MC257

The McIntosh MC257 is a 7-channel home theatre power amplifier with a TripleView^™ Power Output Meter, which independently shows the real-time power reading for the 3 front channels. The 15" (38 cm) wide display houses 3 traditional McIntosh mechanical meters in a single enclosure, replacing the 3 separate meter windows used on the previous generation 7-channel home theatre amplifier. Each pointer retains the same movement as other McIntosh meters and operates to the same standard. The blue meter illumination can be switched off when it would compete with a television or movie screen.

With only the front left, centre and right channels in use, the MC257 delivers 250 Watts per channel, a 25% increase from the previous 200 Watts per channel. All 7 channels can deliver 200 Watts per channel. McIntosh Dynamic Power Manager^® technology provides the full 200 or 250 Watts to either 4 or 8 Ohm speakers, regardless of the number of channels in use. Filter capacity has increased by 20%, raising dynamic headroom by 94%, from 1.7dB to 3.3dB, while also improving low-frequency performance.

Cooling is provided by 5 McIntosh Monogrammed Heatsinks^™ connected to advanced high-current output transistors. The amplifier therefore does not require cooling fans, avoiding fan noise during film playback. A quiet, specially wound toroidal isolation power transformer also helps to minimise noise. Updated gold-plated binding posts resist corrosion and provide a quality connection to home theatre speakers. A power management system switches the amplifier off after a set amount of time when no input signal is detected, while direct LED backlighting on the front panel improves colour accuracy and durability.

Protection is provided by Power Guard^®, which helps prevent speaker damage caused by amplifier clipping and over-driving. Sentry Monitor^™ protects against short circuits by disengaging the output stage if the current exceeds safe operating levels, then resetting automatically when conditions return to normal. Balanced and unbalanced inputs are provided for connection to a home theatre processor.

The McIntosh MC257 can power a 7-channel home theatre on its own, or work with an MI128 or MI254 digital amplifier in systems with more than 7 channels. In a 5-channel home theatre, 2 unused channels can power a second audio zone. The amplifier is built on a polished stainless steel chassis, with a black glass front panel, TripleView meter, illuminated logo, control knobs and aluminium end caps.