Thoughts on Mcintosh C31V?
- Thread starter RichmondMark
- Start date
^^^This... and use the GAINS for final trimming.
RichmondMark
Active Member
Here you go...Pictures of the C31V in action...I reserve opinions until I've listened a while. Impressed so far...
RichmondMark
Active Member
onlysleeping
Active Member
Nice! I like mine!
jbailey930
AK Member
Love the console and goose neck lamps. My dad was a surveyor/cartographer. He drafted topographic maps using one of those lamps.
RichmondMark
Active Member
Nice...that's a cool memory...I picked up these lamps at a antique place and rewired them. I'm not sure but I bet they have some history too...
RichmondMark
Active Member
Are you thinking a lamp is out on ther C31V?
RichmondMark
Active Member
Could be and I'll check.
No doubt about it though the use of the illuminated glass is pretty minimal here in comparison to other more vintage offerings.
No doubt about it though the use of the illuminated glass is pretty minimal here in comparison to other more vintage offerings.
The dead lamp appears to be behind the word "Center."
onlysleeping
Active Member
Sorry for the thread hijack - Does anyone have a place to buy a remote other than the auction site? My C31v doesn't have a remote. Would be great to pick up!
You have to remember that when the C31 came out Pebbles and Bambam were stealing the batteries out of Fred's remote, it was really dinosauer times in the remote control world.
We would regularly program the state of the art at that time learning remote from Memorex, the CP4, to use in the main room with the clients non Mac CD, VCR etc and then the Mac remote would end up in a drawer or in a second loctation with a IR sensor. The big Memorex remote did not have the correct shift resistor code capability to command the Mac units.
That is why so many Mac units that come from estates are missing the remotes, they most likely were in the bedroom nightstand. There inside info for all the estate flippers out there.
There used to be a online clearing house that my installers used to use to find remote codes to use when they built up custom remotes for installations. That type of site and a customized remote is your best option in today's remote world.
You have not heard a c31 until you have heard a recapped C31, those caps used from the dinosauer days of the 80s really fell off quickly after their 20 year expected life span. Unbelievable how much broader, deeper and more detailed the soundstage can become.....did a number of A,B,C comparisons between a recapped C35 and stock c30 and C31..... the difference was stunning so we recapped them both to get them back up to their fighting weight and match the C35.
We would regularly program the state of the art at that time learning remote from Memorex, the CP4, to use in the main room with the clients non Mac CD, VCR etc and then the Mac remote would end up in a drawer or in a second loctation with a IR sensor. The big Memorex remote did not have the correct shift resistor code capability to command the Mac units.
That is why so many Mac units that come from estates are missing the remotes, they most likely were in the bedroom nightstand. There inside info for all the estate flippers out there.
There used to be a online clearing house that my installers used to use to find remote codes to use when they built up custom remotes for installations. That type of site and a customized remote is your best option in today's remote world.
You have not heard a c31 until you have heard a recapped C31, those caps used from the dinosauer days of the 80s really fell off quickly after their 20 year expected life span. Unbelievable how much broader, deeper and more detailed the soundstage can become.....did a number of A,B,C comparisons between a recapped C35 and stock c30 and C31..... the difference was stunning so we recapped them both to get them back up to their fighting weight and match the C35.
On the point of early remote controlled Mc - the CR7 doesn't get along well with the (LED) TV I recently purchased. Whenever the TV is first switched on, it causes the CR7 to go haywire for several minutes until it eventually "learns" to reject the infra red radiation the TV screen evidently projects. Previous TV was a CRT type had no effect on the CR7 sensor.
Even when the problem clears up after several minutes, it can still act up if the picture remains dark for several minutes (such as a nighttime scene). I don't know if this problem would occur with all LED TVs or just certain brands. It is annoying as hell.
Even when the problem clears up after several minutes, it can still act up if the picture remains dark for several minutes (such as a nighttime scene). I don't know if this problem would occur with all LED TVs or just certain brands. It is annoying as hell.
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twiiii
Lunatic Member
A friend of mine had a C-22 and when he had a spinal column blow out he was confined to a wheel chair so he was very thankful when the C-31v came along. He also preferred the tone controls. He was driving a pair of stacked ML-1's with a 7200 using a MQ 104. He used a MX 117 has his tuner and the pre-amps section drove a 7100 that powered the bed room speakers. He thought the C-31 was great and from having visited him weakly for years, I thought so, too. It never gave him a minutes problem.
When it came time to update the stereo section of my sound system, I asked Frank Gow which was the best 16" pre-amp Mac ever built. Best sounding, the quietest, with the best phono stage. His reply was the C-37 from the same heritage as the 31.
When it came time to update the stereo section of my sound system, I asked Frank Gow which was the best 16" pre-amp Mac ever built. Best sounding, the quietest, with the best phono stage. His reply was the C-37 from the same heritage as the 31.
The C37 circuit topology is quite different than the C33 thru the C35. It does not use the JFET switching like the C33 premiered but was the first Mac preamp to use the sealed reed type switching that I believe they still use today.
The 5 band EQ circuit was also changed sometime in these units from what originally came out with the MAC4100 but I do not remember which one had the new EQ first.
Remember there are two C31 versions. First one used the Toshiba IC volume circuit, second had a motor driven Alps pot just like the C35 and later preamps.
The 5 band EQ circuit was also changed sometime in these units from what originally came out with the MAC4100 but I do not remember which one had the new EQ first.
Remember there are two C31 versions. First one used the Toshiba IC volume circuit, second had a motor driven Alps pot just like the C35 and later preamps.
That was the one nice thing about the MAC4280 - the motor driven volume pot while the superior MAC4300 got the Toshiba ladder type with pushbutton volume which I never liked. The MAC4300 would have been perfect had they done it the other way around.
It's a shame that none of the C29 - C34 style preamplifiers ever got remote control because McIntosh of that period is my favorite. My only other (minor) pet peeve is the "Control Center" labeling on preamplifiers beginning with the C34.
Sounds like something you'd see on an '80s el cheapo "rack" system.
It's a shame that none of the C29 - C34 style preamplifiers ever got remote control because McIntosh of that period is my favorite. My only other (minor) pet peeve is the "Control Center" labeling on preamplifiers beginning with the C34.
Sounds like something you'd see on an '80s el cheapo "rack" system.
