In this, McIntosh is not unique; KLH, JBL, Klipsch, and other companies have rethought and reworked vintage products for the current marketplace, employing new approaches and technologies.…
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What was old is new again. McIntosh Laboratories has been in business long enough that they are able to bring new design thinking, materials, and construction methods to products from their extensive back catalog. Example: McIntosh's first successful loudspeaker, the ML1. The venerable Binghamton, New York, hi-fi company recently released a redesigned "Mk II" version ($12,000/pair, stands included).
The ML1 Mk II's came to me new from the McIntosh plant in nearby Binghamton. When I first fired up the ML1 Mk II's, I picked something to play at random. I don't even recall what the recording was. My initial reaction: The upper-mids seemed a bit harsh and busy, very different than the two-way stand-mounted Harbeth C7's that usually occupy this space. Following my new resolution to be patient, I kept playing recordings without sitting in the sweet spot or taking notes. I did not fool around yet with placement or toe-in, and I left the handsome substantial grilles in place. My idea was to…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Four-way acoustic suspension, floorstanding speaker system. Drive units: One 12" polypropylene-cone woofer; two 4" polypropylene-cone lower midrange drivers; one 2" soft-cloth–dome upper-midrange driver, and one ¾" (20mm) treated titanium-dome tweeter. Crossover frequencies: 180Hz, 500Hz, 4.5kHz. Frequency range: 27Hz– 45kHz. Sensitivity: 85dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms. Max. power handling: 600Wpc.
Dimensions: 26 1/8" (664mm) H × 15" (381mm) W × 13 3/8" (340mm) D. Weight: 66lb (30kg). Stands: 19lb (8.6kg).
Serial numbers of units…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: VPI HW-40 turntable, VPI 12" Fatboy tonearm, Pro-Ject Classic EVO turntable, Lyra Etna λ Lambda cartridge, Ortofon Bronze Cadenza cartridge, Sumiko Amethyst cartridge.
Digital sources: MacBook Air running Tidal, Roon, Qobuz. Bricasti M1 Series II DAC, Musical Fidelity M1 CDT transport, ProJect CD Box RS 2 T.
Preamplification: McIntosh C12000.
Integrated Amplifier: McIntosh MA252.
Power Amplifier: McIntosh MC462.
Loudspeakers: Harbeth C7ES-3XD, Wilson Audio Specialties Sasha V.
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Diamond AES,…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system, a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone, and an Earthworks microphone preamplifier to measure the quasi-anechoic frequency- and time-domain behavior of one of the McIntosh ML1 Mk IIs—serial number BBB1256—in the farfield. The manual doesn't mention the preferred listening axis. However, although the tweeter is a low 31.75" from the floor with the loudspeaker sitting on its stand, the stand's slight tiltback will aim the tweeter at the ears of a typical seated listener. I therefore performed the farfield measurements on the tweeter axis. I…
Tubes, tubes, tubes—how we love to bask in their glow, roll them, and take their second-harmonic distortion into our hearts as if it were a child or a pet. Some may put out so much heat that we have no choice but to open a window, turn on the air conditioning, or listen in the garb of Adam and Eve before that fatal first bite. As they and you age, you can never be sure who's at their best. Tubes, at least, can be replaced, albeit at significant expense.
The special sound of tubes, which flows like water and sometimes shines like the golden sun you hopefully shielded your eyes from during…
What occasioned the redesign of his less expensive monoblocks? "The MRE 220 SE is a refinement of its predecessor, the MRE 220, which was available for close to eight years. After its release, as I worked with different systems and setups, I learned how to improve some aspects of the push-pull design that affected feedback and stability. A good amplifier is a stable amplifier that always has good sound, independent of the speaker. I've made the two signal passes for the plus and the minus push-pull transients as equal as possible. The midrange and even the high frequencies and bass sound…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Tubed pentode push-pull mono power amplifier. Tube complement: four KT88 S4A Carbon standard, four KT120 or KT150 optional; two ECC82; one 6SN7. Inputs: 1 balanced (XLR), 1 single-ended (RCA). Outputs: 1 pair binding posts. Output power: 200W average/220W peak power into 4 ohms (20/20.4dBW). Minimum load impedance: 2 ohms. Voltage gain: 26dB. Input sensitivity: 1.5V for full output power. Frequency response: 20Hz–70kHz, –3dB at full power, 5Hz–80kHz, –3dB at 5W. S/N ratio: 116dB (100µV, 150 Hz–15kHz). Power consumption: <20W Eco Mode, 180W idle,…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital sources: dCS Vivaldi Apex DAC, Vivaldi Upsampler Plus, Vivaldi Master Clock, and Rossini Transport; EMM Labs DV2 Integrated DAC, Meitner MA3 Integrated DAC; Innuos Statement Next-Gen Music Server; Small Green Computer Sonore Deluxe opticalModule (2); Uptone Audio EtherREGEN with SOtM sCLK-OCX10 Master Clock and sPS-500 power supply; Broadcom/Avago AFBR-5718PZ 1GB SX-SFP, Gen 5 Fiber Optic modules; Nordost QNet switch and QSource linear power supplies (2); Sonore Audiophile Linear Power Supply; Synology 5-bay 1019+ NAS with Ferrum Hypsos linear/…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured a different sample of the Octave Audio MRE 220 SE to that auditioned by JVS. Mine had the serial number 412182330. JVS had told me that he performed his critical auditioning with the balanced input, the Power switch set to High, the damping factor set to DF Low, the Ground Lift switch in the Connected position, and with the amplifier connected to the Super Black Box external supply (footnote 1). I performed a full set of measurements in that condition, then repeated some of the tests with the single-ended input, then with the damping set to DF High, and…