McIntosh MC1201

Commentary

This is a Macintosh flagship model monaural power amplifier that realizes a large output of 1200W.

It is equipped with full double balanced circuit from input to output.
This circuit consists of two symmetrical amplifiers with the same characteristics, each receiving the + and - sides of the signal. Distortion is canceled by integrating them with a Macintosh auto-former. negative feedback is minimized as much as possible, and odd-order harmonic distortion, which is an especially unpleasant sound, is suppressed.
The output transformer has excellent broadband characteristics of 15 Hz to 100 kHz, supports 2 Ω, 4 Ω and 8 Ω loads, protects the speaker from damage due to faulty output transistors, etc., and can supply peak current exceeding 200A.

It is equipped with an output current storage function to support low-impedance speakers.
In tone burst, 5,000W output is possible.

The power meter is equipped with the Blue Eyes Power Meter which is a traditional Macintosh.
This meter shows the actual output power by multiplying the output voltage by the current. The meter itself is housed in a glass housing and the lighting can be turned off.
In meter mode, the WATTS position indicates the volume change of the program source. In HOLD position, the maximum power is indicated.

Equipped with 6 kinds of protection circuits, it protects the amplifier and speaker in case of abnormal situation.
The Power Guard consists of a waveform comparator that monitors the waveforms of the input and output signals of the amplifier. When the total harmonic distortion exceeds 0.3%, the gain of the amplifier is suppressed and the output is suppressed to low distortion.
In a sentry monitor, a very low impedance is applied to the output due to a sudden short circuit to prevent a destructive current from flowing.
In the case of temperature protection, the temperature sensor senses abnormal high temperature of the amplifier, mutes the input, and automatically turns on when the amplifier cools down.
With delayed turn-off, when the MC1201 is powered on, the operation of the amplifier is delayed for approximately two seconds to prevent noise that causes unpleasant noise from other devices.
There is also a DC protection circuit in case of amplifier failure. If DC is mixed in the output, the auto-former cuts it and protects the speaker from DC.
The power line in-rush protection circuit is mounted, and the in-rush current when the power is turned on is relaxed by the thermistor in the power transformer primary circuit.

Transistors with a stable current gain over the entire operating current range, low capacity, and a wide safe operating range are selected and used.

For passive elements in the signal path, high-precision metal-coated resistors with extremely low voltage coefficients and low-dielectric-absorption film capacitors are used.

The XLR with balanced XLR connectors and unbalanced RCA connectors.
In addition, the output terminal uses a large five way gold-plated binding post that enables long-life and distortion-free connection, and is also compatible with banana plugs.

It has a remote power control device that turns on MC1201 when you turn on the control center of Macintosh.

Model Rating

Type	Monaural power amplifier
Rated Output (Sine Wave Continuous Output)	1,200W (2 Ω, 4 Ω, 8 Ω)
Load impedance	2 Ω, 4 Ω, 8 Ω
Output frequency band	20 Hz to 20 kHz
Total harmonic distortion rate (20 Hz to 20 kHz)	0.005% or Less (at 250 mW ~ 1,200W Output)
Intermodulation distortion factor (20 Hz to 20 kHz)	0.005% or less (within 2 times of the rated output)
Frequency Band (at 1W output)	20 Hz ~ 20 kHz + 0 -0.25 dB 10 Hz ~ 100 kHz + 0 -3.0 dB
Signal-to-noise ratio (IHF-A)	115 dB (at rated output)
IHF Dynamic Headroom	2.1dB
Damping factor	100 or more
Input impedance	10k Ω
Input sensitivity	2.5V
Power Guard	Overdrive at 1 kHz up to 14 dB THD within 2%
Pwer	100 VAC, 50Hz/60Hz, 1,500W (UL/CSA)
Maximum external dimensions	Width 460x Height 280x Depth 543 mm
Weight	66.7kg