[nabco]

i have a fender twin preamp out mod. going to a mc2100 power amp and i am having trouble figuring out how to wire a 1x12 cab w/ a jbl e120 (8ohm) in it.

should i wire it bridged mono? if so how do i do this?

is it bad for the amp to only run the one side (mono, not bridged)?

any help is very much appreciated!!! thanks

[bcresci]

Unless you need a lot of power, I'd recommend using half the Mac rather than running bridged mode. If the 2100 behaves like the 2300, you'll get a better sound out of using one stereo channel rather than both bridged. This was the advice I received from people that know much more than me and it was correct.

Do you happen to have the 2100 manual? It should detail how to do this. On my 2300 I basically keep the unit in stereo mode but only use the left channel. From there it's just a matter of conneting the cab to the right ohm jacks on the back of the power amp.

[nabco]

thanks bcresci,

i do not have the manual and they do not have it at the mcintosh labs download site either, yet they do have alot of other manuals!


i think i found the thread where you got the advice from!!!

you stated in that thread that making the amp see a 2ohm load really helped?

is this possible to do with a 1x12 8ohm speaker?

thanks for the help!

[bcresci]

Well, technically I didn't make the power amp see a two ohm load. I have a 4 ohm cabinet and I just chose to connect it to the 2 ohm jacks. In essence there's a mismatch there. I think this causes the amp to produce a slightly different sound than if they were matched. Someone else may have some better insight into why this is so.

Just how mismatched they can be without causing any problems I'm not sure. I figured that a 2ohm gap wouldn't hurt anything. You definitely don't want to go the other way with the ohm mismatch or your power amp will blow up (don't make the cabinet less than the power amp).

Here's a link to the MC2100 service manual. It's more technical than how-to, however.

http://www.pmillett.com/file_downloads/ ... MC2100.pdf

You can also try calling McIntosh with questions. I've found them to be very helpful - even if you're not the original owner.

[SarnoMusicSolutions]

I'm in agreement with everything bcresci said in his past two posts. Stereo mode, only use and connect to one channel of the amp, and mismatching upward (4-ohm cab to the 2-ohm taps) in my understanding is exactly what Garcia did with his 2300 for a long time. This is precisely a scaled down Garcia approach, and seems to be the ideal way to go if you want that McIntosh response and reactivity at a more reasonable volume.

Brad

[jdsmodulus]

Well, technically I didn't make the power amp see a two ohm load. I have a 4 ohm cabinet and I just chose to connect it to the 2 ohm jacks. In essence there's a mismatch there. I think this causes the amp to produce a slightly different sound than if they were matched. Someone else may have some better insight into why this is so.

Just how mismatched they can be without causing any problems I'm not sure. I figured that a 2ohm gap wouldn't hurt anything. You definitely don't want to go the other way with the ohm mismatch or your power amp will blow up (don't make the cabinet less than the power amp).

Here's a link to the MC2100 service manual. It's more technical than how-to, however.

http://www.pmillett.com/file_downloads/ ... MC2100.pdf

You can also try calling McIntosh with questions. I've found them to be very helpful - even if you're not the original owner.

do you have a link for pdf MC2300?

[bcresci]

Can't remember where I found the original, but it was just a google search. Here's another:

http://www.berners.ch/McIntosh/Downloads/MC2300_own.pdf

Click at your own risk.

[nabco]

thanks for all of the info, very helpful!!!

i have an 8ohm speaker so would that be safe to tap out at the 2ohm post on the mc2100?


here is a site for some manuals, www.mcintoshlabs.com/owners/Resource-Library.asp although, they do not have the 2300. just the 2301.

thanks to all and keep playin that music!!!