Introducing the McIntosh MPC500

Inconsistency in power quality can cause costly damage to electronic devices. Protect your home audio investment with the MPC500 Power Controller. Featuring cascaded surge protection, the MPC500 delivers full mode AC power line surge protection (such as from a lightning strike, for example) as well as protecting low-voltage devices against secondary surges and spikes that can occur after the initial event.

AC power line protection is accomplished with the use of three thermally protected metal-oxide varistors (TPMOVs) – which are far safer than traditional MOVs – that provide Line-to-Neutral, Line-to-Ground, and Neutral-to-Ground protection. For secondary surge events, the MPC500 provides protection for ethernet, coaxial, and other low-voltage devices via Gas Discharge Tubes (GDT), Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) thermistors, and Transient Voltage Suppression (TVS) components.

Also included in the MPC500 is electromagnetic interference (EMI) filtering of the AC line and over/under voltage protection, which will switch off the rear receptacles to keep connected devices safe from trying to operate at undesired voltage levels.

The MPC500 includes either 8 Type-B (a.k.a. NEMA 5-15R) or 4 Type-F (a.k.a. CEE 7/3 or “Schuko”) receptacles; only the appropriate version is available in each individual country to ensure compatibility with local power systems. Control of each receptacle can be configured via the rear panel Power Control ports or through the setup menus on the front panel.

The front-panel display can list input voltage, the amount of current being drawn through the receptacles, or total (apparent) power. Regardless of receptacle type, all versions of the MPC500 feature the timeless McIntosh black glass front panel, illuminated logo, control knobs, and aluminum end caps.

The McIntosh MPC500 is expected to begin shipping this month.