Replacing MCC10 cartridge?

jmslaw

Member
Have any MT-10 owners yet replaced the MCC10 cartridge? Last weekend, a child in my home got too close and curious about my needle, and my cartridge is now sans needle! Does McIntosh rebuild these cartridges, or must one order a brand new unit? Any idea of cost? I have several other cartridges to use. But I REALLY like the synergy between the MT-10 and the MCC10. Thanks, Jeff
 
Wow, sorry about that. Did you check the dust caps and tweeter domes on your speakers yet? Somehow those also have magnetic appeal with young kids.
 
Historically cartridge manufactureres offered a repair option that used a returned core cartridge into which they had reinstalled a new cantilever and MC armature.....typically at about 75% of the MRSP. How many of these were actually new to accomadate with typically lesser packaging would be anyone's guess.

The real world reality however was that in most cases by the time the stylus was worn out new cartridges had eclipsed the performance of the old at better pricing so most owners just replaced with a newer option.

Therefore this was mostly used when a owner had a calamitous failure. (Also why I always speced a Revox B79x turntable for "family" systems")

You should check with your dealer to see if Clearaudio has such a program. I believe they are the OEM.

Since most owners did not need to replace until years had gone by and a new design made the most sense in today's circumstance I wonder about a few possible issues.

Does your dealer have enough experience in setting up high performance phono cartridges if you upgrade? It would seem that many dealers have been looking to McIntosh to come up with a close and play solution for them other than investing in the resources to properly train their staff.

Has your dealer invested in the research to find you a better performing option? I would suspect that few dealers have made the effort.

I will admit my cynicism is high but then I have been swimming upstream with owners for decades......sometimes even with myself in the mirror.
 
I spoke w. McIntosh. A replacement MCC10 is $900. That is very reasonable, given the Clearaudio counterpart is significantly more expensive. The MCC10 is an excellent performer, and a screaming bargain at that price.
 
That is a bargain since the ClearAudio Talismann II Gold (which the MCC10 is a "selected" version of) is close to $1800.00 in the US (it's much cheaper in Europe and is about the same price as the MCC-10 from British dealers -- of course you get no warranty when buying from overseas). I'd grab it for $900 and consider myself fortunate.... I have an MCC-10 installed on my MT-5 turntable and I absolutely love it.
 
I spoke w. McIntosh. A replacement MCC10 is $900. That is very reasonable, given the Clearaudio counterpart is significantly more expensive. The MCC10 is an excellent performer, and a screaming bargain at that price.
Welcome to the Mcworld, where $900 is a screaming bargain.
Sorry to hear about your mishap. We once had my wife’s friend visit with her little son, who soon proceeded to knock a B&W Nautilus 804 speaker down on a hardwood floor, with expected damage...thankfully not to the child.
They never returned to visit us again. Granted, I may have said something that upset the mom...
 
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