McIntosh MC252 Amplifiers
McIntosh MC252 Amplifiers
USER REVIEWS
[Oct 26, 2019]
donniewn
Strength:
A great amp Weakness:
None to mention Price Paid: 3000
Model Year: 2006
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[Oct 26, 2019]
donniewn
Strength:
This is a very transparent Amplifier, not sure if there’s a rolloff on the high frequency. Very tubelike Weakness:
Not as much power on the low frequency range as I’d like but it’s very musical Price Paid: 3000
Purchased: Used
Model Year: 2006
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[Dec 23, 2007]
u87allen
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Beautiful look.
Weakness:
None that come even close to bothering me.
Very different sounding transistor amp. I demo'd about 4 different transistor amps including the one I already had on the same interconnects/speakers/preamp/CD_player. One amp cost nearly twice as much as this one. They all sounded similar, with subtle differences. Then I tried this one. Immediately noticable difference in the highs. My belief is that this is by virtue of the output transformers, which all tube amps have. The transformerless transistor amps all had an extra fuzz, kind of like a raspiness, in the high frequencies(like 5K and above) that just isn't in the source material. As soon as I heard this one I could tell the highs were right there. Natural. Everything was there but nothing extra, which is what an amp is supposed to do. My decision was made right then and there.
Customer Service N/A. Amp has worked perfectly. Never had to call on them for anything. Similar Products Used: None. I only have experience with transformerless, transistor amps and Tact Audio switching amps. |
[Feb 17, 2007]
HFC
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Tube sounding SS amp that can handle very difficult load.
Weakness:
Take time and care to setup: for best results, one should experiment with different output settings. Simply matching the speaker's nominal impedance with the output tag may not yield the best sound.
I use the MC 252 to drive a pair of full range electrostatic speakers (Acoustat 2200). The result is astonishing. These inefficient speakers can dip down to 1.2 ohms at frequency extremes and the MC252 just drive it with its output set for 4 ohm speakers. The autoformer works like a charm. I also experimented with the 2 ohm setting, but found that setup with reduced power and less transperancy. The 250 watt amp at 4 ohm setting can easily provide the extra power at 1.2 ohm without stress (I tried other SS amps, even at twice the power rating, that cried for help).
Similar Products Used: Zero autoformer, Sonic Frontier SFS-80, Rotel RB-1090, Bryston 4BSST |
[Feb 27, 2006]
MikeMasztal
AudioPhile
Strength:
Tube like sound, but solid-state like bass control.
Weakness:
May need to use a McIntosh pre-amp to obtain the synergy I hear. After 15 years in tubes, I became tired of the hassle of finding/replacing tubes, tube rolling, etc. Most other solid-state gear I've heard has the typical grainy sound that sent me to tubes so many years ago. Having not listened to McIntosh gear in many years, I visited a local shop and had a listen. The MC252 has the attributes of tubes, namely smooth, detailed sound without the downsides of tubes, that being less than tight bass. I also found the MC252 was non-fatiguing after long periods of listening. Some say the MC352 or 402 are better amps, but from my hearing the MC252 is as flawless an amp as I've heard. |
[Jan 18, 2006]
drawtheline77
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
musical. opem lush and dynamic
Weakness:
heavy...but thats Mac What a terrific amp, the baby of the line, and what a baby. Smooth and open, tube like in many ways, great control over the speaker, efforless sound, and you can get another one...mono or biamp its up to you. Similar Products Used: goldmund, linn, vtl, levinson |