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To monoblock or not to monoblock McIntosh MC275's

Hi everyone,

I'd appreciate your opinions on the matter. I currently own an MC275 MK IV, running McIntosh XRT 28's. It sounds great - even though the XRT's can handle up 1200W and the MC275's output 80-90W.

I got my hands on a NOS (still sealed) MK IV, and I'm debating whether I should keep it and run as them monoblocks. The reason I'm not trying it personally, is because I don't want to open that new one that's still sealed.

So my dilemma is -  would running 2 MC275 as monoblocks make a BIG difference in sound quality?

I'm sure it will be louder, but for the sake of the argument, if my sound is now 100% - in your opinion
(hypothetically speaking) will it improve it to say 103% or 120%? Will I notice a big enough difference?

Thank you!
yyman23
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
13,022 posts
 
90%
some amps sound worse strapped for mono
i would do same with a 240 but in my vintage system strapped 240 sounded worse
...... but... the only way to really know is do it.
you could of course do a mono test
some excellent mono recordings out there...

bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,931 posts
 
Monoblocks are cool in that you can place each amp right behind it’s own speaker, using long balanced interconnects and short speaker cables, the best way to hook things up, feel some people.
yyman23 OP
149 posts
 
Thank you everyone. These are some good tips. However, someone offered me a really good price for the second one and apparently it was a MK V, not a MK IV, so I decided to sell it.

dentdog's avatar
dentdog
506 posts
 
I strapped a pair of MC 275s onto some JBl 250 Pyramids thirty or so years ago. Didn't really help. 
effischer
565 posts
 
FWIW, there is functionally zero difference between a series IV and a series V MC275.  Certainly not audible, but that's not a concern for you now anyway.

Increasing output by 3 dB (the smallest volume increase the human ear can normally discern) requires a doubling of power.  When bridged for mono, MC275 conservatively makes 150 W regardless of load, but as that translates to only 3 more dB, you likely won't get a big difference in output.

However, going dual monaural gets you essentially infinite channel separation at the amplification stage and more definition across frequency bandwidth.  That means better imaging and no two ways about it.

So, if you find a good condition series IV at a fair price, you can give the dual mono thing a shot to see if you like it.  Good luck & happy listening.

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