Hi, this is my first post. (I hope I'm doing it correctly.) I have a McIntosh C22 III, in combination with a McIntosh MC275 VI, MR78 tuner (Modafferi updated), vintage Denon TT and Denon 103, Oppo BDT 101CI, Grado GS-1000, and modified Klipschorns, with dedicated lines and mostly Audioquest cables. Everything has stock tubes.
I'm curious to discuss the C22 with others who own it, since I've seen very little out there besides the TAS review last year and a few assumptions posted asserting it's just like the C2300--which is not true. (I asked Ron at McIntosh and he assured me the C22 is completely different; he also said they are running low on a few parts for it and that it will probably be discontinued because of that; but that they will probably reissue yet a new one in a few years.)
The C22 and MC275 replaced my McIntosh C504 preamp and MC502 amp--'80s era SS equipment. (Before I go further, I compared the MC275 to the MC152 and MC240--on Klipschorns at Audio Classics. The MC240 was too dark for me. The 152's bass was punchier, deeper, and tighter, but the 275's bass was fuller, more natural, and more three-dimensional--less discotheque-thumping-exciting but more believable, especially with voices, stringed instruments, percussion, and piano.)
Back to the C22: I compared the C22 to a C2500, and found that the 22, though a tiny bit less full and liquid, was zippier and much more dynamic--like someone had just slapped the rear end of the horse I was riding--so much so that the salesperson brought in his boss to hear the very noticeable differences. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the 2500, but it seemed sluggish compared to the C22, which had us tapping our feet. (Before I came in, neither salesperson had listened to the new C22, which had been merely on display and hadn't yet been turned on, and we all very much preferred it straight out of the box to the broken-in C2500.) This was on Focal Sopra No. 2 speakers with an MC275 and, I believe, an MCD550.
I've now lived with the MC275 for a year and a half and the C22 for a little over a year. I'm interested to hear others' opinions. I very, very much LOVE my beautiful new C22, with its dusk-light-blue illumination, on most material--especially vinyl with my MC cartridge. It is airy, natural, transparent, and silky. More often than not it has me swooning. I'm hearing instruments I'd never heard before, and nuances--on vocals, keyboards, percussion, strings, etc.--I never imagined were there, in familiar material. Nothing separates out. Everything is of a piece. I have not heard a better preamp in my system.
But, of course, in audio you rarely if ever just move up: with every trade up there are trade offs. And I've gone from SS to tubes... I sometimes find the C22, with some CDs, a little bit thin. The vocals, which used to be very forward and front-and-center--though now they are much more melodic and revealing--are not always as dynamic and seemingly "live" (that is: not as emotionally involving) as they were with my old Mac SS equipment. Granted, I'm listening on Klipschorns, which are extremely sensitive and temperamental.
Any thoughts are welcome.
Thank you for listening.
I'm curious to discuss the C22 with others who own it, since I've seen very little out there besides the TAS review last year and a few assumptions posted asserting it's just like the C2300--which is not true. (I asked Ron at McIntosh and he assured me the C22 is completely different; he also said they are running low on a few parts for it and that it will probably be discontinued because of that; but that they will probably reissue yet a new one in a few years.)
The C22 and MC275 replaced my McIntosh C504 preamp and MC502 amp--'80s era SS equipment. (Before I go further, I compared the MC275 to the MC152 and MC240--on Klipschorns at Audio Classics. The MC240 was too dark for me. The 152's bass was punchier, deeper, and tighter, but the 275's bass was fuller, more natural, and more three-dimensional--less discotheque-thumping-exciting but more believable, especially with voices, stringed instruments, percussion, and piano.)
Back to the C22: I compared the C22 to a C2500, and found that the 22, though a tiny bit less full and liquid, was zippier and much more dynamic--like someone had just slapped the rear end of the horse I was riding--so much so that the salesperson brought in his boss to hear the very noticeable differences. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the 2500, but it seemed sluggish compared to the C22, which had us tapping our feet. (Before I came in, neither salesperson had listened to the new C22, which had been merely on display and hadn't yet been turned on, and we all very much preferred it straight out of the box to the broken-in C2500.) This was on Focal Sopra No. 2 speakers with an MC275 and, I believe, an MCD550.
I've now lived with the MC275 for a year and a half and the C22 for a little over a year. I'm interested to hear others' opinions. I very, very much LOVE my beautiful new C22, with its dusk-light-blue illumination, on most material--especially vinyl with my MC cartridge. It is airy, natural, transparent, and silky. More often than not it has me swooning. I'm hearing instruments I'd never heard before, and nuances--on vocals, keyboards, percussion, strings, etc.--I never imagined were there, in familiar material. Nothing separates out. Everything is of a piece. I have not heard a better preamp in my system.
But, of course, in audio you rarely if ever just move up: with every trade up there are trade offs. And I've gone from SS to tubes... I sometimes find the C22, with some CDs, a little bit thin. The vocals, which used to be very forward and front-and-center--though now they are much more melodic and revealing--are not always as dynamic and seemingly "live" (that is: not as emotionally involving) as they were with my old Mac SS equipment. Granted, I'm listening on Klipschorns, which are extremely sensitive and temperamental.
Any thoughts are welcome.
Thank you for listening.
But I am holding out for a C1100 or something new (full solid state version) if it happens soon.
