MC255

The McIntosh MC255 is a 5-channel home theatre power amplifier with 250 watts per channel for the front left, centre and right channels, or 200 watts per channel when all 5 channels are used. McIntosh Dynamic Power Manager^® technology delivers the full 200 or 250 watts to either 4 or 8 Ohm speakers, regardless of the number of channels in use.

At the centre of the MC255 is the 15” (38 cm) wide TripleView^™ Power Output Meter. Three traditional mechanical meters share a single enclosure, with each peak-responding pointer independently indicating the real-time power reading of one of the amplifier’s 3 front channels. The blue meter lighting can be switched off when it would compete with a television or projection screen. Traditional McIntosh knobs on the front panel control the meter lights and power function.

Filter capacity has been increased by 50%, raising dynamic headroom from 1.7dB to 3.6dB and improving low-frequency performance. With only the front left, centre and right channels operating, power output has increased by 25%, from 200 Watts per channel (WPC) to 250 WPC. The MC255 can power a conventional 5-channel home theatre, or it can be combined with an MI128 or MI254 digital amplifier for systems with additional surround sound speakers used with object-based 3D audio formats including Dolby^® Atmos, DTS:X^™ and Auro-3D^®.

A 2-zone configuration is also possible, with the 3 front channels delivering 250 WPC in one zone and the 2 surround sound channels delivering 200 WPC in a second audio zone. Both balanced and unbalanced inputs are provided for connection to a home theatre processor.

Four McIntosh Monogrammed Heatsinks^™ are connected to advanced high-current output transistors to cool the MC255 efficiently and silently. No cooling fans are required, helping to avoid noise that could interfere with a film soundtrack. A specially wound toroidal isolation power transformer further reduces operating noise. Updated gold-plated binding posts resist corrosion and maintain the signal connection to the home theatre speakers.

Power Guard^® helps prevent speaker damage caused by clipping and over-driving the amplifier. Sentry Monitor^™ protects against short circuits by disengaging the output stage if the current exceeds safe operating levels, then resets automatically when normal operating conditions return. An eco-friendly power management system switches the amplifier off after a set amount of time when no input signal is detected.

Direct LED backlighting provides improved colour accuracy and durability. The MC255 retains the classic McIntosh appearance, with a black glass front panel, TripleView meter, illuminated logo, control knobs and aluminium end caps.