McIntosh MC75 MkIII Amplifier Review

[John Jordan]

Dan-

Good to know that the 75's continue to engage you!

As I have said before, listening side by side, the 275 bettered my 352 and a potential 452.
A year later, listening again side by side at Audio Classics, the 75's bettered the by a wide margin the 275 and to my surprise, the 2301's (the margin was smaller). I know that is a bold statement and while there are others that agree I am sure there are others who do not.

In the end, it is all about our individual set-up, components, listening environment and ears. Forums like this of Good Folks (Capital G, Capital F) help us all in the decision making process.

BTW, it is my understanding that running two MC 275's in stereo as Bi-Amp is better than strapping each in mono at 150 watts.

BTW, Way; After reading your review of the 75's I almost think I may have missed the boat by not trading the 275 for another pair of 75's to run the bass. That said...the C 1100 upgrade has been pretty knurly!

[jdandy]

John.......That is quite interesting that you considered the MC75's sound superior to the MC2301's. That comment may serve as the catalyst for me to one day carry the pair of MC75's down to the studio for a direct comparison to the MC2301's, both driving the Sonus faber Amati Anniversario's. I'm in no rush to do this but it may happen one of these days just to satisfy my curiosity. I would like to hear the MC75's with the Amati Anniversario speakers. They sound so good driving the PMC EB1i's, so there is little doubt the MC75's will be anything less than spectacular powering the SF speakers.

Bi-amping a pair of MC275's in stereo is something that never crossed my mind. I could have done that with the PMC's because they allow individual connections to the woofer, midrange, and tweeter. The SF Amati Anniversario's only have a single set of speaker terminals, so no go there. Wish the idea had crossed my mind. It would have been a fun experiment.

As for preamplifiers in the living room system I went from a C40 to a C2200, then to a C2300, then to a C1000C/T, then back to a second C2300. I am completely satisfied with the performance, features, build quality, and sound of the C2300. Compared to my C1000C/P preamp in the studio sound system, the C2300 is my next favorite McIntosh preamplifier. It is highly unlikely I will let my second one go. I am more than thrilled with the C2300 and MC75 pairing.

[Charles]

Dan, it is obvious that you as well as I have taken the "journey". Although we made mistakes we learned from them, hopefully not to repeat them. I began with tubes and vinyl and wound up with SS/digital for amp and pre. You have settled on tubes. I like the c2300 a lot. I wish Mac made a similar tube pre in their current lineup. I can't see how you are going to improve on your current gear. I think some might think, "Why what he's got currently is so simple, so obvious, so right." But not so. It's the result of years of experience and wisdom and experimentation.

____________________
Charles Updated System
Most recent update: AQ Diamond USB replaces AQ Coffee
Amps: McIntosh 1.25KW’s (3) set on floor on custom made cultured marble slabs
Preamp and DAC: McIntosh D1100
Sources: McIntosh MCD1100 SACD player, MVP881 BR player, MVP851 DVD player, MR87 tuner, Marantz 510LV Laser Disc player, ASUS laptop USB (JRiver Media Center 23)
Speakers: Wilson Audio Specialties Alexx
Sub-woofer: Wilson Audio Specialties Thor’s Hammer (1) horizontal lie and Wilson Watch Controller (abbr: WC)
Cables main system: Audioquest Wel Signature speaker cables and balanced IC (preamp to amps); Wel Signature AES/EBU balanced digital IC for CD playback; Audioquest Diamond optical (1) for tuner, (1) for BR player, and (1) for LD player for total of (3); Diamond USB cable; McIntosh MCT cable for SACD playback; Dragon power cords (5 HC cords and 3 source cords for total of 8); Thunder HC power cord for tuner; cables for DVD player not listed
Cables subwoofer system: Audioquest Redwood speaker cable (1); Wolf balanced subwoofer IC from WC to amp; Wind balanced IC from preamp to WC; Hurricane HC (2) and Dragon HC (1) power cords
Power conditioners: Audioquest Niagara 7000 (1) and Niagara 5000 (3); (4) dedicated 20-amp lines with no. 10 wire straight out of fuse box
Cabinet: Double Custom Woodwork & Design (CWD) solid walnut cabinet on large casters; holds all sources and preamp; also, Niagara 7000; 11 feet minimum distance from speakers
Acoustic Treatments: Room and Echo Tunes enough to turn the room into a virtual anechoic chamber if desired; however, at present my room is significantly reflective giving me a bright, vibrant, dynamic, highly resolving, smooth sound free of harshness and grain and perfect for my taste; zero slap echo; gorgeous midrange
AC: Dedicated to this room only, an ultra-high efficiency and quiet recently installed Ruud split system 3-ton heat pump.
Room (mancave): 40’L x 15.5’W A-frame; max ceiling height 8’ min 5’; wall within wall construction built of 2 x 6’s; built over garage with custom hardwood floor with gym seal with over 40 Lowes stiffened wooden I-beams supporting floor; complete isolation from rest of house

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by Charles

Dan, it is obvious that you as well as I have taken the "journey". Although we made mistakes we learned from them, hopefully not to repeat them. I began with tubes and vinyl and wound up with SS/digital for amp and pre. You have settled on tubes. I like the c2300 a lot. I wish Mac made a similar tube pre in their current lineup. I can't see how you are going to improve on your current gear. I think some might think, "Why what he's got currently is so simple, so obvious, so right." But not so. It's the result of years of experience and wisdom and experimentation.

Charles.......So true. The hardest part of high-end audio is knowing what sound you want. That seems simple enough, almost self evident, but it's not. As you pointed out, it takes years of experience and experimentation to gain the wisdom to make the right decisions, and to know when those decisions are worthy of settling on. I was most fortunate in the late 1960's to have a friend and hifi mentor who opened my eyes and ears to the possibilities that can be achieved by selecting audio components that create a sound I could truly embrace, or rather a sound that truly embraces me. He was instrumental in me purchasing my first McIntosh amplifiers, a pair of MC30 tube mono amps. His influence on my future audio direction was far greater than he ever knew.

I have a wonderful friend now who has helped me achieve the sound I enjoy today. His impact on my sound systems has been monumental. I now have two high-end sound systems in my home that I couldn't have dreamed of 50 years ago when I took my first steps into premium gear. The music I am able to enjoy every single day has enriched my life beyond words.

[jdandy]

The McIntosh Control Cables arrived today, as did my two HiFi Tuning Supreme fuses for the MC75 mono tube amplifiers. I really like the upgraded appearance the new control cables provide. They look so much more elegant than the cheap black plastic cables I was using. The gold connectors with the McIntosh logo silk screened on them are well made, feel substantial when plugging them in, and the cable is smooth and pliable. I'm pleased with the end results.

It took very little time to swap the two stock 2.5 amp time delay fuses for the HiFi Tuning Supreme fuses. Upon initial installation I had the logo arrow pointing into the amps. I did this on purpose because my other components ended up with the logo arrow installed facing the rear of the amps and preamps, arriving at that after experimenting with the direction of the fuses in the fuse holders that provided the cleanest presentation. I spent an hour listening to the HiFi Tuning Supreme fuses before turning the amps off and rotating the fuses so that the logo arrow now points to the rear of the amplifiers. Upon energizing the amplifiers and allowing a 10 minute warm up I played the same set of music as before, Lee Ritenour, Paul McCartney, Rene Marie, Ottmar Liebet, Paul Simon, Norah Jones, and Steely Dan. Immediately I discovered a new found clarity, a seemingly more chiseled nature to initial dynamic attacks, especially drums, piano, and horns. It was like getting your eye prescription renewed and suddenly realizing how fresh and sharply focused everything instantly became with new glasses. The HiFi Tuning Supreme fuses in the MC75 amps has again raised the performance bar where no gains seemed possible.

That about does it for tweaks to my new MC75 tube amps. I don't know what else I could do that would make a discernible improvement beyond how the living room system presently sounds. There is so much life, air, energy, dimension, depth, and timbre pouring out of my speakers it takes my breathe away. I already have four hours sitting in the sweet spot on the couch with no intention of stopping the music. This change of amplifiers in the living room sound system has been a roaring success.

[Audiophilehi]

Dan....the McIntosh control cables look fabulous and puts the finishing touch on a beautiful set of amps. As for the HiFi Tuning Supreme fuses, isn’t amazing what a fuse upgrade can do! I would have never believed it until I tried it myself.

Happy Listening!

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by Audiophilehi

Dan....the McIntosh control cables look fabulous and puts the finishing touch on a beautiful set of amps. As for the HiFi Tuning Supreme fuses, isn’t amazing what a fuse upgrade can do! I would have never believed it until I tried it myself.

Happy Listening!

Paul.......I have been a believer in the HiFi Tuning Supreme fuses since I first installed them in the C2300, C1000C/P, MC601's, and MC2301's many years ago. Well worth the performance bump. I am still sitting in the sweet spot in the living room marveling at the sound of this system.

[tweet]

Dan,
Yep, the McIntosh power control cables are the finishing touch for amps like MC75s (or MC275s) where the cables are visible in the room. Well done. I like it.

[John Jordan]

Dan-

Here's to all of us that have spent 50 + years getting our sound machines to their current level of enjoyment.

That said, what's this fuse stuff you guys are making mention of?

[Audiophilehi]

Hi John....I’m a little late to the party myself but I have been replacing the stock fuses in my components with aftermarket fuses. So far I’ve replaced the fuse in my PS Audio BHK Preamp and 4 (mains) out of 12 fuses in my BHK 300 mono blocks with Synergistic Research Quantum Blue fuses with outstanding success. I will eventually replace the 8 rails fuses.

I believe my next fuse upgrade will be my Bryson BDA-3 DAC and my Aurender N100H. It’s so addictive once you hear the improvements so beware going down the fuse upgrade rabbit hole.

BTW Dan is using HiFi Tuning Supreme fuses.