McIntosh 7205THX Owner's Manual

MC7205 THX® Five Channel Power Amplifier

OWNERS

MANUAL

THX is a registered trademarks of Lucasfilm, Ltd. Manufactured under license from Lucasfilm Ltd.

McIntosh Laboratory, Inc. 2 Chambers Street Binghamton, New York 13903-2699 Phone: [phone] FAX: [phone]

MC7205

Thank You, Please Take A Moment,

Customer Service and Table of Contents

Thank You

For your decision to own this McIntosh MC7205 Five
Channel Power Amplifier ranks you at the very top among
discriminating music listeners. You now have The Best.
The McIntosh dedication to Quality, is assurance that you
will receive many years of musical enjoyment from this
unit.

Please take a short time to read the information in this
manual. We want you to be as familiar as possible with all
the features and functions of your new McIntosh MC7205.
This will ensure that you receive all the performance ben­efits this equipment can offer you, and that it will become a
highly valued part of your home entertainment system.

Please Take A Moment

The serial number, purchase date and McIntosh dealer name
are important to you for possible insurance claim or future
service. The serial number is located on the rear panel of the
equipment. The spaces below have been provided for you to
record that information:

Serial Number:

Purchase Date:

Dealer Name:

Customer Service

If at any time you have questions about your McIntosh
MC7205 Five Channel Power Amplifier, contact your
McIntosh dealer. Your dealer is familiar with your McIn­tosh equipment as well as other brands that may be in­cluded in your system and is best qualified to help you.

If it is determined that your MC7205 is in need of repair,
you can return it to your dealer or you can return it to
McIntosh Laboratory. Contact the McIntosh Repair Depart­ment for assistance at,

McIntosh Laboratory, Inc.
2 Chambers Street
Binghamton, New York 13903
Phone: [phone]
FAX: [phone]

Table of Contents

Thank You .......................................................................... 2

Please Take a Moment ....................................................... 2

Customer Service............................................................... 2

Table of Contents ............................................................... 2

Safety Instructions ............................................................. 3

Introduction ....................................................................... 4

Performance Features ........................................................ 4

Installation ......................................................................... 5

Rear Panel Controls and Connections ............................... 6

How to Connect ................................................................. 7

Front Panel Displays and Controls .................................... 8

How to Operate.................................................................. 9

Specifications .................................................................. 10

Packing Instruction .......................................................... 11

NOTES:

1. Connecting Cables and Connectors are available from the
McIntosh Parts Department:

Data and Power Control Cable Part No. 170-202

Six foot, shielded 2 conductor, with 1/8 inch stereo mini
phone plugs on each end.

Control Center to Multi Channel Power Amplifier Cable
Part No. 170-631

Six foot, DB25, shielded, straight through, 25 conductor
male-to-female cable.

2. For additional connection information, refer to the owners
manual(s) for any component(s) connected to the MC7205
Amplifier.

3. There is a built-in turn on delay which will mute the speaker
outputs for approximately two seconds when the amplifier is
turned on.

4. It is very important that loudspeaker cables of adequate size
be used in your music system, to ensure that there will be no
power loss or heating. Cable size is specified in Gauge
numbers or AWG, (American Wire Gauge). The smaller the
Gauge number, the larger the wire size:

If your loudspeaker cables are 25 feet (7.62m) or less,
use at least 18 Gauge (AWG) wire size or larger.
If your loudspeaker cables are 50 feet (38.1m) or less,
use at least 16 Gauge (AWG) wire size or larger.
If your loudspeaker cables are 100 feet (76.2m) or less,
use at least 14 Gauge (AWG) wire size or larger.

Copyright 1998  by McIntosh Laboratory, Inc.

2

IMPORTANT SAFETY

INSTRUCTIONS!

PLEASE READ THEM BEFORE

OPERATING THIS EQUIPMENT.

WARNING SHOCK HAZARD ­DO NOT OPEN.

The lightning flash with arrowhead, within an equilateral
triangle, is intended to alert the user to the presence of
uninsulated dangerous voltage within the products
enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to consti-

tute a risk of electric shock to persons

.

Safety Instructions

Attention: pour pevenir les chocs elecriques pas
utiliser cette fiche polarisee avec un prolongateur,
une prise de courant ou un autre sortie de courant,
sauf si les lames peuvent etre inserees afond ans en
laisser aucune partie a decouvert.

7. For added protection for this product during a lightning
storm, or when it is left unattended and unused for long
periods of time, unplug it from the wall outlet and dis­connect the antenna or cable system. This will prevent
damage to the product due to lightning or power line
surges.

8. Do not use attachments not recommended in this
owners manual as they may cause hazards.

AVIS RISQUE DE CHOC ­NE PAS OUVRIR.

The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is
intended to alert the user to the presence of important
operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in
the literature accompanying the appliance.

NO USER-SERVICEABLE

PARTS INSIDE. REFER

SERVICING TO

QUALIFIED PERSONNEL

To prevent the risk of electric shock, do not remove
cover (or back). No user serviceable parts inside. Refer
servicing to qualified personnel.

General:

1. Read all the safety and operating instructions, con­tained in this owners manual, before operating this
equipment.

2. Retain this owners manual for future reference about
safety and operating instructions.

3. Adhere to all warnings and operating instructions.

4. Follow all operating and use instructions.

5. Warning: To reduce risk of fire or electrical shock,
do not expose this equipment to rain or moisture.
This unit is capable of producing high sound pres­sure levels. Continued exposure to high sound pres­sure levels can cause permanent hearing impair­ment or loss. User caution is advised and ear protec­tion is recommended when playing at high volumes.

6. Caution: to prevent electrical shock do not use this
(polarized) plug with an extension cord, receptacle
or other outlet unless the blades can be fully in­serted to prevent blade exposure.

Installation:

9. Locate the equipment for proper ventilation. For ex­ample, the equipment should not be placed on a bed,
sofa, rug, or similar surface that may block ventilation
openings; or, placed in a built-in installation, such as a
bookcase or cabinet, that may impede the flow of air
through the ventilation openings.

10. Locate the equipment away from heat sources such as
radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other appliance (in­cluding amplifiers) that produce heat.

11. Mount the equipment in a wall or cabinet only as de­scribed in this owners manual

12. Do not use this equipment near water; for example,
near a bathtub, washbowl, kitchen sink, laundry tub, in
a wet basement or near a swimming pool, etc.

13. Do not place this product on an unstable cart, stand,
tripod, bracket, or table. The equipment may fall, caus­ing serious injury to a person, and serious damage to
the product.

Connection:

14. Connect this equipment only to the type of AC power
source as marked on the unit.

15. Route AC power cords so that they are not likely to be
walked on or pinched by items placed upon or against
them, paying particular attention to cords at plugs, con­venience receptacles, and the point where they exit from
the instrument.

16. Do not defeat the inherent design features of the polar­ized plug. Non-polarized line cord adapters will defeat
the safety provided by the polarized AC plug. If the
plug should fail to fit, contact your electrician to re­place your obsolete outlet. Do not defeat the safety pur­pose of the grounding-type plug.

3

Safety Instructions cont,

Introduction and Performance Features

17. Do not overload wall outlets, extension cords or inte­gral convenience receptacles as this can result in a risk
of fire or electric shock.

Care of Equipment:

18. Clean the instrument by dusting with a dry cloth. Un­plug this equipment from the wall outlet and clean the
panel with a cloth moistened with a window cleaner.
Do not use liquid cleaners or aerosol cleaners.

19. Do not permit objects of any kind to be pushed and/or
fall into the equipment through enclosure openings.
Never spill liquids into the equipment through enclo­sure openings.

20. Unplug the power cord from the AC power outlet
when left unused for a long period of time.

Repair of Equipment:

21. Unplug this equipment from the wall outlet and refer
servicing to a qualified service personnel under the fol­lowing conditions:

A. The AC power cord or the plug has been damaged.
B. Objects have fallen, or liquid has been spilled into

the equipment.
C. The equipment has been exposed to rain or water.
D. The equipment does not operate normally by fol-

lowing the operating instructions contained within

this owners manual. Adjust only those controls

that are covered by the operating instructions, as an

improper adjustment of other controls may result

in damage and will often require extensive work by

a qualified technician to restore the product to its

normal operation.
E. The equipment has been dropped or damaged in any

way.
F. The equipment exhibits a distinct change in perfor-

mance - this indicates a need for service.

22. Do not attempt to service beyond that described in the
operating instructions. All other service should be re­ferred to qualified service personnel.

23. When replacement parts are required, be sure the ser­vice technician has used replacement parts specified by
McIntosh or have the same characteristics as the origi­nal part. Unauthorized substitutions may result in fire,
electric shock, or other hazards.

24. Upon completion of any service or repairs to this prod­uct, ask the service technician to perform safety checks
to determine that the product is in proper operating con­dition.

Introduction

Now you can take advantage of traditional McIntosh stan­dards of excellence in the MC7205, power amplifier. Five
200 watt, high current output channels will deliver out­standing audio performance for your McIntosh Home The­ater System. The MC7205 is THX certified and easily
meets the demanding Lucasfilm, Ltd., standards for accu­racy in home theater electronics.

Performance Features

· Power Output

The MC7205 consists of five separate power amplifier
channels, each capable of 200 watts into 4 ohm speakers
with less than 0.005% distortion. This is 1000 watts of
McIntosh power in a single package.

· Power Guard

All five channels include the patented McIntosh Power
Guard circuit that prevents the amplifier from being
overdriven into clipping with its harsh distorted sound that
can also damage your valuable loudspeakers.

· Sentry Monitor and Thermal Protection

McIntosh Sentry Monitor power output stage protection
circuits are present on all five channels to ensure the
MC7205 will have a long and trouble free operating life.
Built-in thermal protection circuits guard against overheat­ing which could shorten the normal long life expectancy of
your McIntosh power amplifier.

· Direct Current Protection

Direct Current sensing circuits on each channel provide
extra protection for your valuable loudspeakers.

· Illuminated Power Meters

Three front panel, illuminated output wattmeters can be
selected to precisely indicate the power output of each of
the five channels as well as the relative power output pro­duced by a THX certified powered subwoofer amplifier.

· Convenient Single Cable Hookup

A rear panel connector provides for the convenience of us­ing a single cable, (DB25 computer style) to receive all au­dio and power control signals from a McIntosh THX Con­trol Center.

4

Installation

The MC7205 can be placed upright on a table or shelf,
standing on its four feet. It also can be custom installed in a
piece of furniture or cabinet of your choice. The required
panel cutout, ventilation cutout and unit dimensions are
shown.

Always provide adequate ventilation for your MC7205.
Cool operation ensures the longest possible operating life
for any electronic instrument. Do not install the MC7205
directly above a heat generating component such as a high
powered amplifier. If all the components are installed in a
single cabinet, a quiet running ventilation fan can be a defi­nite asset in maintaining all the system components at the
coolest possible operating temperature.

Front View of a MC7205
custom installed

End Caps
7-1/16"

179.8mm

Installation

A custom cabinet installation should provide the follow­ing minimum spacing dimensions for cool operation. Allow
at least 2 inches (5.1 cm) above the top and 1 inch (2.54
cm) on each side of the amplifier, so that airflow is not ob­structed. Allow 21 inches (53.3 cm) depth behind the
mounting panel, which includes clearance for connectors.
Allow 1-1/8 inches (2.9 cm) in front of the mounting panel
for knob clearance. Be sure to cut out a ventilation hole in
the mounting shelf according to the dimensions in the
drawing.

17-1/2"
444mm

17-1/16"

6-9/16"

166.7mm

1/4"
6mm

Panel Height

7.00"

177.8mm

433.4mm
Outline of Front Panel

Edge of Cutout

(Front View)

7/32"

5.3mm

Side View of a MC7205
custom installed

Bottom View of a MC7205
custom installed

Mounting Surface

Mounting Surface

Bottom of Cutout and Top
of Support Shelf Must
Coincide

Outline of Unit

(Side View)

Support Shelf

6"

3/16"

5.1mm

15"

Cut Out Center
for Ventilation

Cut Out Center
for Ventilation

(Bottom View)

9"

Support Shelf

Mounting Bracket at Both Sides of the Rear Panel.
Fasten with 6-32 x 3/8 Machine Screw and Washer to Chassis.
Fasten with 6 x 1/2 Wood Screw and Washer to Support Shelf

5

MC7205 Rear Panel Controls and
Connections

MC7205 Rear Panel Controls and

Connections

INPUTS for discrete audio cables
from a preamplifier or control
center audio outputs

Connect the MC7205
power cord to a live
AC outlet. Refer to in­formation on the back
panel to determine the
correct voltage.

INPUT for discrete audio cable
from a preamplifier or control
center audio output

SUB IN/OUT accepts a
subwoofer input signal to
activate the subwoofer
power meter circuit. If a 25
conductor cable is being
used with a McIntosh Con­trol Center this jack will
provide a signal out to a
subwoofer amplifier.

INPUTS for discrete audio cables
from a preamplifier or control
center audio outputs

THX INPUT Connector
accepts a 25 conductor
cable that connects all
audio and power control
signals from a McIntosh
Control Center

Individual Input
LEVEL controls
for the Left chan­nels

OUPUT Connections for

Main Fuse holder,
refer to infromation
on the back panel
of your MC7205 to
determine the cor­rect fuse size and
rating.

6

8 or 4 ohm loudspeakers

Individual Input
LEVEL controls for
Right channels and
Center channel

OUTPUT Connections for 8
or 4 ohm loudspeakers

SUB METER CAL
control for meter
calibration of the
Subwoofer Channel

OUTPUT Connections for
8 or 4 ohm loudspeakers

POWER CONTROL In receives
turn on/off signals from a McIntosh
component and the POWER CON­TROL Out sends that turn on/off
signal to the next McIntosh compo­nent.

How to Connect the MC7205

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with a C39/MX130

1. Connect the MC7205 power cord to a live AC outlet.

2. Connect the loudspeaker cables to the appropriate chan­nel output connectors, being careful to observe the cor­rect polarities.

Note: To prevent the possibility of

user contact with
potentially dangerous
voltages, install the
protective cover(s) over the
loudspeaker output
terminals after the
loudspeaker cables have
been connected. The covers
and cover mounting screws
are located in an accessory
package that is enclosed in the amplifier shipping

McIntosh MX130 Control Center

How to Connect the MC7205

with a C39/MX130

carton. There are two types of screws in the package.
Install the protective covers with the Phillips, 6-32 by
5/16 inch self tapping screws. The other screws are
No. 6 by ½ inch wood screws used to secure the
amplifier custom mounting brackets to a shelf.

3. Connect a single DB25 computer type cable from the
THX output of a control center to the MC7205 THX
Input connector for all six audio channels and power
control.

4. Connect the MC7205 Sub In/Out to the McIntosh SL-1
subwoofer amplifier THX input and a power control
cable from the MC7205 Power Control Out to the SL-1
Power Control In.

Note: An optional hookup is to use discrete cables from a

McIntosh Control Center to inputs of the MC7205.
Connect a Y adapter to the Control Center
Subwoofer Output, with one cable to the SL-1
subwoofer THX input and a second cable to the
MC7205 Sub In/Out jack. Connect a power control
cable from the Control Center Power Control Out to the
MC7205 power control in jack and connect a power
control cable from the MC7205 Power Control Out to
the SL-1 Power Control In.

McIntosh SL-1
Power Sub-Woofer

To AC Outlet

Front Right
Speaker

Surround Right
Speaker

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Front Center
Speaker

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Front Left
Speaker

Surround Left
Speaker

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7

MC7205 Front Panel Displays and Controls

MC7205 Front Panel Displays

and Controls

METER LEDs
Indicate which
channel(s) the
power meter is
reading

POWER GUARD LEDs
light when the amplifier
channel POWER GUARD
circuit activates

METER LEDs
Indicate which
channel(s) the
power meter is
reading

POWER GUARD
LEDs light when the
amplifier channel
POWER GUARD
circuit activates

METER LEDs
Indicate which
channel(s) the
power meter is
reading

POWER GUARD LEDs
light when the amplifier
channel POWER GUARD
circuit activates

METER LEDs
Indicate which
channel(s) the
power meter is
reading

METER Switch selects
the display modes of the
power output meters

8

Remote On
Indicator

POWER Switch Turns
AC power on/off, or on/
remote

METERS indicate power out­put of the amplifier channels
according to the Meter switch
setting

How to Operate the

MC7205

How to Operate the MC7205

Input Level Controls

When using a McIntosh Control Center set all five level
controls to the 2V position. If a
preamplifier or control center
has a 1V output rating and/or a
built-in THX module, set the
controls to the 1V position. If
an increase or decrease in am­plifier sensitivity is required for
other applications, set the
controls as desired. Refer to
Figure 2.

Subwoofer Meter Calibration

When using a McIntosh SL-1 powered subwoofer, set the
Sub Meter Cal control to the 1V THX position for the cor­rect subwoofer amplifier power output indication. Refer to
Figure 1.

Power On

To have the MC7205 turn on or off when a control center
turns on or off, rotate the power switch to the remote posi­tion. For manual operation, rotate the power switch to the
on or off position as desired.

Note: There must be a power control connection between the

MC7205 and the McIntosh Control Center in order for
the remote power turn on to function.

Meter Selection

Rotate the meter mode switch to select the meter operation
mode you desire:

Lights Off - Meter lights are turned off and the meters

are in the summed mode.

Summed - Each meter displays the combined outputs of

two channels. The left meter indicates the left

Figure 2

front combined with the left surround, the cen­ter meter indicates the center combined with
the subwoofer and the right meter indicates
the right front combined with the right sur­round. In this meter mode refer to the upper
meter scale(s).

Front/Ctr - The left meter indicates the left front channel,

the center meter indicates the center channel
and the right meter indicates the right front
channel. In this meter mode refer to the lower
meter scale(s).

Surr/Sub - The left meter indicates the left surround chan-

nel, the center meter indicates the relative
power of the subwoofer amplifier and the right
meter indicates the right surround channel. In
this meter mode refer to the lower meter
scale(s).

How to Read the Power Output Meters

The MC7205 Power Output Meter scales are based on us­ing 4 ohm loudspeakers. If 8 ohm speakers are used, the
actual power output is one half the power available to drive
4 ohm loudspeakers. Use the chart(s) below to determine
the actual power output sent to your loudspeakers. Refer to
figure 3.

Summed Channels Meter Readings

Meter Reading With 4Ω Loudspeaker(s) With 8Ω Loudspeaker(s)

.04 .04 Watts .02 Watts

.4 .4 Watts .2 Watts

4 4 Watts 2 Watts

40 40 Watts 20 Watts

400 400 Watts 200 Watts

Single Channel Meter Readings

Figure 3

Meter Reading With 4Ω Loudspeaker(s) With 8Ω Loudspeaker(s)

.02 .02 Watts .01 Watts

.2 .2 Watts .01 Watts
2 2 Watts 1 Watts

20 20 Watts 10 Watts

200 200 Watts 100 Watts

9

Specifications

Specifications

Power Output Per Channel

200 watts into 4 ohm loads or 120 watts into 8 ohm loads
minimum sine wave continuous average power output per
channel, all channels operating.

Output Load Impedance

8 or 4 ohms

Rated Power Band

20Hz to 20,000Hz

Dynamic Headroom

1.6dB

Frequency Response

+0, -0.25dB from 20Hz to 20,000Hz
+0, -3dB from 10Hz to 100,000Hz

Total Harmonic Distortion

0.005% maximum at any power level from 250 milliwatts
to rated power per channel from 20Hz to 20,000Hz, all
channels operating.

Power Requirements

100 Volts, 50/60Hz at 1080 watts
110 Volts, 50/60Hz at 1080 watts
120 Volts, 50/60Hz at 1080 watts
220 Volts, 50/60Hz at 1080 watts
230 Volts, 50/60Hz at 1080 watts
240 Volts, 50/60Hz at 1080 watts

NOTE: Refer to the rear panel of the MC7205 for the correct

voltage

Dimensions

Front Panel: 17/1/2 inches (44.5cm) wide, 7-1/16 inches
(17.9cm) high. Depth behind front mounting panel is 21
inches (53.3cm) including clearance for connectors. Panel
clearance required in front of mounting panel is 1-1/8
inches (2.9cm).

Weight

53 pounds (24Kg) net, 72 pounds (32.7Kg) in shipping car­ton

Intermodulation Distortion

0.005% maximum if instantaneous peak output per channel
does not exceed twice the rated output with all channels
operating for any combination of frequencies from 20Hz to
20,000Hz.

Signal To Noise Ratio

113dB below rated output, (A Weighted)

Sensitivity

1 volt (2.0V at level control center detent position)

Input Impedance

10,000 ohms

Damping Factor (Wide Band)

200 @ 8 ohms
100 @ 4 ohms

Power Supply Energy Storage

215 Joules

10

Packing Instructions

Packing Instructions

In the event it is necessary to repack the equipment for
shipment, the equipment must be packed exactly as shown
below. It is very important that the four plastic feet are at­tached to the bottom of the equipment. Three #10 x 2-1/4
screws and washers must be used to fasten the unit securely
to the bottom pad and wood skid This will ensure the
proper equipment location on the bottom pad. Failure to do
this will result in shipping damage.

Use the original shipping carton and interior parts only if
they are all in good serviceable condition. If a shipping car­ton or any of the interior part(s) are needed, please call or
write Customer Service Department of McIntosh Labora­tory. Please see the Part List for the correct part numbers.

Quantity Part Number Description

1 033888 Shipping carton only
4 033887 End cap (Foam pad)

1 033697 Inside carton only
1 033725 Top Pad
1 034008 Bottom pad
3 017218 Plastic foot (spacer)
1 033699 Wood skid
3 101169 #10 x 2-¼ Wood screw
3 104033 #10 x 1-¾ Wood screw

4 017218 Plastic foot
4 100159 #10-32 x ¾ Machine screw
4 104083 #10 x 7/16 Flat washer

1 040542 Shipping carton complete with

all the above parts

11

McIntosh Laboratory, Inc.

2 Chambers Street

Binghamton, NY 13903

McIntosh Part No. 040539