again?

In a heartbeat!

For dollar spent, sound, looks, the whole enchilada it really can't be beat in today's market IMO.

Thank You for a great amp McIntosh! Carl

[Audible Nectar]

"It does sound better than the auditions at home as I expected due to speakers used.(their Kef's)"

And that is the problem for me. I haven't heard of, nor read anyone on this forum who has evaluated the MKIV on KLIPSCH. And that is the more important part for me. I've read less favorable reports in that regard with the original 275 (30's, 60's, 225 are sweeter sounding on the horns), but the 275 MKIV hasn't gotten any attention or review here.

If McIntosh wanted to sell some of these, maybe they would allow for a "loaner/demo tour for review" program for us Klipschers Since they won't reissue the 30's, maybe they could try to addict us to new 275's (hint hint)