McIntosh Power Amplifier MC257

The MC257 is highlighted by the new eye-catching TripleView Power Output Meter that independently indicates the real time power reading of the amplifier’s three front channels. The easy-to-read, 15” (38 cm) wide TripleView meter design is a streamlined approach to the three individual meters found on previous generation 7-channel home theater amplifier. Instead of three separate meter windows each housing a single meter, the TripleView features three of traditional mechanical meters in a single meter enclosure. While a totally new design, each of the three pointers in the TripleView meter have the same inviting motion that McIntosh meters are known for and perform at the same high level as any of the meters. The captivating look and glow of the TripleView meter is sure to be a conversation starter, but its trademarked blue lighting can be turned off so as not to compete with TV or movie screen.

In addition to the new TripleView meter, the MC257 features many other upgrades. When using just the front left, center and right channels, power output has been increased by 25% from 200 Watts per channel to 250 Watts per channel. When using all 7 channels, each will receive a healthy 200 Watts per channel. Regardless of how many channels are used, the full 200 or 250 Watts is delivered to either 4 or 8 Ohm speakers via Dynamic Power Manager (DPM) technology. Filter capacity has been increased by 20% which has produced an amazing 94% increase in dynamic headroom from 1.7dB to 3.3dB as well as improving low frequency performance – both key features in a home theater amplifier, especially when listening to an energetic soundtrack.

The MC257 comes with five of the McIntosh Monogrammed Heatsinks which are connected to advanced high current output transistors to efficiently and silently cool the amplifier; as a result, noisy cooling fans that can interfere with the movie soundtrack are not needed. A quiet, specially wound toroidal isolation power transformer also helps keep noise to a minimum. Speaker terminals have been updated to standard gold-plated binding posts that prevent corrosion and ensure a quality signal is sent to home theater speakers. The power management system that will turn the amplifier off after a set amount of time when no input signal has been detected has also been added. Finally, the front panel is now lit by direct LED backlighting for improved color accuracy and durability.

Besides all these upgrades, the MC257 comes with steadfast McIntosh technologies like Power Guard to prevent potential speaker damage caused by clipping and over-driving of the amplifier. Sentry Monitor technology protects against short-circuits by disengaging the output stage should the current ever exceed safe operating levels (it then resets automatically when operating conditions return to normal). Both balanced and unbalanced inputs are included to connect the MC257 home theater amplifier to home theater processor.

The MC257 can be utilized in many ways: it can power a 7-channel home theater by itself; it can be paired with either MI128 or MI254 digital amplifiers in home theaters that have more than 7-channels; or it can be used in 5-channel home theaters with 2 of its channels available to power a second audio zone at home.