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04.01.2020 | Reviews & Awards
Reviews & Awards

MC2152 reviewed by The Occasional by Part-Time Audiophile

McIntosh MC2152 Vacuum Tube Amplifier

The MC2152 Vacuum Tube Amplifier is a 150 Watt per channel stereo amplifier that utilizes our patented Unity Coupled Circuit output transformer technology to deliver the full 150 Watts to almost any pair of speakers regardless if they have 2, 4 or 8 Ohm impedance.

Marc Phillips of The Occasional by Part-Time Audiophile reviewed this "gorgeous piece of gear" that was "a source of constant pleasure." Once connected, the sound of his system "jumped up several levels of yummy aural goodness." This is the stuff "audiophiles strive to acquire by the end of their fascinating musical journey."

McIntosh MC2152 Vacuum Tube Amplifier

He listed a variety of attributes the MC2152 exhibited, including "deep and satisfying bass, a huge soundstage, lifelike imaging" but those don't fully explain what he was hearing. He realized what he was experiencing was "the kind of tube sound we all secretly want, with utterly no constraints on frequency range."

McIntosh MC2152 70th Anniversary Vacuum Tube Amplifier

On Dream with Dean, Dean Martin, who's usually right in your face, took a step back making "a more believable and realistic scale to the other sounds" on the recording. "I’ve never heard Dean sound more present in my listening room," Phillips said, "and that’s really saying something."

"I loved every minute I had with it."

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(Excerpts taken from original review by Marc Phillips / The Occasional by Part-Time Audiophile / March 15, 2020)