No Gain for MC240/MC275, why ?

ofery

Active Member
Hello,

I wonder why there is no Gain for these amps in Stereo mode ?
There is only Balance.
Is that means the MC240/MC275 run on max volume & capacity all the time ?

Regards /Ofer
 
Hello,

I wonder why there is no Gain for these amps in Stereo mode ?
There is only Balance.
Is that means the MC240/MC275 run on max volume & capacity all the time ?

Regards /Ofer


Regardless if an amp has gain/level controls or not, how hard the amplifier* works is measured by the actual output, not by the position of any knobs. Is that what you are asking?

* pure Class A excepted. That type basically works at maximum regardless if passing any signal at all.
 
Hello,

I wonder why there is no Gain for these amps in Stereo mode ?
There is only Balance.
Is that means the MC240/MC275 run on max volume & capacity all the time ?

Regards /Ofer

The input sensitivity in Stereo mode is 2.5V which is the input setting McIntosh recommends with McIntosh preamplifiers. Twin mode may be used if increased sensitivity is needed with other preamplifiers. TWIN mode gain settings in the 12:00 position is provides roughly the same input sensitivity in STEREO mode (2.5V)
 
The input sensitivity in Stereo mode is 2.5V which is the input setting McIntosh recommends with McIntosh preamplifiers. Twin mode may be used if increased sensitivity is needed with other preamplifiers. TWIN mode gain settings in the 12:00 position is provides roughly the same input sensitivity in STEREO mode (2.5V)
Ok, understood.
But why I need the Balance option in the amp while I have the same in the pre-amp ?
 
Ok, understood.
But why I need the Balance option in the amp while I have the same in the pre-amp ?
Keep in mind that McIntosh sold these amplifiers for all kinds of uses - not just HiFi. Thusly, they had features that accommodated a wide range of applications.
 
Ok, understood.
But why I need the Balance option in the amp while I have the same in the pre-amp ?

Just adds a bit of flexibility as damacman says.

Back in the early days of stereo, sometimes owners would have two different speakers- either where the original speaker was either no longer available, or the owner simply wanted to try something else. Also, not all systems had the speakers arranged in a equal distance to the listener. In these situations, system balance could be set with the amplifier allowing the balance control of the preamplifier to be centered.
 
Just adds a bit of flexibility as damacman says.

Back in the early days of stereo, sometimes owners would have two different speakers- either where the original speaker was either no longer available, or the owner simply wanted to try something else. Also, not all systems had the speakers arranged in a equal distance to the listener. In these situations, system balance could be set with the amplifier allowing the balance control of the preamplifier to be centered.
Maybe it's also to balance the amp when one side is higher then the other ?
I have C11 & I had to balance it with the two wheels because one side was higher then the other.
I have MC240 after full recap and I have the feeling that the left side is higher then the right side, is it possible ?
 
Maybe it's also to balance the amp when one side is higher then the other ?
I have C11 & I had to balance it with the two wheels because one side was higher then the other.
I have MC240 after full recap and I have the feeling that the left side is higher then the right side, is it possible ?

Anything is possible. Need to be certain whether the issue is with the amplifier or the C11 as mistracking volume controls are not uncommon in equipment of this era.
 
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