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We must've been reading two different reviews. The Atkinson review I read was eminently positive on the MC501, notwithstanding the amplifier's behavior during some of the more strenuous test cycles, the conditions of which would rarely occur in music, if at all.
 
Sorry if you have difficulty with John Atkinson's observations and measurements as published by Stereophile.

Did you ever notice that mac doesn't advertise in Stereophile? they also don't bribe them for good reviews or give them equipment to test.



The Power Guard circuit acts so fast that there are absolutely no audible side effects and the sonic purity of the music reproduction is perfectly preserved.

I can't hear any clipping, the power guards are flashing and I can't hear them, my amps are not hot, and I'm well over 400 and 500 watts pegging the meters. Do we listen to internet gossip from none owners of equipment they don't like anyway and never owned.

 
Did you ever notice that mac doesn't advertise in Stereophile? they also don't bribe them for good reviews or give them equipment to test.
JA applied the same criteria he does for every amp. He begins with the FTC mandated preconditioning. Look at the bottom of page 6 for details.

Do we listen to internet gossip from none owners of equipment they don't like anyway and never owned.
What relevance does that have for a Stereophile magazine review which includes a standard set of measurements? Don't shoot the messenger. :)
 
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We must've been reading two different reviews. The Atkinson review I read was eminently positive on the MC501, notwithstanding the amplifier's behavior during some of the more strenuous test cycles, the conditions of which would rarely occur in music, if at all.
And yet, few amplifiers fail the FTC mandated preconditioning test. More curiously was why the Powerguard circuitry responded to a one-third power test.

Make whatever conclusions you will.
 
And yet, few amplifiers fail the FTC mandated preconditioning test. More curiously was why the Powerguard circuitry responded to a one-third power test.

Make whatever conclusions you will.

Was there ever a follow up to that truly shocking premature power guard activation in that review? 1/3 power for 5 minutes and it overheated. :(

The third power preconditioning is now no longer a requirement for specs AFAIK- it was too 'difficult' for a lot of HTRs and other jam packed gear with inadequate heatsinking.

Surely McIntosh would have 'tweaked' their trip points after that?

I always test my restorations for the 1hr third power before spec testing. I'm yet to see even a 40 year old receiver fail or prematurely trip a thermal breaker/SOA hard limit.
 
What relevance does that have for a Stereophile magazine review which includes a standard set of measurements?

And need their palms greased with advertisement dollars, anyone worth their salt in this hobby doesn't rely on magazines for the truth. It's a business they need to have manufactures grease their palms so they have a job. LMAO
 
And need their palms greased with advertisement dollars, anyone worth their salt in this hobby doesn't rely on magazines for the truth. It's a business they need to have manufactures grease their palms so they have a job. LMAO
By all means, complain to the FTC for their guidelines which JA follows - and rarely finds any challenges.
 
And yet, few amplifiers fail the FTC mandated preconditioning test. More curiously was why the Powerguard circuitry responded to a one-third power test.

I've never placed much stock in 1/3rd power FTC preconditioning tests because in real listening conditions they're fairly irrelevant and even less so at predicting long term reliability of equipment.

- It has yet to be established PG ever became active during preconditioning. As was pointed out, PG lamps were illuminated - steady - during the shut down mode when there was no signal at the output - which is normally required in order for PG to be active in the first place.

Steady illumination does not sound like normal PG occurrence either; flickering on peaks is what they do (when the peaks cause the amplifier to be overdriven). I submit the lamps were simply alerting the thermal shutdown condition based on the JA's statement but I'll defer to those with more knowledge on this subject.

Otherwise, the Stereophile review was very positive.
 
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I remain with you!

What assumption did JA make? And why did Powerguard trip during the FTC one-third power test?

The assumption was what tripped the thermal protection, sentry doesn't trip, it is a DC current limiter.
PG is a fluid feature, it slips in and out under and over a particular threshold derived from the signal from an Input/output comparator.
 
Good grief guys, so the damn heatsinks are a bit small?? I am pretty sure we can all move on with our lives, we aren't saving lives here. We are all entitled to our opinions.
So Stereophile found a way to shut a MC501 down, big deal!! Send me ANY amplifier, I could shut the damn thing down too, but it doesn't mean its a badly designed or sounding amplifier.
Personally I like an amplifier which has protection for both itself and the speakers its driving, McIntosh does that and has a great sonic performance to boot.
Those who have disdain for McIntosh revel in any apparent or perceived weakness, McIntosh people try to find a reason.

If I was a moderator I'd shut this pissing contest down, nothing constructive is being achieved here and the thread is way off subject.
 
If I was a moderator I'd shut this pissing contest down, nothing constructive is being achieved here and the thread is way off subject.
Especially when folks like you just make $hit up. For the fourth time, kindly quote any "assumption" made by John Atkinson.

Oh yeah, there is none.
 
For the third time, kindly provide the text of any "assumption" made by John Atkinson.

Oh yeah, there is none.
Bait me all you like buddy, it ain't going to happen, I've showed you that John Atkinson does not understand or is misinformed about what the sentry circuit does.
 
Bait me all you like buddy, it ain't going to happen, I've showed you that John Atkinson does not understand or is misinformed about what the sentry circuit does.
No content. You haven't *showed* anyone anything. That would require quoting something that JA actually wrote. Obviously, that is beyond your ability.

You haven't quoted a single word found in the review. Do you understand?

Fail.
 
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