New McIntosh Monoblock Amp

mark090852

I found this very interesting.

McIntosh new MC901 Dual Mono Amplifier.

The MC901 is a monoblock amplifier that drives a single speaker. But it is unlike any other monoblock amplifier. What makes the MC901 so unique is that it's two amplifiers combined into one. Adding to the uniqueness is that each amplifier is of differing design philosophies: the MC901 consists of a 300 Watt vacuum tube amplifier attached to a 600 Watt solid state amplifier on one unified chassis.

pitdogg2

Well that is interesting! So is it 900wpc? 8ohm specs at 4ohm?
She is a looker

pitdogg2

Well maybe the SS for low end and tubes for highs.

codycatalist

I see taps for SS and taps for Tube... Weird.

nooshinjohn

Glass must be getting expensive as they only use it for the meter face...

audioluvr

I have a feeling a pair of those would cost as much as my house.

marvda1

must be class d on the solid state end as it may not have enough heat sink area.

Tony M

pitdogg2 wrote: »

Well maybe the SS for low end and tubes for highs.

I'll bet 10.00 that there is it's purpose.

I'm not into tubes yet but from what I've read, this design makes sense to me.

Now..., do they have a mixed Pre-AMP too?

mhardy6647

nooshinjohn wrote: »

Glass must be getting expensive as they only use it for the meter face...

I think there's a little bit in the tubes, too... but, of course, Mac doesn't make the tubes.

tratliff

Appears to be a MC2301 and MC601 rolled into one chassis. Wonder how the power supply is split up, or if it is.

Where did you see this?

EDIT: I found it on the www. Interesting product. It is built for bi-amping and contains a cross-over. $17.5K each and 29.5" deep.

motorstereo

Here's a bit more info on them.....I say kudos to Mac's engineering dept. for coming up with a statement piece like this

Announcing the McIntosh

MC901 Dual Mono Amplifier




McIntosh is proud to announce the new MC901 Dual Mono Amplifier.

Legendary home audio company McIntosh has been perfecting vacuum tube amplifiers since the 1940s and solid state amplifiers since the 1960s. Their amplifiers have been used at many historic events including presidential inaugurations and Woodstock, as well as in landmark sound systems like the Grateful Dead's Wall of Sound and Despacio. From that heritage comes a truly one-of-a-kind home audio amplifier only they could dream of, design and build as the ultimate solution for bi-amping loudspeakers: the new McIntosh MC901 Dual Mono Amplifier.

The MC901 is a monoblock amplifier that drives a single speaker. But it is unlike any other monoblock amplifier. What makes the MC901 so unique is that it's two amplifiers combined into one. Adding to the uniqueness is that each amplifier is of differing design philosophies: the MC901 consists of a 300 Watt vacuum tube amplifier attached to a 600 Watt solid state amplifier on one unified chassis.



The 300 Watt vacuum tube portion powers the speaker's mid and upper drivers via eight KT88 output tubes, plus four 12AT7 and two 12AX7A signal tubes; the solid state section delivers 600 Watts of dedicated power to the power hungry woofers. The 300 Watt vacuum tube amp in the MC901 uses McIntosh's patented Unity Coupled Circuit output transformer – the same technology McIntosh was founded on in 1949 – to deliver its full 300 Watts into almost any speaker regardless if it has 2, 4 or 8 Ohm impedance. Similarly, the 600 Watt solid state amp delivers its full 600 Watts into a 2, 4 or 8 Ohm impedance speaker via McIntosh's Autoformer™ technology.

Vacuum tubes do not perform at their best when they are amplifying lower frequencies that are not being used by the loudspeaker. With the MC901, the vacuum tube amp will not be burdened with low end reproduction as the solid state section will drive these frequencies. The two amplifier sections of the MC901 are designed to work together in a synergistic relationship and are specifically engineered to assure that each section only amplifies its intended frequencies. Each amplifier section has its own discrete power supply so neither siphons power or performance away from the other. All of this results in easy bi-amping with unparalleled performance and sound reproduction from the speakers.



Prior to the MC901, bi-amping a speaker required two separate amplifiers. It also required an external crossover, along with a lot of trial and error, to properly configure the two detached amplifiers so they worked together as best as possible. The MC901 solves this issue thanks to its internal, adjustable crossover with the controls easily accessible on the top of the unit. These adjustable crossover filters allow the user to optimize the performance of both amplifier sections to their listening preferences. Relative gain levels for each amplifier section can be adjusted from -6dB to + 3dB. A direct feed can also be connected to each amplifier section, thus bypassing the filters.

Like virtually all McIntosh amplifiers, the MC901 features an iconic "McIntosh Blue" Watt meter, which has come to be recognized around the world as a symbol of quality audio. And just like the MC901 itself is a new design, so too is its meter with the introduction of McIntosh's new DualView™ Power Output Meter. The DualView meter features two of McIntosh's traditional, fast responding mechanical meters stacked above and below each other in a single meter window; one meter is dedicated to the 300 Watt vacuum tube amp and the other to the 600 Watt solid state amp. Each meter operates independently of the other and displays the real time power reading of each amplifier section.



While an entirely new design, the MC901 comes with the technology one would expect from a McIntosh amplifier: Power Guard® in the 600 Watt solid state amplifier section, Sentry Monitor™, Quad Balanced design, Power Control, Solid Cinch™ speaker binding posts, McIntosh Monogrammed Heatsinks™, and McIntosh's eco-friendly Power Management System.

A brand new technology in the 300 Watt vacuum tube amplifier section of the MC901 is Power Guard Screen Grid Sensor™ (SGS). Power Guard SGS™ helps prevent premature vacuum tube failure by monitoring the screen grid current in the KT88 output vacuum tubes. If the current becomes too high, a circuit in Power Guard SGS is activated which then dynamically attenuates the input signal in real time to keep the vacuum tubes operating at safe levels.

Although the MC901 may look different than any McIntosh product before it, a quick glance reveals signature McIntosh design cues. The top is highlighted by a series of diagrams printed on glass that outline the basic circuitry and specifications of the unit, along with a glass nameplate trimmed with a circular aluminum ring that's finished to match the front panel endcaps. The sides are adorned with vintage McIntosh-styled die cast aluminum name badges. Two classic McIntosh knobs are located on the front of the polished stainless steel chassis, and direct LED backlighting illuminates the DualView meter, McIntosh logo and the lettering on the black glass front panel. The uncompromising level of fit and finish that is expected of a McIntosh product completes the MC901.


Unit Dimensions (W x H x D):
17-1/2" (44.5cm) x 13-1/4" (33.7cm) x 29-1/2" (74.9cm)

Shipping Dimensions (W x H x D):
24-13/16" (63cm) x 18-3/8" (46.7cm) x 36-1/4" (92.1cm)

Unit Weight:
170 lbs (77.1 kg)

Shipping Weight:
190 lbs (86.2 kg)

Expected to begin shipping December 2019

• US MSRP: $17,500 each Mono Amplifier

A one-of-a-kind, ultimate solution for bi-amping loudspeakers with dual inputs
__________________

verb

Wow! That's all I got.

pglbook

Damn, it looks like I won't be able to get one. 29" deep. There is no way that will fit in my Salamander cabinet. Oh yeah, there is also one other little thing that prevents me from acquiring it: $17,500.

Bus, as Verb so elonquently stated, Wow!

erniejade

170 lbs each. That's some weight! Interesting design. I would give it a listen.

miner

out of the box thinking. Lets see how many other manufacturers follow suit. An interesting design.

marvda1

are there that many manufacturers that do both solid state and tubes ?

nooshinjohn

No doubt this will trickle down somewhat.

marvda1

if I were playing in this price arena, don't think I would be looking at McIntosh.

pitdogg2

marvda1 wrote: »

if I were playing in this price arena, don't think I would be looking at McIntosh.

I agree Marv. The McIntosh rooms are beautiful but I've never walked away with the goosebumps from the intoxicating sound.

Moose68Bash

@motorstereo,

I encourage you to buy a pair of these so that I can drop by on my next trip to NJ from NH. I'd love to hear how they drive your pair 1.2tls.

motorstereo

Thanks for the encouragement Phil and honestly I'd love to hear them on a pair of 1.2tls........just not mine
Perhaps you could be the first one in CP to land a pair?? It would be my pleasure to head to NH to help you wrestle those beasts in

nooshinjohn

I think @Mpitogo needs these

Moose68Bash

motorstereo wrote: »

Thanks for the encouragement Phil and honestly I'd love to hear them on a pair of 1.2tls........just not mine
Perhaps you could be the first one in CP to land a pair?? It would be my pleasure to head to NH to help you wrestle those beasts in

Brian,

If I thought I could persuade my wife that for some reason I [we] really NEED a pair of these monoblocks, I would be tempted to try.

But, I am pretty sure I wouldn't have the proverbial prayer to succeed in that endeavor!

Happy holidays, @motorstereo.

delkal

I don't get how their internal crossover works if you biamp these to a speaker. When you biwire with a regular amp you send the signal to the tweeter for the highs and the same signal to the mid /bass woofers. Its the speakers crossover that determines the crossover point to give a flat response.

With an additional crossover in the amp how do you get it exactly match with the speakers crossover points and give a flat overall response? You would need to have it at the exact crossover point as the speakers and hope both crossover curves have the same "order". A first, second, and third order crossover can have the same cutoff point but they all have a different slopes. I will bet that if you measure the speakers response with this kind of setup there will always be some kind of blip at the crossover point.

What am I missing?

mpitogo

2 issues

1) fugly
2) I don’t do tubes

nooshinjohn

mpitogo wrote: »

2 issues

1) fugly
2) I don’t do tubes

Tunes RULE... if you don’t have tubes in your rig somewhere, you don’t know what you’re missing.

F1nut

delkal wrote: »

I don't get how their internal crossover works if you biamp these to a speaker. When you biwire with a regular amp you send the signal to the tweeter for the highs and the same signal to the mid /bass woofers. Its the speakers crossover that determines the crossover point to give a flat response.

With an additional crossover in the amp how do you get it exactly match with the speakers crossover points and give a flat overall response? You would need to have it at the exact crossover point as the speakers and hope both crossover curves have the same "order". A first, second, and third order crossover can have the same cutoff point but they all have a different slopes. I will bet that if you measure the speakers response with this kind of setup there will always be some kind of blip at the crossover point.

What am I missing?

When using an active crossover you take the passive crossover in the speaker out of the signal path.

delkal

F1nut wrote: »

delkal wrote: »

I don't get how their internal crossover works if you biamp these to a speaker. When you biwire with a regular amp you send the signal to the tweeter for the highs and the same signal to the mid /bass woofers. Its the speakers crossover that determines the crossover point to give a flat response.

With an additional crossover in the amp how do you get it exactly match with the speakers crossover points and give a flat overall response? You would need to have it at the exact crossover point as the speakers and hope both crossover curves have the same "order". A first, second, and third order crossover can have the same cutoff point but they all have a different slopes. I will bet that if you measure the speakers response with this kind of setup there will always be some kind of blip at the crossover point.

What am I missing?

When using an active crossover you take the passive crossover in the speaker out of the signal path.

That would make more sense but I wonder how many people will rip the guts out of their ultra high end (and extremely expensive) speakers?

One more question. The tubed part puts out 300 watts. Can you even put that much power to one tweeter?

RobbyKY

F1nut wrote: »

When using an active crossover you take the passive crossover in the speaker out of the signal path.

Understand this completely, but.....

If someone did go nuts and pair these with a nice set of 1.2tl's, would that not kill the entire concept of SDA? Without a focused engineering effort, there would be no way to reap the full "benefits" of the investment with any SDA speaker.

Am I missing something?

miner

DSkip wrote: »

nooshinjohn wrote: »

mpitogo wrote: »

2 issues

1) fugly
2) I don’t do tubes

Tunes RULE... if you don’t have tubes in your rig somewhere, you don’t know what you’re missing.

If you do have tubes in your rig, you probably haven’t heard world class solid state.

I had a world class SS amp - I came back to tubes.

nooshinjohn

I thought MasterSound was the best ever...