The Absolute Sound Editors' Choice Award Winner 2017-2022
Tone Audio 2020 Product of the Year
Voted Masterpiece of 2017 Festival SON & IMAGE
The Absolute Sound Golden Ear Award Winner
Upon its initial release in 1961, the MC275 Vacuum Tube Amplifier became an instant favorite due to its ability to drive the power-hungry speakers of that time period with great power at low distortion levels. However, as transistors emerged and vacuum tubes became 'old technology,' the MC275 was discontinued in 1971. Thankfully, that is not where the story of the MC275 ends.
"Good audio engineering is timeless." - Stereophile
It came back into production as a special commemoration edition in 1993 to posthumously honor McIntosh co-founder and longtime president Gordon Gow. The reincarnated MC275 received incredibly high acclaim and earned its spot back in the product lineup. The overall storyline behind the MC275 and its history with McIntosh is exceptionally rich and it has been the driving force behind countless home audio systems for decades. It is hard to imagine McIntosh without the MC275.
MC275 Family Photo (from left to right): Original Version 1961-1971; Mk II Gordon Gow Commemorative Edition 1993; Mk III 1995-2003; Mk IV 2004-2007; Mk V 2007-2011; Mk VI 2011-current (2011 model was 50th Anniversary Limited Edition and was available with a gold chassis).
Now in its sixth generation, the MC275 has many subtle enhancements from the previous releases that have greatly improved performance. Combined with the widest bandwidth McIntosh output transformer design, the MC275 features tauter bass control and thermally quiet circuit design. The result is pure music. This vacuum tube power amplifier has all the features to meet the needs of today’s music enthusiast, while preserving the qualities that have made the MC275 the most revered McIntosh vacuum tube amplifier.
The MC275 can be used in either stereo or mono mode. When used as a stereo amplifier, it will deliver 75 Watts per channel to 4, 8 or 16 Ohm speakers; in mono mode it will output 150 Watts to a single speaker with an impedance of 2, 4 or 8 Ohms. The MC275's full power can be delivered regardless of the speaker impedance thanks to our patented Unity Coupled Circuit output transformer technology – the same technology McIntosh was founded on in 1949. The two Unity Coupled Circuit output transformers are located next to the power transformer.
50th Anniversary Limited Edition MC275 (2011) and an original MC275 (1961-1971).
Four KT88 vacuum tubes power the output section while four 12AT7 and three 12AX7A smaller vacuum tubes are used for the Input, Voltage, and Driver amps. The MC275 offers both balanced and unbalanced inputs to connect to your preamplifier and home audio system. It comes with our fuse-less Sentry Monitor™ short-circuit protection that disengages the output stage before current exceeds safe operating levels and then resets automatically when operating conditions return to normal. Our patented gold-plated Solid Cinch™ speaker binding posts assure the best connection to all speaker cables.
McIntosh Solid Cinch speaker binding posts.
The seven small tubes are LED illuminated to indicate the amplifiers functional status: upon power up, they sequentially glow amber for a few seconds and then all turn green to signify system readiness. In the rare case of an output tube failure, the small tube(s) in front of it will turn red to notify you of the problem. An input and output for our Power Control technology allows other connected McIntosh components, such as preamplifiers, CD players, turntables, or media steamers, to automatically turn on and off. Contact your local dealer to learn more.
Specifications
Electronic Specifications
Power Output per Channel
75W @ 4, 8 or 16 Ohms
Number of Channels
2
Total Harmonic Distortion
0.5% maximum harmonic distortion at any power level from 250 milliwatts to rated power, 20Hz to 20,000Hz (≤ 0.25% harmonic distortion at 1kHz)
S/N below rated output
105dB
Dynamic Headroom
1.2dB
Damping Factor
>22
Rated Power Band
20Hz to 20kHz
Frequency Response
+0, -0.5dB from 20Hz to 20,000Hz +0, -3.0dB from 10Hz to 100,000Hz
Control
Remote Power Control
Yes, input and output
Multi-Channel DB25 Cable
N/A
General Specifications
Circuit Configuration
Unity Coupled
Circuit Design
Vacuum Tube
Mono Bridge
Yes
Mono Parallel
Yes, 150W @ 2, 4 or 8 Ohms
Output Type
Unity Coupled Output Transformer
Meters
No
Meter Light Switch
Small signal tubes LEDs controlled by McIntosh preamp
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