McIntosh MC-2300 300W/600W BEAST, AUDIO HISTORY

McIntosh MC2300 Amplifier. 300/600W, A Piece of Audio History 

This amplifier is so important it has its own Wikipedia page.  

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]

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.

ELECTRICAL: 300w/ch. (600w mono). Response 20-20kHz (+0 -0.5dB). Distortion 0.25%. Noise and hum -90dB. Output impedance 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16 ohms. (0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4 and 8 ohms in mono). Damping factor 14 or greater. Input impedance 200k. Input sensitivity 0.5v. Sentry Monitor.

FRONT PANEL: Anodized gold and black panel. Power level (meters read +3 at 300w). Gain controls. Meter range sw: -20, -10, 0, and off. Power sw: on or off. Handles.

BACK PANEL: Output barrier strips. Audio inputs. Mode sw: stereo or mono. Circuit breaker. Dual cooling fans.

Size 19" rack mounting. 10-1/2"H and 17"D. Weight 128 lb Sold from 1971-1980. Last retail price $1799.00

This particular piece is in perfect working condition and good cosmetic condition.   It has been tested on our test bench to its full rated power and passed with flying colors.  

Cosmetically it has few surface scratches here and there but is very presentable and will look great in anyones system.  

Item will be double boxed for safe transport.  Please note it weighs 128 lbs and will require two people to unbox and set in place.  

WHO WE ARE 

Skyfi.nyc is a small startup business specializing in the purchase, reconditioning and reselling of select high end audio equipment.  We only buy equipment the we admire and are passionate about.  No mid-fi, no gimmicks and no junk.  

Each piece of equipment is cosmetically restored and fully tested in our well-equipped lab by an engineer with 30+ years of experience in the Hifi world.  If it does not meet or exceed the original manufactures specifications, it will not be sold.  We are select about the equipment we purchase, focusing on mostly analog, high-build quality, American and European built units.

Through our sister company, which is an authorized dealer for McIntosh, Audio Research, Sonus Faber, ClearAudio, Project and Sony ES, we have access to OEM parts and service support.  If you are local and are looking for any new equipment for the above mentioned manufacturers, please drop us a line as we can arrange both sales and professional installation in the tri-state area

PURCHASING GUIDELINES

If you would like to make an offer, please don't email or message us unless you are looking to trade something in.  

If we are accepting offers, you will see a button on the listing page to do so.  Please use it, as it is very hard to track offers through email or messaging.  This way, we are all also better protected.   If you don’t see a “offer” button its because we are not taking offers on this item.  Please don’t bother to make one.  

PAYMENTS

We prefer working through PayPal, which allows you to use a credit card or bank transfer.  We do not charge extra for any payment fees.  You can also send us a personal check (which will need to clear before shipping), certified check, money order or wire transfer.  International clients without access to PayPal should use a bank wire transfer. 

If you are picking up an item, we don not accept PayPal, you must pay in person with cash, certified or bank check or wire transfer.  If you make a PayPal payment it will be returned. 

TRADE IN POLICY 

We accept trade-ins of equal or lesser value under certain conditions.  Simply ask and let us know the exact model, condition and what accessories are included such as a box, remote, manual, etc.  We will only consider high-end equipment from mainstream manufacturers such as McIntosh, Mark Levinson, Audio Research, Krell, etc. and will typically pass on displays, projectors, receivers, dated processors and mid-fi equipment of any type.  We will offer a fair value for your equipment, but keep in mind we are running a business and will need to be able to sell the equipment at a profit after investing a great deal of time and resources in testing, certifying, repairing, cleaning and packaging the incoming equipment.  If you are looking for top dollar we suggest attempting to sell it directly to an end user.  

SELL US YOUR GEAR (Working or Broken)

We will also purchase your used or broken gear and arrange pickup if you are in our local market.  Just drop us a note for a quote, but be sure to include the condition and what is included.  

HOW TO VISIT US

We are currently operating from a residence in Ridgewood, NJ.  You are welcome to make an appointment if there is a piece of equipment you would like to see in operation before or after purchase.  We have a well-equipped, dedicated listening room with tons of equipment of all makes and models.  We are not a store, so please don’t make an appointment if you are just curious as to how a speaker or piece of equipment sounds.  In essence, no tire kickers please.  

If you are in NYC and cannot make it out to Ridgewood, we can arrange pickup in Union Square (14th Street) after the purchase.   You can call or text  (646) 852-2073 with any questions or to schedule an appointment.  We can also arrange to install, calibrate and tune the gear in your listening room if you are in the local area.  This is super useful when purchasing large speakers or heavy amplifiers.  It is also great for ensuring your new turntable is setup correctly in its final resting place.  

Thanks for looking and please send us your email address if you would like to receive a list of the equipment we receive from time to time.  We promise not to bombard you with junk email.