C32 Ribbon Cables?

The ribbon cables carry control voltages and power supply voltages.......delaminated they are ugly but do not carry audio.

All these preamps need a 5-7 hour recap to sound their best.....a recapped unit whether a c32, c33 or c34 is far superior to a non recapped unit. And yes have had all the units at the same time. Have a recapped c32 and non recapped c33 for audition right now. My current project for myself is a c37.
 
The ribbon cables carry control voltages and power supply voltages.......delaminated they are ugly but do not carry audio.

All these preamps need a 5-7 hour recap to sound their best.....a recapped unit whether a c32, c33 or c34 is far superior to a non recapped unit. And yes have had all the units at the same time. Have a recapped c32 and non recapped c33 for audition right now. My current project for myself is a c37.

If you had to buy one not recapped, what would you take a chance on provided it didn't have any glaring issues? How different do the 3X series really sound?

thx

bob
 
When you say all, do you mean a newer clean 4100, too?

Look, here's the deal......

All these units you are talking about here are 30 years or more old. They now need updating, recapping and bringing back to spec to benefit the full potential they have.

You can go out and snag a deal on a nice looking un-restored unit and possibly be actually be quite happy with it, however you will never know just how good they are until it has been worked on and brought back to spec.

We are just giving you the full story so you don't have great expectations and are then let down by poor performance from something that is over 30 years old and not performing to spec.

There is NO real way to get into McIntosh in a "cheap and cheerful" way, it is high end gear and it is more expensive than most other gear, its just the way it is.....second hand McIntosh gear holds its value because it is built to last and sounds incredible when performing to spec.
You might fluke a deal from deceased estate or something, but even then, with a C32 for example, expect to spend anywhere between 300-400 to get it sorted out....

Your budget for a C33,34 would need to be over 1K and then another 3-400 to sort it and bring it back up to or better than factory spec.
A C32 is cheaper but will still cost about the same to have the work done....

Or, do what I did and buy a C32 which has already had the work done, but then you will pay a premium for a properly working unit.....

I don't know how else to explain it...... otherwise you will think you've got some great deal, then the problems will start, or you will be disappointed how it sounds...
 
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Look, here's the deal......

All these units you are talking about here are 30 years or more old. They now need updating, recapping and bringing back to spec to benefit the full potential they have.

You can go out and snag a deal on a nice looking un-restored unit and possibly be actually be quite happy with it, however you will never know just how good they are until it has been worked on and brought back to spec.

We are just giving you the full story so you don't have great expectations and are then let down by poor performance from something that is over 30 years old and not performing to spec.

There is NO real way to get into McIntosh in a "cheap and cheerful" way, it is high end gear and it is more expensive than most other gear, its just the way it is.....second hand McIntosh gear holds its value because it is built to last and sounds incredible when performing to spec.
You might fluke a deal from deceased estate or something, but even then, with a C32 for example, expect to spend anywhere between 300-400 to get it sorted out....

Your budget for a C33,34 would need to be over 1K and then another 3-400 to sort it and bring it back up to or better than factory spec.
A C32 is cheaper but will still cost about the same to have the work done....

Or, do what I did and buy a C32 which has already had the work done, but then you will pay a premium for a properly working unit.....

I don't know how else to explain it...... otherwise you will think you've got some great deal, then the problems will start, or you will be disappointed how it sounds...
I am a retired EE who can do recapping myself. I would honestly have to say that when I bought some of my gear 5-10 years ago on ebay I seriously looked at equipment from dealers such as Audio Classics. Their equipment was beautiful but about twice the price of bare bones units and if that was what it took to get into "decent" equipment, it was over my head. I am just making this comment because of the price expectations of some buyers. Terry Dewick was actually less expensive than I expected and at least four of my pieces went to him. If you buy something off ebay, send it to him directly and save some UPS shipping costs.
 
Clearly, they have soap boxes down there in New Zealand! kev is correct. If you're able to service equipment you purchase, that will certainly save you some duckets. I've certainly done a lot of this over the years.
 
I am an active electronics tech, but I also realize the value of having an experienced McIntosh tech do the work on the gear, yes recapping is fairly rudimentary, but there are other issues with some of the McIntosh gear which an experienced tech will know and cover with a refrub.
I did my voltage conversions myself which is fairly straight forward, and just enjoy the gear.....

I have bought my C32, MR78, MR80, C40 off different AK members, every time I got exactly what was promised, these guys all knew how to ship such an item, and there were no "stories" about the work done, because all the members were very straight up and honest guys, some of the gear had receipts for work done.
Buying off AK members means accurate descriptions from guys who care about the gear, and care about getting to the new owner safely.
I couldn't have been happier purchasing the gear this way.

I have also bought from Audio Classics, my MC352 came from there, and this was also a very nice buying experience.....Packed properly, tested before it shipped, pleasant guys.....

Now this all wasn't the cheapest way, but it was the most rewarding because on every occasion, it unpacked them and put them into daily use immediately....:thmbsp:

Auction sites, who knows what you'll get, I have been ripped off, lied to, and have had items turned up damaged by people who just want to flick the gear on to make a quick buck, or are selling deceased estate and dont know what they are dealing with and don't really know the condition or how to package something like a McIntosh for shipping...
Maybe this is not always the case, but I cannot be bothered trusting people on an auction sites quite frankly. YMMV.....
 
First of all, Thank you to all of you for your patience and kind advise. And yes, I am on a budget; looking to round out my resurrected Thorens TD-125 and MC-2105 for a small bedroom 2 channel setup.

I am currently using a Carver pre-amp out of this IA:

http://www.listeninn.com/product/407001-11139/Integrated-Amplifier/Carver-CM-1090

So, if even an old C-26 that was working would sound significantly better, I'd be a happy camper. I just wanted to give the 2105 a nice partner without breaking the bank. Again, I thank you all for a friendly community for all levels of music lovers!

bob
 
So, if even an old C-26 that was working would sound significantly better, I'd be a happy camper. I just wanted to give the 2105 a nice partner without breaking the bank. Again, I thank you all for a friendly community for all levels of music lovers!

bob

I might get shot down, but I would think you will have more of the same problems going for an older unit like a C26......

If you are on a tight budget you might just have to take a chance on something....
Not the way I would do it, but then really, at the end of the day whatever you get will only be as good as your budget allows....

I would still go for a C32 and do the work myself than get a C26 era pre-amp....
 
I might get shot down, but I would think you will have more of the same problems going for an older unit like a C26......

If you are on a tight budget you might just have to take a chance on something....
Not the way I would do it, but then really, at the end of the day whatever you get will only be as good as your budget allows....

I would still go for a C32 and do the work myself than get a C26 era pre-amp....
I agree with kevzep. The age difference between a C26 and C32 plus their absolute age is such that I would get the preamp with more features and roughly the same "hassle factor" caused by age deterioration.

One final comment. Just last week I "partially" recapped a C28 for a friend. It was quite difficult dealing with the bottom of the circuit boards because there are several shielded wire bundles running over the boards that are as stiff as steel conduit (the solder pads on boards are blocked). The C32, 33 and 34 eliminate almost all of that because of the FET switching. I am assuming a C26 has basically the same cable layout as the C28.
 
I know it's not fair to ask but does anyone know or think *any* Mac preamp would sound better than the Carver I am using.. (CM-1090)
 
I know it's not fair to ask but does anyone know or think *any* Mac preamp would sound better than the Carver I am using.. (CM-1090)
I'll bet if you didn't get on this board any more and ignored "expert comments," your Carver unit would sound just as wonderful as it did before this long string of messages.
 
So, you guys all all agree that a C33 should sound the same and as good as the C34V?

I've owned a C33 since 1987 or 88 and finally got around to recapping it earlier this year C33 Update Project 2013 and now that winter is coming again, it's time to get back into it. The next stage of the update will be to recap the Loudness, Balance and Compandor board, and then on to the monitor amp.

C33_compand_caps.jpg

Loudness, Balance and Compandor PC board with original caps.


Also planning to upgrade the recently installed power supply caps to KZ type.

So yes.. the C33 (and the C34) are marvelous units. The C33 has two phono inputs and I no longer have a TT, so those inputs are unused.. but there is no interest or intention in selling the C33 or upgrading to a newer preamp. One magazine review described the C33/C34 as almost mind boggling in flexibility.


Hate to sound like a broken record (no pun) but the Compression feature on the C33 is used almost every night to tame Blu-ray sound tracks. Without compression, action scenes would become VERY loud.. and with deep bass rumble that would disturb the neighbors.


Sorry I make such a big deal of these updates, but no one seems to complain. It's enjoyable and very satisfying. :thmbsp:


-Gregory
 
Ok, this is the way I see it: Buy a 30 year old piece for $5-800 and figure on another $5-800 to make it right, why not just look at a newer (better?) piece for $1000 - 1200?

At what age do you guys feel a Mac piece shouldn't need recapping, etc? under 10 years? I found a n MX-130 for $1100. Would that need work, too?

thx

bob

Or do newer units by design never need the work an old vintage unit might?
 
[QUOTE

Hate to sound like a broken record (no pun) but the Compression feature on the C33 is used almost every night to tame Blu-ray sound tracks. Without compression, action scenes would become VERY loud.. and with deep bass rumble that would disturb the neighbors.

-Gregory[/QUOTE]

You listen to Blu-rays in stereo, not surround???

bob
 
Its similar to a DBX 119. But doesn't have the transfer point/ As a compressor it squeezes the entire signal dynamic range by a fixed ratio you choose, So you can take a CD or DVD with 60 db dynamic range and crank it down to 20 db for use as back ground music. Like wise if you have an old 1/4 track pre recorded reel to reel tape with a touch of back ground hiss you can stretch the dynamic range by a factor that will give 10 db of increase range which might be just enough to get rid of the noise.

The advantage to the 119 is you can chose the range you want to compress or expand where the Mac pre amp stretches or squeezes the entire range.

For great expansion you want a DBX 3bx which divides the frequency spectrum into high mids and lows. Which prevent strong bass notes from modulating the highs and giving a natural sound. Its amazing what a 3bx can do with a compresssed FM radio signal, a pre recorded cassette, or long play record.
 
Hate to sound like a broken record (no pun) but the Compression feature on the C33 is used almost every night to tame Blu-ray sound tracks. Without compression, action scenes would become VERY loud.. and with deep bass rumble that would disturb the neighbors.

-Gregory

You listen to Blu-rays in stereo, not surround???
Yes.. in stereo with C33 compression.


-Gregory
 
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