ResonantLive Sound Archive

Equipment file · Valve power amplifier

MC30 amplifier

McIntosh · 1954

Evidence status · documented

Identity and core specifications are documented; some historical fields remain unavailable.

The McIntosh MC-30 is a 30-watt mono valve amplifier using McIntosh's unity-coupled output circuit with two 1614 output valves. Its output taps included 600 ohms for driving balanced lines.

Introduced
1954
Category
Valve power amplifier
Intended use
Mono power amplifier for home and professional systems
Production
McIntosh Laboratory, Binghamton, 1954–c.1962

Why it mattered

  1. 01

    It brought unusually low distortion and noise to mid-1950s valve amplification.

  2. 02

    Its 600-ohm output made it adaptable to sound-distribution and PA installations.

Engineering record

Power
30 watts, 20–30,000 Hz[1]
Noise
Hum and noise 90 dB or more below rated output[3]
Valves
Two 1614 outputs with 12AX7, 12AU7, 12BH7 and 5U4[2]

Original pricing

$153.00 list (1954)

2026 equivalent

≈ $1,910

Period US list or retail price reported by the cited source.[1]

Estimated in 2026 US dollars using the BLS CPI-U annual average for 1954 (26.9) and 334.980 for 2026, rounded to the nearest $10.[4]

Use in the field

No named deployment could be tied to this exact item by a checked source yet. Know of one? Suggest it on the contribute page.

Manuals & original documents

Sources

  1. 1MC 30 Monaural Power AmplifierThe McIntosh Compendium · reference
  2. 2MC-30 Owner's ManualMcIntosh Laboratory · manual
  3. 3McIntosh MC-30 specificationsrubli.net Classic Amps · reference
  4. 4CPI Inflation Calculator methodology and CPI-U dataU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · reference · 2026

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