McIntosh Labs technology

McIntosh Autoformer™

McIntosh couples the output stage to the loudspeaker through its Autoformer, making the amplifier's rated output available at its supported 2-, 4-, and 8-ohm connections.

Learn a little more

The Autoformer is an impedance-matching output transformer used in selected McIntosh solid-state power amplifiers. McIntosh documentation describes carefully interleaved, multi-wire windings that couple the output stage to dedicated loudspeaker connections.

Why it matters

The amplifier is less dependent on a loudspeaker's nominal impedance for its rated output, giving Pearl more flexibility when matching a McIntosh amplifier to the right speaker.

Origins and evolution

The story behind the technology

McIntosh documented its Autoformer winding and interleaving methods in early solid-state amplifier manuals, and the company continues to build the technology in Binghamton.

This history should remain distinct from the 1949 Unity Coupled Circuit story. Frank McIntosh and Gordon Gow are documented as the designers of the Unity Coupled Circuit; an individual inventor attribution for the later solid-state Autoformer has not yet been confirmed from a current official source.

People and contributors: McIntosh engineering and manufacturing teams

The McIntosh family