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McIntosh Conundrum

M

Marbs34

New Member
I have never heard McIntosh equipment, Id like to though. Below is what I am considering doing, read a bit further below that and I'll pose a question that I would appreciate some feedback on.

I'm considering attaining a C26 Preamp and an MC (something you might suggest) power amp. Again I have never heard any McIntosh gear.

I use a Luxman Pd277 turntable with MM cart, a Cambridge DVD player for an SACD transport and Yamaha WXC-50 for streaming sources.

I"m currently using a Marantz SR5100 from about '81 playing into some re foamed, New Large Advents that have had a tweeter replacement and I doubt have ever been re-capped.

I feel as though the Marantz doesn't have the power the Advents need and I'd like to supply them with more.

Another option is to simply buy a New Cambridge Evo 150 or an NAD M10 v2

What would I be gaining with McIntosh VS new in a similar or 2x price range besides chassis weight?

Thanks
 
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BamaBilly said:
With vintage Mac vs new you’ll be getting most if not ALL of your money back. Mcintosh gear ages well and fetches really good money for used equipment. If you buy it right, you won’t lose a dime.
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That's what got me to try the brand. If you buy gently used gear, it's like a free test drive for as long as you want.
 
To match the looks and from the same era you have 2 options. MC2505 50wpc & MC2105 105wpc. They are both excellent amps and MC2505 is easier to move around but the minimal price difference between the two amps considering twice the power with MC2105, the better value per wpc is the 2105 hands down!
 
nolasally said:
To match the looks and from the same era you have 2 options. MC2505 50wpc & MC2105 105wpc. They are both excellent amps and MC2505 is easier to move around but the minimal price difference between the two amps considering twice the power with MC2105, the better value per wpc is the 2105 hands down!
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I wouldn’t count out the non metered 2120 either. Sonically just as good just no meters.
 
Agree with everything said here. Just make sure the gear you do get has been sufficiently restored by a qualified tech(assuming you're not planning on doing it yourself). It's all very old, so having somebody who is familiar with them be able to get them on a bench and test them, changing out parts that need changing out, will save you a lot of aggravation going forward.
 
The 2100 is the 2105 without meters, the 250 is the 2505 without meters, ... ~130Wpc and 72Wpc respectively (per McIntosh and independent tests).

You'll be gaining sound quality, in the metered units you're gaining the brand's trademark blue-meter / black glass styling, you'll gain quality and durability, and as mentioned above good resale (although the same can be said of any of the higher-line Pioneer, marantz, etc. units from the "silver face" era as they are currently enjoying good resale / appreciation).

However, the weakest link in the chain determines sound quality, if your speakers are in need of restoration and repairs (for example) you can't expect to hook them up to an excellent amp or preamp and hear what you should, you likely will be disappointed. The same from the source side.

As far as the preamp? If you were near me I'd try to talk you into buying my C28 of course!! However, buying an older preamp comes with its liability, if it hasn't been serviced and "recapped" then it will need to be.
 
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SaturationPt said:
The 2100 is the 2105 without meters, the 250 is the 2505 without meters, ... ~130Wpc and 72Wpc respectively (per McIntosh and independent tests).

You'll be gaiing sound quality, in the metered units you're gaining the brand's trademark blue-meter / black glass styling, you'll gain quality and durability, and as mentioned above good resale (although the same can be said of any of the higher-line Pioneer, marantz, etc. units from the "silver face" era as they are currently enjoying good resale / appreciation).

However, the weakest link in the chain determines sound quality, if your speakers are in need of restoration and repairs (for example) you can't expect to hook them up to an excellent amp or preamp and hear what you should, you likely will be disappointed. The same from the source side.

As far as the preamp? If you were near me I'd try to talk you into buying my C28 of course!! However, buying an older preamp comes with its liability, if it hasn't been serviced and "recapped" then it will need to be.
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Amen. Choose your techs right, Marbs, let them thoroughly test the components, pay time its due, and You. Are. Rolling. The Advents seem time appropriate, which in itself is a plus, at least to me; they look a lot as my own Dynaco A25s. I wonder if I should have them recapped, but they sound great, and I digress. I love my C28, which I new for years from a friend's magnificent Klipsch cornwalled, tubed, system; never heard a C26, sure it's A-ok. And the MC2105 is, well. The love of my life. Then again, it's my honeymoon.
 
Marbs, if you shared your location, you might get an invitation to listen to someone else's McIntosh.
I'm a new Mc owner. Beyond really, really nice sound quality, I've got pride of ownership. I'm finally the guy
teenage Steve dreamed about being. Beyond listening, I like looking at my gear, and like the fact that is
was made here in the US. That means something tangible to me.

Steve
 
The older amps sound great on pretty well self damped speakers like your advents. By the way I owned both 2100's and 2105's and they both put out the same power when new which was about 135 watts per channel. The 2505 that I still have still puts out over 70 watts.

I still the prefer the Mac amps without autoformers because my speakers perform better with higher damping factors. But not to high Like I got from Crown and Krell amps. It wasn't till the MC7200 came along that I was happy. Thats when I dumped the Crown amps. My two MC 207's carry on that tradition for the HT system. And because I didn't feel like lifting a MC 462 and would be using 4 ohm stereo speakers I chose two MC 830's instead for my all Mcintosh stereo system. MC 2505, MPI-4, MR-80, C-34V MQ 107, MP 100, MCD 550, two MC 830's and XRT 28's. Mac doesn't make a TT with a linear arm So I have kept my Thorens TD 125, and Rabco tone arm. I use a professional Marantz CD recorder, a SAE program EQ and DBX 119 and 3bx dynamic processors with the Stereo system, too. The one processor on the C-34 is colored so I don't use it any more except for streaming broadcasts where the colorization is of no significance. On and I have a MB 20 for an alternative connection to the internet. The Apple TV is the main connection for the HT system. and HI FI system.
 
IndyDucati said:
Marbs, if you shared your location, you might get an invitation to listen to someone else's McIntosh.
I'm a new Mc owner. Beyond really, really nice sound quality, I've got pride of ownership. I'm finally the guy
teenage Steve dreamed about being. Beyond listening, I like looking at my gear, and like the fact that is
was made here in the US. That means something tangible to me.

Steve
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Steve,

I live near Destin, FL. Where I would imagine someone might have a system nearby.

I really feel like ordering from a place like Audio Classics will be the easiest entry for me due to the relative isolation of my location as far as availability in shops and also repair shops.

Is there a better/ other option besides reverb or ebay?

Thank you to all of the other replies as well. It certainly makes a purchase easier knowing that with my own care resell value will be unlikely to diminish. I've also considered how changing out a DAC/ streamer is much more reasonable than replacing your entire integrated amplifier.
 
Marbs34 said:
I have never heard McIntosh equipment, Id like to though. Below is what I am considering doing, read a bit further below that and I'll pose a question that I would appreciate some feedback on.

I'm considering attaining a C26 Preamp and an MC (something you might suggest) power amp. Again I have never heard any McIntosh gear.

I use a Luxman Pd277 turntable with MM cart, a Cambridge DVD player for an SACD transport and Yamaha WXC-50 for streaming sources.

I"m currently using a Marantz SR5100 from about '81 playing into some re foamed, New Large Advents that have had a tweeter replacement and I doubt have ever been re-capped.

I feel as though the Marantz doesn't have the power the Advents need and I'd like to supply them with more.

Another option is to simply buy a New Cambridge Evo 150 or an NAD M10 v2

What would I be gaining with McIntosh VS new in a similar or 2x price range besides chassis weight?

Thanks
Click to expand...

C26 along with a few other Mc preamps of that general era has it's power switch combined with the volume control - meaning that every time the unit is switched on or off, the volume control is rotated through lower part of it's rotation. This causes the controls to wear and not work correctly (either mis-tracking between channels or drops at certain points in the control's rotation). If the C26 has this problem, it will be difficult or impossible to fix. People have tried both rebuilding the original control or replacements but neither approach seems to work.

Note that if the damage is not too bad, you can live with this issue as only a minor inconvience. So check out the control on which ever C26 you buy.

To amplify post 6, a preamp this old would require that the power supply and other components (capacitors) be replaced and you'd want to see receipts for any recent service including when, by whom, what exactly was done and showing bench test results. If the preamp has not been restored, pay less and leave budget to have the work done yourself. Aside from the volume control issue, all this service stuff applies to the amplifiers suggested above.

Once properly restored, these units will provide years of service and you will get the McIntosh sound.

Based on my own experience and what I've seen posted in this forum, Audio Classics would be an excellent place to buy as they provide a 1-year guarantee that the units will operate correctly and are also well qualified to do any required restoration. If you buy a C26 from them, ask them about the volume control and I suspect you'll get an honest answer.

I don't wish to discourage you, just want you to be aware of these issues (in case you're not already) so that you will have a good experience.

I'd take (properly restored) Mc equipment over the NAD or Cambridge stuff if budget allows.
 
TSmith8605 said:
C26 along with a few other Mc preamps of that general era has it's power switch combined with the volume control - meaning that every time the unit is switched on or off, the volume control is rotated through lower part of it's rotation. This causes the controls to wear and not work correctly (either mis-tracking between channels or drops at certain points in the control's rotation). If the C26 has this problem, it will be difficult or impossible to fix. People have tried both rebuilding the original control or replacements but neither approach seems to work.

Note that if the damage is not too bad, you can live with this issue as only a minor inconvience. So check out the control on which ever C26 you buy.

To amplify post 6, a preamp this old would require that the power supply and other components (capacitors) be replaced and you'd want to see receipts for any recent service including when, by whom, what exactly was done and showing bench test results. If the preamp has not been restored, pay less and leave budget to have the work done yourself. Aside from the volume control issue, all this service stuff applies to the amplifiers suggested above.

Once properly restored, these units will provide years of service and you will get the McIntosh sound.

Based on my own experience and what I've seen posted in this forum, Audio Classics would be an excellent place to buy as they provide a 1-year guarantee that the units will operate correctly and are also well qualified to do any required restoration. If you buy a C26 from them, ask them about the volume control and I suspect you'll get an honest answer.

I don't wish to discourage you, just want you to be aware of these issues (in case you're not already) so that you will have a good experience.

I'd take (properly restored) Mc equipment over the NAD or Cambridge stuff if budget allows.
Click to expand...
Terrific info thank you
 
@Marbs34 I run a C26 regularly and preferred it to the C28 I once had. Just never turn off at preamp. Use a line condition to turn it on and off along with your other gear.
 
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