I love vintage audio gear and therefore will never sell my McIntosh MC 2505 amp. Let me explain to you why I’ll never sell it by showing you the specs for the MC 2505 along with the pros and cons that come with owning a vintage McIntosh amplifier.
McIntosh MC 2505 Specs
The McIntosh MC 2505 is a solid state amplifier that was sold from 1967 – 1977.
Up to this point, McIntosh were well known for their tube amps, until they ventured into the solid state market with the MC 2505.
The McIntosh MC2505 power output is 50 watts per channel into 8 ohms and the amp has a wide variety of speaker load impedance options of 4 ohm, 8 ohm and 16 ohm.
At the risk of sounding obvious, I want to point out to any readers who might be new to stereo gear that the MC 2505 is an amplifier only, not a receiver or integrated amplifier. It will power speakers and accept one sound source, but if you want to hook up multiple sources, say a turntable, CD player and more, you will need to pair this amplifier with a preamp.
Let’s talk about the positive features of the 2505 next…
The McIntosh MC 2505 Looks Incredible
First, it’s nearly impossible to find a better looking amp with the large meters and that iconic McIntosh blue color.
You’ll notice my unit does not come with the wooden cabinet and that’s unfortunate because it would look EVEN BETTER with it. At some point I hope to purchase a cabinet, but they can cost over $300 online.
Vintage McIntosh Amps Are Valuable
Vintage McIntosh gear, like the MC 2505, holds or even increases in value with time. I paid $800 for my unit five years ago and recent eBay solds are between $1,000 for a broken parts unit, up to $2,750 for a unit similar to mine without the wooden cabinet.
It’s much easier to make an investment in audio gear when you can expect the value to remain over time. This isn’t the case with a lot of mass produced items, but McIntosh has risen above the others and managed to produce products that avoid any decrease in value.
In my case, should I ever want to sell my unit (I DON’T), I paid $800 and could try to sell for $1,600 or even more and double, maybe even triple, my investment.
(I do have another unit that I will likely never sell, my Marantz 2270, that has increased in the same value over the years.)
How Does The McIntosh MC 2505 Amp Sound?
Since this was the first solid state amp manufactured by McIntosh, people often say it has a warm tube like sound.
While I do own a Primaluna tube preamp, I do not own a standalone tube amplifier, therefore I do not feel qualified to say whether it does, in fact, sound like a tube amp, but here is what I love most about the sound qualities.
Of all the amplifiers in my collection, the MC 2505 is the easiest one to listen to. I’ve owned plenty of other gear that, after awhile, your ears get a little tired and you want to take a break from listening. That is not the case with the 2505 which I find very non-fatiguing. I can listen to music via this amp for hours.
I think part of the reason it is so easy to listen to is because the treble is very smooth on this amplifier. Sometimes digital playback, especially CDs, can provide too much high end and be tiring to listen to. The 2505 helps smooth out that high end and makes me love listening to CDs as much as my vinyl record collection.
I find the bass to be precise and present, not too much, not too little. This is a vintage amp that’s around 50 years old, so the bass is not going to be in your face and punchy like a brand new Class D amp. I’m not a fan of overpowering bass performance in the first place so I find the 2505 to give me just what I need on the low end.
Overall, this amp is just a pleasure to listen to!
Now let’s talk about a few of the annoyances that comes along with owning this amplifier.
Old Speaker Connections On The McIntosh MC 2505
Due to the age of this amp, the speaker connections require you to screw the bare speaker wire down, which can be a nuisance.
Thankfully, I have a remedy for this problem which is buying a set of these spade connectors on Amazon for $13 for a set of eight.
Purchase a set using our affiliate link.
As you can see, you screw the adaptor directly to the unit and then you can either insert bare speaker wire or a banana plug into the extended connector, making it easier to install wires.
Don’t Break The Glass!
McIntosh units have a luxurious feel to them and that’s often because the front casing is made of glass. While this looks beautiful it can also cause two problems.
The first problem is obviously that the glass can break. My friend has a unit that was stored in a garage for years and when he pulled out it had a huge crack down the front glass. Thankfully, I think the glass can be replaced.
Another issue is there is often pitting on the black surface behind the glass, leaving what look like cracks or holes. You can see below where the area is rotting away on my unit, leaving what looks like a hole.
Watch Out For Lights
Speaking of breaking the glass, I replaced the lights on this unit and I was very nervous because I had to remove the front glass in order to do so. I was so worried I was going to break it. Thankfully I didn’t, but I’ve replaced lights on other vintage amplifiers much easier.
The McIntosh MC 2505 Is Heavy, But In A Good Way
Lastly, and this isn’t really a bad thing, just something to note, and that is the unit is very heavy. I think that’s a statement to a quality build, I like my electronics on the heavier side, but keep this in mind if you ever look to purchase one online and have it shipped. The unit is very heavy and the seller needs to package it well enough to avoid the glass breaking upon arrival.
Again, these are very minor annoyances to live with in return for a great looking and sound amplifier.
The Main Reason I Will Never Sell This McIntosh Amp
As I mentioned in the beginning of this article, I will never sell my McIntosh MC 2505 amplifier.
I’ve mentioned a few reasons why above, but the real reason is because I will likely never buy a working McIntosh amplifier for only $800 ever again.
Vintage stereo gear has become an expensive hobby and as I mentioned above, units like this MC 2505 have sold for $1,000 up to $2,750.
Because of the high prices, I want to hold on to this amplifier for as long as possible, knowing I only paid $800.
Before you go…
Check out some other articles on my website:
My Favorite Vintage Cassette Deck
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