McIntosh Labs MT2 Precision Turntable
The MT2 brings black-background quiet, controlled extended bass, and a sweetly warm, articulate vinyl presentation to a beautifully engineered belt-drive design. Michael Fremer praised its effective damping, stable speed, and convincing dynamic authority, while Gramophone highlights the rich, balanced playback and precise adjustable tonearm. Its refined performance arrives with unmistakable green-glow presence.
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Deliciously Crispy
Sound Quality
91/100
Build Quality
89/100
Features Usability
85/100
Value for Money
91/100
Pros
Exceptionally quiet, well-damped platform delivers black backgrounds and minimizes transmission of vibration to the stylus.
Controlled, extended bass and a sweet, warm-leaning yet articulate presentation handle demanding dynamics with satisfying slam.
Servo-controlled drive offers effectively spot-on 33⅓ and 45rpm operation, with fine speed adjustment available.
Dural-aluminum tonearm provides VTA, azimuth, and anti-skate adjustment with precise sapphire-and-ceramic bearings.
Cons
Factory setup in the reviewed sample required correction: tracking force measured high and anti-skate was set too aggressively.
Accessing the recessed rear speed-adjustment screws is not especially easy.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 91/100
The MT2 is described as a carefully tuned, musically persuasive deck that lets its supplied Sumiko Moonstone cartridge speak clearly rather than imposing a heavy sonic signature. Reviewers praise controlled, extended bass, a sweet but capable presentation, strong handling of complex classical material, and notably quiet backgrounds.
Overall Sound
92/100
Michael Fremer found the MT2 neutral to the cartridge’s agreeable, slightly warm character, rather than adding a pronounced character of its own. He praised its controlled and extended bass, its ability to handle demanding low frequencies, and a presentation that could sound sweet and enticing while still delivering grit and decent slam when the music required it. Gramophone likewise calls its playback rich and balanced.
Speed Stability
89/100
Fremer measured 33.4rpm out of the box and considered it effectively spot-on, with equally good 45rpm performance. The servo-controlled motor offers 33/45 switching and fine adjustment, while the dynamically balanced POM platter is intended to support smooth playback.
Tonearm Performance
91/100
The damped dural-aluminum arm uses fluid-damped vertical bearings with ceramic surfaces and a gimballed sapphire horizontal bearing. Fremer found the arm very well damped, while Gramophone highlights the precise, smooth bearing action and the useful azimuth, anti-skate, and VTA adjustments.
Noise Isolation
94/100
Fremer’s tap tests found very little energy reaching the stylus from the support platform or top plate, and no energy reaching the speakers when tapping the arm. He also describes the MT2 as very quiet, with black backgrounds and a welcome tendency to suppress rather than spotlight minor record noise.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
89/100
The MT2 combines a resonance-optimized compressed-wood chassis with vibration-absorbing acrylic layers, a dynamically balanced POM platter, and a substantial 29lb overall mass. Its arm bearings and platter-bearing arrangement are purposefully specified, and reviewers describe the deck as solid and well made.
Features Usability
85/100
This is a focused manual turntable, but it supplies practical ownership essentials: electronic 33/45 selection, fine speed adjustment, a dust cover, and full arm setup adjustment for VTA, azimuth, and anti-skate. The included moving-magnet cartridge makes it more immediately usable than a deck requiring a separate cartridge purchase and installation.
Value for Money
91/100
At the approximately $4,000-$4,500 pricing discussed in the reviews, Fremer judged the MT2 highly competitive among many capable rivals, especially for owners building a McIntosh system. Gramophone also called it an exceptional choice at $4,500, citing its rich and balanced playback.
Reviews & Sources
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Specifications
- Cartridge Type
- Moving Magnet
- Output Level
- 3.0 mV at 5 cm/s
- Load Impedance
- 47K Ohms recommended (Preamp MM Input)
- Frequency Response
- 12Hz to 33kHz
- Channel Separation
- 30dB at 1kHz
- Compliance
- 12 x 10-6 cm/dyne
- Recommended Tracking Force
- 2.0 g
- Channel Difference
- 0.5dB at 1kHz
- Total Mass
- 6.5 g
- Stylus
- Elliptical Diamond
- Cantilever Material
- Aluminum
- Bearing
- Sapphire and Ceramic
- Arm Tube
- Dural-Aluminum
- Counterweight
- Eccentric
- Adjustments
- Vertical Tracking Angle, Antiskate, Azimuth
- Playback Speeds
- 33-1/3 and 45 rpm
- Motor Type
- DC Motor with Stainless Steel Brushes
- Speed Control
- Servo System
- Platter
- Dynamically balanced polyoxymethylene (POM)
- Platter Bearing
- Polished and tempered steel shaft in sintered bronze bushings
- Signal To Noise Ratio
- 35dB - 40dB
- Wow & Flutter
- 0.15% - 0.25%
- Stereo Outputs Unbalanced
- 1
- Power Control Inputs
- 0
- Power Control Outputs
- 0
- Platter Light
- N/A
- Speed Control Fine Adjustment
- Yes
- Dust Cover Included
- Yes
- Unit Dimensions (W x H x D)
- 17-13/16" (45.2cm) x 5" (12.7cm) (6" (15.2cm) with dust cover) x 17" (43.2cm)Note: Tone Arm Height will vary depending on the type of Cartridge installed.
- Unit Weight
- 29 lbs (13.2 kg)
- Shipping Weight
- 39 lbs (17.6 kg)
Manufacturer's Description — McIntosh Labs
- Moving Magnet phono cartridge
- Includes dust cover
The McIntosh MT2 Precision Turntable combines the latest in turntable technology and design to deliver both superb performance and accurate playback. The MT2 is a great way to upgrade your home audio system to play vinyl albums. A full complement of features allows for all recordings to be reproduced with flawless realism. Its advanced electronic and mechanical design will give you many years of smooth, trouble-free operation. A subtle green glow emanates from under the platter and the outside edges of the plinth for a touch of refined ambiance.
The MT2 plays both 33-1/3 and 45 rpm records. It’s virtually ready to use out of the box with just a few setup steps to complete and then you’ll be enjoying your vinyl in no time.
The MT2 comes with a Sumiko Moonstone cartridge, a next-gen moving magnet phono pickup. The Moonstone phono cartridge is dressed to impress. It has low moving-mass and output, and is topped off with their listen-tested 0.3 x 0.7 mil elliptical diamond. Moonstone transcribes sonic imagery with weight, richness, depth, and keenly realistic texture. The sonic image is suspended and well-controlled over a nearly-absent noise floor, providing fantastic clarity without etch nor confusion.
The tonearm is constructed from dural-aluminum with special damping materials and is light weight yet highly rigid. The noise free vertical bearings feature two precision ceramic surfaces with damping fluid; the horizontal bearing is a gimballed sapphire design.
The belt driven, solid black outer platter is made from a special dynamically balanced polyoxymethylene (POM) and is over 1” thick. This heftiness helps to both resist and absorb external vibrations that can cause noise during playback; its large mass also provides the perfect flywheel action for stable playback speed. The inner platter is made of CNC-precision milled aluminum. The platters rotate on a polished and tempered steel shaft in a sintered bronze bushing.
The DC motor is driven by an external voltage-stabilized power supply and is completely decoupled from the chassis, isolating your records from any mechanical interference. Its sturdy plinth has a resonance optimized and highly compressed wood base with black lacquer finish, while the top and middle acrylic plates help absorb unwanted vibrations.
WATCH: Unboxing and Setting Up the McIntosh MT2 Precision Turntable
A clear, contoured dust cover is included. The MT2 turntable is compatible with a variety of McIntosh phono preamplifiersstereo preamplifiersintegrated amplifiers and home theater processors with phono inputs; virtually any of our amplifiers and speakers can be used to complete your audio system. Contact your local dealer to learn more.
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Authorized dealers for McIntosh Labs MT2 Precision Turntable
- Absoulute Audio plus Video — in-store — Aiken, South Carolina, United States (website)
- Holt Hill — online and in-store — Andover, Massachusetts, United States (website)
- Resolution A/V — in-store — New York City, New York, United States (website)
- A Tube High Fidelity — online and in-store — Almere, Flevoland, Netherlands (website)
- Abt Electronics — online and in-store — Glenview, Illinois, United States (website)
- Acoustic Designs Inc. — in-store — Scottsdale, Arizona, United States (website)
- Advance Audio — in-store — Wichita, Kansas, United States (website)
- Ahead Stereo — in-store — Los Angeles, California, United States (website)
- Ajasom — online and in-store — Amadora, Lisboa, Portugal (website)
- Alen Audio — in-store — Extramurs, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain (website)
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