The MC501's midrange was far more like that of the…
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The stygian depths of Sugar's "Let's Feel the Music," from Shine (Korean CD, Starworld/BMG PD-6621), and the stomping, bugged-out "Dream" from their new Double Rainbow (Japanese CD, Toys Factory TFCC-81650, footnote 5), were nothing less than definitive. Whatever I asked the Macs to do in the bottom two octaves, they did. There was no drama unless the music demanded it, no "Hey, listen to what I can do" exaggeration, and no wussing out. There was only what I would describe in a person as complete and unqualified professional excellence.
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Solid-state monoblock power amplifier with balanced (XLR) and single-ended (RCA) inputs and "Autoformer"-coupled output stage. Minimum sinewave continuous average power output: 500W into 8, 4, or 2 ohms (27dBW, 24dBW, 21dBW, respectively). Rated power bandwidth: 20Hz-20kHz. THD: 0.005% into 8, 4, or 2 ohms, 250mW to rated power output. IMD: 0.005% maximum if instantaneous peak output does not exceed twice the rated output for any combination of frequencies, 20Hz-20kHz, into 8, 4, or 2 ohms. Dynamic headroom: 1.8dB. Wideband damping factor: 100 at 8…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog source: SOTA Cosmos Series III turntable, Graham 2.2 tonearm, Dynavector XV-1S cartridge.
Digital source: Classé Omega CD/SACD player.
Preamplification: Manley Labs Steelhead, Aesthetix Io Signature phono stages; VTL TL-7.5 Reference, BAT VK-51 SE line stages; McIntosh C200 (as line stage), Halcro dm10 preamplifiers.
Loudspeakers: Focal-JMlab Nova Utopia Be.
Cables: Phono: Hovland Music Groove 2. Interconnect: Acoustic Zen Silver Reference, Nordost Valhalla, Siltech SQ-110 Classic. Speaker: Nordost Valhalla, Siltech LS-188 Classic. AC:…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The McIntosh MC501 is unusual for a solid-state amplifier in that it uses an output transformer. This has three separate taps, one each optimized for 8, 4, and 2 ohm speakers. I hooked up my 8 ohm dummy load to the MC501's 8 ohm tap, and, following my usual practice, set the amplifier running at one-third power for one hour, to see how well it would deal with thermal stress. To my surprise, the McIntosh shut itself off after just five minutes—the orange Power Guard LED on the front panel illuminated, and the rear-panel heatsinks were too hot to touch. After the…
It's true—you never forget your first love. And no, I'm not talking about little Jackie Lynn Neeck in my second-grade class when I was seven years old. I still remember her, almost as vividly as I remember my first encounter with a fantastic stereo system, and therein hangs a tale.
When I was in my early teens, I studied classical and theater organ for several years. My teacher, Elaine, and her husband were, to put it mildly, fanatical about their hobbies. They spent four months slowly moving a moth-eaten, mouse-infested, and utterly non-functional 1925 Wurlitzer pipe organ into…
McIntosh's Power Guard circuit, a waveform comparator, monitors input and output waveforms. When the amp is overdriven, the Power Guard notices any difference in the two waveforms that exceeds 0.3% harmonic distortion, and engages a dynamic attenuator at the amp's input to reduce the signal just enough to prevent any further distortion reaching the amp. This is not limited to the amp's rated output power; the manual states that the MC501 will actually produce distortion-free output well above its rated power (footnote 4).
Unwrapping and getting comfortable
McIntosh's packaging is…
The stygian depths of Sugar's "Let's Feel the Music," from Shine (Korean CD, Starworld/BMG PD-6621), and the stomping, bugged-out "Dream" from their new Double Rainbow (Japanese CD, Toys Factory TFCC-81650, footnote 5), were nothing less than definitive. Whatever I asked the Macs to do in the bottom two octaves, they did. There was no drama unless the music demanded it, no "Hey, listen to what I can do" exaggeration, and no wussing out. There was only what I would describe in a person as complete and unqualified professional excellence.
The MC501's midrange was far more like that of the…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Solid-state monoblock power amplifier with balanced (XLR) and single-ended (RCA) inputs and "Autoformer"-coupled output stage. Minimum sinewave continuous average power output: 500W into 8, 4, or 2 ohms (27dBW, 24dBW, 21dBW, respectively). Rated power bandwidth: 20Hz-20kHz. THD: 0.005% into 8, 4, or 2 ohms, 250mW to rated power output. IMD: 0.005% maximum if instantaneous peak output does not exceed twice the rated output for any combination of frequencies, 20Hz-20kHz, into 8, 4, or 2 ohms. Dynamic headroom: 1.8dB. Wideband damping factor: 100 at 8…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog source: SOTA Cosmos Series III turntable, Graham 2.2 tonearm, Dynavector XV-1S cartridge.
Digital source: Classé Omega CD/SACD player.
Preamplification: Manley Labs Steelhead, Aesthetix Io Signature phono stages; VTL TL-7.5 Reference, BAT VK-51 SE line stages; McIntosh C200 (as line stage), Halcro dm10 preamplifiers.
Loudspeakers: Focal-JMlab Nova Utopia Be.
Cables: Phono: Hovland Music Groove 2. Interconnect: Acoustic Zen Silver Reference, Nordost Valhalla, Siltech SQ-110 Classic. Speaker: Nordost Valhalla, Siltech LS-188 Classic. AC:…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The McIntosh MC501 is unusual for a solid-state amplifier in that it uses an output transformer. This has three separate taps, one each optimized for 8, 4, and 2 ohm speakers. I hooked up my 8 ohm dummy load to the MC501's 8 ohm tap, and, following my usual practice, set the amplifier running at one-third power for one hour, to see how well it would deal with thermal stress. To my surprise, the McIntosh shut itself off after just five minutes—the orange Power Guard LED on the front panel illuminated, and the rear-panel heatsinks were too hot to touch. After the…