McIntosh MC30

Readers of this site know that I am a huge fan of vintage McIntosh, and those new to the site can see the evidence immediately on the main Amps page. I love the old Mac amps, first coming into the fold with the venerable 225, one of the best sounding amplifiers ever made. To date I’ve owned the 225, 240, 250 and now the MC30 and its predecessor the A-116. All of the McIntosh amps have sounded superb; rich, detailed and open, but ballsy as hell when the program material calls for it. McIntosh simply always sounds good in basically every combination I’ve tried.

Here then is probably my favorite McIntosh of all so far, the MC30 monoblocks. The MC30 have it all; powerfully rich output that sounds very present and alive, with tons of texture and character, and yes a lot of color. These are not neutral sounding amplifiers, and in fact are the polar opposite. These amps make their mark on the sound and proudly so it seems. The MC30 are colored, warm and “romantic” sounding and are extremely engaging to listen to. These amps still retain a delicate subtlety and incisiveness, but jump up and rock when called on. They feel more powerful than 30 watts, gripping the speaker in a way that I’ve come to associate with bigger amps like the Altec 1569AT.

First coming onto the market in 1954, the MC30 were in production until 1963 with 26,247 units produced in total. It’s an old design, and is the last tube rectified amplifier that McIntosh produced. The MC240 can be thought of as an evolution of the MC30, being basically two MC30 combined into one chassis with solid state rectification and some small changes for stereo operation. But despite being similar 6L6 circuits, the sound is not very similar in my experience. The MC30 have a lot more euphoria in their presentation than the more even handed 240 does, and frankly I prefer the euphoria.

In contrast to something like the EL-34 based Eico HF-87, the MC30 are a clearly superior sound profile for my taste. Back-to-back with my long-serving Lance Cochrane EL-84, the MC30 sound just as good, but with more headroom and grunt on my less-than-efficient Bozak speakers. In my mono setup, the MC30 are almost as smooth and open as the Alpa 300B that I have come to appreciate in that rig. Voices and presence from the MC30 give up very little to the single ended 300B, and that is certainly saying something! From the smallest image cues and most delicate detail on something like Joao Gilberto’s Eclipse, to the roar of battle between Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee on ByTor and the Snowdog, the MC30 display it all in a seemingly perfect light. They are push pull perfection.

I’ve said it before, but Vintage audio can be a tough trail to climb, with many choices and many potential pitfalls. But when its right it really is a thing of beauty, and the MC30 are perhaps the pinnacle of that experience for me so far. My units were updated at some point in their life, and one day I may send them off to SkyFi or another specialist to have them inspected and brought completely up to spec. But for now they operate flawlessly, with zero hum or naughty issues, and just sound extremely “right” to me. I haven’t heard everything, but what I have heard tells me that these MC30 really are something special. I’m not sure what more I could want from an immersive sound perspective, and of course these old units are loaded with good Karma, which is also important to me. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to learn that some of the great modern masters of the tube arts cut their teeth on the MC30. And maybe still enjoy them today. These are simply exceptional amplifiers that I cannot recommend highly enough. They aren’t making them like this anymore! If you seek pure 6L6 perfection, grab a pair of MC30 while they are still obtainable. Super highly recommended.

Here is the very beginning of the classic McIntosh black and chrome aesthetic.

I think the 12BH7 is the “flavor tube” in this design. Here with RCA blackplates.

A very simple user interface on the MC30’s. Adjustable gain means these run fine without a preamp, although sensitive speakers will use very little of the rotation!

What a beautiful pair of amplifiers these are. 70 or more years old and still at or very near the top of anything out there in 2025.

I’ve loaded this pair with my best RCA blackplate 6L6, and they do indeed sound glorious.

Here with its predecessor, the McIntosh A-116. The A-116 was the first McIntosh amp in a single chassis and seems to be a simpler design than the MC30. The A-116 predates the Unity Coupling that McIntosh is so famous for, and it uses the 6BG6 power tube rather than the 6L6; with both producing 30 watts per channel. Overall the A-116 profile seems to be a little lighter footed and more open feeling than the MC30. Both are superb performers!

Here is the MC30 in my small room running into Coral 10CX-50 coaxial drivers. Jazz and small scale acoustic is simply amazing on this combination; energized and alive. Very engaging.

Run back to back with the Yamamoto 45, a long-standing reference for me, the MC30 absolutely hold their own. And frankly in a blind test I would not be surprised if many chose the Mac over the Yamamoto. On the Coral 10CX50 and Isophon PH2132E, which seem to love small and large amps fairly equally, the Yamamoto still has an aura that the Mac doesn't quite do, but the Mac lights things up more and jumps out into the room with more convincing form. That's high praise indeed, because the Yamamoto is a sublime instrument that has few peers.