Bill mc laughlin

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $950.00 from from friend

Summary:
I got this amplifier here in Toronto from a friend, I was looking stereo power amplifier to use it togeather with Audible illisions M3, I went lot of music store with few 60`s prestige records such as John Coltrane, Sonny Rolins, recorded by master Rudy Van Gelder and I had few Philips records, J.S Bach the 3 violin concertos by Arthur Grumiaux etc... and I listen lot of amplifiers tube or solid state, they were very expencive and fancy, but they didnt apeal to me they were not musical, and they were lifeless. My friend ask me to listen Mcintosh mc240 and his tannoy 12" reds I took my Audible illisions m3 pre amp and went to his home, after listening few records I bought that mcintos , I was looking for this sound, it was great snare, accoustic bass, sax, and piano was amazing. I can listen 2 or 3 hours and I never get tired and I enjoy every second of it. I am not into Telark type of audiophile recordings we all know those recordings has great dynamics and air in their recordings and no performances. If you want to listen Performance from masters who did record for blue note , prestige, atlantic, philips, london you better buy vintage mcintosh MC 240 or I had long time ago Quad 2 they are very nice as well.

Strengths:
very musical, amp has excellent tone, very good details.

Weaknesses:
I found no Weekness but as we know this amplifier over the years will have some pidding, which is I dont care.

Similar Products Used:
Quad 2, Bryston, Audio Design (Canadian made company long time ago went out of bussines).

pangl

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Value Rating
 3 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
2.38 of 5, 8.00 votes

Price Paid:  $1600.00 from Audiogon

Summary:
It is rather curious to say whether something sounds great, or something that should sound great but it is not but you are so suckered they you *think* the sound is great. MC240 is the perfect case for this paradox. I owned 4 different MC240, from all original to the fully updated unit. They all sound different. Unless you went thru my experience you would not come to my conclusion of MC240: MC240 should sound great, and it was probably the summit achievement during the golden age of tube amps. But my ears tell me they are NOT today, regardless of whether it's original (which is weird - the parts that contribute to its critical sound are not designed to last 40 years!) or modified (which changes the sound signature substantially). Or put it bluntly: It is not cost-justified to pay $1500-$2500 for the sound of MC240. Of course, it is more stupid to trust Absolute Sound and buy all those Chinese made garbage which are made by sweat shops in remote villages in China. So don't feel bad if you still want to buy an MC240. :-) The original MC240 sounds very warm but lacks resolution, precision (attack & imaging). If you play mono LPs with lax vocals you gonna feel like in heaven. But any reasonably modern passages would reveal all the weaknesses of the original unit which is 40-50 years after its birth. The updated units - 3 in all I owned - varied from bare minimum parts need to be replaced for proper operation, to full blown "updates" - have something in common: They don't sound like the original unit at all and they sound different from each other. The warmth is mostly gone, the magical midrange does not have the sheen any more, and what you get is better dynamics, better extension and imaging at various degree. I went thru the whole hell to tube rollings too. Frankly, I think RCA Black Plate 6L6GC is over-hyped on MC240, and RCA 7027A makes the unit sound awkwardly bright and thin. Tried different combo of Mullard/Amperex on the 12AU7/12AX7/12BH7. I think overall any original MC240 won't sound good no matter what, and updated MC240 sounds best with 7027A and all Mullard 12AX7/12AU7 with Amperex 12BH7. In the end, I sold all 4 MC240s at varies time because unlike some people who have oil wells in their backyard, I cannot have something expensive in my setup that gives mostly *nostalgic* value. I mean, if you look at eBay closely, I think people are more crazy about how the chrome chassis looks - there could be $1500-$2000 difference for Christ's sake. Don't you find this amusing? Do not get me wrong as an McIntosh basher. I used to be in awe with the MC240 sound. But once you get experienced it, and you experienced something much better, you would put things in different prospective. It is an interesting side note that I know several fellow Audiophiles who owned vintage 15" Altec and Tannoy, and they worshipped the MC240. I crashed the party by telling them how any decent 300B SET would beat the tar out of MC240. And my prediction is true. I know. Because I went thru the same path.

Strengths:
Great nostalgic value. MC240 is probably the only audiophile amp on Earth that you could display your superiority on *objective* terms (how the chrome looks, how the silk screens are around, does it still have the serial # on the chrome, does the transformer case still shiny). No kidding. MC240 could sound like crap yet the owners still *feel* they sound golden, and they will proudly tell you how great the unit *looks*.

Weaknesses:
Time and age are the winning and greatest enemies of MC240. Original units are too aged to sound optimal, modified units don't sound like the famed MC240. Over-hype may make people (like me) to spend unnecessary time and money to find a nice unit and to make it sound as good as advertised.

Price Paid:  $600.00 from priavte party (origi

Summary:
The MC 240 is a true classic that just seems to get better with age. Not too many amps look as good as they sound - but the Mac amps from the 1960's are clearly an exception. If you enjoy classical or Jazz music, one audition of an MC 240 will put you into HI FI Heaven. The Mac 240 is very pleasing to listen to. Mid-range frequencies, which are critical for clear vocal reproduction, are exceptionaly free from distortion and odd-order harmonics. This enables the listener to enjoy the program material without fatigue. The Famous McIntosh Unity Coupled transformers were very efficient, making for clean, open, natural sounding playback. How many other audio devices that are 40 years old can actually outperform many current products?

Strengths:
Quality construction and desgin second to none. Durable & attractive design. Power tube bias is automatic regulation type. No need to adjust manually. Flexibility of input types & power out (load) requirements. The Mac amps even had built in 70 volt x-former windings for constant voltage - type speaker applications. Point to point - hand wired circuitry. Very attractive design & tube layout.

Weaknesses:
40 years old. Original coupling capacitors should be replaced by top quality new replacements of equal voltage & mfd. value. Work must be performed by experienced technicians only. Sound quality improvement will be dramatic & you will avoid possible catastrophic tube failure due to old shorted caps. Amp MUST be adequately ventilated as tubes and power transformer get hot. ( this is true of all hi -power tube amps) I also suggest replacement of the voltage surge limiter. Keep dust off chrome to avoid pitting. Use soft dry cloth or feather duster ONLY!

Similar Products Used:
Dynaco st 70, MK III, PAS I. McIntosh A116, MC 225, 275, MX 110, C 20. Heathkit WM3, WM 5. Fisher SA 300, 400, 500B, 500C, 800B, X1000. Presto DS 265.

Price Paid:  $325.00 from Garehimes Musicland

Summary:
This magnificently and esthetically structured black and chrome 40 watt per channel amplifier was purchased in 1965 and has been going strong ever since. It is in pristine condition. McIntosh redefined what 40 watts of pure power and three 15 pound handwound transformers can do for you (I have driven concert Hall AR, Electrovoice,and other 16 ohm systems to the disbelief of the listeners). For vinyl, I use it mainly with a Dual professional turntable equipped with a Shure V15 Type III cartridge.

It has outlasted the scorn of all the solid state afficionados and outperformed them consistently. I have used this with the McIntosh MX110 Pre-Amp and Tuner to reproduce every type of music imaginable from many sources. It has to be experienced to be believed. Anyone who has listened to its output cannot fathom the richness of reproduction that they hear.

I still use the 6L6GC power tubes which provide beautifully reproduced base while extending the upper range. It is virtually indestructible in normal use. I would recommend this over any solid state system for the sheer warmth, depth, and range of listening pleasure.

Strengths:
Durability and Dependability (in excess of 25,000 hours operation), Presence of pure transient sound from any source, Quiet beyond Quiet, Logical output controls, Excellent protection circuitry

Weaknesses:
Absolutely None. Unless you are pre-prejudiced, without first listening, to "tube" sets in this era of electronic marvels.

Similar Products Used:
Fisher, Harmon Kardon, Technic, Pioneer, Sony

Price Paid:  $1275.00 from Audio Shop of Mass.

Summary:
The MC240 is a 40 watt per channel stereo amp produced from 1961 to 1969. It is very beautiful, in chrome and black, and weighs about 57 lbs. The MC240 is wired to accept both 7027A and 6L6GC output tubes. I am currently using RCA 6L6GC black-plates, which provide excellent detail and extension in treble and bass. The sound of a MC240 is pure tube musical magic, with wonderful vocals and a huge deep and wide soundstage. I have had excellent results using
tube preamps from Lazarus, Anthem, Audible Illusions,
and Dynaco with the MC240. I finally chose the McIntosh
MX110. As an added bonus, McIntosh tube equipment from the 1950's and 60's keeps increasing in value.

Strengths:
Soundstage, image placement, vocals, timbre, sweet natural highs, solid bass, excellent build quality.
dependability, affordability.

Weaknesses:
None; unless you like the unmusical sound of solid state. I admit to prejudice, with the exception of Arcam and some
earlier B&K solid state amps, tubes sound superior to me.

Similar Products Used:
Dynaco 70s, Mark IIIs and Mark IVs; several B&K amps,
NAD amps, Arcam amps, Mesa amps, Lazarus H1a and Class A.