MC2.1KW 75th Anniversary
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The strips are not functional. I imagine the lettering indicates the combined rating of the 2 each filter capacitors behind each "strip".
According to McIntosh:
"Four of our McIntosh Monogrammed Heatsinks™ are found on each Power Module. Made from high quality materials with excellent thermal conductivity properties and connected to advanced high current output transistors that eliminate thermal equilibrium lag time, these heatsinks maintain efficient heat dissipation, ensuring consistent audio quality from the first note to the last."
"The next generation MC2.1KW offers many sonic upgrades. Chief among them are substantially larger filter capacitors that improve the performance of low end frequencies as well as significantly improving dynamic headroom. These eight larger capacitors are located in the Power Modules behind the custom Power Bank that is visible through the front panel glass."
According to McIntosh:
"Four of our McIntosh Monogrammed Heatsinks™ are found on each Power Module. Made from high quality materials with excellent thermal conductivity properties and connected to advanced high current output transistors that eliminate thermal equilibrium lag time, these heatsinks maintain efficient heat dissipation, ensuring consistent audio quality from the first note to the last."
"The next generation MC2.1KW offers many sonic upgrades. Chief among them are substantially larger filter capacitors that improve the performance of low end frequencies as well as significantly improving dynamic headroom. These eight larger capacitors are located in the Power Modules behind the custom Power Bank that is visible through the front panel glass."
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Velocityboat
Super Member
Yes you add them up 536,000 micro Farad of per amp or 1,072,000 more than Gryphon Apex 1,040,000 μF capacitor banks (>Farad/pair).
Bodhi1
Super Member
My next integrated amp will have 616,000μF total capacitance which is a lot. Anything more than that is really more for wank value.
Velocityboat
Super Member
Supposedly smaller caps in large banks are faster than several larger capacitors. The fewer the caps the better overall reliability. Thus I can see McIntosh using 8 large capacitors versus 100s in other designs.
damacman
Resident Psycho
I never liked the big world logos on the original 2KW. These new designs are pretty slick.
Joules is far more meaningful as a measure of energy than capacitance alone as it factors Voltage. Consider the following formula:
Uc=1/2C*V^2
Where Uc = Energy in Joules, C = Capacitance, and V = Voltage
Voltage is squared . . .
Joules is far more meaningful as a measure of energy than capacitance alone as it factors Voltage. Consider the following formula:
Uc=1/2C*V^2
Where Uc = Energy in Joules, C = Capacitance, and V = Voltage
Voltage is squared . . .
twiiii
Lunatic Member
What are you guys using for loud speakers? How efficient aren't they? How far away are you listening? The idea of needing any much more than 300 watts per channel just blows my mind! Although I will say I have over 600. But I never use much more than 120 watts indicated. Which is about 102 db peak reading z weighted, which is flat at my listening position. Thats full concert level. Are you trying to peal the wall paper off the walls or blow out the windows? You can easily damage your ears or are they already?
If the MC2.1KW blows your mind, then I wonder what are your thoughts about Ken Fritz' system?
The world's greatest stereo system is inside a Virginia home
From classic rock to classical music, the sound is so pure and so perfect, listeners are moved to tears.
www.wtvr.com
Bodhi1
Super Member
Over my 32 years as an audiophile, I've formed the view that, as a rule of thumb, warm, musical sounding amps generally have fewer, higher value caps. And faster, more neutral sounding amps generally have a higher amount of smaller value caps. Two amps i'd describe as warm sounding are the Accuphase A-75 and Vitus SS-102 which use 2 and 4 high value caps respectively. Whilst two other amps I like which are neutral and tube-like (liquid sounding) are the Vitus SIA-030 integrated and Pilium Audio Achilles power amp which both use a bank of 8 high value caps (see pics below). Whilst amps with many smaller, distributed capacitors generally sound fast and neutral (eg: Boulder 1160).
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Blue Shadow
Waiting for Vintage Gear from this century
Cap bank like the Dynaco C-100 module used with the 416 amp and available for some others. But here, one for each channel which seems the right way to go with the added power.
Love that term 'module' for use on an amp that huge.Just noticed the writing on the vertical strips inside the window of the power modules. Are these strips functional? Does anybody know the meaning of the lettering?
View attachment 3087992
damacman
Resident Psycho
and likely all spoken for ...
Tempting, but I realize that I don’t have anyone who comes to my home and would point to the 75s on the amps and say “Wow, you got a pair of the 75th Anniversary amps!”, so I’m fine coasting along without the extra cosmetics. In fact most here don’t know nor care what gear I listen to (other than I’m a McIntosh fan). Not worth the hassle of rushing a deposit to my dealer to get my name on a pair.
Porsche was the first to tempt me by somehow squeezing a bit more power, a bit more braking, a bit more everything year after year but like Porsche, McIntosh will just make the performance tweaks of 2024 obsolete in the next model. Now I look at the values of the air-cooled narrow-body cars and realize that evolution is only important to some.
Maybe I’ll still be enjoying music and buying McIntosh equipment in another 25 years and feel I need a set of the century models.
Porsche was the first to tempt me by somehow squeezing a bit more power, a bit more braking, a bit more everything year after year but like Porsche, McIntosh will just make the performance tweaks of 2024 obsolete in the next model. Now I look at the values of the air-cooled narrow-body cars and realize that evolution is only important to some.
Maybe I’ll still be enjoying music and buying McIntosh equipment in another 25 years and feel I need a set of the century models.
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