The Making of McIntosh Tube Amplifier

[amirm]

This video has made rounds before but I saw it again recently and thought it was worthwhile highlighting. It shows the manufacturing process of McIntosh Tube amplifier. I love the very clean layout and construction. And tailoring for mass production. Only they have strong enough brand recognition to make these in volume.

 

[Blumlein 88]

Thanks for the video Amir. I owned one of the old from the 1960's MC225 amps for a time. Full set of West German Telefunken tubes. Found it covered in dust, but it cleaned up perfectly. Also one tube and one SS tuner as well as a tubed pre-amp. All beautifully made and performed pretty well (tuners were fantastic). Truly a lifetime product one could own with pride. There once was a Mac dealer near where I went to university. They had other good quality gear, and let us poor college students spend as much time as possible there. Always telling us how great the gear was. Cultivating a market for the future. Other high end dealers shunned us as people who never purchased anything. Short sighted fools, all of which are out of business while that Mac dealer still thrives.

 

[watchnerd]

They're beautiful works of art.

I just wish I didn't have a philosophical and technical problem with owning one.

 

[RayDunzl]

I'll bet that tar fill makes some fine smoke when a transformer lets go...

I find the green LEDs on the small tubes unappealing in the photographs.

 

[Blumlein 88]

I'll bet that tar fill makes some fine smoke when a transformer lets go...

I find the green LEDs on the small tubes unappealing in the photographs.

Big plus one on the green LEDs. Very unappealing.

 

[markc2]

A serious thread bump

A McIntosh dealer in I believe Newton MA, from way back in the early 90's was very kind to a kid with no money. I walked in there not knowing poo about audio, and this person spent a great deal of time showing me the system he had. I believe it was xrt-22's along with solid state McIntosh and one of the companies first CD players. He played Bruce Springsteen in Concert and I was sold, but alas no funds :-(.

Given his generosity of time, and my finally having some funds many years later, my first real amp is a mc275V. Couldn't be happier. As far as brand awareness, I've heard Shindo, Audio Note, Air Tight, Ayre, EAR, Wilson and the list goes on, I am overjoyed with my Amp and it's been just as much fun to look at as well as listen to. I can think of several systems that beat it, but the sound to dollar ratio is way out of my league.

 

[anmpr1]

A serious thread bump

A McIntosh dealer in I believe Newton MA, from way back in the early 90's was very kind to a kid with no money.

Same experience. I don't know if back then McIntosh told their dealers to treat people with respect, or if it was just the particular owner of the store. In my case, I remember taking my Pioneer SA-9500 to one of the Mac clinics. Do they still have those? You could bring in an amp, any amp, and they'd scope it out. The Pioneer measured very well. The tech said something to the effect that I had a good amplifier. But to stop by later if and when I wanted to 'upgrade'. Back then Pioneer was my budget, and that was that. Yet they didn't throw me out of the store, and treat me with contempt. I've seen that at dealers.

 

[Raqs]

Has anyone been able to identify the testing equipment used in the video? It reminds me of Panasonic units - though N/A, as I don't think they made audio applications ones. Maybe R/S?...
Radu.