“Good audio engineering is timeless.” – Stereophile
BRAND: McIntosh
SERIES: MC275 2-Channel Vacuum Tube Amplifier
TYPE: Power Amplifier
Now in its sixth generation, the MC275 has many subtle enhancements from the previous releases that have greatly improved performance. Combined with the widest bandwidth McIntosh output transformer design, the MC275 features tauter bass control and thermally quiet circuit design. The result is pure music. This vacuum tube power amplifier has all the features to meet the needs of today’s music enthusiast, while preserving the qualities that have made the MC275 the most revered McIntosh vacuum tube amplifier.
OVERVIEW
- This tube power amplifier has all the features to meet the needs of today’s music enthusiast, while preserving the qualities that have made the MC275 the most revered McIntosh tube amplifier.
- This sixth generation MC275 has many subtle enhancements from the previous release that greatly improve performance. Combined with the widest bandwidth McIntosh output transformer design, the MC275 features tauter bass control and thermally quiet circuit design. The result is pure music.
- McIntosh patented, gold plated, speaker binding posts assure the best connection to all speaker cables, while high quality balanced and unbalanced input connectors enhance signal transfer from the connected preamplifier.
- The seven small tubes are LED illuminated to indicate the amplifier’s functional status. Power Control is used to remotely control tube illumination from a McIntosh preamplifier.
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Upon its initial release in 1961, the MC275 Vacuum Tube Amplifier became an instant favorite due to its ability to drive the power-hungry speakers of that time period with great power at low distortion levels. However, as transistors emerged and vacuum tubes became ‘old technology,’ the MC275 was discontinued in 1971. Thankfully, that is not where the story of the MC275 ends.
It came back into production as a special commemoration edition in 1993 to posthumously honor McIntosh co-founder and longtime president Gordon Gow. The reincarnated MC275 received incredibly high acclaim and earned its spot back in the product lineup. The overall storyline behind the MC275 and its history with McIntosh is exceptionally rich and it has been the driving force behind countless home audio systems for decades. It is hard to imagine McIntosh without the MC275.
MC275 Family Photo (from left to right): Original Version 1961-1971; Mk II Gordon Gow Commemorative Edition 1993; Mk III 1995-2003; Mk IV 2004-2007; Mk V 2007-2011; Mk VI 2011-current (2011 model was 50th Anniversary Limited Edition and was available with a gold chassis).
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Power Output
75 Watts Minimum sine wave continuous average power output per channel, stereo, with both channels operating.
Mono Parallel
150 Watts @ 2, 4 and 8 ohms
Output Load Impedance
Terminals for 4, 8 and 16 Ohms Stereo
Rated Power Bandwidth
20Hz to 20KHz
Total Harmonic Distortion
0.5% maximum harmonic distortion at any level from 250 milliwatts to rated power.
Overall Dimensions(W x H x D):
21½” (54.6cm) (including cables) x 8½” (21.6cm) (including feet) x 12” (30.5cm)
Weight
67 lbs. (30.5kg) net; 75 lbs. (34.1kg) in shipping carton.
Circuit Design
The All Tube Circuit Design allows only the tubes to amplify the input signal, for the best tune amp listening experience.
Sentry Monitor
The High-Speed Sentry Monitor protection circuitry shuts down the amplifier in case of a rare tube malfunction before additional damage can occur. The small tubes closest to the defective output tube set will illuminate Red to indicate which pair of output tubes need replacing. If speaker wires are inadvertently shorted, Sentry Monitor will shut the amp off and the power LED on the input side of the amp will flash. Once the speaker wires are corrected, the amplifier will power back up.
Tube Illumination
The seven small tubes sequentially warm up with an intense amber hue until the amplifier reaches operational stability, causing the tubes’ illumination to change to green. When the small tubes are green, voltages are stabilized and the amplifier is ready to enjoy.
Monophonic Operation
MC275 is designed to use as a single chassis 150 watt mono power amplifier. A Gold Platted mono speaker jumper is included to connect the two channels together for monophonic use when high power is needed for larger speakers or higher playback volumes.
