Would McIntosh Auto Transformers affect speaker sound?
I have a question about McIntosh and its auto transformers. The auto transformers allow the wattage to be the same on all ohms. However, you have to pick which ohm to run on the amp to the speaker.
Since a speaker can be dynamic in ohms (dip between 8 ohms and 4 ohms typically), does this mean the McIntosh will not correctly match the dynamic range change? Would it cause the speaker not to give the same soundstage or holographic sound that a traditional amp would give?
@crustycoot +1 on the ESS AMT - 1 towers! My first Real Speakers… Autoformers are a real advantage in many circumstances. I have never owned a Mac but used the Paul Spetz autoformers for years to match various tube amps to exotic impedance loads (mostly successfully). |
McIntosh solid state amplifiers with autoformers have had a distinct sound to my ears since their inception, in my experience of listening to them at various times since 1972. Warm, not overly detailed, with the earlier versions sounding thin in the highs (eg 2105). I don’t understand efforts denying that such an addition to circuitry has no sound. It’s like denying that differential inputs to an amplifier bring no change in sound, etc. |
Simmer. Sorry, your skin hasn’t been toughened up yet. I, like all the MAC fans have an opinion, sorry. I reread his post to make you happy. Mac fans are very loyal but their equipment is not for everyone. I can’t say the auto former is the problem. Engineers might be able to explain the benefits or weaknesses. If it sounds good to you, that’s all that matters. |
Speakers are rated in simple Ohm ratings. Most speakers impedance changes across the frequency spectrum. Music signals are a mix of many frequencies at once making for a very complex relationship. Amplifiers manufacturers give you a simple ohm rating so you do not severely overload the amp. Say by running 2 pairs of 4 ohm speakers in parallel. Speaker manufacturers give you a simple nominal ohm rating to help you select a suitable amp or which taps (transformer or autoformer) to run their speaker off.
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