Sound stage is very detailed. Paired with proper audio source (Meridian 808.2) it is quiet an experience to listen too. Demoing the system for friends blows their mind. I run a Audio Research Tube pre-amp in front of it. Generous power driving relatively large KEF Reference Speakers. Balanced throughout frequency spectrum from lows to highs. Handles vocals well.

I feel like the MC300 benefits from a Tube Pre-Amp if you want that true Old McIntosh tube sounds. It’s almost too pure if you want Tube Warmth (I.e. flaws ;-) )

The Mcintosh Mc-300 was my 1st Mcintosh amp without autoformers & becam so loved in it's abilities I bought a 2nd and ran them both in bridged mono for 9 years until I could afford McIntosh Mc-1201 1,200 watt Monoblocks,I prefer the Mc-300s performance with any speaker system in 4 ohms,or speaker systems with big swings in ohmage while playing ,I've found that Autoformers severely limit or restrict many speaker systems abilities to be very accurate with pin point imaging , Autoformers also restrict impact & overall soundstage with 4 ohm speakers like my XRT-28s,with the 1,200 watt Mc-1201 Monoblocks driving them the XRT-28s lack Dynamics and have a seriously reduced low bass from 30hz to 15hz,with my dual Mc-300s the bass impact is so overpowering that I MUST leave the preamps tone controls at -12db in bass in all music,and I enjoy a full bass heavy sound for rock,heavy metal ,fusion jazz etc ,I've put both Mc-300s on my amp Dyno and 1 tests out pushing 814 watts in mono before clipping & 860 watts at 1% THD ,the 2nd Mc-300 came in at 795 watts before clipping ,in stereo both amps dyno',ed at over 400 watts . I own/collect/buy & sell a ton of McIntosh gear as well as other high end brands that are equal to or better performing than my monster Mc-1201 amps ,such as my 900 watt Class A Krell Evolution amps ,my 500 watt Carver Monoblocks,my Emotiva 1,000 watt XPR-1 Monoblocks,I own 2 channel amps by Jeff Rowland ,Audio Research,Golden Tube,Dynaco ,Marantz,Pioneer,McIntosh ,Onkyo,Pass Labs and HeathKit,of every 2 channel amp I've owned & sold,or kept in my collection above there is something magical in the way the McIntosh Mc-300 has an iron grip on every speaker system we own ,I've owned every speaker in the McIntosh line array series except the XRT-20s ,the Mc-300 out performed every amp I own powering McIntosh XRT-18 line arrays I still own,McIntosh XRT-22 line arrays I own 2 pairs of,McIntosh XR-290s which we're awarded speaker of the year 5 years in a row by Stereophile ,and finally the McIntosh XRT-28s I still own ,the Mc-300 outperforms every amp in the entire McIntosh line. I also love Klipsch Heritage speakers and have collected the Heresys ,the ShortHorns ,the Cornwalls ,the Lascallas and the K-horns ,Klipsch and McIntosh are a perfect match and the Mc-300 sounds better than my 2nd favorite Mac amp which is the Mc-252 with Autoformers ,I run dual Mc-252s as 500 watt monoblocks & they best the Mc-300 only on my K-horns that are heaviky modified

Underserved reputation because it lacks Autoformers .

Amazing build quality. Tremendous soundstage, imaging and detailed sound,beautiful appearance with characteristic blue lights.

Weight 35 kg.

This amp has zero noise. The only way you can tell it's on are the blue lights in the power meters and McIntosh name. The bass is deep and clean with punch but not boomy, The highs are crisp and bright but never shrill and the midrange is up front. I had mine tested and it put out 425 watts per channel before the power guard kicked in. This amp is amazing.

The only thing I don't like about this amp is the volume controls are on the back side and a little difficult to reach but once it is set you never have to touch it again.

I have been a long time McIntosh user since 1982. This amp does every thing that I ask, crisp airy highs tight and abundant bass. I love this gear. Heavy Machinne but pure power and sound.

In my long search to find the closest to reality sound, I found an opportunity to buy a used 300 MC. You already have 19 years manufactured. But he had kept good time .... waiting for me. He came alive to me, his blue eyes reawakened for me one of the greatest satisfactions of my life hearing. Impressed by his ability, clarity and depth of sound. I have it with Dynaudio Excite X38 speakers. It's a crazy combination. MAC is the best and this is a true classic MC300 90's. If you have the opportunity to have or buy one, keep it, is a real gem. Fantastic value!

This kid had this amp and it had a buzz it(polar switch had dust in the contacts) and asked me if I wanted to buy it. At the time I had no idea how much it was worth but being a musican I remembered the old MC60"s and MC90's guys used to play bass through. I gave him 250.00 for it and pick up a MC26 pre-amp off consignment from a music store for 75.00 and there is nothing that can pry my hands off of this MAC! I also bought 2 heathkit speakers with altec A-7 horns and altec 15" speakers for 475.00 and reconed them one time sense 1989. I can here a triangle anytime one is used on a song. A two-way system with the magnets of the horn and woofer aligned is a beautifully phased sound. Remember the old "gray boxes hanging at Disney". Happy days!

This amp is one of the best 2-channel solid state amplifier out there. Period.
After this model, MC300, McIntosh up'ed the high frequence range on latter models, e.g. MC352, MC402, to probably attract more buyers especially the younger audiences. But I noticed that their latest model, 2011 model year, eg. MC452, MC303 2-channel amplifiers, seems to go back to the MC300 principal sound, smooth and roll-off at extended high frequency range.
Well, if you have one MC300, hold on to it for life. It is pure and original Mcintosh sound.

Warm yet detailed sound. Amazing build quality.

Price! But you get what you pay for in life.

I , like many others on this site, purchased this unit used. It took a long time to find one, but when I did I snapped it up. What can I say, Liquid,liquid, liquid. The sound coming from my Thiel 3.6's now that they are powered by this big Mac is wonderful. I can listen for hours with no fatigue at all, even with red book CD's! And of course, that great look and fantasic build quaility. It's to bad that some people that come onto this site leave some unfair reviews on products. I highly recommend this amp. Like I said, works greta with Thiel speakers.

Similar Products Used:

Krell, Bel Canto, Adcom Bryston...

No noise. Tremendous soundstage and imaging. Beautiful appearance with characteristic blue lights.

It is an ever difficult task to balance benefits and costs, and I found MC300, along with C40 Preamp, B&W N804 and Kimber wires and cables, to be as close to ideal as anything I have tested.

On the upper price range, I have listened to much higher priced Mark Levinson Monoblocks; ML may boast more accurate musical reproduction, but I did not feel a significant difference that would justify the price difference. If anything, I preferred the warm sound of MC300 -- it felt softer, gentler and very smooth. On the other hand, I listened to NAD and other amps that cost less than MC300 (MC300 most certainly was too expensive for me), but the difference between MC300 and NAD was too obvious to ignore, for NAD did not sound too different from the $600 Harman Kardon that I had had for the past 10 years, and it did not make sense to upgrade to NAD. I wanted a major change in sound, although MC300 was a bit pricey, there simply was no middle ground for me.

I mostly listen to classical music (strings, vocal and piano), and I found my system to be fully satisfactory for now, and probably for a very long time to come. I could not wish for more.