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McIntosh spins out "entry level" turntable

McIntosh spins out "entry level" turntable
The McIntosh MT2 Precision Turntable will be available from April, 2018, for a suggested retail price of $4,000
The McIntosh MT2 Precision Turntable will be available from April, 2018, for a suggested retail price of $4,000
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The McIntosh MT2 Precision Turntable will be available from April, 2018, for a suggested retail price of $4,000
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The McIntosh MT2 Precision Turntable will be available from April, 2018, for a suggested retail price of $4,000
The McIntosh MT2 Precision Turntable has a typically dark aesthetic with menacing green glow
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The McIntosh MT2 Precision Turntable has a typically dark aesthetic with menacing green glow
The MT2 turntable is compatible with a host of McIntosh integrated amplifiers and home theater setups via the unbalanced stereo outputs to the rear
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The MT2 turntable is compatible with a host of McIntosh integrated amplifiers and home theater setups via the unbalanced stereo outputs to the rear
The McIntosh MT2 includes a number of anti-vibration measures so that the listener can focus on the music
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The McIntosh MT2 includes a number of anti-vibration measures so that the listener can focus on the music
McIntosh says that the moving coil cartridge which comes with the MT2 turntable has enough output presence to work with moving magnet phono inputs as well as the MC variety
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McIntosh says that the moving coil cartridge which comes with the MT2 turntable has enough output presence to work with moving magnet phono inputs as well as the MC variety
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Hi-fi equipment maker McIntosh Labs has been on something of a roll of late, releasing a slew of new products including a hybrid integrated amplifier, portable media player and floorstanding speakers. It was only a matter of time before the company got around to adding a new turntable to its expanding catalog, and that time is now with the entry level MT2 – well entry level for a McIntosh system – Precision Turntable.

McIntosh already makes a couple of high-end turntables, the flagship MT10 with trademark VU meter front and center and the MT5, which has attracted top marks from a number of industry publications. Both are expensive pieces of audiophile kit – the former flying above US$9,000 and the latter landing for somewhere around $6,500. The new MT2 rocks a more refined look and cheaper price point.

The firm's latest Precision Turntable has a typically dark aesthetic with menacing green glow, from lighting under the platter and around the upper edging of the compressed wood plinth. And its top and middle acrylic plating are designed to absorb unwanted vibrations so that the listener can focus on the music.

Its DC motor is powered by an external voltage-stabilized supply and drives the belt at either 33.3 or 45 RPM. The vinyl is placed atop a 1-inch thick polyoxymethylene outer platter and milled aluminum inner platter for the promise of playback speed stability and vibration reduction.

Where some high-end turntables can take a good while to set up, McIntosh has preset tracking force, anti-skate, cartridge overhang and tonearm height at the factory to get the party started with minimal fuss.

McIntosh says that the moving coil cartridge which comes with the MT2 turntable has enough output presence to work with moving magnet phono inputs as well as the MC variety
McIntosh says that the moving coil cartridge which comes with the MT2 turntable has enough output presence to work with moving magnet phono inputs as well as the MC variety

A high impedance, high output moving coil cartridge is reported to offer enough output presence to work with moving magnet phono inputs as well as the MC variety. McIntosh says noise-free reproduction is assured from a design that teams up an alloy cantilever with an elliptical diamond stylus, doubtless helped along the no noise path by the dural aluminum tonearm (with added damping) it hangs with. Sapphire and ceramic bearings also get some damping treatment.

The MT2 is of course compatible with a host of McIntosh integrated amplifiers and home theater setups via the unbalanced stereo outputs to the rear, so long as they have phono inputs. If they don't McIntosh makes phono preamps, too.

The MT2 Precision Turntable has a total unit weight of 29 lb (13.2 kg) and will be available from next month for a suggested retail price of US$4,000.

Source: McIntosh

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2 comments
2 comments
IvanWashington
pretty spendy.
Mark Salamon
The McIntosh MT2 Precision Turntable is undeniably handsome, and I have every reason to believe that its performance is superb, but its $4,000 price tag is far beyond what most of us average folk would consider as entry level. I imagine that explains why the term "entry level" appears within quotation marks in the title of this article!
No doubt there are several other good-quality turntables that would allow us commoners to enter the realm of analog audio at lower cost...