McIntosh bass

[crwilli]

When I owned the MC2301 monos driving my Strads, I never wanted for deep and clean bass / lower midrange. McIntosh has a fantastic 300wpc tube mono amplifier.

[John Jordan]

Originally Posted by McMan

I hope one day that, McIntosh cuts the first half of the MC901 off and offers us that 300-watt monoblock.

That is the amplifier I would love to own. Would anyone else be interested in a McTube amp like that?

Well...

The 3500 mk2's are a not too shabby alternative.

Enjoy the Sounds,

John

[McMan]

Originally Posted by John Jordan

Well...

The 3500 mk2's are a not too shabby alternative.

Enjoy the Sounds,

John

The MC3500 mk2 is beautiful! The MC901 tube chassis design and styling are incredible.

I think Mc should run with this timeless design. Offer a mono 300, mono 150, and mono 75. All models have a large meter, so we know how much power we use.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by crwilli

When I owned the MC2301 monos driving my Strads, I never wanted for deep and clean bass / lower midrange. McIntosh has a fantastic 300wpc tube mono amplifier.

I agree with both crwilli and McMan. The 2301 is a wonderful tube power amp but fundamentally different from all other Mac tube gear. When I posted the thread I wondered if anyone owned a MC2000 power amp. It's only selling for a cool 30K. Read the Stereophile and Home Theater reviews. It's closer to 170w/ch. It's a powerhouse and the design is so beautiful. I believe that a 300 watt mono design that would be essentially an updated MC2000 which would include all the protection circuits incorporated in the 901 would be absolutely terrific and would sell sell sell. I'm going to strongly suggest this to my Mac friend. This doesn't take anything away from the new 3500 or the 2301, but McMan's idea properly executed, IMO, is tremendous.

Best

Charles

[McMan]

The new mc3500 is a classic and will always be. I think it would be a good idea to discontinue them so they become even more valuable for those individuals who jumped in early.

Then offer the same unit but with the timeless black front glass design.

[j3brow]

Originally Posted by McMan

I hope one day that, McIntosh cuts the first half of the MC901 off and offers us that 300-watt monoblock.

That is the amplifier I would love to own. Would anyone else be interested in a McTube amp like that?

I’ve never thought of it that way but now that I’ve envisioned it, absolutely!! I haven’t ever been too keen on the front metal apron in photos, I prefer a full black glass front, but it would grow on me in time. The 3500 silver-ish face has grown on me over time and i now like the look. The MC901 chopped in half would be a fantastic design for those of us that do not own speakers that are capable of bi-amping. Like this thread has stated, McIntosh tube amplifiers handle bass frequencies very well. 300, 150, 75 watt versions based on the aesthetic design of the 901 would be home runs.

[Charles]

My mac friend had little interest in McMan's idea, despite my strong advocacy. Also, he said the notion that a single 275 sounded better than two bridged mono 275's indicated a need for service. He said the 1502 was a stronger better amp than two mono bridged 275's. It's significantly more quiet and will produce more watts. But he was emphatic: bridged mono 275's are significantly sonically better than a single 275. He was very pleased about ARC. No one wants anything but success for a great American tube amplifier company.

Best

Charles

[Charles]

My Mac friend had little interest in McMan's idea, despite my strong advocacy. I'm not surprised but I still believe it an excellent idea. Also, he said bridged mono 275's were significantly superior to one stereo 275. He said if this were not so in a particular system, it indicated a need for service for the mono amp(s). However, he said a 1502 was a stronger amp and significantly superior to bridged 275's and would produce more watts and was significantly more quiet. He was very pleased over the good news about ARC being bought and continuing as a company. He said that the secret sauce that made Mac tubes sound so good has been passed down by word of mouth from generation to generation. It's not written down anywhere.

Best

Charles

[McMan]

Did you ask why he had little interest in the concept? I am curious as to why there is such little interest in a product that is similar to their flagship MC901.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by McMan

Did you ask why he had little interest in the concept? I am curious as to why there is such little interest in a product that is similar to their flagship MC901.

Yes I did. But I did not receive a satisfactory answer. Apparently, Mac has other projects other than a really nice beautiful 300 watt classic mono tube amp on the order of an updated 2102 or 2000. Personally, I think this a real shame. The thing that I have come to understand about Mac is that they are consumer driven. The majority of their sales are from Asia, not the USA. I'm not a big fan of the hybrid drive concept. I think they think that the 2301, which is still selling well, and the 3500 offer sufficient high powered tube amps and that another high powered tube amp, while "nice", is overkill. That was my impression. He said that there were 750 MC 2000's and a lot of 2102's out there. I said I thought the new protective circuits were extremely desirable. I got nowhere. He's a very good friend. We spoke for over an hour.

Best

Charles