Mcintosh output power
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DonBattles
Well-Known Member
The answer is in the use of output autoformer's, its use will give full amp power running either 2,4, or 8 Ohm speakers giving you more freedom of speaker choice without loosing any of the power you have paid for :yes:
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chuckworkb
Super Member
No disadvantage at all that I can think of.
Also, I bet that 402 puts out more then 400 watts if you had it measured.
Also, I bet that 402 puts out more then 400 watts if you had it measured.
william.keith
Super Member
What planet are you from?
ron-c
Addicted Member
Reasonable question. Unlike direct coupled amps, McIntosh amps with the autoformer do not halve their power whenever you double the speaker impedance.
You can watch the meters on the MC402 and play some dynamic music. Turn it up until your speakers blow or the power guard light just comes on. Now look at the meters and you will see they are way over 400 watts. it is not unusual with some speakers to see 800 watts or more.
Thanks,
Ron-C
You can watch the meters on the MC402 and play some dynamic music. Turn it up until your speakers blow or the power guard light just comes on. Now look at the meters and you will see they are way over 400 watts. it is not unusual with some speakers to see 800 watts or more.
Thanks,
Ron-C
I'm from Earth thank you. However it seems like the less resistance, the amp should be able to output more power, Which seems like an advantage the way the reviews are written. Usually the standard is 8 ohms for speakers.
All other amps are rated to put out more power at lower resistances. I was just wondering why the McIntosh keeps the power the same across all resistances....
All other amps are rated to put out more power at lower resistances. I was just wondering why the McIntosh keeps the power the same across all resistances....
whoaru99
Epic Member
The point being made is that you get the watts you pay for at any given impedance.
For example, my Levinson amp is 200W @ 8, 400W @ 4, and 700W @ 2. Some would say that I've paid for an amp that can produce big watts at 2 or even 1 ohm, but I'm not getting my money's worth at 8 ohms which is a more typical situation.
I could buy an aftermarket transformer like Speltz to approximate the effect of the McIntosh autoformer, but the amp suits my purposes as-is. For really big power I've gone to pro amps.
For example, my Levinson amp is 200W @ 8, 400W @ 4, and 700W @ 2. Some would say that I've paid for an amp that can produce big watts at 2 or even 1 ohm, but I'm not getting my money's worth at 8 ohms which is a more typical situation.
I could buy an aftermarket transformer like Speltz to approximate the effect of the McIntosh autoformer, but the amp suits my purposes as-is. For really big power I've gone to pro amps.
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Victor
Super Member
The first thing you need to do to understand this is look at the back of a McIntosh amp with Autoformers. When you do this you will notice there are 3 sets of speaker outputs. Lets take the MC402 400 watt amp as an example:
With the MC402 there is one set of stereo speaker outputs for 400 watts into 2 ohm speakers, one set of stereo speaker outputs for 400 watts into 4 ohm speakers and one set of stereo speaker outputs for 400 watts into 8 ohm speakers. So with this amp it's really like having 3 amps in one box.
If you hook up 4 ohm speakers using the 8 ohm speaker taps on a MC402 the amp's output will increase as you would expect as with any other amp, in this case the MC402's output would be close to 800 watts per channel. If you hook up 8 ohm speakers to the MC402's 4 ohm speaker taps, as expected you would get the opposite results and the MC402 output would be close to 200 watts with this setup.
Does hooking up speakers to the incorrect taps on the MC402 damage the amp, you may ask. The simple answer is no. This ohm mismatch could cause the MC402 to run hotter than it was designed for but the MC402 has protection built into it that will shut it down before it becomes damaged.
william.keith
Super Member
Are you recommending this?
Victor
Super Member
Sure, but ONLY with the solid state amps. With tube amps it's always best to to correctly match the speakers to the correct tap on the amp.
With the solid state autoformer amps you have 3 hookup choices, might as well try it all 3 ways and see what sounds the best to you. With my MC501s I found the 8 ohm taps usually sounded best. As I said, the only possible problem doing this is the amp could run hotter than it was designed to. If the amp is running too hot the Power Guard will shut off the amp before it is damaged. If your amp's Power Guard lights come on frequently or your amp is running hot it is always best to hook the speaker to the next lower speaker tap.
