Features

McIntosh MC2000 Commemorative Edition power amplifier (review) ($15,000; reviewed by Sam Tellig & Jonathan Scull, Vol.22 No.11 & Vol.23 No.3, November 1999 & March 2000)

Runners-Up (in alphabetical order):
Accuphase M-2000 power amplifier ($27,000; reviewed by Jonathan Scull, Vol.23 No.2, February 2000)
Audio Research Reference Two preamplifier (review) ($9995; reviewed by Michael Fremer, Vol.23 No.9, September 2000)
Balanced Audio Technology VK-50SE preamplifier ($7000; reviewed by Jonathan Scull, Vol.22 No.12, December 1999)
Bryston 9B-THX multichannel power amplifier ($3695; reviewed by Larry Greenhill, Vol.23 No.9, September 2000)
Krell FPB 350mc monoblock power amplifier (review) ($17,500/pair; reviewed by Jonathan Scull, Vol.23 No.8, August 2000)
Mark Levinson No.32 Reference preamplifier (review) ($14,950, phono stage adds $2500; reviewed by Jonathan Scull, Vol.23 No.1, January 2000)
Mark Levinson No.383 integrated amplifier (review) ($5995; reviewed by Larry Greenhill, Vol.23 No.7, July 2000)
Musical Fidelity A3^CR power amplifier ($1495; reviewed by Sam Tellig, Vol.23 No.10, October 2000)
Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 300 power amplifier (review) ($5495; reviewed by Michael Fremer, Vol.22 No.12, December 1999)
Rogue Audio 66LSR preamplifier (review) ($1295; reviewed by Chip Stern, Vol.23 No.10, October 2000)

The voting was closer in this category than in any other. No wonder, with "statement" products like the Reference Mark Levinson, BAT, and Audio Research preamplifiers and the Accuphase and Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista amplifiers taking on such intriguing designs as the big-current-drive Krell, the multichannel Bryston, the first Levinson integrated, and the superb little Rogue preamp. But in the final tally, the award went by a whisker to McIntosh's 50th Anniversary, Commemorative Edition MC2000. Designed by Sidney Corderman, McIntosh co-founder and designer of the legendary MC275, the MC2000's sound was praised at length by Jonathan Scull in his review.

The only downside to J-10's praise was that the MC2000 was produced in a limited edition; it's likely that all of them will have been snapped up by the time you read these words. So we'll give the final word to the usually reticent Sam Tellig, who used words like "glorious," "ineffable," and "breathtaking" in his report on the big Mac: "The MC2000, to a remarkable degree, combines resolution and musicality," he wrote, concluding that the amplifier "is the crowning achievement of 50 years of the McIntosh tradition." It seems our reviewers had no problem agreeing with Mr. T.