McIntosh is one of the most dependable brand names when it comes to high-end audio systems. For years the brand has been recognized by audiophiles throughout the world as equipment that delivers clear and consistent quality in music. McIntosh is probably best known for its amplifiers and preamps, but the company produces many other components and parts for stereo and home theatre.

What are the specs for the McIntosh MC 2102?

Stereo Output:
100W + 100W (2 ω, 4 ω, 8 ω, sine wave continuous minimum average power output) Output RMS voltage : 14.2 V (2 Ω), 20.0 V (4 Ω), 28.3 V (8 Ω)
THD:
0.5% or Less (at all levels from 250 mW to rated output)
Intermodulation Distortion:
0.5% or less (when the instantaneous peak output does not exceed twice the rated power output)
Rated Output Frequency:
20 Hz to 20 kHz
Frequency Characteristic:
20 Hz ~ 20 kHz + 0 -0.25 dB 10 Hz ~ 100 kHz + 0 -3.0 dB
Signal to Noise Ratio:
100 dB (Rated Output or Less)
Dampening Factor:
18 or more
Output Load Impedance:
Stereo: 2 Ω, 4 Ω, 8 Ω Monoparallel: 1 Ω, 2 Ω, 4 Ω Monobridge: 4 Ω, 8 Ω, 16 Ω
Input Impedance:
Unbalanced: 20k Ω Balance: 40k Ω
Input Sensitivity:
1.0V
Tube Complement:
12AX7x4 (input and phase inverted) 12AT7x4 (voltage amplifier and driver) KT88 or 6550x8 (Output Tube)
Power:
100 VAC, 50Hz/60Hz, 5.8A
Power Consumption:
390W
Dimensions:
Width 455.4x Height 257.2x Depth 406.4 mm
Weight:
40kg

What else to know about the McIntosh MC 2102?

This stereo power amplifier was announced as a new generation vacuum tube amplifier.\ \ The MC2102 uses a total of eight vacuum tubes for each channel : two high-gain, low-distortion twin triodes 12AX7x2, two high-voltage twin triodes 12AT7x2, and four beam power tubes KT88/6550x4.\ One 12AX7 is used for balance input and the other for voltage amplification and phase inversion. The signal is sent to the grid of one 12AT7 push-pull voltage amplifier. The 12AT7 push-pull bootstrap voltage amplification is used, and the second 12AT7 operates as four KT88/6550 push-pull cathode followers. The output tube is connected in parallel push-pull.\ The amplifier operates in three modes : stereo, mono-parallel, and mono-bridged.\ \ The power amplifier section uses a Macintosh unique Unity Couple Circuit with two features.\ In a normal amplifier, the output power is taken from the plate and cathode of the output tube, while the output power is taken from only the plate, and this circuit is a unity couple circuit.\ The output transformer is equipped with two primary windings of bifilar winding, one for the cathode and the other for the plate.\ This circuit configuration realizes flat frequency characteristics and wide-band power handling.\ \ Multi-filer wound TRANSFORMERS is used.\ The four output tubes send signals to the output transformer through two primary windings for the plate and cathode, which are bifilar windings wound simultaneously together, and the secondary winding consists of five windings distributed between the primary windings, which are connected in parallel to provide a very low series resistance for the speaker load.\ This method not only compensates for excellent speaker damping, but also provides tight coupling between the primary and secondary windings, resulting in flat frequency characteristics and wide power bandwidth.\ The addition, the steel sheets used for the transformer are stacked with silicon steel sheets for audio applications with the highest quality crystal, enabling full power output even at 17 Hz.\ \ The input slide switch allows you to select between balanced and unbalanced.\ Balanced operation improves noise removal capability, and the in-phase component rejection in the mid-range is more than 60 dB.\ \ It is equipped with the traditional blue eyes power meter that can turn off the light of the meter.\ This meter allows you to select either the Watts position, which indicates changes in the volume of the program source, or the hold position, which stops at that position and returns slowly to the rest position when maximum power is indicated.\ \ A funnel-shaped pipe is installed around the base of the output tube to enhance the cooling effect by increasing the convection effect of air.\ \ The vacuum tube socket uses gold-plated contacts and ceramic material with high insulation resistance and excellent high-temperature resistance.\ The unbalanced and balanced input connectors and the huge binding post that clears the large 200A output are also gold-plated.\ You can use spade connectors, banana plugs and wires up to AWG No. 8 for this binding post.\ \ The main chassis is made of mirror-finished stainless steel. \-Audiodatabase

Brief History of McIntosh

Long mapped-to Binghamton New York – the current headquarters and manufacturing center for McIntosh Labs – not many people know the brand was originally launched outside of the Nation’s Capital in Silver Spring Maryland, in 1949. In 1956, the brand built their original facility in New York, according to the official brand website.

Other McIntosh Products We Often Buy

Typically, StereoBuyers purchases mostly used amplifiers, especially the vintage amps and high-end McIntosh models such as the MC202 or MC252, and the C220 preamp, for example. We have also purchased many pre-owned tuners from McIntosh over the recent years, including the MR67 and MR78 models, for example.

StereoBuyers has purchased tens of thousands worth McIntosh brand equipment since 2014, with individual buys ranging from $100 to well over $50,000. If you are moving, ready to upgrade, or have McIntosh equipment you do not or will not be using, why not contact us today to find out if it is worth good money?

If you are interested in selling your used McIntosh equipment to us in the greater NYC area or Colorado, please click here to fill out a Free Quote Form and we will get back to you. If we agree on terms, we come to meet you where you want, and pay cash.

The following images show actual McIntosh equipment purchased by StereoBuyers.