Hello, everyone. Many years ago, I acquired a MC2120 power amp for a very good price. At the time, I was running tubes in my system, and knew little about high-end solid-state gear (or McIntosh in general). My quest for knowledge led me to join AK where I found the McIntosh section, made my very first post in the gear thread, and was somewhat intimidated by some of the audio systems owned by folks around here. A few months later, I acquired a Pioneer SPEC system, and after the MC2120 developed an issue with the right channel, I ended up selling it off in one of my not-so-smart moments.
Fast-forward nearly 10(!) years later. I'd moved on from the SPEC gear (which I still have) to Dynaco tubes by way of a big scroe. Two weeks ago, I stopped into a local electronic component store which occasionally gets some vintage equipment in, and what should I spot sitting near the back of the store but a MC2505 and C26! I asked the guy who runs the store about them, and was told they were part of an estate cleanout. After some discussion and research, he gave me a figure of $800 for the pair. I told him I'd think about it.
Two days later, I returned to the store (just ahead of a snowstorm!) to do a more proper listening test. I disconnected the warbly cassette deck which the owner had been using as a test source, and connected my 1G iPod. Cued up Donald Fagen - The Nightfly, and started listening. I liked what I heard, handed him the money, wrapped the gear in trash bags, hauled them to my car, and started the slow drive home amidst the snowflakes which had coated the roads since the test began. Fortunately, I made it without incident.
After the snow died down, I unloaded the gear from my car, set them up in my main stereo, hooked them to my Paradigm Studio Monitors, and again was impressed. The wooden cabinets have some cosmetic issues, and the C26's front panel has the usual bubbling around the headphone jack (plus a missing bezel around the buttons), but they're in pretty good shape overall. Apart from some minor issues, they seem to work perfectly. Anyway, here are some pictures of the gear, plus one of my revamped main system:
Fast-forward nearly 10(!) years later. I'd moved on from the SPEC gear (which I still have) to Dynaco tubes by way of a big scroe. Two weeks ago, I stopped into a local electronic component store which occasionally gets some vintage equipment in, and what should I spot sitting near the back of the store but a MC2505 and C26! I asked the guy who runs the store about them, and was told they were part of an estate cleanout. After some discussion and research, he gave me a figure of $800 for the pair. I told him I'd think about it.
Two days later, I returned to the store (just ahead of a snowstorm!) to do a more proper listening test. I disconnected the warbly cassette deck which the owner had been using as a test source, and connected my 1G iPod. Cued up Donald Fagen - The Nightfly, and started listening. I liked what I heard, handed him the money, wrapped the gear in trash bags, hauled them to my car, and started the slow drive home amidst the snowflakes which had coated the roads since the test began. Fortunately, I made it without incident.
After the snow died down, I unloaded the gear from my car, set them up in my main stereo, hooked them to my Paradigm Studio Monitors, and again was impressed. The wooden cabinets have some cosmetic issues, and the C26's front panel has the usual bubbling around the headphone jack (plus a missing bezel around the buttons), but they're in pretty good shape overall. Apart from some minor issues, they seem to work perfectly. Anyway, here are some pictures of the gear, plus one of my revamped main system:
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