A behind the scenes look inside the McIntosh factory in Binghamton, NY. Get to know the heritage behind the McIntosh brand as well as how the gear is made and the people who make it.
I experienced Macintosh when I was 13, I am 74 now, and the first equipment I acquired was 51 years ago, an amp and and a tuner-pre-amp, and both are still performing quite well. I added two other pieces a bit later and are now in the 40 plus year old range, and, also, performing quite well. I miss the service clinics that they used to have, but the quality of the product remains albeit the price reflects its quality. I asked a sales person at an MC store about how people afford this stuff and it was explained rather simply: some people spend their money on guns or cars or sporting equipment and some people spend their money on fine audio.
And smarter consumers buy brands that ain't over priced for the product received.....marketing is McIntosh's biggest dept...using output transformers on solid state electronics is a dopey as it gets.
@@cengeb marketing? how so? can you say that about other audio brands? i seldom see any advertisements for audio equipment, its barely there... can you elaborate on your last statement on using output transformers on solid state electronics and why its "dopey"?
@@JJ305JJ The ending of vacuum tubes on output stages means ya don't need a transformer to match the load impedance to the output of the amplifiers....Solid state cured everything. Using it on SS, by McIntosh is just a gimmick, and waste. It actually y hampers proper operation of the transistors. EXICON MOSFETS for the win..Using output transformers adds weight, unnecessary useless costs, it's called OBSOLETE technology
Years ago I repaired a transistor McIntosh amp and pre-amp for a buddy that he picked up at a garage sale for a hundred bucks. The biggest mistake I made was testing them on my system after I repaired them. The control and accuracy of those components blew me away. There was no left or right just a beautiful wall of sound. I listened to them for a week, I lied to him and told him I had to order some parts from back east. I forget the model of the amp. but it was so simple in design using the fewest number of components but I think the output transformers were one of the big reasons for the great sound . The pre-amp only needed the controls to be cleaned and the amp. had been repaired by someone who used the wrong components and damaged some transistors in the driver board for one channel.
Went ahead & purchased an MHA200 headphone amplifier & couldn’t be any more pleased. The midrange is traditional McIntosh & it’s oh so good. First tube amp in my collection & may very well be my endgame for quite some time.
Got my first Mac piece in 1976, a used MA5100 upon high school graduation. Still have one as a backup integrated though it started having some issues a year ago on one channel and there is no local tech to fix it. I also have had others though my current is an upgraded MC250 power amp run direct w/a passive preamp as I love the old Mac sound and dont necessarily need tone controls. Its a first generation solid state product that sounds very tube-like. Run with my rebuilt Ohm Walsh 2-100s and Spendor S3/5 monitors it is fabulous. Folks come over and always comment on how good the music sounds. Been lusting after a MC275 or one of the newer integrateds for awhile but have not pulled the trigger yet. Have bought lots of other equipment over the years and listened to many other brands. Still own some of that stuff but I always find I come back to Mac. It just sounds like music and I think as an amateur musician I hear stuff with Mac I dont with others.
@@blue03r6 No PROFITS, no company, PROFITS matter. In 2020, having an output transformer on solid state audio amplifiers is absolute DUMB....nothing says OBSOLETE like still using circuit designs from 1956...vacuum tube amps, using tubes on the output stages is even DUMBER...MOSFETS, more current, much better, 2020, join it..fancy front panels, does not make better audio, it makes living room jewelry, not electronics excellence
@@blue03r6 Funny stuff, you do know McIntosh is on about it's 3rd owner, trying to survive, Clarion once owned it, and made car stereos with the McIntosh logo, it was a failure...there is nothing in a McIntosh that makes it any better, it's a highly marketed name, with lots of foo foo...study electronics, and electrical engineering, and discover all the components are off the shelf stuff. Vertical integration at McIntosh is just proving they still think it's 1959...vertical integration is an obsolete method of mfg. inefficient, and expensive. winding your own transformer in 2020, is a dumb as it gets. Live events, professionals don't use Mcintosh, it's living room jewelry, not up to the abuses of the road, and live events, it is not the best, it's jewelry...bending your own chassis, and cutting your own front panels is dumb...companies that specialize in all that stuff, can do it better for less. It would be like a car company making their own windshields, and tires, DUMB!!! Output transformers on solid state electronics is dumber than dumb, and OBSOLETE design concepts..I don't know "anything" about high end audio, high end audio, is MARKETING, start learning and read some pro audio stuff, Live Sound International, Pro Sound News,Mix, Sound on Sound etc etc..not Stereoplake Mag or Absolute Nonsense Magazines , DEFINE world renowned....it's a meaningless buzz word...
@@cengeb again, you know zero about high end stereo equipment. there's a reason why people buy these over brands with more electronics in them. the sound...is...superior. i'm done with you dickweed. you're an idiot. you couldn't tell the difference because you're the kind of guy that owns a soundbar for your home audio.
I was born in 1949, so I know how old the company is. The first high end system I ever heard was a Mac tube preamp and power amp connected to a pair of very large ADS acoustic suspension speakers. It sounded really great.
Actually when i was a kid I heard teh McIntosh fancy setup, then I went and heard teh much lower cost Dynaco ST70 and Dyna PAM pre amps, McIntosh didn't sound as good, but looked fancy, not sound fancy. I wound up with Dyna ST-400 PAT5 pre amp, lots of Advent and AR and Dyna speakers all hooked up as one..blew the McIntosh away, biggley, for a lot less money. Same holds true today...McIntosh is grossly over priced, marketed to the unknowing, , all show, under performers. Current AVA VanAlstine 5200W RMS 4 mono amps around 1200-1400W EACH RMS MOSFETS output each mosfet can do like do some incredible voltage swings and high current, with freq responses to the stratosphere. driving Legacy Whispers, and several different SACD, DSD sources, and Audio Research and AVA hybrid pre amps, will play better than any thing grossly over priced in McIntosh..spend money wisely on electronics, not fancy boxes. It makes a difference...speaking of marketing, ya hardly ever see AVA advertise, same as Legacy, they sell them selves
A suggestion to Mcintosh management: there should be an option to get anodized aluminum body on the sides rather than all black. It will look out of this world. Trust me!
I was behind the stage at the Glen in 73 and clearly remember dozens of McIntosh amp boxes just tossed in a pile, I read later that they needed more power for the sound system and went to the factory( which was closed for vacation) but they got the owner or someone to open to buy a bunch of amps...still on my list of things I’d like someday...
70 likes you have to be kidding me. Thanks for not changing, a lot of other brands whent to crap. Its sad when a used 20 year old stereo sells for more than a new one of the same brand.
I believe Nakamichi, as much as I hate to say it. Although, they did design a high end tube amplifier recently. I just don't know if it compares to their clean, old school designs
I only wish I could own something like that nice equipment bought a pair of cerwin Vegas 20 years ago and they are still rocking to day would be nice to have a good amp to go along with them
Nice! Interesting that tar is still used as potting material.......Some of my early 1930's radios use it as potting material in transformer, choke and capacitor cans......
@@machtschnell7452 I do, and that's why SS doesn't need them, it is dumb, , do some research. Nothing says OBSOLETE like obsolete circuits in 21st century
@@cengeb No, I mean McIntosh head unit. Clarion never marketed their products under the McIntosh brand. They actually didn't interfere in the McIntosh management and operation. That was part of the deal.
True :0)))) that reminds me of what George Carlin said one: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6m10HsVchvs.html but i guess he'd be proud to see these wonderful Equipment if he were still around.
CEBGEB It is not actauly an output transformer, it is patented McIntosh Autoformer. The windings are not magnetically coupled, but directly coupled, it allws the amp to have multiple inpedance taps so yoo do not get 1/2 power on loads higher than a typical amp is made for, nor does the amp work too hard on lower impedances. The Autoformer does not effect frequiency response ( flat from 5Hz to 50kHz) or add noise like a typical transformer would.
@@machtschnell7452 My AVA rebuilt P500 run into below 2 OHMS with no issues, all 4 of them running MONO around 1200-1400 W EACH RMS yes 3 15 amp ckts to run them, very inefficient, but sound great, and will drive anything, down to 1 ohm if need be..no need for output transformer windings of any sort..Exicon MOSFETS...fantastic stuff indeed, drivine by a massive input AC line transformer and superb AVA driver ckts...and priced for mortals, not movie stars
McIntosh is absolutely for real music lovers. Best performance . Masterpiece. From lower price products to higher and most important thing : made in USA , not China :) I have the MA 5200 / MCD 350 and MR 87 on its way. Can’t wait to get this treasure..God bless the USA
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think I am. Powerguard is not used in tube amps, especially the "reissue" amps, like the MC275 and MC75. Isn't it just a bit ironic that the discussion on Powerguard is happening right when the MC275 is on display?
tell us how you really feel about it.... what sort of music is 'not garbage' in IYHO? Les Paul? John Lenon? John Mayer? Frank Sinatra? Ronnie Milsap? Keith Richards? Jimmy Page? Donovan? Josh Grobin? Elvis Costello? Neil Young? Barbra Streisand? Brian Wilson? they all own(ed) McIntosh. What do you have for a stereo?
I would love to have McIntosh equipment. But my $200 Yamaha, to my ear, delivers wonderful sound, coupled with Klipsch speakers and S/W.....I'm dying to hit the factory in Binghamton see what I'm missing...because sitting in my listening room, with my equipment, I juts cannot imagine what it is. I guess it's all in the ear of the beholder....whatever sounds good to you is the best gear in the world for you.
I own a Marantz 2230 and KEF 107 speakers. So you know what that means, I wish I at least owned a 100watt x2 McIntosh Amp. The only thing stopping me is about $5000.
Oh yes I know what that means, I have a Marantz 2270 and KEF C55's that I've owned a very long time, can't imagine parting with my 2270 but I'm thinking really hard about a nice condition MAC1900 or 4100 receiver--I wonder if McIntosh can still service these if needed....
I use to love listening to music but then, McIntosh came along and proved me wrong. They showed me that unless I join an elite club of snobs who's first conversation is about how much they spent on their amps instead of how much they love the new album they found, then im just not really into "audio"... I appreciate the attention to detail but at the end of the day, you're just paying a premium for a name and a patent. If others made the "unity transformer", the rest is just your run of the mill electronics. I own some MC equipment and I would like to get more later. I really love the sound of tubes, I love being able to swap tubes and change the sound. I really like the sound of the MC 75, I prefer to use mono amps. That being said, the price premium holds me back. There are a lot of equally as good sounding amps out there for less. The only question then becomes, are you a MC fan boy or do you just love music? You can't be both without bias otherwise, you wouldn't spend the money knowing that sound is subjective and everyone swears they hear something different.
Nothing wrong with a pair of Klipsch on a Yammy, I'm sure it sounds quite good. drop us a line when you will be in the area on a weekday, I'll be happy to give you a tour and a demo of our 15,600 watt "because we can" theater... :)
Hi Bob, This could be the volume control or several other things, like a cracked solder joint for one. It should be looked at by a tech to determine the actual cause. On our website, roll over the "support" tab, then choose "service network" enter your zip and expand the search radius as needed to find local service.
Spray the potentiometers with contact fluid. When that does not help replace them and check (resolder) all soldering joints + replace the electrolytic capacitors. Check the mass (minus) wire (measure it with an ohms meter). That are the "standard issues" with a device of 1974.
I had about a 12 yr old processor. The picture and sound blinked in and out on me. I took it to a shop that specialized in McIntosh 2x attempting a fix. He made calls to McIntosh but all the kings horses and all the kings men could make it work. It went doornail on me and the tech gave up. Then he retired. I replaced it with a MX120 and it is starting to do the same thing. Apparently, you cannot leave it in standby mode indefinitely. Must do a hard shutdown. Unplug the power cord from the rear. I don’t think this is something you should do for a processor that initially retailed for $7000. I don’t think I can afford another, not even a used one.
Hi Kevin Sorry for the difficulty, picture and sound on the MX120 are different circuitry so your issue may be source or firmware related, please email us at Support@McIntoshlabs.com and we should be able to resolve this. Leaving in standby will not cause issues, removing power every time may lead to occasional bad re-sets.
@@chuckHinton Hello Chuck. I didn’t see your reply till now. I do love your amplifiers though. My MC205 is going strong at 16 years. I just bought a MC462.
John, Due to the fact that car makers integrated steering wheel controls, nav, and other stuff into their factory head units, one can not replace them w/o loosing those features. That and the fact that O.E.M. systems are now pretty good instead of horrible, the aftermarket car audio biz is down like %90 from the turn of the century. Perhaps McIntosh will get back into car audio someday, that would be awesome, because it was great stuff, but the demand would have to come back first I would think..
+chuckHinton What? This simply isn't true. You can integrate steering wheel controls with a wiring harness just fine, and a lot of aftermarket head units come with navigation built in, which is often better than navigation that comes pre-installed with vehicles.
they refills his transformers with epoxy resin, but a barniz insulate boost before may be better, and make more compact the insulation. if the refill with epoxy would made in a vaccum chamber the epoxy go into all the coilsand cores. .
Why don't you ever mention the people who are responsible for where the Mcintosh is today. Mile Nestorovic, the Serbian audio wizard, who designed the MC-3500 Amp. and many more, used on Greatfull dead and Woodstock, he launched the Mcintosh into space with his knowledge, right?
They make terrific stuff with a lot of care in what they use, and how it's done. That being said there are other hifi components that achieve the same type of performance so when you're looking at performance value against cost, there are some pretty good options. I've been in the business for more than 30 years, and I've found you need the pull the curtain back to find out what's really going on. I certainly am not going to buy product for a blue light. I want to be clear, I'm not trashing Mac. They're a well made and performing luxury brand. I can get the same performance for more than half less. If you don't believe it I have 6 ft. RCA cord I can sell you for $500. They sound better.
Mac has the highest resale value of any brand. If you consider total cost of ownership, in the category of Amplifiers, a $5,000 Marantz, after you resell it to upgrade in the future for it’s %15 resale value of $750, ends up costing you $4,250. A $10,000 Mc, after you re-sell it for it’s average amplifier resale value of %60, $6,000, ends up costing you $4,000. At the end of the day, the Mc is not %100 more expensive than the Marantz, it is %5 less! So even if you grant the assertion that the Marantz is just as good (I don’t), for the same money, wouldn’t you rather have a McIntosh? For the worst category, Home theater processors, a $5,000 Marantz, after you resell it to upgrade in the future for it’s %15 resale value of $750, ends up costing you $4,250. A $10,000 Mc, after you re-sell it for it’s average HT PrePro resale value of %40, $4,000, ends up costing you $6,000. At the end of the day, the Mc is not %100 more expensive than the Marantz, it is %40 more.
McIntosh amp designs are very different from every other brand, this is why the world was amazed in 1949 when the 10w50 came out with noise and distortion so low that no other company was able to match it for decades to come. Low distortion is a hallmark of the brand, pure Class A amps tend to have 100 times as much distortion as a McIntosh amp. There are many fine brands of class A amps out there and we are happy for you if you feel those better suit your needs. No one design is perfect for everyone's needs and we just want you to be happy with your system, regardless of if you buy it from us or not.
@@chuckHinton Hi Chuck, McIntosh makes great stuff. I currently have a mint C29 and MC2205. The 2205 will be recapped and restored. I love these products so it is on way intended to criticize your company. I was just wondering if McIntosh was ever planning to produce those 100 times much more distortion amps as currently a lot of companies do. I think there's a market for you there and distortion figures is just one dimension and not the final word how an amplifier performs sonically to our ears. Try to discuss this topic with let say Nelson Pass. Jeff Rowland or Dan d'Agostino and you will find other American designers that differ. That's only good I reckon but you can't say distortion eliminated by loads of NFB is the final word, don't you agree? I do find that my McIntoshes sound great, although to many they shouldn't and that's the real beauty of it!
@@BoudewijnvanHouten there are lots of different ways to design an amp, each has it's own pro's and con's, we design the stuff we want to take home and use, if others like it too, great, if not, no biggie. Since it sells faster than we can make it, I guess they like too, LOL
@@chuckhinton3994 That's great! You do not need marketing nor advertising then? I know in the far past you didn't... I just finished repairing my MC2205 (#AX7758) and it was difficult because of the two Service manuals I had (038-980: starting with serial no. AX1001 & SMA 039239, AX7151 to AX9999) not one had the right Powerboardnumbers (045-144) or colored wiring completely right. With a combination of the two and lots of comparing with all the part-numbers and especially the numbers on the LEFT and RIGHT powerboards and the PSU-board which were only covered in a manual of a MC2125. The small inputboard (part. no 045-151) I could not find in any of them. Great thing is that after changing all the lytic caps, even the two grey/silver 39.000uF, 50V GE's with datecode 7751, meaning Year 77 and Week 51 production) the unit functions on spec and looks and sound wonderfull. This amp is probably 43 years old and it still shines!
@@bwest6275 And sounds like it is 8x cheaper.. I had a pioneer sx1980, 980, & 780 and heard a few others - they all sounded like crap compared to a Marantz, not even in the same class as a McIntosh - I sold everything Mid-Fi and bought a MC7108..
5200W of AVA rebuild hafler P500 in mono 4 of em driving Legacy Audio Whispers. AVA hybrid pre amp and ultra hybrid phase inverters 2 of em to turn amps into mono. Never had a failure in over 20 years of using different products from Audio by vanAlstine.VanAlstine has been in business for over 40+ years! Made in U.S.a. MN. Hand made one at a time, sonic bliss for less, and superior quality
@@machtschnell7452 Hafler doesn't exist anymore, the current stuff is just branding, when it was Dave hafler, the stuff was fantastic, and a bargain. the stuff now is just a name bought by Radial in Canada, I agree, grossly over priced now, and it's NOT Hafler concepts of hi performance and good prices
@@machtschnell7452 The P500 i have are rebuild with Exicon MOSFETS 12 of em output and new driver boards, Audio by VanAlstine in MN...he also has lots of new stuff Mono AMP 850W around $3K..my P500 are more powerful in mono which I run 4 of them they are much larger AC mains Transformer, 1200-1400W RMS incredible sonic and capability, they are super reliable, never in what must be 20+ years or more had an AVA component fail, from DAC hybrid pre amps, hybrid phase inverters. What would a comparble Mc system with around 5200W RMS capacity using 4 mono amps run in price, lot more..and I can guarantee, not sounding any better..might even be less sonic..AVA ckt designs are spectacular 800V/ uS slew rates, etc etc, super stable on any loudspeakers..my 4 Ohm Legacy Whispers can take a lot of power even though they are very efficient, 8 15" WOOFERS love lots of current
There are many ways to design an audio system and no one is prefect for everyone. We make gear we like and want to use ourselves at home. Sansui stuff is very cool, although the AU20000 does have 10x the distortion (.05 vs .005) and a noise floor 5x higher (65dB vs 124dB) than McIntosh amps. Still, we would never berate you for what is a very personal choice in what gear best suits your needs.
So what makes it junk? These are a ton of boutique companies who make higher quality products at same or lower cost. Are those junk too because they aren't McIntosh? Personally, I think PASS labs and Mark Levinson make better hardware and sometimes, for cheaper. Are those junk too? It's easy to spot the hardware whores who spend more time polishing their tubes than they do listening to music. You're like the Leica jackasses, the same ones who prominently display their $6k camera while taking $2 pictures. People like you ruin the hobby, you're the death of music if there ever is one.
Luxman has really flabby bloated bass. Demoed it recently against Mac stuff which has more punch. Nicer more tubey mids and treble on Luxman though. I’d say over all they’re about the same quality but Luxman stuff looks like you have a cheap 70.s amp in your room
This is true, BUT it's also true about cars if you buy certain brands with the most wanted color, you get a higher resale price. When you choose audio gear if that's all your interested in, go for it, but for me I've always lived by in-between-choices, and it's the SOUND THAT COUNTS! For instance if your fortunate to find one, compare the Mattes SSP200 amp sound to any Mcintosh.
McIntosh is expensive, but you get what you pay for. No gimmicks or bogus claims, it's build to last and hold it value like no other amplifier. If it does need service after many decades of use, parts and service are available to restore the product to it's original performance. Any McIntosh amplifier ever built that's maintained in good condition will be desirable and hold it's value.
@@machtschnell7452 Do McIntosh use eternal electrolitic capacitors, never degrading transistors (all transistors degrade in amplification factor - like aging), eternal solder?
the mass stuff has improved so much, that the quality gap between this very over priced , nice stuff, means nothing, but better chassis, electronics is so cheap now, with fine specs....otherwise hi fi would still be so expensive, it wouldn't have become a mass market product...back in the 50's things where just taking off, and it's all progressed, making it a mass market product....this stuff has become jewelry...My 5200W of 4 mono amps, would easily hold it's own, or surpass, these extremely pricey stuff. meters and blue lights mean nothing, blank flat panels and a power switch, all ya need...the meters on these are useless, but it's applied jewelry
And still goin gstrong after all thee years, Legacy WHISPERS driven by 4 P500 AVA amps 1200-1400W RMs EACH, several DSD sources, and SACD, AVA hybrid pre amps, and 4 or so Audio Research hybrid pre amps....sonic bliss, not just over priced glitter
Stay black, PLEASE do not listen to Hi Fi fashionista's Who cares about if its brushed or painted. Mac is a great product and has kept the high standards when others did not. I have owned an MR 78 tuner for decades and it still is beautiful to look at and sounds even better. I am still looking for a good deal on a used big solid state Mac amp, ( I don't buy the tube BS). My old Crown DC 300 is even older than my Mac tuner but is not my idea of a "Die With" amp for me. Still looking.
Hi Matt, I bought my first piece of McIntosh when I was 23 years old, working for minimum wage in a factory, I scrimped and saved and traded and bargained and found a deal on used gear. Many average people manage to spend a few thousand on a small boat, snowmobile, vacation or a car that is fancier than they need. A dedicated audio nut can and will find a way. The vast majority of McIntosh customers are regular folks whose one real passion is Audio.
Matt N. In order for the average Joe to own any piece of McIntosh equipment, you pretty much have to want it more than anything in the world and chances are you'll either sacrifice most of your savings like I did or put yourself into debt to own McIntosh equipment. Go for it.
The wall of sound was 28,800 watts and projected sound over a half mile. Regardless of musical tastes that is a strong example of mcintosh gear with jbl and ev setting a high standard for live performances.
