Усилители мощности моно — McIntosh MC2KW

The MC2KW is a McIntosh Laboratory mono amplifier with solid-state circuitry, designed for stereo music systems as well as home theater. The maker's site marks it as retired, with only limited stock remaining. It is built as three separate chassis, and two complete sets are needed for a stereo system.

Key specs that matter

Continuous output is 2,000 W into 2, 4 or 8 ohms over a 20 Hz to 20 kHz power band, with 8,000 W peak power and a 2 dB headroom figure. Rated distortion is 0.005% THD. The signal-to-noise ratio is 123 dB through the unbalanced inputs and 127 dB through the balanced ones. Response holds within 0.25 dB from 20 Hz to 20 kHz and within 3 dB from 10 Hz to 100 kHz, and damping stays above 40 over the whole band. Each module measures 45.09 cm wide, 31.27 cm high and 62.54 cm deep. The Output Module weighs 55.8 kg, 67.1 kg packed, and each Power Module weighs 57.6 kg, 68.9 kg packed.

Engineering and use context

Two Power Modules each carry a 1,000 W amplifier with half of the circuitry and its own power supply, and a third Output Module holds the connections, the meter and the control functions. This tri-chassis approach spreads the total weight over three units. McIntosh uses its Quad Balanced circuitry here, which McIntosh says cancels virtually all noise and distortion. An Autoformer delivers the full rating to any of the three impedances, Power Guard stops clipping before it can harm drivers, and Sentry Monitor shuts down a short circuit without relying on fuses. The chassis are polished stainless steel with a glass front panel and brushed aluminium handles. A large blue watt meter uses LED fibre optic illumination, and a switch turns the meter light off. The meter lets the owner follow the signal level delivered to the loudspeaker at a glance. Warranty is 3 years.

Pairing

Two balanced inputs plus unbalanced inputs allow more than one preamplifier or processor to be connected. The 200 A speaker binding posts come in three sets for each output tap, which makes bi-wiring and tri-wiring possible. Remote power control runs through a Multi-Channel DB25 cable, so the amplifier can switch on with the rest of a McIntosh system.

Alternatives

The McIntosh MC2.1KW is the newer monoblock that keeps the same tri-chassis concept of one Output Module and two Power Modules, adding substantially larger filter capacitors, dual balanced and unbalanced inputs and IP68-rated bayonet cables between modules.