Mcintosh: the looks

[bluefuzz]

oh... well...they've been around for... a while.

So I gather. But they are rare in this part of the world.

 

[Chrispy]

Gear aesthetics mean little to me generally, and the McIntosh lights/meters mean little to me. The design isn't remarkable IMO. Then again I don't fondly gaze upon things like amps/receivers....I just use them. The resale value/look does appeal to many, tho.

 

[mhardy6647]

McIntosh is a funny brand -- it's sort of the Checker Marathon of hifi equipment, I'd opine.

The stuff is perfectly OK, but it doesn't really manifest anything like the level of quality or performance that is ascribed to it by its rabid fan base.
(IMO, of course). And, as noted before, yes, I do own a few pieces of Mac equipment -- mostly because of the aforementioned resale value thing. Oh, and I do like many of the tuners they've produced over the years.

 

[Dj7675]

They should sound resonably transparent, the manufacturer specifies essentially flat FR, 122db SNR and -86dB THD for the MC462. And with 450W per channel it will be plenty powerful.

I too think that it looks rather ... tacky. However not necessarily in a bad way - not like some of the supposed "high-end" products with cheap, generic cases.
Instead it features some very detailed case work, but for me personally, less would be more in that regard.

Are you sure about the -86dB? Stereophile measured it and it appears to be a very good performer.
https://www.stereophile.com/content/mcintosh-laboratory-mc462-power-amplifier-measurements
Also, @Matias has assembled a very good list of measurements from all over. That thread is located here and the link to the spreadsheet is here. Relative to other amps it seems to be near the top it seems. They do make a few silly things for sure like their clock, but they are still making some very good performing amps.

 

[3125b]

Are you sure about the -86dB?

Manufacturer specification is 0.005%, wich equals -86dB. I didn‘t make that up.
And sure enough, it‘s actually true near full power with a 4 ohm load, wich is kind of a worst case scenario, making the specification rather conservative. They could have claimed 0.00035% and it would have been true as a sort of best case scenario, wich I‘m sure some manufacturers do.

 

[MediumRare]

Manufacturer specification is 0.005%, wich equals -86dB. I didn‘t make that up.
And sure enough, it‘s actually true near full power with a 4 ohm load, wich is kind of a worst case scenario, making the specification rather conservative. They could have claimed 0.00035% and it would have been true as a sort of best case scenario, wich I‘m sure some manufacturers do.

They use that as a blanket on all their amps. The apples-to-apples number as Amir calculates it is generally much lower.

 

[3125b]

The real performance is remarkably good indeed and thanks for linking that spreadsheet, it‘s very interesting to see how some of the most expensive amps perform (or, well, don‘t).

 

[Wes]

Oh, and I do like many of the tuners they've produced over the years.

Let's see those tuners. And their performance...

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

So I gather. But they are rare in this part of the world.

What part of the world are you in?

 

[MediumRare]

Are you sure about the -86dB? Stereophile measured it and it appears to be a very good performer.
https://www.stereophile.com/content/mcintosh-laboratory-mc462-power-amplifier-measurements
Also, @Matias has assembled a very good list of measurements from all over. That thread is located here and the link to the spreadsheet is here. Relative to other amps it seems to be near the top it seems. They do make a few silly things for sure like their clock, but they are still making some very good performing amps.

Nice! So the 8 ohm number the way Amir measures it is a little over 400 WPC at the elbow (516 WPC clipping) into 8 ohms and 0.0007% THD+N. However, @amirm reports SINAD at 5 WPC so the McIntosh would measure at .0008% (-102dB), which puts it among the top 4 power amplifiers ranked on ASR. Interesting that between 30 and 200 WPC into 8 ohms SINAD is at or below -106 dB.

 

[bluefuzz]

What part of the world are you in?

Denmark.

 

[egellings]

They strike me as handsome amplifiers. Will never be able to afford them, however.

 

[MaxBuck]

McIntosh equipment has always had the look, to me, of equipment that costs way too much for what one gets.

 

[Wes]

McIntosh equipment has always had the look, to me, of equipment that costs way too much for what one gets.

True now. Likely not true in the 1950s...

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

McIntosh equipment has always had the look, to me, of equipment that costs way too much for what one gets.

McIntosh is surprisingly low cost (relatively) compared to some of the 'ultra high end bling" brands, such as....

 

[mhardy6647]

McIntosh equipment has always had the look, to me, of equipment that costs way too much for what one gets.

Not compared to, say, that D'Angostino guy...

This stuff, and the price of same, makes the Mac stuff look pretty sensible.

 

[MRC01]

Regarding looks: I like equipment that is well built but function over form. High quality parts with solid build made to last for years if not decades, but nothing fancy or blingy. A look that says, "Tools, not toys". Like the electronic equipment I used to work with on Navy ships.

Some of the pictures posted above remind me of the gold toilets and firearms found in Saddam's palace. Beyond silly, just ridiculous.

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

Regarding looks: I like equipment that is well built but function over form.

More like this:

 

[mhardy6647]

McIntosh is surprisingly low cost (relatively) compared to some of the 'ultra high end bling" brands, such as....

View attachment 144353

Heh, you beat me to it!



Then again, at the ultimate highest end, this stuff is actually reputed to be pretty good...

https://boulderamp.com/

 

[rman9]

I am thinking about putting up track focus lights to shine on the Mcintosh equipment, just like how they would do for a painting... Yes I'll do that.. maybe with a dimmer switch..