McIntosh MC302 Power Amp Review

Hello,

I purchased a McIntosh MC302 power amp to drive my Focal 1028 speakers. Prior to this I was using the Accuphase E450 integrated amp which I am currently using as a preamp to drive the Mc.

The Accuphase is rather at 180W x 2 at 8ohms and 260W at 4 ohms where as the Mc is rated at 300W at 8/4/2 as it is a transformer coupled design. Changing to the Mc was a night and day difference. When I purchased the Accuphase I thought that it would be more than enough for my speakers as this was the biggest amp Accuphase made. However moving to the Mc changed my perspective on the same.

The Accuphase has a beautiful tonal signature. It is lush, warm yet extends cleanly. It draws you into the music. However I did feel that the soundstage fell apart if I pushed the amp a bit. So in came the Mc.

The sound with the MC302 is big, extremely stable and lush. The amp handles the speaker as if it was a toy. Instruments at the edge of the soundstage remain stable and hold their place. Earlier the soundstage would collapse if I pushed the setup via the Accuphase. With the Mc in the chain it remains stable and broad.

The beauty of the Mc is that even if driven hard it doesn't compress the music. It just lets the music flow. I guess this is due to the transformer coupling. If I had to describe the sound of the Mc it would be warm, sweet and huge.
The bass is well delineated and improves in definition with certain power cables like DHLabs Red Wave or Shunyata's. This amp is almost tube like in terms of its mid range. Very sweet and beautiful. It does tend to hold back a bit on the top end. I wouldn't call it rolled off as such but it does make the top seem a bit dark.

One of the finest purchases I have made during my Hifi hobby. Buy it without a doubt if you want a broad soundstage and excellent control over your speakers.

Sam