New Announcements from McIntosh!

[AndyPrice44]

I don't like the push buttons either... It cheapens the overall look IMO. If they were polished or brushed steel buttons with a nice steel surround, that might look appealing. That grey rubber button will not last very well. I could see it deteriorating in less than 10 years. Think about the rubber compound they use on the remotes that turns into goo over time.

 

[JWJW]

Reminds me of the MC122 and MC7100 I & Ii.

Should have followed the MC162 with knobs.

With that said, I would have purchased 5 for my home theater.....but NO way at $25,000

 

[SeattleHiFi]

I too must protest the buttons. Looks cheap. I suppose if they had used the push buttons from the pre amp that might have passed. But really, there should be knobs!

 

[jblnut]

Why not make the 152 capable of bridge mode and eliminate the 301 altogether ? Seems like an unnecessary expense to design, market, build and support two essentially identical amps.

I think it goes without saying that most of us cheapsk...err...value conscious individuals would prefer a higher-up used model over either of these

jblnut

 

['cisco]

I vote for the knobs too.....I just hope it is just a test photo and not a production model. :sigh: I don't even think there's a "peak hold" feature?? :sigh:

 

[damacman]

So . . . an "AKer friendly" NEW McIntosh amp should be:

1 - Used so we can get it at 30% off retail
2 - Jam packed with features found on more expensive models

Guys, if McIntosh built products for us, they'd be out of business. How many of us have purchased absolutely NEW McIntosh gear from a franchised dealer this year? I know I haven't.

I think Mc did OK with these new amp models. Look past the faceplates in the glamour shots on Mc's web site - these look like solidly built amplifiers that are made to stand the test of time. Quad Balanced designs even. I'll reserve final judgement for when I see and hear them in person.

These power ratings are ideal for 95% of consumers out there. If McIntosh offered them too inexpensively that could cannibalize sales of higher powered better featured units. It's all a value proposition - if you're a customer that doesn't need 300 watts per channel, and can't afford an MC302 now you have an option with McIntosh in a metered amplifier. Same can be said for the guy that wants metered Mc monos, but can't afford the MC601s.

Personally, I see these amps as excellent additions to the McIntosh amplifier line. With them, McIntosh dealers are in a position to gain customers that simply would not have purchased a McIntosh amplifier (or amplifiers) otherwise. You have to consider the business side of the equation before drawing a conclusion about these amplifiers and how they fit into the line.

 

[playdrv4me]

It is $10k list for pair
So....1/2 the amp of 601, but not 1/2 the price.
I'm a little bummed to be honest. I was hoping they would be "intro" priced.

Oh. Well screw that noise then. I'm sure the McIntosh can do no wrong crowd will defend that pricing, but just spend the extra 4k at that point if the thought of a fingerprint on your gear is just too much to handle, or buy a used pair of 601s for the same price.

The problem with selling something to people that can spend 10,000.00 is that you can also get another 4k out of that crowd fairly easily, and that's not just a McIntosh thing, but any high dollar aspirational brand of anything. So the 301s will probably be low volume sellers, with the 152 taking the lion's share of the lower end market for specific (nee space friendly) low wattage applications.

 

[playdrv4me]

I don't like the push buttons either... It cheapens the overall look IMO. If they were polished or brushed steel buttons with a nice steel surround, that might look appealing. That grey rubber button will not last very well. I could see it deteriorating in less than 10 years. Think about the rubber compound they use on the remotes that turns into goo over time.

Are they grey rubber? Looks like just a grey plastic or metal dome to me. Grey rubber might indeed be a problem, but most people rarely touch them and it's such a small area it hopefully won't really show any deterioration. I'm not defending it, just saying it might not be that big of a deal.

 

[sully1801]

Amps, Amps, Amps...
Blah, blah, blah

What about the Cans?
Anyone know the MSRP on those babies?

 

[beans]

I don't see why they wouldn't have used the same pushbuttons they've been using for the last 20 years or so. That said, I don't mind these. Hell, one complaint I've had about the whole Mc lineup is that almost everything looks about the same, but they now have a huge selection of models.

 

[AndyPrice44]

playdrv - I don't know for sure that they are rubber. They just looked like it to me. They don't look metallic at all to my eye. I haven't seen them first hand. Just the same pictures you guys are looking at.

 

[kevzep]

So . . . an "AKer friendly" NEW McIntosh amp should be:

1 - Used so we can get it at 30% off retail
2 - Jam packed with features found on more expensive models

Guys, if McIntosh built products for us, they'd be out of business. How many of us have purchased absolutely NEW McIntosh gear from a franchised dealer this year? I know I haven't.

I think Mc did OK with these new amp models. Look past the faceplates in the glamour shots on Mc's web site - these look like solidly built amplifiers that are made to stand the test of time. Quad Balanced designs even. I'll reserve final judgement for when I see and hear them in person.

These power ratings are ideal for 95% of consumers out there. If McIntosh offered them too inexpensively that could cannibalize sales of higher powered better featured units. It's all a value proposition - if you're a customer that doesn't need 300 watts per channel, and can't afford an MC302 now you have an option with McIntosh in a metered amplifier. Same can be said for the guy that wants metered Mc monos, but can't afford the MC601s.

Personally, I see these amps as excellent additions to the McIntosh amplifier line. With them, McIntosh dealers are in a position to gain customers that simply would not have purchased a McIntosh amplifier (or amplifiers) otherwise. You have to consider the business side of the equation before drawing a conclusion about these amplifiers and how they fit into the line.

Good points, however, they are not quad balanced according to the specs on the McIntosh site.
They are just simple push pull complementary, like the MC302......

But seriously, when I look at those amps, those "buttons" are just plain awful, a real design fail on Mc's part, in fact so much so it would be enough to put me off buying one, and have me going for a more traditional looking model like a second hand MC452 or something....

They look like a normal McIntosh amplifier where someone has come along and stolen the knobs off it to leave two awful looking stumps.....

 

[HamDog]

My vote is for the big classic knobs. I don't like the push buttons either.

And the e-mail from McIntosh that introduces these items boosts "maximum channel separation and audio fidelity" as a selling point for the mono blocks. Never knew channel separation was a major issue for stereo or multi-channel amps!

Alex...I'll take category "Things I can't hear" for $1000.

 

[playdrv4me]

My vote is for the big classic knobs. I don't like the push buttons either.

And the e-mail from McIntosh that introduces these items boosts "maximum channel separation and audio fidelity" as a selling point for the mono blocks. Never knew channel separation was a major issue for stereo or multi-channel amps!

Alex...I'll take category "Things I can't hear" for $1000.

Is that not the truth? I mean, at least in theory (if not so much in execution), breaking the two amplifier channels apart has always been dubbed as having the benefit of eliminating any possibility of cross-talk between channels and given them each their own fully independent power supplies has it not?

Don't think I can really fault them for that one.

 

[mhardy6647]

Exactly so -- it's fundamentally the only "good" reason for monoblock amplifiers.

I think it's interesting that the buttons (all two of them, that won't even likely be used?!) Mac chose to put on a product would make someone decide not to buy it.

 

[playdrv4me]

Exactly so -- it's fundamentally the only "good" reason for monoblock amplifiers.

I think it's interesting that the buttons (all two of them, that won't even likely be used?!) Mac chose to put on a product would make someone decide not to buy it.

I hear you. But you have to remember that as someone pointed out earlier in this thread, McIntosh has built a following and a heritage in part based on that "look", whether that has anything to do with the sound or not.

Take away something as iconic as those brushed aluminum knobs and it's not like your ardent followers just won't notice.

But sure, it shouldn't be a criteria based on the auditory merits of the product.

 

[winters860]

I don't mind the buttons -I certainly don't think they're more offensive than LEDs under the tube sockets, which seem to have caught a lot less flack upon introduction.

 

[SeattleHiFi]

I don't mind the buttons -I certainly don't think they're more offensive than LEDs under the tube sockets, which seem to have caught a lot less flack upon introduction.

You can turn the LEDs for the tubes off. Not so with a fascia... aesthetics are an important consideration with audio also, especially at this price point.

 

[HamDog]

When I purchased mono blocks in the past, it was because of pure brute power. Dedicated power supplies for each channel. Never bought a mono block due to better cross talk. Mainly speaking, the big McIntosh amps are mono while smaller ones are stereo. I never thought it was due to crosstalk that the big amps were mono. They just needed bigger dedicated power supplies for the power. At least that's my thinking.

 

[playdrv4me]

When I purchased mono blocks in the past, it was because of pure brute power. Dedicated power supplies for each channel. Never bought a mono block due to better cross talk. Mainly speaking, the big McIntosh amps are mono while smaller ones are stereo. I never thought it was due to crosstalk that the big amps were mono. They just needed bigger dedicated power supplies for the power. At least that's my thinking.

I think for most people, *most* of the excuses for trying to justify monos can almost always be quashed by excellent stereo amps from the same company. Just like the discussion about these buttons/knobs, I think a lot of monoblock love is very aesthetic in nature (and I wasn't exempt from that when I decided on the 601s). The 452 for example, performs virtually on par with the 601s unless you are at the outer envelopes of the power handling ability of either unit. Nothing wrong with falling in love with the look, though.