McIntosh MPM4000 Power Meter Review

[beagleman]

£999 daylight mac robbery

okay here's tandy realistic a power meter that is light years cheaper
vu and led

View attachment 424318View attachment 424319

I thought I remembered someone back in the day, testing one of the Realistic (Radio Shack) power meters in some magazine from maybe the 80s and finding it surprisingly good accuracy for the relatively low price it went for.

It may not even have been an audio magazine, but maybe Popular Mechanics or something similar.

 

[ChrisHeinonen]

Seems like McIntosh gets everything right except speakers. They always look great too—any and every vintage I’ve seen.

Nah, their $8,000 Blu-ray player was the worst one I ever tested when it came to video quality. Couldn't get a simple chroma upsampling correct. I even went to a dealer in town and tested another one to make sure my review sample wasn't broken, but it was just awful for video quality. Built like a tank and sounded great, though.

 

[antcollinet]

I find it facinating how the electical motor power engeeneers has solved the current measurment problem in a cheap and accurate way for motor control.
Warning: reading this and your head might start to spinn: https://www.ti.com/lit/ug/tiducy7/tiducy7.pdf?ts=1738066318483

You don't generally want sense resistors in your audio path though.

Plus - not needed in audio applications for them to work - unlike with senseless vector control of motors - which fall over in a smouldering heap if they don't know what the current is.

 

[A Surfer]

Seems like McIntosh gets everything right except speakers. They always look great too—any and every vintage I’ve seen.

I agree. I have always found McIntosh gear to look great. I dig their designs.

 

[milosz]

Measuring power when connected to the complex impedances of real world speakers is complicated. But if you start with metering that gives accurate results on resistive loads then you are likely to get some kind of reasonably useful results on speakers.

 

[Ralph_Cramden]

 

[GXAlan]

The ballistics are off…. That’s the main advantage for these vintage eye candy products. Yes, 1997 is vintage.

 

[JSmith]

Realistic APM-200 Peak & RMS Audio Power Meter NOS In Box Vintage | eBay

The Realistic APM-200 Peak & RMS Audio Power Meter is a vintage piece of audio equipment in new old stock condition. Manufactured in Korea, Republic of, this model AMP-200 power meter was designed by Realistic to accurately measure both peak and RMS audio power. It comes in its original box...

www.ebay.com

This one claims to be opened, but unused... box and all.


JSmith

 

[GXAlan]

Realistic APM-200 Peak & RMS Audio Power Meter NOS In Box Vintage | eBay

The Realistic APM-200 Peak & RMS Audio Power Meter is a vintage piece of audio equipment in new old stock condition. Manufactured in Korea, Republic of, this model AMP-200 power meter was designed by Realistic to accurately measure both peak and RMS audio power. It comes in its original box...

www.ebay.com

This one claims to be opened, but unused... box and all.


JSmith

Someone should buy it and send it to Amir!

 

[restorer-john]

I really don't see why a company can't make a proper power meter like these, even incorporated into a nice integrated (for a reasonable price), properly referenced to 4/8 Ohm.

Yamaha does.

 

[JSmith]

Yamaha does.

Yeah I know mate... but the first model with meters is AUD$3.7K for the A-S1200 and $5K, for the R-N2000A.

$2K would be much better. Not that I need anymore amps anyway... but wouldn't mind a dedicated power meter to play with.


JSmith

 

[dualazmak]

One of my dear ASR friends just personally contacted me saying "It should be your turn to participate in Amirm's new thread (this thread)."
Accordingly...
Together with my ACCUPHASE E-460 and YAMAHA A-S3000 (both have nice VU/PP meters) plus SONY TA-A1ES and YAMAHA A-S301, I have my DIY-built IEC_16028-17_ballistic-behavior-compatible large-glass-face 12-VU Meter Array monitoring SP-high-level output of multiple amplifiers in my PC-DSP-based multichannel multi-SP-driver multi-amplifier fully active audio setup (ref. my post here #535 and #931on my project thread).

Spoiler

Please visit post #535 and #931 on my project thread for the details...

- New video clips of dancing 12-VU-Meter Array (IEC60268-17 compatible) together with all the on-screen Peak Meters of audio software tools while playing reference/sampler music tracks by JRiver MC, ADOBE Audition 3.0.1 and MusicScope 2.1.0:
____Part-1: using a typical reference/sampler music track suitable for high-Fq (treble) transient music sound: #974
____Part-2: using a typical reference/sampler music track suitable for mainly checking and tuning of low Fq (bass) transient music sound as well as total tonality Fq-SPL balance all over 15 Hz to 22 kHz: #975

These posts and the videos thereof together with EKIO's peak meters would be also of your interest and reference, I assume;
- Dancing video of my IEC 60268-17 compatible large glass-face DIY 12-VU-Meter Array
_____Part-1: with "High Frequency Linearity Check Track" of Sony Super Audio Check CD: #750
_____Part-2: with typical "Full Orchestra Music"-1: #751
_____Part-3: with typical "Full Orchestra Music"-2: #752
_____Part-4: with typical "Jazz Piano Trio Music": #753

Furthermore, this new thread "True peak programme meter" started by @GK. would be of your interest and reference, I assume.

 

[dualazmak]

Because of my personal nostalgia, I still love/like large-glass-face conventional-needle-type peak log-compression program meter plus IEC_16028-17_ballistic-behavior-compatible VU-Meter; my dream post here, therefore, would be also of your interest and reference, I assume.

Spoiler

 

[ObjectiveSubjectivist]

Thank you for your review Amir.

The only negative is the astronomical pricing of it. I guess half of that is for the "status" sake.
Maybe, or it's too McIntosh's owner who for example bought a McIntosh MC1502 tube amp for $12,000.00 no astronomical price to just to add a MPM4000?

A new VU /Power/dB stereo meter from McIntosh costs $1,800.00. Wait it was "just" a mantle clock:

MCLK12 Clock

Illuminated meters for ease of sight Temperature compensated Quartz movement ----SPLIT---- The McIntosh MCLK12 mantle clock is a celebration of time while being a tribute to classic McIntosh design. Constructed with the signature McIntosh blue watt meters, the MCLK12 demonstrates the same easy...

shop.mcintoshlabs.com

Some time ago I did similar clock using voltage meters and arduino.
Worked but never put it in the enclosure

Maybe I should and charge ~2k

 

[DanielT]

Maybe I should and charge ~2k

Why not, but it will be missing what buyers open their wallets for, the logo:
(yes i know you are joking)

For your own use if you think it's fun, there are various things with the McIntosh logo on them. T-shirt for example:

BUT, if you put on a t-shirt like that, it's probably the last nail in the coffin for your rock period. Then you had these t-shirts:

 

[ObjectiveSubjectivist]

Why not, but it will be missing what buyers open their wallets for, the logo:
(yes i know you are joking)
View attachment 424582
For your own use if you think it's fun, there are various things with the McIntosh logo on them. T-shirt for example:
View attachment 424583
BUT, if you put on a t-shirt like that, it's probably the last nail in the coffin for your rock period. Then you had these t-shirts:
View attachment 424584View attachment 424585View attachment 424586

There is this polish company (Muarah):

To me it's obvious "inspiration" from McIntosh styling, so... there is hope for me and my own branding

 

[Cogito]

It adds more cable clutter, does nothing for the sound quality and costs a bunch for a very limited feature set. Other than being "grey-haired audiophile"* eye-candy, why?

*Yes, I'm one of them...

 

[001]

Why not, but it will be missing what buyers open their wallets for, the logo:
(yes i know you are joking)
View attachment 424582
For your own use if you think it's fun, there are various things with the McIntosh logo on them. T-shirt for example:
View attachment 424583
BUT, if you put on a t-shirt like that, it's probably the last nail in the coffin for your rock period. Then you had these t-shirts:
View attachment 424584View attachment 424585View attachment 424586

Or, you could be a daredevil and wear this T out and about... PS. The batteries last a looong time. Pps rates very low on the WAF scale.

 

[MediumRare]

What I see as negative is the range,a little over 100W.
Bring me a kW one and I'm sold!
(Nahhh,although I respect Mcintosh they are too colorful for me,a little like the SMSL of amps in terms of colors )

Thanks Amir!

It goes to 200 W.

 

[Sokel]

It goes to 200 W.

That's even better then.

(I then saw that is tiny,I thought it was a full size gear,never realized that it's a car accessory)