McIntosh Laboratory was founded in 1949 by Frank H. McIntosh and Gordon Gow in Silver Spring, Maryland, and moved to Binghamton, New York, in 1951, where it remains headquartered today. Since November 2024, the McIntosh Group, which also includes Sonus faber, has been owned by the American company Bose, which has stated its intention to keep the two brands focused on amplifiers, speakers, and turntables.
McIntosh's history begins with the Unity Coupled circuit, patented at the company's inception and the basis of its first amplifier, the 50W-1: a unique output transformer configuration that reduced distortion compared to amplifiers of the time and is still used today in tube power amplifiers like the MC275. The design is unmistakable: black glass fronts, adopted in the 1960s, and the distinctive blue-illuminated VU meters, present since the mid-1970s. The transformers are still hand-wound in-house.
Distinctive technical solutions include Autoformers, the output autotransformers used in many solid-state amplifiers and integrated circuits, which allow full nominal power to be delivered into 2, 4, and 8-ohm loads; Power Guard, a patented circuit that compares the input signal with the output signal and limits clipping; and Sentry Monitor, a fuseless protection that disconnects the power amplifier when the current exceeds safety limits and automatically restores operation.
The range covers the entire chain. Integrated amplifiers include the MA252, the brand's first hybrid integrated amplifier, with a 12AX7 and 12AT7 tube preamplifier, a 100-watt solid-state power amplifier into 8 ohms, and a headphone output, and the MA12000, a 350-watt-per-channel hybrid, as well as the MA5300, MA7200, MA8950, and MA9500 solid-state integrated amplifiers and the MA2375 tube amplifier. The MC275 VI tube power amplifier delivers 75 watts per channel with KT88 tubes, or 150 watts in mono configuration; solid-state power amplifiers range from the MC152 to the 2.000-watt MC2.1KW monoblock. The range is completed by the C22 MKV, C49, C55, C2800 and C12000 preamplifiers, the MCD85, MCD350, MCD600 and MCD12000 players, the DS200 streamer, the MHA200 headphone amplifier, the MT2, MT5 and MT10 turntables and the XR100, XRT1.1K, XRT2.1K and ML1 MK II speakers.
The ML1 MK II is based on the ML1 designed around 1970 by Roger Russell: same closed cabinet and same dimensions, but with five speakers instead of four, including a 12-inch woofer. The MT5 turntable uses a magnetic suspension bearing, with minimal contact between the parts.
Those looking for a single unit with a tube preamp and simple operation will find the MA252 the most natural entry point. With demanding speakers or large rooms, autoformer-equipped integrated amplifiers like the 200-watt MA8950 or 300-watt MA9500 deliver full power into 2, 4, and 8 ohms. Those who prefer separate components can pair a C Series preamplifier with an MC275 VI, ideal for high-sensitivity speakers, or with a solid-state power amplifier when more power is needed.
In our Carpi showroom, you can listen to McIntosh equipment in the listening room, compare it with your speakers, and get advice on matching it. The same models can be ordered online at audiocostruzioni.com with shipping, asking us for advice first by email if necessary.
