McIntosh MC2000 Tube Amplifier - New Old Stock Sealed Box - UBER RARE!

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General:
The 50th Anniversary MC2000 is one of the rarest and most collectible amplifiers from McIntosh. However this is not a normal MC2000...

Yes, the MC2000 box you see in this listing has never been opened and is in its factory sealed box.

This amplifier was purchased from a collector along with the other three NOS items we recently listed. This amplifier was stored in a temperature and humidity controlled unit for all these years. 

If you're lucky enough to visit the factory in Binghamton, you may have spotted an MC2000 on a pedestal in their offices with a special plaque honoring its designer Sidney A. Corderman.

Besides collectibility there are many reasons the MC2000 is wonderful:

1) Like many McIntosh anniversary models it's gold plated, which makes it unique and gorgeous.
2) It features a traditional McIntosh amplifier layout with large blue meters, not a less interesting sled design like most tube amps.
3) The glass window in the front allows for a full view of the warm glow of the power tubes.
4) It has more power output than the MC275 giving it enough horsepower to drive a more complex and demanding speaker load - 130W per side.
5) It's a dual mono design featuring two amplifiers in a single chassis.

To check out another MC2000 we have for sale click here

More on Sidney A. Corderman:
Sidney joined McIntosh in 1951 and stayed with the company until 1993 when he retired. During his distinguished tenure, he had direct hands-on involvement in nearly every product McIntosh designed and became famous for.

Even after retiring, he came back to work on select projects, including the MC275 Gordon Gow Commemorative Edition Vacuum Tube Amplifier, C22 Frank McIntosh Commemorative Edition Vacuum Tube Preamplifier, MC2000 50th Anniversary Limited Edition Vacuum Tube Amplifier, C2200 Vacuum Tube Amplifier, and MA2275 Vacuum Tube Integrated Amplifier. He also remained on the Board of Directors until 2003.

"Sidney was a brilliant man and a mentor to everyone in the McIntosh engineering department who had the privilege of working for him," said McIntosh President Charlie Randall. "I started with the company in 1988 and was lucky enough to work with him. Later, he was instrumental in me being named Vice-President of Engineering in 1999 and then President in 2001. 

McIntosh Performance Features Include:
· Power Output
The MC2000 is a Dual Mono design which consists of two entirely separate Mono, 130 watt vacuum tube power amplifiers, each with its own power supply. Output impedance connections are provided for 2, 4 and 8 ohm loudspeaker loads.

· Patented Bifilar Wound Transformers and Output Circuit
The power output sections utilize the famous McIntosh patented Unity Coupled Circuit with a Bifilar Wound Output Transformer for low distortion, extended frequency response and cool operating output tubes.

· Balanced and Unbalanced Inputs
Both Balanced and Unbalanced Inputs are included. Balanced connections guard against induced noise and allow long cable runs without compromising sound quality.

· Illuminated Power Meters
Two accurate, peak responding output meters continuously indicate the power delivered by each channel. A Peak Hold Meter Mode indicates the maximum power reached over a given time span. The meter illumination can be turned off so as to not detract from the listening environment, if desired.

· Ceramic Tube Sockets with Gold Contacts
Ceramic tube sockets with gold plated contacts provide firm, reliable connections that are not affected by atmospheric contamination. Output tube sockets include Air-Pipe cooling at their bases.

Brand Background:
McIntosh Laboratory is an American manufacturer of handcrafted high-end audio equipment based in Binghamton, New York. The company was founded in 1949 by Frank McIntosh. The company designs and produces audio amplifiers, stereo tuners and other consumer electronics products.

Ownership:
Single Owner

Connections:
XLR, RCA, IEC Power, Speaker Binding Posts

Cosmetic Condition:
New Old Stock (NOS), factory sealed, never opened, never touched since the day it left the McIntosh factory in Binghamton NY.

Working Condition:
Working perfectly and tested in our lab and listening room.

Included:
Complete Kit as it Left the Factory

Packing:
Original Manufacturers Packing

Specifications
Power Output
130 watts into 8, 4 or 2 ohm loads is the minimum sine wave continuous average power output per channel from 20Hz to 20,000Hz with both channels operating.

Total Harmonic Distortion
0.5% maximum harmonic distortion at any power level from 250 milliwatts to rated power per channel from 20Hz to 20,000Hz with both channels operating.

Intermodulation Distortion
0.5% maximum intermodulation distortion if instantaneous peak power output does not exceed twice the output rating per channel with both channels operating, for any combination of frequencies from 20Hz to 20,000Hz.

Rated Power Band
20 Hz to 20,000 Hz

Frequency Response (at 1 watt)
+0, -0.25 dB from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz
+0, -3 dB from 10 Hz to 100,000 Hz

Hum and Noise (A-Weighted)
100 dB below rated output

Damping Factor
Greater than 18

Output Load Impedance
2, 4 or 8 ohms

Input Impedance
20K Ohms Unbalanced (RCA Phono Jacks)
40K Ohms Balanced (XLR Connectors)

Input Sensitivity (Switch Selectable)
2.5 volts for rated output
1.2 volts for rated output (1 volt for 100 watts output)

Tubes Compliment
8 x KT88 or 6550 Output Tubes
4 x 12AX7A Input Tubes
2 x 12AT7 Driver Tubes

Power Requirement
120 Volts, 50/60Hz at 4.8 Amps

Finish
Stainless Steel Chassis with Titanium Gold Super Mirror Finish, Black Transformer Enclosures, Black Base, Glass Front Panel with gold plated Handles and Knobs

Dimensions:
17-3/4 inches (45.1cm) wide by 11 inches (27.9cm) high. Depth behind front panel is 18-3/4 inches (47.6cm). Handle clearance required in front of the mounting panel is 1-5/8 inches (4.1 cm).

Weight:
Amplifier: 135 pounds (61.2 kg) net, 144 pounds (65.3 kg) in shipping carton
Accessories: 18 pounds (8.2 kg) in shipping carton

Reviews:

Stereophile Review

Link to Manual:

McIntosh MC2000 Manual - In Full Color!

Original MC2000 Sales Brochure "New Millennium Edition, Limited Production, Designed by Sidney A. Corderman"

Recommended Cables:
Kimber Kable - RCA Interconnects - Better

Kimber Kable - RCA Interconnects - Best

Kimber Kable - BALANCED XLR Connectors - Better

Kimber Kable - BALANCED XLR Connectors - Best

Kimber Kable - Speaker Cables - Better

Kimber Summit Series Monocle XL Speaker Cables (PAIR) - Best

Kimber Kable - Power Cords - Better

Kimber Kable - Power Cords - Best

Testing Process:
We start with a visual inspection of all internal components to make sure that there are no signs of heat stress or damage. Capacitors are checked for telltale signs of predictive failure including bulging, shrunken wrappers, or physical leakage. We also inspect resistors and other passive components for signs of overheating. If tube arcing has occurred in the past we can usually spot discoloration on the output tube sockets. On vintage units we often spot check select capacitors for value and ESR.

If the amplifier passes visual inspection, we move on to a full test of all of the tubes. We use a modern Amplitrex AT-1000 Professional Tube Tester which is capable of testing both emission and Gm with a high degree of accuracy.

We document the results of each tube and replace any weak or suspect tubes before proceeding.

When we power on tube amplifiers for the first time we usually use a variac and current limited AC supply and slowly raise the voltage up to nominal mains level while monitoring plate, screen, filament, and negative bias supply voltages where applicable.

If everything is in order we feed a low level test signal into the amplifier’s input and monitor its output on an oscilloscope across an 8 ohm dummy load. At this point we are just looking to verify basic function and confirm that the output transformers are not damaged.

Once we have verified that the amplifier is safe to operate, we connected it to full mains power. For fixed bias amps we set the bias to manufacturer spec. For cathode biased amps we monitor the plate to cathode voltage to determine if the output tubes are operating in a safe range. Once the output section is verified we move onto bench evaluation.

We start by feeding the input of the amplifier with a low level 1 KHz test signal, slowly increasing its amplitude while monitoring the amplifier’s output on an oscilloscope for signs of noise, clipping, distortion, or improper channel balance. We continue increasing the signal level until the amplifier reaches clipping. At this point we take an output power measurement and compare it to the spec sheet of the amplifier to verify proper performance.

We finish off the bench evaluation with a 1 KHz square wave check and a 20 Hz to 20 KHz sine sweep to assess the amplifier’s frequency response characteristics. This battery of tests will usually reveal if the amplifier has any issues that need further attention.

Before the device leaves the bench we perform a listening test with actual music using a variety of preferred test tracks. Our benches are outfitted with familiar monitor speakers which help us identify inconsistencies that will not always show up on our test gear. The main things that we are listening for are hum or noise with no signal present, proper center image, clicks, pops, or any other obvious undesirable audio characteristics.

If the unit passes all of these tests it is moved to our long term testing rig where we simulate real word operating conditions for 6-8 hours minimum.

For tube amps we like to run this test at least twice.

This allows us to monitor the unit for signs of thermal runaway or intermittent issues that only crop up when it has fully come up to temperature. We find this step to be essential, especially for vintage units.