McIntosh MC-501 manual

MC501 Owner ’ s Manual McIntosh Laboratory , Inc. 2 Chambers Street Binghamton, New Y ork 13903-2699 Phone: 607-723-3512 F AX: 607-724-0549 Power Amplifier[...]

2 IMPOR T ANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS! PLEASE READ THEM BEFORE OPERA TING THIS EQUIPMENT . W ARNING - T O REDUCE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRICAL SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS EQUIPMENT TO RAIN OR MOISTURE. The lightning flash with arrowhead, within an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated “dangerous voltage” with[...]

3 Customer Service T echnical Assist ance Please T ake A Moment Thank Y ou Copyright 2003  by McIntosh Laboratory , Inc. The serial number , purchase date and McIntosh Dealer name are important to you for possible insurance claim or future service. The spaces below have been provided for you to record that information: Y our decision to own this[...]

4 Performance Features Introduction • Power Output The MC501 is a Power Amplifier with a capability of 500 watts into 2, 4 or 8 ohm speakers with less than 0.005% distortion. • • • • • Full Balanced Quad-Differ ential Circuitry The MC501 is fully balanced from inputs to outputs. It consists of two matched power amplifiers operating in p[...]

5 Connector Information, Introduction, Performance Features and Dimensions The following dimensions can assist in determining the best location for your MC501. There is additional informa- tion on the next page pertaining to installing the MC501 into cabinets. 17- 1/2 " 44.45cm 8- 13/16 " 22.38cm Front V iew of the MC501 Rear V iew of the[...]

6 Inst allation Caution: The MC501 Amplifier weight is 91.5 pounds (41.5 kilograms). It requires two or more persons to safely handle when moving the amplifier . The MC501 can be placed upright on a table or shelf, standing on its four feet. The four feet may be removed from the bottom of the MC501 when it is custom installed as outlined below . Th[...]

7 T op Panel Connections and Switch Connect the MC501 power cord to a live AC outlet. Refer to information on the back panel to deter- mine the correct voltage BALANCED INPUT for an audio cable from a preamplifier or control center audio output OUTPUT Connections for 4 ohm loudspeaker INPUT MODE switch selects BALANCED or UNBALANCED Input OUTPUT Co[...]

8 How to Connect Caution: The supplied AC Power Cord should not be connected to the Rear Panel of the MC501 Amplifier until after the Loudspeaker Connections have been made and the supplied protective T erminal Connections Cover has been inst alled. Failure to observe this could result in Electric Shock. 1. For Remote Power Control, connect a power[...]

9 How to Connect T o AC Outlet 4 ohm Loudspeaker McIntosh MX134 A/V Control Center Caution: The Loudspeaker Negative Connections are above chassis ground. Do not combine any connections together , ground them or connect with another MC501. MC501 T op Rear V iew[...]

10 Front Panel Displays and Controls METER indicates the Power Output of the amplifier METER Switch selects the display modes of the Power Output Meter POWER GUARD LED lights when the amplifier POWER GUARD circuit activates POWER Switch T urns AC power On/Off, or On/Remote Remote On Indicator lights when the am- plifier is in the Remote T urn- On M[...]

11 How to Operate How to Operate Power On T o have the MC501 automatically turn On or Off when a control center turns on or off , rotate the power switch to the remote position. For manual operation, rotate the power switch to the On or Off position as desired. Refer to figure 10. Note: Ther e must be a power control connection between the MC501 an[...]

12 T echnical Description McIntosh Laboratory , the company who introduced the world’ s first amplifier that could be called “High Fidelity”, has done it again. The McIntosh engineering staff has cre- ated a power amplifier without compromise, using the most advanced McIntosh circuit design concepts. A continuous average power output rating o[...]

13 T echnical Description Design Philosophy The design philosophy incorporated in the MC501 in- volved several different techniques, all based on sound sci- entific logic. Every stage of voltage or current amplifica- tion must be as linear as possible prior to the use of nega- tive feedback. McIntosh engineers know how to properly design negative f[...]

14 Figure 18 Input T est Signal The special Balanced W inding Autoformer creates an ideal match between the power amplifier output stage and the loudspeaker . A McIntosh amplifier with an Autoformer can be used to safely drive multiple speakers without re- ducing the life expectancy of the power amplifier . Refer to figure 15. There is absolutely n[...]

15 T echnical Description, con’t Figure 20 W ith Power Guard Figure 19 W ithout Power Guard able, since it can damage valuable loudspeaker sys- tem tweeters. Y ou will never experience the harsh and damaging dis- tortion due to clipping. The Power Guard cir- cuit is a waveform com- parator , monitoring both the input and output waveforms. Under n[...]

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18 Specifications Specifications Power Output Minimum sine wave continuous average power output is: 500 watts into 2 ohm load 500 watts into 4 ohm load 500 watts into 8 ohm load Rated Power Band 20Hz to 20,000Hz T otal Harmonic Distortion Maximum T otal Harmonic Distortion at any power level from 250 milliwatts to rated power output is: 0.005% for [...]

19 Packing Instructions Packing Instructions Quantity Part Number Description 1 034158 Shipping carton only 2 034250 Foam end cap 1 034198 Inner carton top 1 034199 Inner carton bottom 1 034188 Foam pad 1 034037 Inner carton pad 1 033699 Shipping skid 7 017218 Plastic foot 4 100159 #10-32 x 3/4” Machine screw 2 104083 #10 x 7/16” Flat washer 3 [...]

McIntosh Part No. 040856 McIntosh Laboratory , Inc. 2 Chambers Street Binghamton, NY 13903 The continuous improvement of its products is the policy of McIntosh Laboratory Incorporated who reserve the right to improve design without notice. Printed in the U.S.A.[...]