Mc2120 interested in opinions of it.

[ferninando]

I am looking at a Mc2120 SS power amp for sale locally. I know not alot about Mc amps and would appreciate some
AK Mc folks to giv me a brief opinion of it. Thanks.

 

[AdamAnt316]

I owned an MC2120 several years ago. It's essentially the same as a MC2125, but with no blue meters, and an aluminum faceplate instead of a black glass one. A bit of an industrial look to it, but an excellent amp overall.

 

[ferninando]

Thanks Adam. sounds like a good amp to persue.

 

[damacman]

On these it really gets down to price - I personally wouldn't pay more than $400 for one. Very nice amps.

 

[Mike Gibson]

I've had one for many years and it's always been a good amp. If you get it make sure it's been refurbished or have it done. It's no Spring chicken like all vintage gear.

 

[EyeGee]

It's kind of a stealth unit in that it doesn't have those blue meters everybody loves. I paid a good price for mine, and later picked up a cabinet for it that really looks smart. The seller had told me he left it on continuously for a period of years. It sounds good, but I don't really have a reference to compare it with. A result of all those years left on is that one of the channel lights is out.

 

[ferninando]

Thanks all for the feedback. I was asking for a friend. didnt get a chance to tell him AK responce, but he got the one for sale locally and was really impressed with the sound performance. He gave $525 for it.
I'll tell him wat was said here about resto/refurb.
Thanks again for the info.

 

[AdamAnt316]

A bit much, but if he really likes it, that's all that matters. I got rather lucky on mine; it was being listed for sale by a local DJ, along with a bunch of other DJ equipment. He originally wanted $500 for it, but after a couple of weeks went by, he let me know that he'd be willing to sell it to me for $200. The "NORMAL" lamps didn't work when I got it; even after replacing the bulbs, they only lit up dimly until I followed the advice in this thread, which brought them back to normal brightness.
-Adam

 

[ferninando]

Yeah Adam he likes it. Its in really good cond too. So price is a relative thing I think. All this stuff is whatever someone is willing to give. Every deal is diff.

 

[cnolanh]

I’ve owned three of the non-metered McIintosh amps (MC2100, MC2150, MC502) because they are particularly great values. They are sonically identical to their beautiful metered siblings [when a metered version was offered], but often about half the price. That works well for me.

 

[captouch]

Yeah Adam he likes it. Its in really good cond too. So price is a relative thing I think. All this stuff is whatever someone is willing to give. Every deal is diff.

120W McIntosh amp in great condition for $525 doesn't seem bad. I bet you'll end up being involved in the resto!

 

[62caddy]

It's a genuine McIntosh autoformer amplifier with PG and offers flexibility that long since disappeared from McIntosh basic power amplifiers; ie: 2 voltage input selections, gain controls and the ability to be run in parallel mode into 1, 2, 4 or 8 ohms at 240 watts. You won't get any of that in a $4,500 MC152.

All things considered, it's one of the best values on the secondary market in a McIntosh power amp, IMHO.

 

[bhunter]

I just purchased one, I've had it for 3 hours and I'm already impressed by it. I've had many amps, Bryston, ATI, Yamaha, Adcom, a non-Class A Krell, and this little McIntosh. In fact, I like it so much, I want another. Rabbit hole it is!

 

[twiiii]

Back when the 2120 and 2200 were introduced Disco and live entertainment systems were a big part of our business. And keep a lid on things could save club owners a fortune. We could put two Altec 291 drivers 16 0hm drivers rated at 40 watts each on a 2120 channel and run them all day with the power guard light flashing occasionally and never have a failure. If we needed super tweeters 2 MR 902-16 HF crossed at 9 KHZ per channel were used. 2 Altec 421's in 817 powered by one channel of a 2200 never failed either. The Mac amps worked well with JBL drivers too. 2120's, 2200, 2150's and 2250's were a great series of amps. The only issues we had were keeping the back switches, the volume controls, RCA connectors and speaker protection relay contacts clean in dirty environments. Yes they don't have meters, which I love. But all the 2120's and 2200's we installed are still working as installed as best as I know. Whether it was in Cathedrals. Churches, Hotels, Clubs, or discos they worked very well. 2255's and 2155's didn't hold up as well. But 2500's the 2120s' big brother and 2600 the 2155's big brother never failed me in over the 35 years I watched them perform. Fans keeping electronics cool do make a difference if you are going to push the amps into the Power Guard range. The amp has a warm pleasant sound that I found to never be fatiguing. My only recommendation is if you like tight bass keep the speaker lines short and use large wire.

 

[Gregory]

The MC 2120 was my first McIntosh amp, probably purchased in 1987 from EZ Teletonics in Chicago. Still have the detachable handles today. It sounded good and I liked it, but EZ always had a great selection of trade-ins. So one weekend I bought a MC 2200 in trade with a few extra beans. That amp had more authority and I liked it too. Can remember hauling it into an audio store to audition speakers and the Power Guard LIMIT lamps were flashing.

Ultimately an Mc guy will want power meters so I traded up to the MC 2205 which is still sitting here on the shelf today.

Go for it if the price it right. You can always move up.


-Greg

 

[jlovda]

The 2120 was my first Mcintosh amp. It sounded wonderful and I could have kept forever. I simply moved up because I restored amps and was always looking for something bigger (MC2125, MC2200, MC2205, MC300). That said, I have NEVER seen a Power Guard lamp come on during listening with ANY of my Mac amps. I have only seen Power Guard lamps go off in one place, a friend's house with an MC2205 powering a passive Mcintosh subwoofer. The sound level was painful. I am saying this because, in my opinion, if you have speakers like mine; KLH Fives, JBL L100's or AR-2AX's in a modest home or apartment, 120 wpc is just fine. Besides, you can lift that amp and move it around.

 

[Gregory]

I have NEVER seen a Power Guard lamp come on during listening with ANY of my Mac amps. I have only seen Power Guard lamps go off in one place, a friend's house with an MC2205 powering a passive Mcintosh subwoofer. The sound level was painful.

Talk about an old softie. I came up through the bar and rock club scene, and used to jam in a friend's basement playing a Fender bass. Those days in Cook County, IL (Chicagoland) in the late 80's.. the 2120, 2200 and 2205 played through a pair of Yamaha NS-1000M on pedestals with Power Guard coming on regularly, especially Friday after work, but let's not hi-jack the thread. The 2200 was hauled into Quintessence Audio at 20 W. Jefferson St, Naperville, IL and the PG LIMIT lamps were flashing there too. And that's how my ear got destroyed. { Hey – answer the phone! } Lol

These are the 2120 handles:


Photo taken 10 mins ago.


-Greg

 

[jlovda]

I came up through the bar and rock club scene, and used to jam in a friend's basement playing a Fender bass. Those days in Cook County, IL (Chicagoland) in the late 80's..


-Greg

I lived in Chicagoland for the first 35 yrs of my life; Born in Chicago, got married and moved to Evanston while working at Shure and bought a house in Palatine while working at Jensen near O'hare. Left in 1986. From 1968 until about 1990 I never had anything bigger than a 40 wpc amp (JBL SA-600). I never should have sold that amp. It was the most beautiful piece of audio equipment I ever owned including black glass with blue meters.

 

[bhunter]

Update: I really like this little McIntosh. Damn thing sounds great, but I can't quite figure out why I like it better than my other amps. So far, I've only used it with my Ohm Walsh 3s. Once I have the energy, I'll see what it does with the Magnepans, JBLs, and once they're repaired ( again), the ESL63s. In retrospect, it somewhat reminds me of the Pionner SX-1250 I sold last year; however, the MC2120 is much better IMHO.

 

[damacman]

When I bought my first McIntosh power amplifier (an MC2200), I was taken by two things:

1 - I couldn't get it to shut off during house partys (a big plus in my 20s!)
2 - It had no sound to it. Very neutral.

While it's indeed true that many amplifiers are neutral, the frequency response of any amplifier can be influenced by the loudspeakers it drives. Obviously, you have many tap choices with the MC2120 (more than its bigger brother even) so it's relatively easy to choose one to match a given load.

Many an enthusiast has stumbled across a MC250, MC2100, or MC2120 only to become a full-on McIntosh die-hard. You may be next . . .