AudioAficionado.org  

Go Back   AudioAficionado.org > Manufacturers Forums > McIntosh Audio

McIntosh Audio A Tradition of Excellence

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #321  
Old 06-19-2022, 11:27 AM
cleeds cleeds is offline
Senior Member


 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 1,432
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by FreddieFerric View Post
... Who the hell uses less than 1500 Kw a month?...
I use much less than that monthly. And no, I don't have solar or any other magic solution. Neither do I have a particularly efficient stereo system.
__________________
Primary sources: VPI TNT III/SDS turntable, SME-V arm; Bryston BDP-3 digital player; Bryston BDA-3 DAC; McIntosh MVP-881 disc player; McIntosh MR-80 tuner. Preamplifier Audio Research Ref 5SE; Audio Research Ref Phono 2SE; Moon 430 HA. Amplifiers Conrad Johnson Premier 1B; Audio Research D-300; Bryston 4B. Speakers Infinity IRS Beta. Recorders Tandberg TD20A; Crown SX-822; Nakamichi 670ZX; Alesis Masterlink ML-9600. Power Tice Power Block/Titan (x2); McIntosh MPC1500; API Ultra II-20; multiple 20A derated dedicated lines.
Reply With Quote
  #322  
Old 06-19-2022, 11:31 AM
Formerly YB-2's Avatar
Formerly YB-2 Formerly YB-2 is offline
Retired

 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: NJ Shore
Posts: 8,404
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by cleeds View Post
I use much less than that monthly. And no, I don't have solar or any other magic solution. Neither do I have a particularly efficient stereo system.
Am guessing you do not live in southern Louisiana with their humidity & temps.
__________________
Glenn...
Clearaudio SM Pro Focal Bathys JLA 10" Dominion Kuzma Stabi S w/MC & MM Magnepan 1,7i McIntosh MA8950 Oppo 203 Roon Nucleus Rose Hifi RS150B Shunyata Gemini-4 Sony ST-A6B, TA-F6B & PS-X75 Sorane SA1.2 & TA-1L Stillpoints LP1v2 WW Pt, Au & Ag
Reply With Quote
  #323  
Old 06-19-2022, 12:30 PM
cleeds cleeds is offline
Senior Member


 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 1,432
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Formerly YB-2 View Post
Am guessing you do not live in southern Louisiana with their humidity & temps.
Even in the warm months here which can be as bad as Nawlins, my monthly use is well below 1.5 kW-h. Really.

This caught the attention of my electric utility some time ago and they installed a new meter to be sure it hadn't become miscalibrated somehow. It hadn't.

To be fair, I am very energy conscious, which is part of why I've never owned a truck or SUV. My favoring vacuum tube audio and highly biased SS amps is a personality anomaly.
__________________
Primary sources: VPI TNT III/SDS turntable, SME-V arm; Bryston BDP-3 digital player; Bryston BDA-3 DAC; McIntosh MVP-881 disc player; McIntosh MR-80 tuner. Preamplifier Audio Research Ref 5SE; Audio Research Ref Phono 2SE; Moon 430 HA. Amplifiers Conrad Johnson Premier 1B; Audio Research D-300; Bryston 4B. Speakers Infinity IRS Beta. Recorders Tandberg TD20A; Crown SX-822; Nakamichi 670ZX; Alesis Masterlink ML-9600. Power Tice Power Block/Titan (x2); McIntosh MPC1500; API Ultra II-20; multiple 20A derated dedicated lines.
Reply With Quote
  #324  
Old 06-19-2022, 01:15 PM
FreddieFerric's Avatar
FreddieFerric FreddieFerric is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: NOLA
Posts: 2,296
Default

I've emailed my public service commissioner about this new billing system. In the interim, I'm trying to figure out if this is the result of some federal energy policy or just some state level skullduggery.
__________________
McIntosh MA8000; McIntosh MC1502; Canton Vento Reference 1 DC; E.A.T. E-Flat; Soundsmith Paua Mk II; Technics SL 1210 MK5; Audio Technica AT-150 MLX; Tascam BR-20; Teac X1000R; Pioneer RT-707; Oppo UDP 205; Denon DCD A-100; HP All-In-One Touchscreen Server; JRiver MC 28; Woo Audio WA6; Shure SRH 1840; SVS SB 1000; Jolida 502BRC; Jolida JD9; VPI 16.5 RCM; Wireworld Oasis 8 Speaker Cables; Audoquest Columbia 72 DBS IC's; Panamax PM-5400 (source components only)
Reply With Quote
  #325  
Old 06-21-2022, 07:02 PM
FreddieFerric's Avatar
FreddieFerric FreddieFerric is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: NOLA
Posts: 2,296
Default

The MC 1502 draws 360 watts at idle. The MA 8000 draws 72 watts at idle. Both combined right at 432 at idle.

With the amp running at 50% and Diana Krall on SACD, the SPL's were ear splitting. I couldn't stand to stay in the room. The system was sucking down 475 watts.

Handy little device this thing.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg Kill A Watt.jpg (86.5 KB, 33 views)
__________________
McIntosh MA8000; McIntosh MC1502; Canton Vento Reference 1 DC; E.A.T. E-Flat; Soundsmith Paua Mk II; Technics SL 1210 MK5; Audio Technica AT-150 MLX; Tascam BR-20; Teac X1000R; Pioneer RT-707; Oppo UDP 205; Denon DCD A-100; HP All-In-One Touchscreen Server; JRiver MC 28; Woo Audio WA6; Shure SRH 1840; SVS SB 1000; Jolida 502BRC; Jolida JD9; VPI 16.5 RCM; Wireworld Oasis 8 Speaker Cables; Audoquest Columbia 72 DBS IC's; Panamax PM-5400 (source components only)
Reply With Quote
  #326  
Old 06-22-2022, 08:57 PM
PeterMusic PeterMusic is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 636
Default

Freddie--if you have a sunny roof, you might consider solar power. The economics were unbelievably good even before the recent spike in electricity prices. With all of the various tax incentives and rebates, they promised me 3 years ago that my system would pay for itself in 6 years and then deliver free juice for another 20 years. For financial types, the annualized return (IRR) was projected to be 15-18%, after tax.

My experience has been much better than expected, my annual electric bill (lights, heat, AC, EV) is negative after incentive payments. Now with the new electricity rates, it's going to jump again--it's like an ATM on the roof!
__________________
Clearaudio Ovation with Tracer Dynavector KARAT 17DX Naim Uniti Core Schiit Yggdrasil McIntosh C22/MC275 Wilson TuneTots B&W DB3D Nordost QKore/QBase/Frey 2 Transparent Super IsoAcoustics GAIA II
Stax SR-009S with SRM-700T
Reply With Quote
  #327  
Old 08-06-2022, 12:32 PM
FreddieFerric's Avatar
FreddieFerric FreddieFerric is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: NOLA
Posts: 2,296
Default

Prior to the great hack of 2022, I was asked to post up a review of the MC1502. I've thought a lot about this amp, its sound, and my impressions of it in the last 90+ days. What follows is a short summary of what I've come to think about it.


I should first like to start with the easiest matter to discuss: Physical Appearance.
It’s been oft said that nice things come in shiny packages. To the uninitiated, or those who have never seen the MC1502 in person, the amp is, well; Big! It has stature, visual impact and a certain style of overt gravitas. Its “in the flesh” presence overwhelms any photograph I have ever seen of it. It is by all accounts a very nice and substantial shiny package.

Having had the good fortune to visit or sit with a good number of McIntosh amps over the years, the MC1502 stands as a sort of standard bearer to the brands open tube architecture that had heretofore been the sole province of models such as the MC275 and MC75, its predecessors, and later to the newer models like the MC830 and its MA352 and MA252 integrated cousins.

Dimensionally the MC1502 measures a stout 18.25 x 10.25 x 21 (WxHxD) and weighs-in at a back breaking 118 pounds in the buff. The amp will take up nearly every square inch of some of the larger amp stands on the market. The top plate is mirror polished stainless steel which, aside from its visual beauty, helps augment the magical tube glow that the 8 KT88 power tubes produce. Its 8 signal tubes stand like sentries in front of the double rows of KT88’s, their green lit LED’s glowing brightly enough to be clearly seen in any daytime setting. To its credit, McIntosh includes, on the front panel, a rotary dial switch that defeats the little green devils, so nighttime enjoyment brings with it only the seductive and soul soothing natural amber glow that is the hallmark of vacuum tube gear. The fit and finish of this amp is simply superb from top to bottom. The MC1502 is architecture. The MC1502 is art.

In the audiophile community, the best looking gear doesn’t do much good to anyone if it doesn’t sound great as well. So, how does the MC1502 stack up in that regard? To set the record straight at the outset, you must know, I am not a loud music listener. My Rock n Roll head-banging days are miles behind me now. The genres of music I spend my days and nights listening to now consist of the great crooners, classical music and a prodigious amount of great jazz.

Being the non-professional reviewer I am, it seems easier for me to first discuss what the MC1502 doesn’t sound like. That is, it doesn’t sound classic tube-like. By that I mean it’s not overly warm or romantic. It’s not syrupy or fat sounding. It is, however, supremely neutral. To my ears, the amp sounds like truth. As I’ve listened to it over the last 90+ days, it constantly comes back to me that this amp illuminates music from within. The consequence of which is to draw you in to the listening experience. To my way of thinking, that is perhaps the highest compliment I can give to this amp. I look forward to the time I get to spend with it. Every time.

Great resolution is a hallmark of the MC1502’s sound. Instruments sound like real instruments. There’s resonating vibration and the gentle decay of the bow across string, the sound of air on the reed, the wetness in the artists mouth, and the utter purity of the struck piano key. This great quality, however, does not come across to the point where the taskmaster pounces on every miscalculation of the equation. This amp is not overtly analytical. It doesn’t get in the way of the music by exposing its flaws. It simply lets the music flow.

As I stated in the beginning, I like listening to music at low volume levels. To my way of thinking, soft listening volumes, 25% or less on the preamp, really exposes an amplifiers capabilities. It presents the test of whether the amp can sound real and still present an engaging sonic picture that gives the listener a reasonable dynamic presentation despite its idling along. The MC1502 really shines in this regard. What makes this fact even more impressive to me is that it achieves this quality through large full range floor standing Canton Reference speakers. A match made in heaven I’ve come to believe.

Oh, and the MC1502 has grip. Loads of grip. While I generally eschew loud music listening, it is not all the time. On those occasions when I’m in the mood for adventure, the volume level cranks up and the room fills with SPL’s that might make the faint of heart feel a bit squeamish. (This includes my wife and cat) Forgive my omission from the earlier description, but the MC1502 is rated at a mere 150 WPC. And if you believe that, I’ll tell you another. What I mean here is that McIntosh is legendary for its very conservative power output ratings. This amp produces a good bit more than 150WPC and while I have no measured proof to back that statement up, I’ll stand with Vizzini and say: “I’ll bet my life on it.”

On the subject of power, of which the MC1502 possess a prodigious amount; what good is 150 watts if the first watt isn’t sublime? This harkens to that age old adage of the audiophile community: If you don’t like the first watt, why would you want 149 more of them. Well, I like the MC1502’s first watt. No, I tell a lie,… I love the MC1502’s first watt. So heck yeah, I’ll gladly take 149 more! The hallmark of these watts is clean, coherent, resolving power: Free of artifacts, grain or glare. There is no sibilance in this amp. Period. What I really admire here is this amps ability to play throughout its entire power band without distortion or loss of control and delicacy. These accolades cannot be said of many solid state brethren, my MA8000 included. While it has twice the power output, it doesn’t maintain the same composure at 200 watts as it does at 10 watts. In saying this I’m not casting dispersions on the many fine solid state components on the market today. Rather, these are merely myopic musings from within my own little oyster.

A final word that must include the ubiquitous McIntosh Sentry Monitor. A hallmark of McIntosh protection circuitry, and in the case of the MC1502 (at least my unit), exceedingly sensitive. The monitor is designed to protect against impedance mis-matches between amp and speaker and also to detect tube failure, and I assume, other events of fault as they may occur. During my ownership of the MC1502, the Sentry Monitor has kicked in on two occasions. Both which seemed to have no apparent reason. Cycling the unit off and then on again reset it and all was good to go. Since those two occurrences, I have developed a particular power on procedure for the system which I leave disconnected from the mains when not in use. Since the adoption of said procedure, which I won’t detail here, Sentry Monitor has stayed unobtrusively quiet in the background, operating without issue.

Summing up. How do I feel about the MC1502? Well, were I tapped to evaluate a review sample how would I feel at the end? Would I feel obliged to buy the thing rather than let it out of my possession? In a word: Yes.
__________________
McIntosh MA8000; McIntosh MC1502; Canton Vento Reference 1 DC; E.A.T. E-Flat; Soundsmith Paua Mk II; Technics SL 1210 MK5; Audio Technica AT-150 MLX; Tascam BR-20; Teac X1000R; Pioneer RT-707; Oppo UDP 205; Denon DCD A-100; HP All-In-One Touchscreen Server; JRiver MC 28; Woo Audio WA6; Shure SRH 1840; SVS SB 1000; Jolida 502BRC; Jolida JD9; VPI 16.5 RCM; Wireworld Oasis 8 Speaker Cables; Audoquest Columbia 72 DBS IC's; Panamax PM-5400 (source components only)

Last edited by FreddieFerric; 08-07-2022 at 08:11 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #328  
Old 08-06-2022, 10:45 PM
John Jordan John Jordan is offline
Senior Member

 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Upstate NY
Posts: 658
Default

Freddie-

Well, that was one hell of a review! It certainly gives prospective buyers a foundation to base their own opinions/conclusions as to whether the 1502 is an amplifier to meet their individual needs/desires.

Great points made with overall volume and how the 1502 handles power. Often, loud music is confused as good sounding music. This loud music is often irritating . The key IMO is music that sounds good at lower volumes and doesn't fatigue when the occasion arises to crank it up.

Overall, a pleasure to read. Enjoy those sounds in good health!

John
__________________
AKA J2Ordan
McIntosh/Legacy/VPI/Bricasti/Bryston/DIYCable
Reply With Quote
  #329  
Old 08-07-2022, 05:45 PM
FreddieFerric's Avatar
FreddieFerric FreddieFerric is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: NOLA
Posts: 2,296
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by John Jordan View Post
Freddie-

Well, that was one hell of a review! It certainly gives prospective buyers a foundation to base their own opinions/conclusions as to whether the 1502 is an amplifier to meet their individual needs/desires.

Great points made with overall volume and how the 1502 handles power. Often, loud music is confused as good sounding music. This loud music is often irritating . The key IMO is music that sounds good at lower volumes and doesn't fatigue when the occasion arises to crank it up.

Overall, a pleasure to read. Enjoy those sounds in good health!

John
Thanks for the comments John. I agree on the volume issue. Seems I forgot to mention extended listenablility. The amp does not fatigue at all, and I have listened to it for hours on end without fatigue. I think that fact is owed to the amps neutrality and overall superb balance.
__________________
McIntosh MA8000; McIntosh MC1502; Canton Vento Reference 1 DC; E.A.T. E-Flat; Soundsmith Paua Mk II; Technics SL 1210 MK5; Audio Technica AT-150 MLX; Tascam BR-20; Teac X1000R; Pioneer RT-707; Oppo UDP 205; Denon DCD A-100; HP All-In-One Touchscreen Server; JRiver MC 28; Woo Audio WA6; Shure SRH 1840; SVS SB 1000; Jolida 502BRC; Jolida JD9; VPI 16.5 RCM; Wireworld Oasis 8 Speaker Cables; Audoquest Columbia 72 DBS IC's; Panamax PM-5400 (source components only)
Reply With Quote
  #330  
Old 08-07-2022, 10:03 PM
miner's Avatar
miner miner is offline
Senior Member


 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: The Woodlands, TX
Posts: 4,538
Default

I thoroughly enjoyed reading your review Freddie, very detailed and descriptive. Like you, I remove my system from power mains. My current startup procedure has my MC275 initialize remotely when my C1100 powers on. Shall I rethink this when my MC1502 arrives? I am getting impatient but have only reach a five month waiting period so far. Oct is my estimated delivery date.
__________________
“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans”
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Audioaficionado.org tested by Norton Internet Security

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 06:41 AM.



Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.10
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
©Copyright 2009-2023 AudioAficionado.org.Privately owned, All Rights Reserved.
Audio Aficionado Sponsors
AudioAficionado Subscriber
AudioAficionado Subscriber
Inspire By Dennis Had
Inspire By Dennis Had
Harmonic Resolution Systems
Harmonic Resolution Systems
Wyred4Sound
Wyred4Sound
Dragonfire Acoustics
Dragonfire Acoustics
GIK Acoustics
GIK Acoustics
Esoteric
Esoteric
AC Infinity
AC Infinity
JL Audio
JL Audio
Add Powr
Add Powr
Accuphase - Soulution
Accuphase - Soulution
Audio by E
Audio by E
Canton
Canton
Bryston
Bryston
WireWorld Cables
WireWorld Cables
Stillpoints
Stillpoints
Bricasti Design
Bricasti Design
Furutech
Furutech
Shunyata Research
Shunyata Research
Legend Audio & Video
Legend Audio & Video