MCINTOSH MC500

Pre owned. In excellent conditions. Free from any visible signs of wear. Original packaging not included.

The McIntosh MC500 is a stereo power amplifier delivering 500 watts per channel, designed with a refined contemporary industrial aesthetic. The half-inch thick glass front panel houses two illuminated 5½-inch True Power Output meters that continuously monitor both voltage and current, providing an accurate real-time reading of the amplifier’s output. The MC500’s high-efficiency circuitry, combined with oversized heat sinks that use natural convection cooling, eliminates the need for internal fans, while premium components such as 1% metal film resistors and polypropylene capacitors ensure precise, uncompromised sound. Gold-plated balanced and unbalanced input connectors, along with gold-plated internal heat sink contacts, guarantee reliable and stable signal transfer.

The rear panel features a MODE switch that allows the MC500 to be configured from a 500-watt-per-channel stereo amplifier to a 1000-watt bridged mono amplifier, maintaining all stereo performance specifications while doubling the power. Each channel is coupled to speakers via a McIntosh Output Autoformer with 2, 4, and 8-ohm taps, capable of delivering peak currents exceeding 112 amperes—the highest ever for a McIntosh stereo amplifier—allowing it to drive any speaker type with less than 0.005% total harmonic distortion for total sonic transparency.

The MC500 incorporates advanced protection circuits, including the patented Power Guard to prevent clipping distortion, and the Sentry Monitor to limit potentially harmful currents in the event of short circuits or low-impedance loads, ensuring safe operation without compromising audio performance. Thermal management relies on large heat sinks and thermal cutout switches that shut off AC power if the amplifier overheats, allowing safe and stable operation under extreme conditions.

The front watt meters respond in real time to changes in voltage and current, displaying the true power output of each channel. In bridged mono mode, the readings of the two meters combine to show the amplifier’s total output. The McIntosh Output Autoformer ensures an optimal match between the amplifier’s output transistors and the speaker load, with 2, 4, and 8-ohm terminals providing maximum efficiency, ultra-low distortion, and speaker protection even in the rare event of output circuit failure.

The MC500 features high-current gold-plated output terminals that accept cables up to 5.18 mm in diameter and offers both balanced and unbalanced inputs, providing maximum flexibility for any installation while delivering exceptional audio performance, legendary reliability, and reference-quality sound reproduction.

Technical specifications:

• Power Output: 500 watts per channel into 8, 4, or 2 Ω; 1000 watts Mono into 16, 8, or 4 Ω
• Rated Power Band: 20 – 20,000 Hz
• Total Harmonic Distortion (THD): 0.005% maximum from 250 mW up to rated power
• Dynamic Headroom: 2.1 dB
• Frequency Response: +0 / -0.25 dB from 20 to 20,000 Hz; +0 / -3.0 dB from 10 to 100,000 Hz
• Input Sensitivity: 2.2 V Stereo Balanced & Unbalanced; 2.2 V Mono Balanced; 3.2 V Mono Unbalanced
• A-weighted Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 85 dB (115 dB below rated output)
• SMPTE Intermodulation Distortion: 0.005% maximum if instantaneous peak power does not exceed twice rated output
• Wide Band Damping Factor: 200 at 8 Ω
• Input Impedance: 10,000 Ω
• Power Guard: clipping prevented; THD does not exceed 2% with up to 14 dB overdrive at 1000 Hz
• Power Requirements: 120 V, 50/60 Hz, 12 A UL/CSA
• Dimensions with front handles (W x H x D): 438 x 264 x 511 mm
• Weight: 51.7 kg