Description
McIntosh MC901 : Power Amplifier Mono
Price for one piece
McIntosh has been perfecting vacuum tube amplifiers since the 1940s and solid state amplifiers since the 1960s. Our amplifiers have been used at many historic events including presidential inaugurations and Woodstock, as well as in landmark sound systems like the Grateful Dead’s Wall of Sound and Despacio. From that heritage comes a truly one-of-a-kind home audio amplifier only we could dream of, design and build as the ultimate solution for bi-amping loudspeakers: the McIntosh MC901 Dual Mono Amplifier.
The 300 Watt vacuum tube portion powers the speaker’s mid and upper drivers via eight KT88 output tubes, plus four 12AT7 and two 12AX7A signal tubes; the solid state section delivers 600 Watts of dedicated power to the power hungry woofers. The 300 Watt vacuum tube amp in the MC901 uses our patented Unity Coupled Circuit output transformer – the same technology McIntosh was founded on in 1949 – to deliver its full 300 Watts into almost any speaker regardless if it has 2, 4 or 8 Ohm impedance. Similarly, the 600 Watt solid state amp delivers its full 600 Watts into a 2, 4 or 8 Ohm impedance speaker via our Autoformer™ technology. The back of the MC901 includes diagrams showing how to connect your system, and Solid Cinch™ speaker binding posts. As a Quad Balanced, dual mono amplifier, there are positive and negative connections for each speaker impedance of 2, 4 or 8 Ohms for both the vacuum tube and solid state sections.
Vacuum tubes do not perform at their best when they are amplifying lower frequencies that are not being used by the loudspeaker. With the MC901, the vacuum tube amp will not be burdened with low end reproduction as the solid state section will drive these frequencies. The two amplifier sections of the MC901 are designed to work together in a synergistic relationship and are specifically engineered to assure that each section only amplifies its intended frequencies. Each amplifier section has its own discrete power supply so neither siphons power or performance away from the other. All of this results in easy bi-amping with unparalleled performance and sound reproduction from your speakers.The adjustable crossover filter controls are located on the top rear of the MC901.
Prior to the MC901, bi-amping a speaker required two separate amplifiers. It also required an external crossover, along with a lot of trial and error, to properly configure the two detached amplifiers so they worked together as best as possible. The MC901 solves this issue thanks to its internal, adjustable crossover with the controls easily accessible on the top of the unit. These adjustable crossover filters allow you to optimize the performance of both amplifier sections to your listening preferences. Relative gain levels for each amplifier section can be adjusted from -6dB to + 3dB. A direct feed can also be connected to each amplifier section, thus bypassing the filters. DualView™ Power Output Meter. The top meter is dedicated to the 300 Watt vacuum tube amp, and the bottom meter to the 600 Watt solid state amp.
Like virtually all McIntosh amplifiers, the MC901 features an iconic “McIntosh Blue” Watt meter, which has come to be recognized around the world as a symbol of quality home audio. And just like the MC901 itself is a new design, so too is its meter with the introduction of our new DualView™ Power Output Meter. The DualView meter features two of our traditional, fast responding mechanical meters stacked above and below each other in a single meter window; one meter is dedicated to the 300 Watt vacuum tube amp and the other to the 600 Watt solid state amp. Each meter operates independently of the other and displays the real time power reading of each amplifier section.
Specifications : McIntosh MC901
-
- Power Output per Channel
- Solid State section: 600 Watts @ 2, 4 or 8 Ohms
Vacuum Tube section: 300 Watts @ 2, 4 or 8 Ohms
-
- Number of Channels
- 1
-
- Total Harmonic Distortion
- Solid State section: 0.005% maximum harmonic distortion at any power level from 250 milliwatts to rated power, 20Hz to 20,000Hz
Vacuum Tube section: 0.5% maximum harmonic distortion at any power level from 250 milliwatts to rated power, 20Hz to 20,000Hz
-
- S/N below rated output
- Solid State section: 122dB
Vacuum Tube section: 112dB
-
- Dynamic Headroom
- Solid State section: 2.5dB
Vacuum Tube section: 1.2dB
-
- Damping Factor
- Solid State section: >40
Vacuum Tube section: >18
-
- Rated Power Band
- Solid State section: 20Hz to 20kHz
Vacuum Tube section: 20Hz to 20kHz
-
- Frequency Response
- Solid State section:
+0, -0.25dB from 20Hz to 20,000Hz
+0, -3dB from 10Hz to 100,000HzVacuum Tube section:
+0, -0.5dB from 20Hz to 20,000Hz
+0, -3dB from 10Hz to 70,000Hz
CONTROL
-
- Remote Power Control
- Yes
-
- Multi-Channel DB25 Cable
- N/A
CONNECTIVITY
-
- Speaker Binding Post Type
- Patented Solid Cinch™ Speaker Binding Posts
-
- Circuit Configuration
- Solid State section: Quad Balanced
Vacuum Tube section: Unity Coupled
-
- Circuit Design
- Solid State and Vacuum Tube
-
- Mono Bridge
- No
-
- Mono Parallel
- No
-
- Output Type
- Solid State section: Autoformer™
Vacuum Tube section: Unity Coupled Output Transformer
-
- Meters
- DualView™ Power Output Meter
-
- Meter Light Switch
- Yes
-
- Balanced Input
- 3 (1 Solid State, 1 Vacuum Tube, 1 Composite)
-
- Front Panel
- Glass
-
- Illumination
- Direct LED
-
- Chassis Style
- Polished stainless steel & black painted steel
WEIGHTS & DIMENSIONS
-
- Dimensions (W x H x D)
- 17-1/2″ (44.45cm) x 13-1/4″ (33.7cm) (including feet) x 29-1/2″ (74.9m)
-
- Weight
- 180 lbs (81.6 kg)
-
- Shipping Weight
- 200 lbs (90.7 kg)
-