*SHOP* (affiliate links) McIntosh Car Audio Amps: ebay.to/3gpniKS Williston Audio Merch: teespring.com/stores/bigdwiz Elac Debut 2.0 B6.2 Bookshelf Speakers: amzn.to/3Mmdbcz SAVARD HiQ 8" Subwoofer: lddy.no/1izt9 (use WAL7 for 7% off) McIntosh "....for the love of music..." book by Ken Kessler: Amazon: amzn.to/4bixCkG eBay: ebay.us/renxKK *Other Videos and Information* My Test of the McIntosh MC443: ua-cam.com/video/8VR3yDJgv5Y/v-deo.html The Vinyl Factory McIntosh Tour: ua-cam.com/video/QcX_pjLQ7dc/v-deo.html Inside the McIntosh Factory: ua-cam.com/video/jhdO07FzG3A/v-deo.html Expensive Car Audio Tests: bit.ly/2YqZDDJ Roger Russell's McIntosh History: www.roger-russell.com/aboutmc.htm McIntosh 75th Anniversary Information: www.mcintoshlabs.com/products/75th-anniversary _DISCLAIMER: This video and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase from one of the product links, I may receive a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases_
Big D I think this is my amp I bought in 1998. The mark around the screw hole on the right end was done by me on accident when installing the amp. Now I bought it brand new and used it in spring break nationals in 1999. I actually blew it up due to the installation from the shop that built the car. I will tell you one thing most don't know you can bridge that sub channel down to 4 ohm mono. I had called McIntosh since we were a dealer and they let me know this even though it wasn't marked on the amp and it would do around a 1000 watts. I can tell you the whole glass panel will come off without sliding the glass out. I never had to do that and it Came off with the aluminum surrounding! Enjoy that amp it's one amp I wish k never would have sold. I did run 3 12w6's 4 ohm mono off of it a couple of years before building the stereo it was last in.
Oh man that's cool! Wish I still had the box and manual but it's all good. It is really difficult to capture the awesomeness of this amp in a video as that glass is picking up everything on the ceiling of my garage. Oh well, this isn't the last time you'll see this amp on my channel, that's a certainty!
Man that was an era. Back when you had to go to a car audio shop to get quality gear. I remember friends and I would always be in there drooling over all the stuff we couldn't afford. Far removed from today where you see Kicker subs in Walmart.
It wasn't. Wow! That is a well-designed piece. Maybe not with the glass part, but the glass part goes really clean. That's got to be like a Golden age of amps. Or maybe that's just Macintosh in general. I as well have been wanting to get a Macintosh system to see what the hype is about. Absolutely a Ferrari style company in my opinion and from what I've seen. And Corey let you try it before you bought it? That is pretty freaking sweet. I can respect the hell out of that dude
I remember how crazy expensive McIntosh amps were back in the day. They were usually so far ahead of everyone else in terms of quality, but I could never afford to own one.
I installed exactly 1 of these into a 1992 honda prelude, back in 1998 at car stereo city. Between the amp, enclosure and subs, the car was sitting on bump stops! So cool to see it again
As the number one seller in SOCAL of Mac's back in the 90's, I must say that these were the most beautiful amplifiers ever! One problem was, we had to warranty nearly 80% of them for internal destruction of the PCB board. We also sold the complete Soundstream line prior to them entering Circuit City, as it is well known, they too began popping amplifiers like firecrackers once they were manufactured out of house. What a shame to have to have dropped both of these lines, but they both went out of business shortly after anyway.
I had the luxury of owning a McIntosh amp . It was the 431M. I competed with it in my mini truck in the mid 90s. I worked for a stereo shop and installed a few of these amps and subs in vehicles. We also installed a couple head units as well. I used a Clarion head unit at the time ...I forget which, but it was the top unit along with their slim cd changer as well. My system included Image Dynamics HLCD , 6.5 mids in the floor boards and 2 rockford fosgate punch 12s 6th order ported into my single cab. It pounded and was very crystal clear. I competed professionally for 2 years with that truck and that same system. Won many trophy's with that amp. Rhe downside, as you mentioned, the RCAs kept breaking on the board. Mine eventually broke and I sold the amp years ago for 950 shipped to a buyer on ebay.....
So many awesome flashbacks! I never got to experience a Mac amp back then. I had all PPI amps, Clarion head, MB highs and mids, ID HLCD's and 4 Orion XTR 12's mounted push pull. Hoping my kids will get into car audio so I can get back into building systems.
My mini truck was basically the shop show truck for us. People didn't know what HLCDs were until they heard my truck. I also had installed a 8" mcintosh sub , mc420, and their kids and highs in a single cab chevy truck. She was my girlfriend at the time and wanted the BEST....money was no object to her and that what she got...installed a Clarion remote control head unit and cd changer under the front seat. Tight fit with the amp ther as well. We were all so scared to break the glass covers on all those amps. Beautiful amps, but the RCAs were a downfall. Should have been Tiffany style like the ORION hcca amps...if I'm not mistaken.
Back in the day I ran a store called Take-5 in Allentown, PA. And we where both a home and car McIntosh deal. We had built at Jeep Wrangler with the MC4000M, McCauley 18” sub. 4- 10” mid-Bass by McCauley. And the front stage was B&W drivers and crossovers from there home Matrix 801. At the time the amp was there prototype same with the B&W speakers before they did a car line. Our store was one of the only store that sold more Mac on the east coast. Each dealer got 1 MC4000M but we got 12 to sell from other dealers that didn’t have the clients that wanted to spend that money. I enjoyed selling and listening to these products both home and car. The head unit MX406 and 6-disc cd changer MCD4000 with fiber optics to even add a different D2A. 0:03 also something very special. Clarions transport with Mac audio was a big sell. I’m going to look to see if I can find any old pictures of the Jeep with the Amp mounted across the back.
@@joec4541 I still got some very old Clarion stuff with round plug going from the deck to the amp. I use older B&W speakers in my home only metal tweeter I've ever like listening to. Thought about buying a pair just to put in my car but the magnet on the tweeter is big for a pillars. I didn't know they had a car audio line.
Holy shit Joe Christman. This is Bobby who worked at take 5 for a bit with you before it closed up. I had the red escort with the Orion 15 and soundstream continuum. How the hell have you been? I’m thinking about building a SQ system in the future and trying to catch up on all the new tech. Ps I remember that jeep like it was yesterday. That dude was nuts.
I worked at a McIntosh dealer shop and installed one of these in a 1997 Camaro. I’d heard a lot of systems but this one was one of the cleanest and loudest I’d ever heard (1998). The power guard made a huge difference in clarity by limiting clipping. I don’t remember which drivers were used. I think it was the only one they sold…
I had to comment here. Seeing this brought back memories! Back then, I was running US Amps and Oz Audio. The MC4000M was my dream amplifier. I had forgotten about this beast!
What an unbelievably cool amp! Thanks for including the history with McIntosh. I remember our local camera and TV shop had a small audio section with McIntosh amps (home) and i would go drool over them in the test room as my dad was getting pictures developed.
I had the honor of installing 2 of these into a Mustang back in 1999. Its forever been my unicorn lust after amp. I have had a couple of the smaller 6 channels with teh VUs but the MC4000m is just amazing!
We had one of these originals in the case at the stereo shop that I worked at. I’m rockin MTX 2300x and Alpine MRV-1505 and 1507 in those days…was totally smitten with the surfboard.
Back in the '90s a lot of home audio companies jumped on the car audio bandwagon. These days it seems like many of them are working directly with the car companies to offer upgraded sound systems (B&O, Mark Levinson, JBL, etc)
@@walyes I've noticed that too, and it's very obvious now. Back in the day Bose was the main home audio brand crossover. Now there are many brands doing home hi fi branded mobile audio deals.
@@gregoryfagan2835 the power handling of IC's has come a long way. Look at how many transistors and components this has in the teardown. A modern SQ amp is so much smaller, and can handle more power with far less components.
Ugh. McIntosh is still top of the game. They represent the top of the mountain still with what they bring dummy. Nobody can afford them still. Just like the 90's. The car audio would still looks to them there smart guy
What an amazing amplifier. I came incredibly close to buying an McIntosh MC431M 4-channel back in the late 90's but ended up buying a SoundStream Reference 1000s and 500s. I still have both SoundStream amps and the 500s still works. I've been in the process of repairing the 1000s but life keeps getting in the way and unfortunately the guy who designed it who i had been talking with via email has passed away. I hope it works when i get it finished since most pros avoid jobs where the owner screwed up. lol.
Yesssssssss!!!! Finally! I won one of these monsters in early 2000 after selling a lot of McIntosh home and car products. My car then wasn't capable of running it though so I sold it without ever hearing it
Ahhh the capacitor plague of the 90's. Not surprising, glad you took care of that ASAP. We had one on standalone working display at the shop I worked at. First thing you'd see walking in. Sold/installed maybe 3 of them over the years I worked there. The head units were meh, just rebadged clarions.
Dont know much about Mcintosh car audio but I know their home audio stuff is top notch. I own the mac7200 home receiver. Best home stereo receiver I've owned to date.
There was one model, the MCC602TM that had the classic Autoformers protruding outside the heatsink. Those are more rare than the MC4000m and I believe most are in Japan.
I haven’t watched the whole video, yet. But let’s hope we don’t blow it up, this time. I had an MC440M in my 1994 Civic coupe, back in the day. It was amazing. My installer sat in the back seats with my front seats out, after he installed the setup, he said “I have to listen to all of my music, all over, again, because I haven’t heard anything like this amp. I’m hearing instruments in songs that just aren’t even noticeable with other equipment.”
I'm so jealous Big D! Been drooling over this amp ever since it launched, definitely my dream amp since I first heard my first set up. I hope you use it in an Uber high end build!
Great job fixing up this gem and showing what it can do. SexyCool wicked overpriced McIntosh equipment. So glad you are starting to use ferrules...I am one of the audio junkies that complained! As for my "dream" amplifier -- it would have to be 100% pure Class A (all tubes, in all stages) with some modern D/A circuity to handle digital inputs and convert properly. I know there are a few out there...some going for $75,000. Lastly, McIntosh does great audio. But, when it comes down to sound hitting your ears -- quality speakers and environment are the biggest factors. Keep up the great work doing videos -- love your channel.
Man these amps were unicorns! I’m an old bass head and started tinkering when I was like 16 I’m 43 now and I’ve never seen one of these in person other than a store. I saw plenty of Orion hcca, phoenix gold, a few soundstream rubicons and old ppi pipe amps but never a McIntosh… very cool. Other brands like fosgates, kicker, lanzar, earthquakes were pretty common but you needed that extra extra money to get into those other leagues of high end cheater amps.
I have a 4-channel mcintosh amp that needs to be looked at, powers up but no sound…gonna have to get in touch with the tech who serviced that big boy and see if i can get mine working…absolutely ❤❤❤ mcintosh the amps have such a clean next to perfect sound. You can tell even over youtube that amp puts out a SQ thats just up front in your face…doesnt get much better than that 😉
I'm actually from a small town near Binghamton! I've been to their location a few times over the years to fix a couple doors.. that place is world class excellence!
Yeah I too remember those good old days when sound systems in automotive were great & seriously loud. Brands like ADS, Stillwater Designs, Alpines, Boston Acoustics & many others.
I remember seeing lots of Mc home theater stuff doing pool work for millionaire businessmen . I was involved in HiFi for a bit after that period and laughed in Musical Fidelity. Their Titan amp was king!
Accidentally pulled up this video for a second time just now, and glad to let it run. Those VU meters never get old. By all accounts, McIntosh is an amazing company, but I suspect the only way I'll ever own something of theirs is going to be similar to how you got yours -- old used unit that needs repair practically falls in my lap. 😅 Good problem to have! 👍
I remember one of the car audio magazines testing this amp and he was encountering distortion from his ultra expensive test equipment before he could find it in the amp. This is more likely than any other the best car audio amplifier ever made. About dream amps I would like to have a Arc audio 4000se.
Yes👍I live demo'd the McIntosh car audio systems lineup at an authorized McIntosh dealer years ago. Amps, head unit, speakers. The amps were the most impressive with their technology's built in. 👍 EXPENSIVE,,!! Yes. you pay the name brand tax on top of the pricing. I came close to buying 👍 I finally went with all JLAudio, Amps Slash A|B and speakers at the time.👍
I remember seeing McIntosh amps in builds that were featured in Car Audio and Electronics. They were my grail amps for mids and highs. I would drool over the pictures of these when I was a teenager. If I only had a copy of that McIntosh brochure!
When I sold my 2 RF 650's that I bought new. I had a very large amount of cash to spend. I did look at the Clarions/McIntosh but decided Zapco was the best route to go. 7 x Z220, custom dual PX with special frequency chips for the trunk. Custom PX with fader for the dash.
I had the crunch vu series for my treble. lol got that amp from Trade Center in Michigan they had huge booths full of amps speakers. Oh, how I miss them days
I was an installer back when McIntosh came out and, yes they were expensive compared to other amplifiers but sounded great! Wish I could have bought one😢
I have one of these amps the MC 432 I believe. I didn't get the Vu meters I probably should have. I got a lot of enjoyment out of the amp it sounded great. 👍
Back in the day this brand was among the highest quality available & I didn't know one person in my life who owned one 😅, I have been a Clarion fan since my teen years, I did own the early/mid 90's pro audio cd & tape head units (9170 & 9175) that was strictly passive with zero watts & they were absolute sq pieces.
@@BASSstarlet if you don't believe it, ask any tech who's worked on Clarion amps made in this timeframe. I wouldn't say copied, I'd say borrowed since Clarion owned McIntosh at the time
Brought back the memories of the last Mac I seen here getting cooked I didn’t wanna bring it up 😆 but since you mentioned disabling the “power guard” and it cooked absolutely let’s not try that one again! As always love the channel long time subscriber here and you always keep it interesting great job bro!!
OMG, I'm old... I literally remember looking at this amplifier when I was getting my PPI 5075 Installed.. THAT is the best amp ever produced with it's digital controller and 3 band preamp.. it was so amazing.. for literally 2 weeks, then the car got stolen and stripped of the stereo in Boston...
@@wal I had, had PPI rebuild the amp, had bought the fiber optic cable, and had the digital interface for it sitting in my apartment when it got stolen... Felt so awful.. I still look on eBay for the amp lol
I installed many of these back in the day. Pretty sure that glass panel comes off with the rails and you don't have to slide it out. I would be very nervous sliding that out...
I've waited a long time for the return of this amp. McIntosh was also the favorite stage amp of Jerry Garcia. He used stacks for his guitar rig. EDIT* - They bought 70 of the MC-2300 amps when they came out and pushed that all through their "Wall Of Sound" setup.
Big D, you know I've talked with you about my collection of 50+ and I have acquired some of my Dreams. But, that said; this Amp was my ALL TIME Dream Amp. Good job on collecting one, and great job on review. Here in San Diego, we had a shop Leemor Electronics (chula vista) had one on there inside glass displays $4k. I drooled every week or so when I walked in there 😅. Keep it up D, we love it 😊😮😮
Man I bet that was a treat to mess with and listen to in person, amazing amp for the era for sure, not a fan of those controls though, makes it tough to fine tune the amp in the vehicle
I hope someday I get to hear one of these mcintosh amps I would assume it sounds great I currently have a mosconi as200.4, Jl audio hd900.5 I wonder how much better that amp can sound.
I have a set of Alpine F#1 3 way speakers (SPX-Z18T) that at one point had in a 240SX running on a pair of F900 amps. Sold those long ago (kicking myself for that). But I always wanted one of these mac amps to run that kit.
Binghamton NY represent! People forget upstate NY is still a technology center, Corning labs, Kodak factory, McIntosh, RPI, etc. McIntosh never made anything but the best they could at the time. Their new home stuff is insane.
The 2 best amplifiers I have ever heard were the Tube Driver Blue TDB 575 built by BK Butler and modified to put out 300 watts on the sub channel at 2 ohms, the other was the made in Florida, US amps TU-4360. Both were tube/transistor hybrids. Both hold the reference for sound quality to me. Please test these if you ever get the chance. Thank you!
I already asked him couple times before about the BK Butler's Tube Driver Blue amps, waiting very patiently, the other ones were the Brax / Helix amps from Audio Fischer.
Heard one of those back in the day my guy ran a shop some dude ordered it but skipped out on final payments so the shop got to sell it. We called the crate it came in the coffin. It wasn't the most bang but it sounded so clean.
*SHOP* (affiliate links)
McIntosh Car Audio Amps: ebay.to/3gpniKS
Williston Audio Merch: teespring.com/stores/bigdwiz
Elac Debut 2.0 B6.2 Bookshelf Speakers: amzn.to/3Mmdbcz
SAVARD HiQ 8" Subwoofer: lddy.no/1izt9 (use WAL7 for 7% off)
McIntosh "....for the love of music..." book by Ken Kessler:
Amazon: amzn.to/4bixCkG
eBay: ebay.us/renxKK
*Other Videos and Information*
My Test of the McIntosh MC443: ua-cam.com/video/8VR3yDJgv5Y/v-deo.html
The Vinyl Factory McIntosh Tour: ua-cam.com/video/QcX_pjLQ7dc/v-deo.html
Inside the McIntosh Factory: ua-cam.com/video/jhdO07FzG3A/v-deo.html
Expensive Car Audio Tests: bit.ly/2YqZDDJ
Roger Russell's McIntosh History: www.roger-russell.com/aboutmc.htm
McIntosh 75th Anniversary Information: www.mcintoshlabs.com/products/75th-anniversary
_DISCLAIMER: This video and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase from one of the product links, I may receive a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases_
Cleaning out my basement how can I mail you a 4000-watt eclipse amplifier?
Please use this Amp in your old school car.
Big D I think this is my amp I bought in 1998. The mark around the screw hole on the right end was done by me on accident when installing the amp. Now I bought it brand new and used it in spring break nationals in 1999. I actually blew it up due to the installation from the shop that built the car. I will tell you one thing most don't know you can bridge that sub channel down to 4 ohm mono. I had called McIntosh since we were a dealer and they let me know this even though it wasn't marked on the amp and it would do around a 1000 watts. I can tell you the whole glass panel will come off without sliding the glass out. I never had to do that and it
Came off with the aluminum surrounding! Enjoy that amp it's one amp I wish k never would have sold. I did run 3 12w6's 4 ohm mono off of it a couple of years before building the stereo it was last in.
Oh man that's cool! Wish I still had the box and manual but it's all good. It is really difficult to capture the awesomeness of this amp in a video as that glass is picking up everything on the ceiling of my garage. Oh well, this isn't the last time you'll see this amp on my channel, that's a certainty!
Doug of Soundman would be jealous!
He has one of these amps, just needs to be recapped
“It’s doesn’t matter what you did Doug”
1984 made in Japan❤Samurai
Well that’s just… swell
What's the approximate cost to have one of the Mcintosh amps recapped?
Man that was an era. Back when you had to go to a car audio shop to get quality gear. I remember friends and I would always be in there drooling over all the stuff we couldn't afford. Far removed from today where you see Kicker subs in Walmart.
It's true
@@RYTHMICRIOT most shops do horrible jobs
McIntosh, SoundStream and Boston Acoustics were the BOMBS in the 90's
I had a 50 watt soundstream on my high in the mid 90s. I thought i was the stuff lol.
Dont forget PG and RF.
I was a rockford and kicker kid in the 90s!
Crystal, dynaudio and image dynamics ❤ and don’t forget Orion 🙏🏼
Can't forget Xtant and eclipse.
It wasn't. Wow! That is a well-designed piece. Maybe not with the glass part, but the glass part goes really clean. That's got to be like a Golden age of amps. Or maybe that's just Macintosh in general. I as well have been wanting to get a Macintosh system to see what the hype is about. Absolutely a Ferrari style company in my opinion and from what I've seen. And Corey let you try it before you bought it? That is pretty freaking sweet. I can respect the hell out of that dude
I remember how crazy expensive McIntosh amps were back in the day. They were usually so far ahead of everyone else in terms of quality, but I could never afford to own one.
Crazy cool amps for sure!
Just stare at them in the magazines!
@@ThickCutOhio lmao
Ive worked at there place in binghamton really cool place
@@Brock_Landers that’s what I did
I installed exactly 1 of these into a 1992 honda prelude, back in 1998 at car stereo city. Between the amp, enclosure and subs, the car was sitting on bump stops! So cool to see it again
Oh man I had a 1992 Prelude Si, loved that car. It sounded amazing with only (2) 10's and components up front
As the number one seller in SOCAL of Mac's back in the 90's, I must say that these were the most beautiful amplifiers ever! One problem was, we had to warranty nearly 80% of them for internal destruction of the PCB board. We also sold the complete Soundstream line prior to them entering Circuit City, as it is well known, they too began popping amplifiers like firecrackers once they were manufactured out of house. What a shame to have to have dropped both of these lines, but they both went out of business shortly after anyway.
I had the luxury of owning a McIntosh amp . It was the 431M. I competed with it in my mini truck in the mid 90s. I worked for a stereo shop and installed a few of these amps and subs in vehicles. We also installed a couple head units as well. I used a Clarion head unit at the time ...I forget which, but it was the top unit along with their slim cd changer as well. My system included Image Dynamics HLCD , 6.5 mids in the floor boards and 2 rockford fosgate punch 12s 6th order ported into my single cab. It pounded and was very crystal clear. I competed professionally for 2 years with that truck and that same system. Won many trophy's with that amp. Rhe downside, as you mentioned, the RCAs kept breaking on the board. Mine eventually broke and I sold the amp years ago for 950 shipped to a buyer on ebay.....
So many awesome flashbacks! I never got to experience a Mac amp back then. I had all PPI amps, Clarion head, MB highs and mids, ID HLCD's and 4 Orion XTR 12's mounted push pull. Hoping my kids will get into car audio so I can get back into building systems.
My mini truck was basically the shop show truck for us. People didn't know what HLCDs were until they heard my truck. I also had installed a 8" mcintosh sub , mc420, and their kids and highs in a single cab chevy truck. She was my girlfriend at the time and wanted the BEST....money was no object to her and that what she got...installed a Clarion remote control head unit and cd changer under the front seat. Tight fit with the amp ther as well. We were all so scared to break the glass covers on all those amps. Beautiful amps, but the RCAs were a downfall. Should have been Tiffany style like the ORION hcca amps...if I'm not mistaken.
Back in the day I ran a store called Take-5 in Allentown, PA. And we where both a home and car McIntosh deal. We had built at Jeep Wrangler with the MC4000M, McCauley 18” sub. 4- 10” mid-Bass by McCauley. And the front stage was B&W drivers and crossovers from there home Matrix 801. At the time the amp was there prototype same with the B&W speakers before they did a car line. Our store was one of the only store that sold more Mac on the east coast. Each dealer got 1 MC4000M but we got 12 to sell from other dealers that didn’t have the clients that wanted to spend that money. I enjoyed selling and listening to these products both home and car. The head unit MX406 and 6-disc cd changer MCD4000 with fiber optics to even add a different D2A. 0:03 also something very special. Clarions transport with Mac audio was a big sell. I’m going to look to see if I can find any old pictures of the Jeep with the Amp mounted across the back.
Is any Clarion amps from back then with similar components without the Mac price tag?
@@mattm2684 unfortunately no, the clarion amps were not bad but not like McIntosh
@@joec4541 I still got some very old Clarion stuff with round plug going from the deck to the amp. I use older B&W speakers in my home only metal tweeter I've ever like listening to. Thought about buying a pair just to put in my car but the magnet on the tweeter is big for a pillars. I didn't know they had a car audio line.
Holy shit Joe Christman. This is Bobby who worked at take 5 for a bit with you before it closed up. I had the red escort with the Orion 15 and soundstream continuum.
How the hell have you been? I’m thinking about building a SQ system in the future and trying to catch up on all the new tech.
Ps I remember that jeep like it was yesterday. That dude was nuts.
2:22 THIS IS THE AMP you need a 0.005 distortion Level Dyno For. PLEASE STEVE MEAD MAKE THIS DYNO BEFORE I DO
I worked at a McIntosh dealer shop and installed one of these in a 1997 Camaro. I’d heard a lot of systems but this one was one of the cleanest and loudest I’d ever heard (1998). The power guard made a huge difference in clarity by limiting clipping. I don’t remember which drivers were used. I think it was the only one they sold…
The do NOT make them like they used to.
What an amazing find!
Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
I had to comment here. Seeing this brought back memories! Back then, I was running US Amps and Oz Audio. The MC4000M was my dream amplifier. I had forgotten about this beast!
thanks for taking the time to comment, much appreciated!
Holy Grail stuff from back in the day... and all these years later it still is. Outstanding review and thanks again very much.
What an unbelievably cool amp!
Thanks for including the history with McIntosh. I remember our local camera and TV shop had a small audio section with McIntosh amps (home) and i would go drool over them in the test room as my dad was getting pictures developed.
I had the honor of installing 2 of these into a Mustang back in 1999. Its forever been my unicorn lust after amp. I have had a couple of the smaller 6 channels with teh VUs but the MC4000m is just amazing!
We had one of these originals in the case at the stereo shop that I worked at. I’m rockin MTX 2300x and Alpine MRV-1505 and 1507 in those days…was totally smitten with the surfboard.
MRV-1507s were and still are some great sounding amps on subs. I’ve got 4 of them.
We have come a long way in car stereo. Thanks for the history lesson.
Back in the '90s a lot of home audio companies jumped on the car audio bandwagon. These days it seems like many of them are working directly with the car companies to offer upgraded sound systems (B&O, Mark Levinson, JBL, etc)
@@walyes I've noticed that too, and it's very obvious now.
Back in the day Bose was the main home audio brand crossover.
Now there are many brands doing home hi fi branded mobile audio deals.
No they haven't. The 90's is where 'a long way' went. It's just fine tuning now and McIntosh amps in the 90's is like the top of the mountain
@@gregoryfagan2835 the power handling of IC's has come a long way.
Look at how many transistors and components this has in the teardown. A modern SQ amp is so much smaller, and can handle more power with far less components.
Ugh. McIntosh is still top of the game. They represent the top of the mountain still with what they bring dummy. Nobody can afford them still. Just like the 90's. The car audio would still looks to them there smart guy
A true piece of history. Nice video man!
What an amazing amplifier. I came incredibly close to buying an McIntosh MC431M 4-channel back in the late 90's but ended up buying a SoundStream Reference 1000s and 500s. I still have both SoundStream amps and the 500s still works. I've been in the process of repairing the 1000s but life keeps getting in the way and unfortunately the guy who designed it who i had been talking with via email has passed away. I hope it works when i get it finished since most pros avoid jobs where the owner screwed up. lol.
Shawn King can repair, contact him at shawnmking (at) gmail
My buddy just got a Jeep Grand Cherokee with that McIntosh sound system........... Best Factory system I've Ever Heard!!!!!!
Awesome!
Yeah it's a shame that McIntosh HU is made by Alpine.
@@thenotoriousrvh6091 it's a shame we have to say it's a shame with Alpine involved. Alpine was once the top of the line as far as head units go, IMO
If it’s the best factory system you have ever heard is that really a shame?
I never paid much attention to McIntosh amps because they were soooo much nicer than anything I could afford.
I had that amp in my 1981 Buick Rivera back in 1995. I totally forgot about it. This video brought back some memories.
Yesssssssss!!!!
Finally!
I won one of these monsters in early 2000 after selling a lot of McIntosh home and car products.
My car then wasn't capable of running it though so I sold it without ever hearing it
Ahhh the capacitor plague of the 90's. Not surprising, glad you took care of that ASAP. We had one on standalone working display at the shop I worked at. First thing you'd see walking in. Sold/installed maybe 3 of them over the years I worked there. The head units were meh, just rebadged clarions.
Dont know much about Mcintosh car audio but I know their home audio stuff is top notch. I own the mac7200 home receiver. Best home stereo receiver I've owned to date.
There was one model, the MCC602TM that had the classic Autoformers protruding outside the heatsink. Those are more rare than the MC4000m and I believe most are in Japan.
Awe man, I love these amps. I never could own one back in the day. Its a gem for sure. Thanks Big D!
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Now that I would consider to be the ultimate old school amplifier to have
Absolutely a grail amp for me
I haven’t watched the whole video, yet. But let’s hope we don’t blow it up, this time. I had an MC440M in my 1994 Civic coupe, back in the day. It was amazing. My installer sat in the back seats with my front seats out, after he installed the setup, he said “I have to listen to all of my music, all over, again, because I haven’t heard anything like this amp. I’m hearing instruments in songs that just aren’t even noticeable with other equipment.”
Man, I remember going to Custom Sounds back in the 90s and lusting after the McIntosh amps and gear. I was 16, no way I could afford one.
I'm so jealous Big D! Been drooling over this amp ever since it launched, definitely my dream amp since I first heard my first set up. I hope you use it in an Uber high end build!
As always, an informative video, of an amazing amp that most of us could only dream of owning. My dream amp is the Incriminator Audio IA40.1
The classic good ol McIntosh!
The original MC spitting out lyrics! 👍🏻
Never got the chance to install one of these, but a coworker had 2 of them in his Buick Regal T-type. Definitely a dream amp for me!!!!
Great job fixing up this gem and showing what it can do. SexyCool wicked overpriced McIntosh equipment. So glad you are starting to use ferrules...I am one of the audio junkies that complained! As for my "dream" amplifier -- it would have to be 100% pure Class A (all tubes, in all stages) with some modern D/A circuity to handle digital inputs and convert properly. I know there are a few out there...some going for $75,000. Lastly, McIntosh does great audio. But, when it comes down to sound hitting your ears -- quality speakers and environment are the biggest factors. Keep up the great work doing videos -- love your channel.
Listing to this in my car going to work and even through crapy speakers and UA-cam you can tell how clean the sound is out of this amp, crazy!
I hear Macintosh and I think greatest audio of all time
First time I heard about McIntosh was from soundman wish I could listen to a full system listening to that ending on my beats Pro sounded crazy
Now that's an amp. If it more or less doubles wattage from 8 to 4 ohms and .005 thd = proper shit.
Man these amps were unicorns! I’m an old bass head and started tinkering when I was like 16 I’m 43 now and I’ve never seen one of these in person other than a store. I saw plenty of Orion hcca, phoenix gold, a few soundstream rubicons and old ppi pipe amps but never a McIntosh… very cool. Other brands like fosgates, kicker, lanzar, earthquakes were pretty common but you needed that extra extra money to get into those other leagues of high end cheater amps.
I have a 4-channel mcintosh amp that needs to be looked at, powers up but no sound…gonna have to get in touch with the tech who serviced that big boy and see if i can get mine working…absolutely ❤❤❤ mcintosh the amps have such a clean next to perfect sound. You can tell even over youtube that amp puts out a SQ thats just up front in your face…doesnt get much better than that 😉
I have a great guy in NC if you need his info let me knoe
I'm actually from a small town near Binghamton! I've been to their location a few times over the years to fix a couple doors.. that place is world class excellence!
Yeah I too remember those good old days when sound systems in automotive were great & seriously loud. Brands like ADS, Stillwater Designs, Alpines, Boston Acoustics & many others.
Man you aren’t kidding, it would be a dream to have one of these!
I remember seeing lots of Mc home theater stuff doing pool work for millionaire businessmen . I was involved in HiFi for a bit after that period and laughed in Musical Fidelity. Their Titan amp was king!
Accidentally pulled up this video for a second time just now, and glad to let it run. Those VU meters never get old. By all accounts, McIntosh is an amazing company, but I suspect the only way I'll ever own something of theirs is going to be similar to how you got yours -- old used unit that needs repair practically falls in my lap. 😅 Good problem to have! 👍
Easily the cleanest thing i have heard in your shop, so open and distinct.
One of my dream amp i would like to come in hands with would be Rockford fosgate T1000.4 , long version one.
The VU meter one? ua-cam.com/video/hlfekIcD_lM/v-deo.html
@12:15 - It's nice that you listened to folks on that. I am sure that, in the long run, you will really come to appreciate them.
Not sure why I resisted, I'm redoing all of my speaker wiring now. So fresh and so clean, clean!
I remember seeing these advertised in the car audio magazines back in the day but I never saw one in person…
I remember one of the car audio magazines testing this amp and he was encountering distortion from his ultra expensive test equipment before he could find it in the amp. This is more likely than any other the best car audio amplifier ever made. About dream amps I would like to have a Arc audio 4000se.
Yes👍I live demo'd the McIntosh car audio systems lineup at an authorized McIntosh dealer years ago.
Amps, head unit, speakers. The amps were the most impressive with their technology's built in. 👍
EXPENSIVE,,!! Yes. you pay the name brand tax on top of the pricing. I came close to buying 👍
I finally went with all JLAudio, Amps Slash A|B and speakers at the time.👍
What a gorgeous amp!! Kinda jelly of that monster!!
I remember seeing McIntosh amps in builds that were featured in Car Audio and Electronics. They were my grail amps for mids and highs. I would drool over the pictures of these when I was a teenager. If I only had a copy of that McIntosh brochure!
Been waiting for this for over 10 years!
When I sold my 2 RF 650's that I bought new. I had a very large amount of cash to spend. I did look at the Clarions/McIntosh but decided Zapco was the best route to go.
7 x Z220, custom dual PX with special frequency chips for the trunk. Custom PX with fader for the dash.
Awe yeah!
Hell yeah big D , that's a slick looking beast of an amp
I did not know about the Clarion buyout , I am still running a pair of Clarion 6x9's that came with my van 11 years ago.. still sound great.
I didn't mention but they were sold again in 2003 to D&M Holdings and more history can be found at the McIntosh website
fan from Kenya ........salute to you Big D
Thanks for watching and commenting!
@@wal would it be 2 much if I asked you to like .....send me on of your amps that you may not be using plz.....id highly appreciate man
i remember that article in car audio, I forget the name of the dealer in Durham that carried McIntosh, I always loved there stuff
Thank You for this Derek , What a Score Indeed !
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I had the crunch vu series for my treble. lol got that amp from Trade Center in Michigan they had huge booths full of amps speakers. Oh, how I miss them days
So sweet to see amps I've liked over the years get tested. This was one of my favorites.
😎👍👍
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Gorgeous.... Wow, man....that's a real banger you got there. What a beauty.
I was an installer back when McIntosh came out and, yes they were expensive compared to other amplifiers but sounded great!
Wish I could have bought one😢
I have one of these amps the MC 432 I believe.
I didn't get the Vu meters I probably should have.
I got a lot of enjoyment out of the amp it sounded great. 👍
Back in the day this brand was among the highest quality available & I didn't know one person in my life who owned one 😅, I have been a Clarion fan since my teen years, I did own the early/mid 90's pro audio cd & tape head units (9170 & 9175) that was strictly passive with zero watts & they were absolute sq pieces.
Clarion sure did make some awesome stuff! It's a bit odd McIntosh didn't credit Clarion with these amps as they look like a lot of Clarion inside
@@wal That's very interesting!McIntosh has copied Clarion's circuit?
@@BASSstarlet if you don't believe it, ask any tech who's worked on Clarion amps made in this timeframe. I wouldn't say copied, I'd say borrowed since Clarion owned McIntosh at the time
Work of art!
Damn you made my day with this one Big D, thank you!!!!
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Totally awesome. Absolutely my dream amplifier. Top class video. Thanks!
Brought back the memories of the last Mac I seen here getting cooked I didn’t wanna bring it up 😆 but since you mentioned disabling the “power guard” and it cooked absolutely let’s not try that one again! As always love the channel long time subscriber here and you always keep it interesting great job bro!!
Congrats Dereck on grabbing one of your holy Grail amps! 👍😁
I'm still holding out hope for mine. 😌
OMG, I'm old... I literally remember looking at this amplifier when I was getting my PPI 5075 Installed.. THAT is the best amp ever produced with it's digital controller and 3 band preamp.. it was so amazing.. for literally 2 weeks, then the car got stolen and stripped of the stereo in Boston...
Oh man thieves…😡
@@wal I had, had PPI rebuild the amp, had bought the fiber optic cable, and had the digital interface for it sitting in my apartment when it got stolen... Felt so awful.. I still look on eBay for the amp lol
Congrats Bid D! Stoked for you.
Definitely one sweet looking amp
I installed many of these back in the day. Pretty sure that glass panel comes off with the rails and you don't have to slide it out. I would be very nervous sliding that out...
Wow.
That old Japanese brochure is fantastic! Without doubt one of the top Amps in my mind.
Mint content Big D!
Cheers
By Far my favorite amp youve ever had on your channel. Love those amps!
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I've waited a long time for the return of this amp. McIntosh was also the favorite stage amp of Jerry Garcia. He used stacks for his guitar rig. EDIT* - They bought 70 of the MC-2300 amps when they came out and pushed that all through their "Wall Of Sound" setup.
Peak car audio imo. All things equal.
I have 2 Adcom GFA 565 that need recapping. I used to have a smaller version of that Mac amp.
check with ShawnKAudio.com he can fix you up
I remember seeing this amp at i believe it was called music in motion out near Chicago il. Thinking dag this thing is beautiful!
Big D, you know I've talked with you about my collection of 50+ and I have acquired some of my Dreams. But, that said; this Amp was my ALL TIME Dream Amp. Good job on collecting one, and great job on review.
Here in San Diego, we had a shop Leemor Electronics (chula vista) had one on there inside glass displays $4k. I drooled every week or so when I walked in there 😅.
Keep it up D, we love it 😊😮😮
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Man I bet that was a treat to mess with and listen to in person, amazing amp for the era for sure, not a fan of those controls though, makes it tough to fine tune the amp in the vehicle
King of old school amps
I hope someday I get to hear one of these mcintosh amps I would assume it sounds great I currently have a mosconi as200.4, Jl audio hd900.5 I wonder how much better that amp can sound.
I had that amp with the 2 jlw3 12s and a Sony front stage and rear stage. It was amazing sounding and it almost got stolen 6 times.
I have a set of Alpine F#1 3 way speakers (SPX-Z18T) that at one point had in a 240SX running on a pair of F900 amps. Sold those long ago (kicking myself for that). But I always wanted one of these mac amps to run that kit.
A milestone in soundquality, design, and price👍🆙️
Also an awesome white glove oldschool amp....😉
Always wanted one of those that is my all time dream amp❤❤❤
Mac stuff was always beautiful. I personally always wanted a set of the biggest Linear Power or chrome series SoundStream amplifiers.
I have the smaller 6 channel amp but w/o the meters. Awesome thing.
50x4 plus 100x2, that's a killer amp too. I had it a while back and sold to a friend.
Awesome video. Great amplifier
Binghamton NY represent! People forget upstate NY is still a technology center, Corning labs, Kodak factory, McIntosh, RPI, etc. McIntosh never made anything but the best they could at the time. Their new home stuff is insane.
The 2 best amplifiers I have ever heard were the Tube Driver Blue TDB 575 built by BK Butler and modified to put out 300 watts on the sub channel at 2 ohms, the other was the made in Florida, US amps TU-4360. Both were tube/transistor hybrids. Both hold the reference for sound quality to me. Please test these if you ever get the chance. Thank you!
I already asked him couple times before about the BK Butler's Tube Driver Blue amps, waiting very patiently, the other ones were the Brax / Helix amps from Audio Fischer.
Back in the day I always wanted a sound stream tarantula amplifier
What a gem. One of the best sq amps of all time 🎉 my own dream amp would be one of these or an audison thesis
Maybe I should show off the Audison in an upcoming video? That would be interesting 😊
@@wal definitely ! 😁
Heard one of those back in the day my guy ran a shop some dude ordered it but skipped out on final payments so the shop got to sell it. We called the crate it came in the coffin. It wasn't the most bang but it sounded so clean.