How good is the McIntosh MC-2300 vs modern SS amplifiers?


John Curl gave a most informative talk on the Wall Of Sound used by the Gratefful Dead. He had a lot to do with the speaker end of things but had not much to say about the amplifiers which left me curious about them. 

I pulled up the following manual and schematic and suggest anyone interested in advanced circuit design of the 1970s have a look .. http://www.tubebooks.org/file_downloads/McIntosh/MC2300.pdf

Read this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McIntosh_MC-2300

and this  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_of_Sound

There is an earlier discussion about autotransformers where some call the autoformer a "band aid" for a poor design and others slurs. However this is a fine amplifier, virtually bullet proof, and used in great numbers by a band known for its incredible sound. 

I welcome any comments and questions. 
128x128ramtubes

Showing 1 response by bootluver

 It always puts a smile on my face any time I read a discussion about what the best  is  in sound systems. Mostly it's all tainted by testosterone. Every says "oh this one is the best sound"  Here is the reality check. If you buy components for system that are decent quality ( we all know the names) and I am not talking Best Buy stuff, it is possible to find a sound you really love by mix and match process. I am an older audiophile and am fairly new to all the fancy gear.  Over the last 4 years I have been assembling my system comprised of 2 SS Mcintosh power set ups (one MC 2300 and 2 MC 2200's running at 400 w/each.) One new MC275 and a Krell integrated 300 watt. Pre's are Anthem, MX113 and an ARC LS-7.  Have the sacd, the Mc DVD player and vinyl but rarely use those as I stream Spotify.  Each channel has a CV DX-9 with a CV AT-15 paralleled behind it. Running 2.6 ohm per channel. A home made speaker switching box allows my to pick which set up I want to listen to that day. Ok, here is the meat of my story.  For me being extremely OCD music has been a huge part of my life since I was a little kid, so were talking over 50 yrs  lol.   Each set up has it's own voice and it's hard to say which one is better but I do enjoy all to the fullest each time I play music.  Part is due to the fact that I bought every piece used (cpt MC 275 and TT) and shopped them on Ebay.  That adds alot of pride as many are shocked I will spend thousands for a 40 yr amp on Ebay!  It seems risky but I can tell you that people that sell McIntosh and other high end are usually music lovers themselves and are good folks. So for me when I play my music it does sound as if this IS that way it should be and puts a chill up my spine and that is all that matters. I can see how many ruin the experience but wondering "OMG do I have the best speaker, amp, etc"  Is there any better, can I afford it, lol. I read a story of a guy buying 2 MC 1.2 k monos only cause it was better than his neighbors set up.  Now he wants to sell because 1 he was not a music lover and 2 he was a narcissist lol  So have fun picking the names YOU want for your set up and just enjoy, let the music move you, don't let the testosterone ruin your fun.