The McIntosh MC2000 raised a mighty splash when it cannonballed into Sam Tellig's wading pool. In ST's detailed musings on this gold-plated hunk o' stereo amp in the November '99 Stereophile, you'll learn that the MC2000 was designed by Sidney Corderman, McIntosh co-founder and designer of the legendary MC275. Sidney was coaxed out of retirement to commemorate the firm's 50th anniversary with this design. ST, obviously inspired, did a fine job of describing the philosophy behind the MC2000, and its build, special transformers, and circuitry. He also heaped glowing praise on its sound.

So given the hoopla over this ambitious engineering effort, a formal review was scheduled. To recap, the McIntosh MC2000: Dual-mono on a single chassis; 130Wpc from 2, 4, and 8 ohm taps; gold-plated RCA/XLR inputs and 200-amp binding posts; patented Unity Coupled Circuit with bifilar-wound output transformers; eight KT88s (or 6550s) with ceramic tube sockets, gold contacts, and Air-Pipe cooling; twin regulated DC heater supplies on the input tubes; glass front panel; stainless-steel Titanium Gold Super Mirror gold-plated finish; and big blue illuminated power meters!

Big Mac
The MC2000 arrived at our door in two boxes, and it was obvious which held the amp itself. We unpacked, grunted, and heaved the massive MC2000 onto a PolyCrystal amp stand. The smaller box contained the tubes, a tube cage, a screwdriver, and a bias-adjustment tool. Did I mention the swanky pair of white gloves? Yeah! I'm Fred Astaire!

It's all beautifully done—a real Cadillac presentation. The tubes come in a gold-toned box with the Svetlana KT88s and smaller tubes nestled in individual form-fitting foam depressions. (I used the KT88s supplied, but you can run the MC2000 with Svetlana 6550s if you prefer.) A translucent plastic cover sheet indicates the tube's number chocolate-box style, making it easy to socket them into the amp. The power tubes are pretested and need not be adjusted for bias until you replace one or all. And do use the gloves, there's a good fellow, to avoid greasy bio-smear on the glass. Top hat and tails optional.

It's all pretty straightforward. My only complaint is that the heavy-duty binding posts set vertically on the rear apron are so close to each other that it was hard to get a grip. Making the task more arduous, the roll-bar over this rear area gives "on your knees" new meaning. But that's a reviewer's problem. If you don't often swap cables, you'll soon forget your aching knees. For the record, I used the 4 ohm taps on the 3.3-6 ohm JMlab Utopias, and all Synergistic Research Designer's Reference cables: Active Shielding interconnects and speaker cables, and Master Coupler Squared power cords. The BAT VK-50SE was an instant smash hit with the Mac, and so remained the reference preamplifier for the review.

Mac attack
The McIntosh MC2000 established its voice early on in the listening. Let's start with Kruder & Dorfmeister's The K&D Sessions (Warner/Studio !K7 70732). "Wow!" I jotted. (I'm so literary.) "The air is incredible! So is the imaging. A punchy sound, rich in the bass, nicely extended, though it's a touch distended in the punchbowl of the midbass. Good transition up into the midrange, and then...WOW!" There I go again.

"The lush, sweep of the midrange ramps up to lovely and oh-so-attractive upper mids, sweet but textured, like a Georgia peach. Set above that, the treble seems to be slightly shelved back. But it's artfully done, not rolled off, more like subtle makeup on a beautiful middle-aged babe who only thinks she needs a little help with her looks." While the sound was smoky, inviting, and sexy, I prefer a treble that's slightly more lit-up, a tad more open and flinging its arms at me. The MC2000's embrace was more gentle and caressing.

From the same album, Lamb's "Trans Fatty Acid" is another winner, this time for lustrous female vocals gorgeously rendered. While a touch soft at the very top, once again the Mac provided an immersive, airy 3-D soundstage projected way out of the Utopias: far back behind, around, and especially forward, and almost totally surrounding me as I sat in the Ribbon Chair! Man, there's just something special about tubes: that sense of air that's so nurturing to the high-end experience. Although I've logged fewer hours with the KT88 than with other power tubes, I can hear what all the fuss is about—at least as circuited here by McIntosh.

Switching to another favorite female vocal, Pat Barber on her latest recording, Companion (Premonition/Blue Note 22963 2), I found her, per my notes: "Amazing and sexy, so silky and wondrous and present I wanna go up and hug her! The air and texture are superb. The sound of the Hammond B-3 is a burnished thing of beauty and lush tonality, existing so much in space as to defy the fact that it's reproduced sound!"

Whew. I headed back to K&D Sessions, this time setting up on "Bug Powder Dust" by Bomb the Bass, which runs a bit like "Cantaloupe" from Us3. Well, I won't pretend I don't prefer the Linn Klimax Solo 500s for their superbly tight, bombin' bass on this particular track. Boogie way down and the MC2000 gets a shade plummy. Interestingly, even at relatively high levels, the amp's meters flickered around an indicated 15-20W. While rich and rather full, this recording's nether regions sounded powerful and encompassing.

The KT88 obviously has more kick'n'grunt on the bottom than the ubiquitous, venerable, and smaller 6550 tube. I also think its midrange is smoother, and its highs are certainly less grainy.

Going for the gusto with huge dynamics and slam, I spun "Afro-Left," from Leftfield's Leftism (Hard Hands/Columbia CK 67231), and found it surprisingly fulfilling and slammin' via the Mac. In Chaplinesque manner, the big blue meters in peak-hold mode heeled, drunkenly, farther and farther to the right as I cranked the volume, indicating peaks of -5dB on the lower scale—something like 80 or 90W at full tilt. Interestingly, the MC2000 seemed to power out the bass tighter, and with greater control and authority, as levels increased past 50W or so. I'd expected it to fall on its face. But no, the MC2000 sounded more linear as levels increased. I'll be curious to see how this gold-plated love-puppy measures. McIntosh isn't afraid of Tom Norton's mighty probe. In fact, they want the world to see their measurements!

Ahem. Where were we?
The cacophony and pounding, gut-wrenching slam of "Afro-Left" was amazing to experience, everything holding its position beautifully. Suck in that gut! A-ten-shun! It was amazingly tight for a tube amp. In discussing the bass performance of other components, I've referred before to Depeche Mode's remix of "Useless" on the K&D Sessions. I've noted the big bass stroke that gathers itself at around 3:30 to its rolling-thunder, space-defining crescendo at 3:55. This interesting acoustical moment—a deep, organ-pedal-like fundamental played on a synthesizer—is quite unlike anything else I've ever experienced, and will define your system's true ability to handle deep bass. The MC2000 rumbled out a deep and cavernously spacious final power stroke, altogether real-sounding. I was astonished.

There seemed no doubt that, as I powered the MC2000 beyond its rich-sounding idle, it sounded more tight and linear, if ultimately a touch light in the bass at very high levels in comparison to the solid-state powerhouses we've listened to lately—especially the tight-as-a-drum Linn Klimax Solo 500s with their 21st-century power supply. Or the VTL MB-1250 Wotans, for that matter, but let's see...they carry 48 power tubes. Sorta puts things in perspective. The Mac was roughly equivalent in the bass, I'd say, to the AudioPrism Mana Reference I reviewed in September '99 (footnote 1).

The amplifier also excelled at tying all elements of a performance together into a very organic and logical whole. In fact, "Rent Party," from "The Timekeepers": Count Basie Meets Oscar Peterson (CD, JVCXR-0206-2; LP, Pablo 2310-896), shows just what the MC2000 is all about. I found myself instantly deep in the music, enjoying the familiar and elegant musical transitions as these two old pros handed off the musical line to one another so gracefully. Around the four-minute mark, the Count leads with a flourish, countered with an exclamation by Oscar; the Count's foot taps the beat, then Oscar tickles the keys a bit more as the Count hums away. Then ensues the single most wonderful musical conversation I've ever heard. Perfectly timed, perfectly meshed, they're in each other's heads.

Via the MC2000, the top-to-bottom power delivery and the rainbow of tonal color were intoxicating. The differences in miking I've noted with other amplifiers were perfectly laid out, the acoustically charged air a wonder. At 5:20 the bass and drums come in, and right there you'll know why you've just dropped 15 big ones on this amp. It's the oh-my-gawd-it's-so-gorgeous-I'm-gonna-die effect.

Listening to Mischa Maisky on Cellissimo (Deutsche Grammophon 439 863-2), I mused: "How do you get more expressive than this?" It wasn't entirely a rhetorical question. While I wouldn't accuse the Mac of sounding as fabulously transparent as the Klimaxes, it always poured a wealth of detail through the Utopias—not to mention the air and sense of place. I heard Maisky's breathing quite clearly. His bowing had a wonderful rosin-on-string texture as it swished along "behind" the sound. It put me fair and square before him in a small, relatively "wet"-sounding space. The midrange was simply to die for. The organic quality of performer and sound seemed enhanced by the big Mac.

The little intake of breath before the first words in Léo Ferré's "La vie d'artiste" on Avec le temps (Barclay 841 919-2) spoke volumes about the nuance and detail this amplifier is capable of delivering. Notes: "Just that little moment establishes his presence in the soundfield. Just the right chest and texture in his voice. It's so romantic." Even if you don't speak a lick of French, you'll feel the meaning and emotion of Ferr;ae's songs. The slightly hot edge on the top end of this CD was faithfully reproduced, so I can say that the Mac was a Thoroughly Modern Millie, not euphonic or warmed up in any way. In fact, the MC2000's nature was shaded more toward neutral than warm. A quick flick of the outermost pair of ASC Studio Traps—one on either side of the outside edge of the Utopias—to expose a touch more absorbent surface to the drivers did the trick. Near the end of the piece, Ferré curls his lips—you can almost see it—and grumbles, "Je m'en fiche" ("I don't give a damn..."), then pounds the keyboard, after which the stunning harmonics slowly fade to black. It's a huge moment. The MC2000 manifested very little compression, even with the meters heeled over at 100W as Ferré attacked the keyboard.

Listening to this great leftist French star perform in our home, I realized that this particular recording, of which I'm so fond, perfectly speaks to the very essence of the MC2000. The amp itself is a star of stage and screen: vivid, round, airy, sexy, powerful, and palpable—a little bit of Hollywood. Okay, it was the merest bit fat in the midbass, but it sounded very powerful, with a midrange that left me panting for more, and highs that didn't spoil the perfect union of performance and joy.

So J-10, how do you really feel?

Under the Golden Arches
Here's the deal: The MC2000 is being manufactured in a limited edition. McIntosh has already completed one production run; Larry Fish, vice president of product planning, says it's completely sold out. The next run will be completed by the end of McIntosh's fiscal year: March 31, 2000. And that will be that.

But, Fish explained, "There's some flexibility in the actual numbers produced through that date." So by the time you're digesting this review, the MC2000 will be out there in plentiful numbers for those with a discerning Taste for the Gorgeous and the bucks to back it up. If you're one of these fortunate souls, don't let the opportunity to audition it pass you by. It's a classic.

Analog source: SpJ tonearm, La Luce turntable.
Cartridges: Koetsu Rosewood Signature Platinum, Forsell Air Force One, van den Hul Grasshopper IV Gold, Clearaudio Insider.
Digital source: dCS 972 D/D converter, dCS Elgar D/A converter, both running at 24-bit/192kHz, Burmester 969 and Forsell Air Reference CD transports.
Preamplifiers: BAT VK-50SE/VK-P-10, Mark Levinson No.32 Reference.
Power amplifiers: Linn Klimax Solo 500s, Forsell Statement, Accuphase M-2000.
Loudspeakers: JMlab Utopias.
Cables: Interconnects: Synergistic Designer's Reference Active Shielding. Speaker cables: Synergistic Designer's Reference.
Power cords: Synergistic Designer's Reference Master Couplers Squared, Electra Glide Fatboy Gold.
Digital datalinks: XLO The Limited AES/EBU.
Accessories: ASC Studio Traps; Argent RoomLenses; API Power Wedge Ultra 116, Ultra Enhancers; Accuphase P-1200 Clean Power Supply; PolyCrystal amp stand, equipment racks, cones, cable towers; Signal Guard platforms; Black Diamond Racing shelves, cones; Nordost Pulsar Points; Bright Star Air Mass/Big Rock combo.—Jonathan Scull

Sidebar 3: Measurements

Unless otherwise noted, the measurements given are for balanced operation. Also, unless noted otherwise, 8 ohm measurements were made from the 8 ohm output terminal, 4 ohm measurements from the 4 ohm terminal, and 2 ohm measurements from the 2 ohm terminal.

Due to a mix-up in returning the MC2000's tubes to their storage box after the photo shoot for this issue's cover—which preceded the taking of these measurements—it's possible that one or more tubes were not correctly placed in their specified locations during this testing. In theory, at least, this would affect the measurements. However, the bias was checked for the right channel and was spot-on. The left-channel bias could not be checked because the head of one of the screws holding the bias cover in place stripped when we attempted to loosen it. Nevertheless, both channels measured nearly the same, though with slightly higher distortion in the left channel. Unless noted otherwise, measurements performed on one channel only were taken from the left channel—our standard practice.

After a one-hour pretest, the MC2000 was typically hot for a tube amplifier. Its input impedance measured 19.8k ohms single-ended (unbalanced) and 42.6k ohms balanced. Single-ended voltage gain into 8 ohms was 28.5dB; balanced was 23.1dB. The output impedance measured a maximum of 0.4 ohm—quite high in comparison with solid-state amplifiers but admirably low for a tube amp.

DC offset measured a maximum of 6.1mV in the left channel, 11.1mV in the right. (The measured offset varied considerably, due to the presence of infrasonic noise, but the values above were the maximum noted. The signal/noise ratio (ref. 1W into 8 ohms) measured 79.5dB over a 22Hz-22kHz bandwidth, 73dB from 10Hz to 500kHz, and 86dB A-weighted. The corresponding single-ended values were 79.2dB, 73dB, and 88.5dB, respectively. The MC2000 is noninverting in single-ended mode, and pin 3 is positive in balanced operation. (Pin-2 positive is more common in the US, but pin-3 positive is typical in Japan, where I suspect most MC2000s will be sold.)

Fig.1 shows the MC2000's balanced frequency response. (The unbalanced response is essentially identical.) Note that the response into a simulated load is relatively flat for a tube amplifier: approximately ±0.25dB over the audible range. The 10kHz squarewave response in fig.2 is very good, with only a slight rounding of the leading edge, and a small amount of ripple nearly invisible in the plot shown. (It's more visible when viewed directly on an analog oscilloscope, but still very hard to spot.) The 1kHz squarewave, not shown, is nearly textbook-perfect.

Fig.1 McIntosh MC2000, balanced, frequency response at (from top to bottom at 6kHz): 2W into 4 ohms, 1W into 8 ohms, and 2.828V into simulated loudspeaker load, (0.5dB/vertical div.).

Fig.2 McIntosh MC2000, small-signal 10kHz squarewave into 8 ohms.

Channel separation (fig.3) is very respectable: better in the R-L direction, particularly at higher frequencies, but, even in the worst case, better than 65dB—a figure unlikely to result in any audible compromise in performance.

Fig.3 McIntosh MC2000, channel separation: L-R (top) and R-L (10dB/vertical div.).

The THD+noise percentage vs frequency results are plotted in figs.4 and 5. The amplifier is obviously very linear, other than at very low frequencies (though the fact that the right channel is better than the left in this respect might indicate a bias problem). Fig.5 shows a comparison of the balanced and unbalanced measurements, which are quite similar. The McIntosh's distortion waveform at 2W into 4 ohms (fig.6) indicates the presence of second and third harmonics and some higher-order components, as well as noise.

Fig.4 McIntosh MC2000, balanced, THD+noise (%) vs frequency at (from top to bottom at 4kHz): 2.83V into simulated loudspeaker load; 4W into 2 ohms; 2W into 4 ohms; and 1W into 8 ohms.

Fig.5 McIntosh MC2000, THD+noise (%) vs frequency at (from top to bottom at 6kHz): 2W into 4 ohms, unbalanced; 1W into 8 ohms, unbalanced; 1W into 8 ohms, balanced; and 2W into 4 ohms, balanced.

Fig.6 McIntosh MC2000, 1kHz waveform at 2W into 4 ohms (top), distortion and noise waveform with fundamental notched out (bottom, not to scale).

A spectrum of the MC2000's output while it drives a 50Hz tone at 87W into 4 ohms (two-thirds rated power) is shown in fig.7. This is a fairly unimpressive result, though the highest-level component, the second harmonic at 100Hz, is still a relatively low 0.25% (-52.7dB). The amplifier is more linear at higher frequencies. Fig.8 shows the IM distortion resulting from a combined 19+20kHz signal at 83.5W into 4 ohms. Again, the maximum distortion is approximately 0.13% (-58dB) at 1kHz. At the same power into 8 ohms, the IM distortion is only marginally lower (not shown).

Fig.7 McIntosh MC2000, spectrum of 50Hz sinewave, DC-1kHz, at 87W into 4 ohms, 4 ohm tap (linear frequency scale).

Fig.8 McIntosh MC2000, HF intermodulation spectrum, DC-22kHz, 19+20kHz at 83.5W into 4 ohms, 4 ohm tap (linear frequency scale).

The 1kHz, THD+noise percentage vs continuous output power curves are shown in fig.9. The output is essentially the same at all load impedances, provided the matching output tap is used. The MC2000's discrete clipping levels at 1% THD+noise are shown in Table 1.

Fig.9 McIntosh MC2000, distortion (%) vs continuous output power into (from bottom to top at 2kHz) 4 ohms, 8 ohms, and 2 ohms (matched impedance taps).

Table 1 McIntosh MC2000 Clipping(1% THD+noise at 1kHz)

	Both Channels Driven		One Channel Driven
	W (dBW)		W (dBW)
Load ohms	(L)	(R)	(L)
8	162 (22.1)	164.3 (22.16)	172.2 (22.36)
(line)	114V	115V	116V
4	165.5 (19.19)	164.9 (19.17)	176.8 (19.47)
(line)	114V	114V	115V
2			164.4 (16.16)
(line)			116V

Using the Miller Audio Research Amplifier Profiler to examine the McIntosh's power capabilities using a low-duty-cycle 1kHz toneburst with one channel driven, John Atkinson found it be a powerhouse. Matching the tap to the load gave around 200W at 1% THD+N. But almost the same power was available into lower impedances. Fig.10, for example, shows that while the 4 ohm tap will deliver 139W into 8 ohms and 205W into 4 ohms, it will still output 199W into 2 ohms and even 107W into 1 ohm, the latter equivalent to an RMS output current of 10.35A! If you're looking for a tube amplifier to drive your old Apogee ribbons, the McIntosh from its 4 ohm or 2 ohm taps will be the perfect choice.

Fig.10 McIntosh MC2000, distortion (%) vs 1kHz burst output power into 8 ohms (black trace), 4 ohms (red), 2 ohms (blue), and 1 ohm (green).

While not remarkable, the MC2000's test-bench results are more than respectable for a modern tube amplifier, and certainly better than most of the breed, particularly regarding output current capability.—Thomas J. Norton