McIntosh MC2125 Power Amplifier: Vintage Audio Review Episode

[@multicyclist]

As always, you do excellent reviews and testing of vintage gear. Thanks!

[@vintageaudioreview]

I appreciate the encouragement- it is always nice to have a piece of gear perform the way it did when it was new.

[@AudioElectronicsChicago]

Classic power amp

[@vintageaudioreview]

Thanks so much for taking the time to comment as often as you do. Will have another classic amp review that may surprise you, but not for a month or two....

[@vincedebart]

Nice review I have a MC 2155 very similar 150 WPC love it

[@vintageaudioreview]

Thanks for taking the time to comment- I understand whey folks love their McIntosh gear!

[@ManFromLaBamba]

Great review as always. The s/n ratio at low power was v good for its time, but nowhere near today’s top amps…or even some recent cheap amps. But given the age, unless this thing has recently been tuned/serviced, it’s great! the build quality is amazing! I’m not a huge fan of the house style but you have to give credit where credit is due.

[@vintageaudioreview]

Thanks again for all your well thought out comments! Most modern amps can't hold a finger to the style and "class" of vintage McIntosh gear. Most McIntosh gear I test does really well.

[@kargausa553]

Another great video! I have the same amp. Using it my repair shop to test preamps. And I love it! Pretty much get the same result from qa403 and my other audio analyzers.

[@vintageaudioreview]

Thanks for taking the time away from what I imagine is a busy repair shop, to comment. It is probably a bit of an overkill to use on a test bench for preamp testing, but it certainly does the job and looks great doing it! While I don't need any other audio analyzers other than the QA403, a Sencore PA81 would be fun to have.

[@stevezeidman7224]

I know this video is old. I just found your channel. Enjoying it. I had several pieces you reviewed or very close to what you have reviewed. I have a MC2155 which is the slightly bigger brother to this. I owned the D150A and the Nikko STA-5050 which you have reviewed. I love the analysis and measurements. I’m not a measurement only guy, but it’s great to see them.

[@vintageaudioreview]

Thanks so much for taking the time to watch the videos and comment. While I consider myself a "measurements guy" and think they are important, I often find that older amps that may not measure well on the bench sound just fine. A large part of what I do- testing something to see how it aged- is kinda my small little niche in this vast KZbin world... Plus you get to see a lot of gear from yesteryear

[@stevezeidman7224]

I think your channel is great. I will watch with great interest as I’m as vintage as the amps!

[@vintageaudioreview]

@@stevezeidman7224 Me too!

[@nathanrieben2925]

Hi Scott, Happy Easter! I've been curious about seeing the performance/ specs of the Integra M-508 (or any of that series) amplifiers. The only amplifiers I think are as beautiful as the McIntosh and they are far less expensive! I've noticed the price these are fetching is always rising! Are they really that good or is it just those big green meters that make them desirable?

[@vintageaudioreview]

The M-508 is a nice looking amp. I think it would perform quite well. Unfortunately, I am at the "Mercy" of my buddies to provide me with gear to test, and I am pretty sure neither of them have any amps in that series. I think it is a different look than McIntosh, but still appealing. A happy Easter to you as well.

[@chrisblock6697]

Beautiful amp. I'm not sure if I like the MC2105 or this one better. At my usual listening levels, I'm not really worried about power guard. But yeah, that weight thing for these amps at my age plays an important role. So, I'll stick with my lower power MC2505 and MC240 as I can still move those around.

[@vintageaudioreview]

While I do not move my amps around much except when adding or subtracting them (or reviewing them), it is nice if you can do it by yourself. This amp has a little more power than the 2105, but it is not significant enough in the grand scheme of things. The MC240 is a nice amp and easy enough to move around. I would witch of the power guard most likely, but it is nice to have an indicator when you are pushing things. I think the Mark Levinson Power amp that I reviewed was the heaviest I have had, though I just got a "monster" of a McIntosh amp that I will be doing a video on, which is very heavy. Thanks for the comments!

[@jajajajahahahahaja]

I know a guy that has one of these that was serviced by a McIntosh technician a few years back. Do you think it’s worth the buy for $2000 or should I look for something new/newer?

[@vintageaudioreview]

Even though it was serviced by a McIntosh tech a few years back, make sure that you get a chance to listen to it before you purchase it. That looks like a pretty good price for it if it is in good physical and electrical shape. I would go for it as it is a piece of audio gear that will probably hold its value. Plus it has the McIntosh look. Thanks for the question

[@jajajajahahahahaja]

@@vintageaudioreview Very fast response! Yes I’m planning on picking it up next week, I bought a pair of Ohm Walsh 2s from the guy a few months ago. I have a NAD C325BEE currently. I’m hoping it’ll be an upgrade from that, still going to use the NAD as a preamp until I can get my hands on a McIntosh pre.

[@vintageaudioreview]

@@jajajajahahahahaja Well, I am near my computer a lot and I get an email from KZbin when I get a comment which sends a message to my watch, so if I am not too busy I will reply back. The McIntosh has double the power of the NAD, and a much better look since it is vintage (at least IMHO). The Nad should work well as a preamp and has a remote so that is nice. Nothing wrong with a McIntosh preamp, but other than the looks, the NAD should meet all of your needs. I have done several a/b tests between preamps- tube and solid state, and I rarely hear a difference in the sound, and then it is barely a difference.

[@jajajajahahahahaja]

@@vintageaudioreviewJust an update, I did end up picking up the MC2125, loving it. I got a McIntosh C26 preamp they sound fantastic together…. Running them through a pair of Altec Lansing Valencia’s!

[@vintageaudioreview]

@@jajajajahahahahaja Glad it worked out for you and enjoy some sonic bliss!