I have been in this hobby for over 45 years! I have owned loads of amps both tube and solid state and have never wrote a review or felt compelled to do so...until I got these Macs. I use them to drive my Duntech Sovereigns and boy what a sound!! I was reluctant to go down the Mac path as they were always viewed as the bridesmaid to the bride in the audio world. However, I was fortunate to get a hold of these bad boys and when I first hooked them up...I thought they were okay. I had just sold my Audio Research Reference 300amps to buy these and thought it was a sideways deal, but as I listened over time it became obvious the Macs were ummm incredible. They just sound like music, not special effects. I can not tell you how nice it is to listen and really enjoy all types of recordings...not just the 5 perfect ones in the library. These are a nice bridge from the vintage Mac sound and todays Macs. You just want to listen all day. They excel at many things but to me why I love them is there musicality. I just don't want to stop listening. There is no listener fatigue. The power is addictive, and not for just the volume, but for filling out the sound at low levels. If you can grab a set of these babies go for it. They also never get hot like many amps. I have spent probably well over $100 000 dollars on different amps on my journey and the journey ends with these...unless a pair of the 2kw falls into my lap. Forgot to mention, as my wife points out, they are stunning looking.

I really can't think of any for me, but size and cost might be an issue for some. I would recommend dedicated 20 amp circuits for the amps.

It is my belief that if one owns these monoblock amplifiers, they will never want for more volume from their stytems, provided the speakers are up to the talk. A premium quality speaker will be able to produce music than your ears can tolerate. Medium listening levels will have "pop" and dynamics that will make the music sooooo engaging, leading to late night all-night listening sessions.

My previous system used 2 MC352's (that's 4 channels of 300 watts each) into a bi-wired Tannoy Speakers setup. The sound was great! However, approaching very load listening levels there was a sense the system was "shouting" , you know? It could be fatiguing and would lead to turning down the volume.

Enter the 1201's. No such thing happens any more. These are straight (not bi-wired) to the speakers now. Normal listening levels on the pre-amp are around 25 percent. An enthusiastic session will see levels 35 to 40. 45 starts to be too much! The cats run for cover!! Yet, the music still sounds gooooood. No shouting. There's the difference. Your music will sound clear, undistorted and effortless despite how loud you play it. Like Led Zepplin? You'll probably blow out your woofers.

I cannot conceive of needing more power.....ever. (Although McIntosh does offer the MC2kw....however needing much much more space and 4 dedicated 20 amp electrical supply lines) For the price and size and "compactness" (compared to the MC2kw) these amps offer the best of everything.
Home theatre users will like the ability to turn off the lovely BIG blue meters if they sit near the screen.

These amps are something to build your system towards. Once you get them, you will never replace them..

Endless power, Great bass, stunning looks, completely sileent, no hiss or hum, Could be used as a welder if needed., The most beautiful front panel display, and the unit scrreams quality.

Stupid heavy, you can easily damage any speaker if not careful.

These are the monster of amps. It is kind of like having a car with fourtimes the horsepower you could ever use. The first day I hooked them up (after pulling every muscle in my back) I smoked the tweeters and mid range speakers on my Thiel 3.6's. Seriously though. These amps are awsome. The imaging is excellent, clarity super clean, and the amps are absolutly silent. No hiss or hum. There is infinate power, and easily will peak at 2400 watt. I believe McIntosh rated these speakers at 1200w continuous, at any load. The apperance is aw inspriring, kind of like looking at a Brand new BLACK Bently. Not small, but jaw dropping.
The dual meters are hugel. I suspect the hubble could see them it it desired. They look great. My only two complaints are the weight, and the amp seems slightly hard. Don't get me wrong, it is musical, infinate power, deep, clean bass, great mid, and the crispiest of high's, it just seems like it needs to soften a little.I suspect that after a thousand hours of burn in time it will smooth out even more.

Customer Service

I have not needed to use McIntosh's customer service, but I hear they are excellent

Similar Products Used:

Dynaco Stereo 416, B& K Sonata 200 w. mono blocks, bi amped (4)

unlimited & undistorted power,impossible to klip,very refined sound.

these amps are extremely heavy,if you buy a pair you will need help in lifting them unless your a weight lifter.

if you need lots of power & killer dynamics then the mc1201's are the ticket,if your looking into mc1201's then buying them used is your best bet & save atleast 50% from msrp.

just for some back ground im a mac user for a long time & i have owned most amps made by mcintosh including the mc300,mc252,mc500 & many many more,ive also tried other high end amps from manufacturers like krell.

the speakers im powering are mcintosh xtr 22's which are rated for 300 watts max,when ran with the mc500 @ 500 watts a channel the xrt 22's sounded great but i knew there should be more,in comes the mc1201's,what a difference in every way,more bass at lower listening levels,cleaner highs & unlimited headroom,i also ran a pair of mc252's in bridged mono for 500 watts a channel before going to the mc1201's & they didnt even come close to the performance level from the big 1201's.

i think the most notable difference ive found is bass control,with alot of amps ive ran when i het louder volume levels the bass started to get loose & squirely,even with the krell class a amps i had when i really pumped up the volume the bass got squirely,not with the mc1201's,no matter the volume they keep a firm grip on the bass & NEVER distort.

im giving these amps a 5 star rating in every way,even the price because you can buy them for $10k or less used & you'll never ever find better amps within that price range.

Customer Service

the service at mcintosh labs is 2nd to none,ive bought new mac gear & used mac gear & even though mcintosh dose not transfer warranties dont be worried about buying their gear used,mac gear is built to last several lifetimes & in the people in the service dept over at mcintosh are not out to gouge anybody plus they have the most well thought out service centers in aidio with service centers in every state in the usa.

Similar Products Used:

other mcintosh,krell,rotel,parasound,golden tube audio,sunfire,carver,marantz,pass labs,aragon.