McIntosh MC 2100 – High End Stereo Equipment We Buy

McIntosh is one of the most dependable brand names when it comes to high-end audio systems. For years the brand has been recognized by audiophiles throughout the world as equipment that delivers clear and consistent quality in music. McIntosh is probably best known for its amplifiers and preamps, but the company produces many other components and parts for stereo and home theatre.

What are the specs for the McIntosh MC 2100?

Years Manufactured:
1969-1977
Power output:
105 watts per channel into 8Ω (stereo), 210 watts into 8Ω (mono)
Frequency response:
20Hz to 20kHz
Total harmonic distortion:
0.25%
Damping factor:
14
Input sensitivity:
0.5V
Signal to noise ratio:
90dB
Speaker load impedance:
4Ω to 16Ω
Dimensions:
17" W x 11" D x 7" H
Weight:
57 lbs

What else to know about the McIntosh MC 2100?

"The McIntosh MC2100 is rated - very conservatively - at 105WPC and features autoformers on the output. It can, at least according to various sources, easily exceed that value. And after hooking it up to my B&W Matrix 805 speakers, the first thing that I noticed was more bass oomph and dynamic drive. The little 5” woofer of 805s don't exactly move a lot of air, so this was a pleasant surprise over the Nak receiver. Perhaps it is the nature of having an autoformer on the transistor output stage, but this bass had a slight (and I mean very, very small) loosey-goosey nature. It wasn't sloppy, but was just a touch less tight and less sterile than the Japanese receiver. In my book that's a good thing. With these early SS pieced of McIntosh there have been many comparisons to tubes. The midrange, with well-recorded pieces like Steve Forbert's Jackrabbit Slim, or Gary Numan's Splinter had a warm character, but lacked that ultimate finesse and clarity that the best tube amplifiers have. Instead I'm vaguely reminded of the venerable B&K ST-140, which has a (non-linear?) dc-blocking electrolytic capacitor on the input stage. It adds some ""FM Radio"" character that is pleasant and conducive to long-term listening but should not be mistaken for uber-fidelity. Of course that's not what I'm striving for here so there are no disappointments in this area, but just something to be noted for any readers looking for the ""ultimate"" amplifier. It is the upper-mids and treble where most solid-state amps fall on their face. I would give the McIntosh MC2100 a high passing grade here. It suffers from the sins of omission, clouding some detail and rolling off the treble. Again we are talking about musicality over the ultimate extension and pin-point imaging. A rough analog: perhaps the MC2100 is closer to a good moving magnet instead of a hyper-detailed moving-coil cartridge. As a side note: when I had a MC250 around, I noticed some grain in the texture, but, at least with this current setup, I'm not hearing that same kind of effect Imaging and depth are good but not superlative. Of course some of this is the fault of my speaker setup, the limitations of the Dual CS5000 turntable and Nagaoka MP-110, and perhaps the use of an Adcom preamplifier, which isn't exactly the best in the world. Future upgrades will give a clearer picture of the limitations of this amplifier. At least to my ears, the McIntosh MC2100 is a fine solid-state piece of gear if - and this is an important point - one is not reaching for the ultimate fidelity, but instead prefers emotion. It is here where this amplifier shines, being a sort of ""poor man's tube amp."" No, it doesn't sound like a Dynaco 70 or even come close to my departed Eico HF-60s, but it does capture the essence of the musical performance and minimizes the worst aspects of a budget system. So in that regard, the McIntosh MC2100 is a clear winner." - 6thStreetBridge Blog

Brief History of McIntosh

Long mapped-to Binghamton New York – the current headquarters and manufacturing center for McIntosh Labs – not many people know the brand was originally launched outside of the Nation’s Capital in Silver Spring Maryland, in 1949. In 1956, the brand built their original facility in New York, according to the official brand website.

Other McIntosh Products We Often Buy

Typically, StereoBuyers purchases mostly used amplifiers, especially the vintage amps and high-end McIntosh models such as the MC202 or MC252, and the C220 preamp, for example. We have also purchased many pre-owned tuners from McIntosh over the recent years, including the MR67 and MR78 models, for example.

StereoBuyers has purchased tens of thousands worth McIntosh brand equipment since 2014, with individual buys ranging from $100 to well over $50,000. If you are moving, ready to upgrade, or have McIntosh equipment you do not or will not be using, why not contact us today to find out if it is worth good money?

If you are interested in selling your used McIntosh equipment to us in the greater NYC area or Colorado, please click here to fill out a Free Quote Form and we will get back to you. If we agree on terms, we come to meet you where you want, and pay cash.

The following images show actual McIntosh equipment purchased by StereoBuyers.