McIntosh Reintroduces a Pair of Classics

by The Audio Beat | March 17, 2015

cIntosh has a heritage like no other electronics brand. The McIntosh look is iconic, and long-discontinued products continue to sell briskly on the used market, many decades after they were manufactured.

With this in mind, McIntosh has re-released two popular long-discontinued products with updated design features and parts, making them thoroughly modern versions of true audio classics.

The MC75 mono amplifier ($3750 each) was discontinued in 1970. Like its predecessor, the new MC75 delivers 75 watts into a 2-, 4-, or 8-ohm load with a pair of KT88 output tubes. It uses an oversized power transformer and McIntosh’s patented Unity Coupled Circuit. Balanced and single-ended inputs and multiple speaker outputs, all gold-plated, are provided. The styling is authentic McIntosh, with copious use of chromed stainless steel.

The new C22 preamp ($6000) was first introduced in the 1960s. The new C22 retains the classic McIntosh retro look, but its circuitry has been updated for the 21st century. A total of ten inputs are provided, including two balanced and six single-ended along with moving-coil and moving-magnet phono with selectable resistance and capacitance. Line-stage gain is 15dB and phono gain is up to 60dB, making the C22 suitable for all but the very lowest moving-coil cartridges. Bass and treble controls with bypass are included, and power-control outputs will turn a complete McIntosh system on or off using the C22's front-panel switch.