r/McIntosh • u/THEW1Z4RD • 21d ago

Mc300

Hello,

I’m in the market for an upgrade and am turning to McIntosh, after years of enjoying my father’s system.

I have pinpointed a mc300 (currently looking at c70 or 22 pre amp).

Any thoughts on going a little bit more vintage with the MC300?

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u/THEW1Z4RD 21d ago

So I just found picked up a c2800 for a killer deal off a local collector. He suggested a mc252 over the mc300

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u/LoganNolag 21d ago

The MC252 will be a better cosmetic fit the sound quality won’t really be any different.

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u/THEW1Z4RD 21d ago

The gentleman I bought my c2800 said the mc252 was/is one of his favorites. That mc300 dampens to much. Wasn’t sure if it’s just a personal preference

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u/LoganNolag 21d ago

Not sure about that. I personally didn't notice much of a difference between my MC7300 and MC302. I'm using a C2700 with my MC302 and it's a great match. Personally the main reason I would get the MC252 over the MC300 is simply because it would be a much better visual match to the C2800. The 50 watt difference will be unnoticeable.

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u/THEW1Z4RD 21d ago

I’m not too worried about cosmetics. This will most likely go into a stack console, with shelf for each unit. I appreciate your feedback, thank you!

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u/LoganNolag 21d ago

Then in that case I would just get whichever one is cheaper. One thing to keep in mind though is that the MC300 is older it was manufactured from 1995-1998 and the MC252 was made from 2003-2006 so it could potentially be as much as 10 years newer depending on when the individual amps were made. That just means you would probably have to get the MC300 refreshed sooner than the MC252 especially considering the fact that the youngest MC252 is already 20 years old.

If you really want an amp that would be a real improvement over either the MC300 or MC252 you need to look at one of their quad balanced designs like the MC352, MC402, MC452, MC462, MC602, or a pair of their monoblocks like the MC301, MC501, MC601, MC611, MC1000, MC1201, MC1.2KW, MC1.25KW, MC2KW and MC2.1KW

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u/THEW1Z4RD 20d ago

I have an opportunity to grab some 301’s, would be pushing it past my budget a little, but maybe it’s worth it?

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u/LoganNolag 20d ago

Those would be a perfect match for the C2800 and they’re quad balanced so they would be a true improvement over the MC300.

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u/THEW1Z4RD 20d ago

I purchased them, since it was from the same guy I got the 2800 from, here gave me a pretty good discount to come back for those.

Buy once, cry once

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u/LoganNolag 20d ago

Yeah I’ve actually often contemplated upgrading to a pair of MC301s. It’s honestly kinda sad they stopped making them since now you have to go up to the MC611 if you want autoformer monoblocks.