McIntosh and Autoformers. . .?

Aball, to think people pay for ST's advise!

OTL stands for Output Transformer Less. These are tube amplifiers with no output transformers.

Thanks all for offering clarifications about the DC-blocking capabilities of the autoformer - I was wondering how this could be so in the absence of a secondary coil. Nealhood, just as a side note, I believe Mac still claims 35dB of negative feedback with their AT designs. Also, why should we consider AT's "mandatory" for OTL's, provided the partnering speaker presents an >8 Ohm average impedance?

Hantrax, ive heard both the 202, 352 and 402 on b&w N803s. Yes the 202 sounds very similiar to the 402. I think the 402 is overkill for N803's and below. That said, you will get a higher signal to noise ratio with the 402 resulting in a slightly quieter (darker) background at high levels. I say "slightly" because these are very quiet amps to begin with.

Ive heard the MC6900 amp section is nearly identical to the MC202, although both units are the same weight. I now own the MC202 and love it with my N803's.

Unsound - I have to admit I am not that bad. I feel Stereophile's value lies not in its advice, but in its comic relief.