Introduction There are some products and/or brands that seemingly need no introduction. McIntosh is at the top of the list. Throughout the 1970s, McIntosh was the iconic symbol of all things good and high-end when it came to two-channel music. Today, little has changed with the brand and their loyal customers. Well, at least on the surface, as no other brand has deviated less from its original appearance than McIntosh, with their signature watt meters glowing pale blue, and large, almost aircraft-style control knobs. It’s enough to make a man want to don a smoking jacket and pipe, yet even in today’s iPod world, McIntosh is supremely retro-cool. While McIntosh is still dedicated to the two-channel enthusiast, they have ventured into the multi-channel audio and home theater markets as well, hence my interest in the MC207 seven-channel amplifier reviewed here. Clad ...

Introduction The ever-present Monster Cable brand is expanding. Not a company to rest on its laurels, Monster’s vast portfolio of products will now include power amplifiers to go along with a robust offering of cables, accessories, furniture, speakers and beyond. Monster power amplifiers, like their recently reviewed loudspeakers, are not being prominently promoted on their own, but rather as part of an entire Monster products solution. One day you will be able to walk into a Monster Cable M Design dealer and purchase an entire Monster system. The Signature MPA 5150 five-channel reference power amplifier ($3,500) is one of three amplifiers in the Monster Power amplifier lineup. The MPA 5150 is a five-channel amplifier rated at 150 watts per channel into eight ohms and 250 watts per channel into four ohms. The MPA 5150 chassis is anything but your ordinary black box amplifier. The styling is consistent with Monster’s line of power conditioners. The 75-pound, 17-inch-wide ...

Introduction Power. Grown men have spent their entire lives fighting and even dying for it. We often associate power with size and weight, but can be fooled by the little guy whose abilities can drop the largest of men. Bob Carver is known for packing amazing amounts of power into the smallest and lightest of boxes with his amplifiers, and it seems Mr. Carver has empowered yet another “little guy” with his new Theater Grand Amplifier 7400. As president of Sunfire, Bob Carver has been a major player in the audio industry since 1970, when he founded Phase Linear, and he has kept pace with the rapidly changing business throughout the years. His advances in amplifier technology are legendary and his new top of the line seven-channel amplifier, the Sunfire Theater Grand Amplifier 7400, puts out a rated 400 watts per channel into eight ohms into all seven channels, and doubles down to 1600 ...

Introduction Classé has thrown the gauntlet down in the multi-channel amplification arena by introducing the CA-5200, a five-channel, 200-watt-per-channel amplifier whose sole intention is to raise the bar high enough in both aesthetics and sound to make everyone swoon, from the design-oriented to the hardcore audiophile. One look at the CA-5200, even unplugged or without a preamp, and you’d be hard pressed to suggest Classé hasn’t accomplished at least half of its mission. The CA-5200’s sleek lines and nontraditional metal work beautifully matches the stealthy pose of the lauded Classé CDP-300 DVD player and the SSP-600 AV preamp. The size and stature of the CA-5200 is certainly a head turner, with heat sinks on either side of what appears to be a solid block of aluminum, refined to a blended front face with large rounded corners asymmetrically bisected by a vertical black anodized aluminum panel that is consistent with the rest of the Delta product ...

Introduction Earlier this year, I raved about the Outlaw 970 processor and matching 7075 multi-channel amplifier. Together, the 970 and 7075 not only redefined bang-for-your-buck performance, they also set a benchmark in its price class by which all other products, both separates and receivers, will be judged. I liked the combo so much that I kept them. Beyond the sonic attributes of the subject matter, that review was special to me because it was my first introduction to Outlaw Audio. An introduction, I must say, that has been both eye-opening and frustrating. I say frustrating, because once you’ve crossed over and become an Outlaw yourself, it’s exceedingly tough to justify anything else. The only saving grace for me is that Outlaw doesn’t make speakers (with the exception of their subwoofers) or source components. Sure, I’ve heard a barrage of products that do one thing or another that the Outlaws cannot, but at the end of ...