McIntosh MC 2300 – 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 2300?

Power output:
300 watts per channel into 8Ω (stereo), 600 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:
0.5Ω to 16Ω
Semiconductors:
46 x transistors, 22 x diodes
Dimensions:
19 x 10.5 x 17 inches
Weight:
128 lbs

What else to know about the McIntosh MC 2300?

"The MC-2300 is a solid-state power amplifier which was built by the American high-end audio company McIntosh, and sold between the years 1971 and 1980.[1] It can be utilized either as a 300-watt-per-channel stereo amp, or a 600-watt monoblock, and was rated by its manufacturer as being able to produce this amount of power continuously, with very little (less than 0.25%) distortion.[1] McIntosh's ratings were conservative, however, because like many of their amplifiers, when bench-tested the MC-2300 has frequently been found to produce an even higher level of clean power.2] McIntosh MC-2300 Side As such, it was ideal for use in demanding, professional applications. Most famously, the improvisational rock band the Grateful Dead employed 48 McIntosh MC-2300 amps as the main power source for their enormous public-address system, the Wall of Sound. Designed by Owsley ""Bear"" Stanley and others, this system utilized more than 26,000 watts of continuous power fed into JBL and Electrovoice speakers, and was renowned for its natural, low-distortion stereo sound which carried for 600 feet without significant degradation.[3] The Wall of Sound was only in use from March to October 1974. In late July 1973, the Grateful Dead played at the Watkins Glen Summer Jam in the Finger Lakes region of New York State, along with the Band and the Allman Brothers Band. This concert was attended by 600,000 people - twice the number that went to the Woodstock festival in August 1969. Due to the crowd's enormous size, a significant number of concertgoers could neither see the stage, nor adequately hear the music projecting from it. Additional broadcast towers were set up, but this required more amplification power. Sound engineer Janet Furman was dispatched by helicopter with $6000 cash to nearby Binghamton, site of McIntosh Laboratories, to obtain five additional MC-2300 amps.[4] Despite the fact that it was the weekend, she was able to locate the owner, buy the amps off the factory floor, and fly back to the festival site, with the overloaded helicopter skirting high-rise buildings and narrowly avoiding catastrophe in the process. Thanks to a combination of persistence and luck, the extra MC-2300's were incorporated into the sound system, successfully providing high-quality music to the gigantic crowd. Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia also favored the MC-2300, using one for many years in his own equipment stack." - Wikipedia

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.