Mcintosh C26 Loudness control

[Greenowl]

Hello, I just recently bought a Mcintosh C26 preamp off craigslist. Im testing it through the toshiba amplifier but have a question about the Loudness control . When I turn it up, the volume actually goes down. I dont know if there is something Im not doing right, or if there is a problem here. I want to make sure everything is ok. so is there something weird about the mcintosh loudness control, or do I have an issue?

 

[Spidey420]

The Loudness control on units like the C26 will lower the volume when you turn it up. When you turn the loudness up, it allows you to turn the volume up, adding more body and texture to your sound. That's the best way I can explain it.

 

[Maron Horonzakz]

As you turn the volume/level down,,It then follows the fletcher/Munson curve,,Boosting the bass and to a small degree the treble,,To recover the loss your ear has at the lower volume levels,,,The Mac unit is only approximate..

 

[dewickt]

The C26 is a passive control and generates loss as a trade off for the boost, later models like the C32 have active loudness controls that maintain the volume as they are turned up.

 

[bryndildaddy]

Here's what the Roger Russell site has to say about the variable loudness on the C26:

The loudness control supplied low frequency boost to compensate for the behavior of the human ear at low listening levels. Most loudness contours were switched in with a fixed amount of contour using a tap on the volume control. The user had no control of the contour for any particular volume control setting. The C 26 had much better compensation. It provided a continuously variable contour. First, the volume was set at the highest desired listening level. Then, when the loudness control was rotated clockwise from the flat position, the volume decreased and the contour automatically increased the required amount of bass amplitude and bandwidth for the new listening level. This action provided full frequency range listening at even the lowest listening levels.

Even following that advice I found the loudness control on my C26 kinda baffling, and ended up leaving it 3/4 of the way open. This, and the relatively primitive phono stage ended up relegating my C26 to backup status. Yamaha stuff from the late 70s to mid 80s used the same (equally baffling) set up, as well.

My question is this: was there a period where McIntosh gear started having tone control bypass, or was straight wire with gain never an option?

 

[jdandy]

My question is this: was there a period where McIntosh gear started having tone control bypass, or was straight wire with gain never an option?

bryndildaddy.......Straight wire with gain is a pipe dream. It is not an option that can be chosen or avoided by any company. It does not exist except in the minds of men.

 

[bryndildaddy]

Dude, I live in Portland. Pipe dreams are as prevalent as bicycles here!

 

[titanstats]

Dude, I live in Portland. Pipe dreams are as prevalent as bicycles here!

:lmao:

 

[jdandy]

bryndildaddy......If that's Portland, Oregon I completely understand. I lived their many years. There's a brick in Pioneer Square with my name on it.