Audioclassics

[tjnif]

Audioclassics....not just "Classic" gear but a CLASS ACT! They have always gone beyond what they need to do. I must confess that If i owned the Co. I would do less of a service to detail, and I'm sure I would still be praised! But these guys are "Truly" in a class by themselves. No BS! As always to Steve, Ryan, Mike and everyone there: Thank you! And thanks for becoming good friends as well!!

 

[mark506]

I took a trip to Binghamton in July of '08 to trade a MR73 for a MR85. When I called back a few months ago to ask Ryan a question, I could tell he remembered me. I couldn't believe it, what a memory and a great guy!

 

[sberger]

Bringing this long dormant thread back because I'm planning on buying a Mc tube pre this week from AC. I'll be contacting them but wanted to ask those who have purchased when a piece is rated "1" electrically, does that mean that it has undergone a full restoration, replacement of caps, etc? It's stated that it "Meets or exceeds original specs, all functions operate" but in theory I'm guessing an all original unit could do that. Or am I wrong?

I don't doubt at all AC which is why I'm planning to buy from them, but would be know others experience when it comes to this.

 

[twiiii]

I have dealt with Audio Classics since the 90's as a professional and as as a consumer. They have always been fair and bent over back wards. After I retired and decided to upgrade my system all my dealings and rebuilds were with Audio Classics. Yes there were two issues but that was UPS's fault not Audio Classics. One piece I bought pre-owned wasn't right and I returned it and they said they couldn't find anything wrong so they returned and it acted up again. So back it went and they finally got it to miss behave and took care of the issue. None of the issues ever cost me a penny. With the first two cases UPS ended up paying over night shipping both ways. In the third case it was 2nd day delivery which was fine with me at no cost to me. One time I bought a MVP player and the Cd pick-up failed. The CD pickup was n't readily available so I received a newer unit in its place at no charge and they paid the shipping both ways. Another time when a faceplate wasn't available because UPS damaged my MPI=4 unit I got a face plate off another unit because the scheduled replacement wouldn't be available for over 90 days. I know of others that have gotten similar treat meant. Maybe not exactly in the same way, but they are fair beyond belief after the sale. Yes you will have to pay a little more, but what do you expect when you are buying a warranted product. Every now and then you can find some great deals you will find no where else. With over 1000 Mcintosh pieces in stock they are a great source. The boxes they ship units in if originals aren't available have twice the piercing resistance and are rated a twice the weight rating of the original boxes. Their B1 units look better than a lot of new demo pieces of other dealers display shelves. As to restoring of older units call Steve, the Owner or Ryan in sales and Service and they will answer all your questions. Don't try to low ball them, it won't work.

 

[damacman]

I bought mainly parts from them in the '90s, sold Steve numerous items, and bought an MC500 and XRT22s from them in the last 5yrs. The MC500 they rated as a B1 - indistinguishable from absolutely brand new. Worked like a champ.

@62caddy will be able to comment on vintage tube purchases and service at AC.

 

[sberger]

Whatever I buy is going to have been completely electrically restored. I don't know if that's the case with much of what AC sells, although I'm guessing you can pay an additional amount to have them do that.

I'm carefully going through my options because while I'm sure AC offers great customer service and their stuff is warranted, which is worth the extra cost, I really don't want to have to ship stuff back to them. To risky, too expensive, too much of a hassle for me at this point. I'd love a C11 or C20, but unfortunately the two best sellers(Terry/Tom being the other) are on the opposite coast from me. The thought of spending up to $4k for one doesn't bother nearly as much as something going wrong with it and having nobody anywhere near me to fix it properly.

 

[SaturationPt]

I understand a little of your concern. The problem I see is that no matter who restores it, or services it, ... there’s always a risk of problems / failures. Components fail both new and old. Does it help if AK restores it? I believe that there’s a warranty either way, and that you’ll have to ship it either way.

I am jaded, my collection has its own captive tech, otherwise I probably wouldn’t be in the hobby as classics need regular attention.

Best of luck, you know the right one shows up as soon as you stop looking though!

 

[sberger]

I understand a little of your concern. The problem I see is that no matter who restores it, or services it, ... there’s always a risk of problems / failures. Components fail both new and old. Does it help if AK restores it? I believe that there’s a warranty either way, and that you’ll have to ship it either way.

I am jaded, my collection has its own captive tech, otherwise I probably wouldn’t be in the hobby as classics need regular attention.

Best of luck, you know the right one shows up as soon as you stop looking though!

Exactly. And even though I'm trying to minimize the risk, the real problem for me is what I will have to do if/when something does go wrong. I've had loads of vintage gear and been pretty lucky with most of it, especially the big ticket items. On the few occasions where I wasn't(Mc MX110, AR3a speakers, Dynaco MKIII's) and brought them to local folks, they never were able to get them back up and running perfectly, and I was forced to finally sell.

So I try to buy stuff that is fully restored electrically as that has the least amount of chance of failure, and try to buy locally if possible from somebody that restored it in the first place. But because I've become infatuated with the idea of owning a vintage Mc tube preamp, my buying choices are very limited. So we'll see.

 

[Fattner]

Yes ,great gear /prices/service ,all my gear came from there and Ryan is the best

 

[Thocom]

I just bought this MX122 from them last week. I setup an appointment with Mike, it was awesome to look through their show rooms.
Very happy with my purchase, and professionalism.

 

[Thocom]

Lol, I just realized this thread is 11 years old. Same things can be said now, as was back then.

 

[twiiii]

If you want really good tube sound get a MC 2200, Frank Gow Commemorative. They have been built recently celebrating Gordon Gow's son's life. Come with a warranty and you won't have to worry about having them restored. With an all tube phono section, the 2200 has an extra smooth sound. And with a low impedance output you can use the old ancient power amps or any of the latest tube or SS state units. You will pick up and extra magnitude of signal to noise and lower distortion than the C-20 or 11. It will have meters so if you calibrate your amp to 2.5 volt sensitivity you won't be over driving the amp. It has gold chassis connectors so you won't be cussing the old original connectors of the older pieces 5 years from now. It has the precision volume control so you won't have to worry about channel balance issues. Its uses the precision sealed remote relay contacts to further prevent cross talk and intermittent switching issues the older units always have. Its not as dry as the latest tube units Mac sells. It does not have a MC input. If I were you and wanted tubes with a more euphonic sound I would choose a C2200.

 

[jdwk]

would you pick a 2200 over the 2300?

 

[twiiii]

The 2300 has a dryer phono section and a moving coil input. I new Frank personally and we had a lot of things in common and we didn't always agree. He preferred tube preamps with SS amps. particularly the C-2200 with either a 7150/7300 or for all tube a 275 for efficient speakers and a MC 3500 for in efficient speakers. I am SS all the way/. But I would have to sit down and listen again, but I never liked the 2300 driving my favorite 1201 or 1.2K amps when auditioning speakers. For tubes I'd chose the C-500T for a much smoother sound than a 2300 sound. And the 2200 was even smoother in the phono stage. As for functions I would choose the C-22 III. But If I wanted the sound I had way back when I had Mc 60 amps and a C-11. I would choose the 2200 hands down with two MC 60 Power amps. With the tube rectifiers the MC 60's have an extra warm character known by some as tube bloom, that the newer current tube amps don't have. My speakers don't like tube bloom, but when early models of mine were built the MC 60 was the amp of choice. SS amps with autoformers make my speakers sound if driven by tube amps because of the low damping factors. Thats why I preferred 7200's in the past and my MC 207's now.

 

[DrStache]

Lol, I just realized this thread is 11 years old. Same things can be said now, as was back then.

Yep. I recently got a MA6300 from them and it looks as though it is mint. It is even better than I expected. I was so pleased I purchased an MT-2 turntable from them today. Derrick is who I dealt with and he couldn’t have been more helpful.