Усилители мощности стерео — McIntosh MC257

The McIntosh MC257 is a solid-state power amplifier with seven channels, built by the Binghamton company specifically for home theater systems. It follows the five-channel MC255 and shares that model's chassis layout, adding two more channels plus a new style of front-panel metering that McIntosh calls the TripleView Power Output Meter.

Key specs that matter

With only the three front channels driven, each delivers 250 W into 4 or 8 ohms, which is also the FTC rating. When all seven are driven together, output settles at 200 W per channel into either load. Rated total harmonic distortion is 0.005%, and the signal-to-noise figure stands at 108 dB below rated output. Dynamic headroom reaches 3.3 dB, which McIntosh describes as a 94% gain over the previous generation. The damping factor is above 70 at 4 ohms and above 140 at 8 ohms. Frequency response is flat within +0 and -0.25 dB from 20 Hz to 20 kHz and within +0 and -3 dB from 10 Hz to 100 kHz, and the rated power band runs from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. The case measures 44.45 cm wide, 24 cm tall and 53.3 cm deep with feet, front panel and cables counted, and the unit weighs 43 kg, or 58 kg packed for shipping.

Engineering and use context

McIntosh uses complementary transistors in a push-pull arrangement. Dynamic Power Manager technology lets the amplifier hold full output into both 4 and 8 ohm speakers, while Power Guard watches the signal to stop clipping that could damage drivers, and Sentry Monitor disengages the output stage when a short circuit occurs. Filter capacitance is 20% higher than in the model it replaces. Passive cooling through Monogrammed Heatsinks means no fans are fitted. The TripleView meter places three separate mechanical meters in one enclosure, 38 cm across, showing real-time power for the three front channels (left, centre, right), and its blue LED backlighting can be switched off. The front itself is black glass with direct LED illumination, set in a polished stainless steel chassis with aluminium end caps. Seven balanced inputs sit alongside unbalanced ones, speaker leads connect to gold-plated binding posts, and the amplifier turns itself off once it has detected no input signal for a period. McIntosh covers it with a 3-year limited warranty.

Pairing

The channel count can be split as a seven-channel cinema block or as five channels for the main room plus two channels feeding a second zone. Remote power control lets a McIntosh processor switch it on and off, and systems that need more than seven channels can add an MI128 or MI254 digital amplifier.

Alternatives

The McIntosh MC255 is the five-channel sibling built on the same chassis layout.