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McIntosh MC275 MK VI Clone

dubai2000 said:
More impressions - the amp is really as good as already stated by others above. It's easy to listen to for hours without any listening fatigue - burn-in seems to balance to sound more - the initially perceived slight mid-hump seems to be gone (or my ears have adjusted). I still have not opened it up, but in pure sonic terms I don't feel any urgent need to change caps (I might only do so for the fun of it).
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If you want to change caps, you also need to change all the tube. And it will cost more than half of the amp for the caps and tubes.
 
More impressions: burn-in really changes the amp - to my ears it becomes more balanced (less mid-centred) and "open". Another positive change: I found PSVANE Art-Series for the 12AX7 and that has made to sound "finer" (for the lack of a better word) - next I shall order the some series 12AT7. All in all a wonderful amp.
 
dubai2000 said:
More impressions: burn-in really changes the amp - to my ears it becomes more balanced (less mid-centred) and "open". Another positive change: I found PSVANE Art-Series for the 12AX7 and that has made to sound "finer" (for the lack of a better word) - next I shall order the some series 12AT7. All in all a wonderful amp.
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Does your unit have the Light start up? This was added later as well the BIAS Timmers were removed. When you have time, I would like to see what else was add/deleted. As I stated, the WIMA's and questionable Caps had been removed/replaced.
 
Yes, I do have the light show installed. I have not forgotten about photos - I am going to move within the next two weeks - after that I'll eventually have time. The WIMAs and the smaller Chinese elektrolytes I am going to replace - simply for the fun of it - though I am no great fan of original WIMAs, anyway.
 
I don't care for the design of the new MC75 mono-blocks at all. The circuit and output transformers are different than the new MC275's.

When using balanced inputs, the newer MC275's bypass the first tube. In fact, in the Gordon Gow edition you can leave the first tube, a 12AX7, out if using balanced inputs. The differential signal is fed to the next tube, a 12AX7 for amplification, not phase splitter duties. From there a fully differential signal all the way to the output tubes. Even the output transformer has out-of-phase feedback windings that connect to each cathode in the second 12AX7 tube. The first 12AX7 tube is not in the feedback loop from the output transformer.

Contrast this to the single ended design of the new MC75. When running balanced inputs on this amp, the balanced signal is converted to a single ended signal by way of...gasp...an op amp. Then the signal is split via phase splitter. On the output transformer, there is only a single-ended feedback winding.

The MC275 is better suited if you are running balanced inputs. The MC75 may be better suited to single ended RCA inputs.
 
Can someone tell me if their is actually a security/protection for speaker on this clone amplifier ?
If i pull the trigger, i will probably put it on expensive speaker like B&W, so I would love to be sure that their is a security to prevent speaker problems if their is a failure with amplifier. Thanks !
 
No speaker protection at all on the MC275 clone. The clone is more or less a replica of the MC275 Mark IV, which does not offer speaker protection.

I see clone MC75 is also sold. It appears to be a replica of circa 2017 MC75 (the original does have speaker protection -- maybe the clone does too?)
 
I know there are many, who think. "you are just paying for a name". But I think like most things when you get right down to it, are rarely quite so simple.
 
zilli0n said:
Can someone tell me if their is actually a security/protection for speaker on this clone amplifier ?
If i pull the trigger, i will probably put it on expensive speaker like B&W, so I would love to be sure that their is a security to prevent speaker problems if their is a failure with amplifier. Thanks !
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The 275 and most other tube amplifiers including chinese ones have an output transformer which passes AC but cannot pass DC.
You'll blow every eardrum in the neighborhood before you damage a speaker with a tube type amplifier.
They simply cannot pass any significant DC to the speaner outputs...
 
jdwk said:
I know there are many, who think. "you are just paying for a name". But I think like most things when you get right down to it, are rarely quite so simple.
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People pay for all of the names.
With Mcintosh you pay for the name as well but you're getting some of the best equipment for the money.
There's a Mac Tax.
Of course theres a pioneer tax and a sansui tax, kenwood tax....
Those brands arent nearly as well built.
Ill pay the Mac Tax thank you!
 
There's also mac support. Try and get parts from Pioneer, Sansui, Marantz....today. Not that Mac gear is prone to fail. It is nice to get part s from manufacturer 20-60 years after it was built. I am somewhat curious as the brand continues to change hands whether that kind of support will continue.
PS I suspect it's very difficult to get support from orsofone ( or whatever they call themselves)
 
Mcintosh offers virtually no support for their legacy tube stuff which is what im into.
Fortunately Mcintosh used mostly parts that are still available today and if you know how and where to buy things you can get all of the stuff to rebuild them, and its usually pretty cheap.

For example i can buy the cinch terminal strip for an MC30 for $7 or so.
What would Mcintosh get for the convienience of buying the same thing from them?
500%
1500%
Seems in line with other things they offer which are widely available elsewhere...
I personally cannot afford the Mac Tax and i find the work around every time...
 
trainbuffton said:
People pay for all of the names.
With Mcintosh you pay for the name as well but you're getting some of the best equipment for the money.
There's a Mac Tax.
Of course theres a pioneer tax and a sansui tax, kenwood tax....
Those brands arent nearly as well built.
Ill pay the Mac Tax thank you!
Click to expand...
And the Mac & Built in USA taxes partially trickle back into USA citizen pockets. :thumbsup:
 
trainbuffton said:
Mcintosh offers virtually no support for their legacy tube stuff which is what im into.
Fortunately Mcintosh used mostly parts that are still available today and if you know how and where to buy things you can get all of the stuff to rebuild them, and its usually pretty cheap.

For example i can buy the cinch terminal strip for an MC30 for $7 or so.
What would Mcintosh get for the convienience of buying the same thing from them?
500%
1500%
Seems in line with other things they offer which are widely available elsewhere...
I personally cannot afford the Mac Tax and i find the work around every time...
Click to expand...
I'm very much there with you. During the journey I came across an mc2100. I rebuilt my driver board but replacement was available. There are plastic ( i think ?) Brackets that hold but insulate the power amp heatsink assemblies. I was able to source them from Mac (several of mine were cracked, I suspect from hard handling but maybe they dry out and become brittle?) I did epoxy the old pieces together for future ( you never know)
A while after I sold the 2100 , I gave away the brackets to another aker working on a 2100.
 
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