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MX117 or C47 preamp with MC152?

A

aawhite

New Member
Hey, just wanted opinions on if users here would think pairing my current vintage MX117 with a new MC152 I ordered would be as appropriate as a new (used) C47. In terms of sound quality...

The MX117 is working great, but has never been serviced (that I know of). Part of me is leaning towards the C47 bc I'd like to use my laptop via USB. That said, I would miss the Tuner slightly.

Thanks in advance.
 
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If you're concerned about looks, then I consider the C47 a better match with the MC152. If you'd miss the MX117 tuner, then I would just get it serviced and use it as a tuner along with the C47 and MC152. I'm guessing you might want to sell the MX117 in order to purchase the C47.
 
eiraved said:
If you're concerned about looks, then I consider the C47 a better match with the MC152. If you'd miss the MX117 tuner, then I would just get it serviced and use it as a tuner along with the C47 and MC152. I'm guessing you might want to sell the MX117 in order to purchase the C47.
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I would say looks aside... Really just wondering if the MX117 will take full advantage of the new MC152 power amp in terms of sound quality, or would the modern C47 be more appropriate.
 
aawhite said:
I would say looks aside... Really just wondering if the MX117 will take full advantage of the new MC152 power amp in terms of sound quality, or would the modern C47 be more appropriate.
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I think the MX117 would work well with the MC152, especially if fully serviced.
 
The C47 in good condition (no issues) will be better in every way, sans tuner

Quieter, USB inputs, balanced/XLR outputs to match your new amp, remote control (including amplifier power, I don’t see any reason to plug the MX117 in ever again unless you want a tuner.
 
SaturationPt said:
The C47 in good condition (no issues) will be better in every way, sans tuner

Quieter, USB inputs, balanced/XLR outputs to match your new amp, remote control (including amplifier power, I don’t see any reason to plug the MX117 in ever again unless you want a tuner.
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Yeah, this is kind of where I’m leaning…
 
Does the C47 (or any modern preamp) have a noticeable improvement in sound quality? If so, can you describe the difference?

Thanks everyone, this is very helpful
 
I am interested in the responses to the sonic differences, but I’m betting there is already something audible with your new amplifier, any impression from that change?
 
aawhite said:
Hey, just wanted opinions on if users here would think pairing my current vintage MX117 with a new MC152 I ordered would be as appropriate as a new (used) C47. In terms of sound quality...

The MX117 is working great, but has never been serviced (that I know of). Part of me is leaning towards the C47 bc I'd like to use my laptop via USB. That said, I would miss the Tuner slightly.

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Well looks like I got here too late. Wish I had got here before you made your order to make you aware, at least, of some C47 issues.

Control Problems
I have minor reliability issue on my C47 - in my case, the rotary input selector on the front panel selects sources at random rather than sequentially - you have to keep rotating it until it randomly lands on the source you want. The input selector on the remote works correctly and this can be fixed when I get around to it - so minor. I think these kind of issues are not uncommon on the modern preamps. So as soon as you get your C47, make sure all the controls work right in case you need to seek recourse for any issues with the seller.

USB DAC Input bug
You said you want to use your computer USB as a source but the C47's built-in DAC has an unfixable bug when using the USB digital input - it cuts off the 1st second or so at the beginning of a digital track in some cases. This is a design flaw and no fix is offered / available / possible. (I recall the DA1 module in other preamps had the same issue fixed only by replacing with a DA2 but there's no recourse in the C47.) This bug does not affect the coax or optical digital inputs which work fine.

So if you're already using your computer USB digital output with the MX117, you must already have an external DAC. You can continue to use that DAC with one of the C47's analog inputs. But other than the bug, the C47 DAC sounds really good, so if it beats your existing DAC's sound, you may just want to use the C47 DAC and live with the bug.

I think this initial 1-second cut off only happens when the input changes from one recording (file) to another (maybe with a different bit rate) so if you play an entire album, only the first second of the first track is missed. So, right after a new albums starts and you lose the 1st second, you can just restart and you will hear the start and the whole album just fine. But if you make your own mixes where each song is from a different file or bit rate, this bug would probably be annoying.

Other than those issues, the C47 is what you're expecting based on the above posts. If you play vinyl, the phono section is excellent and very quiet, even with the MC input.

Let us know.
 
TSmith8605 said:
Well looks like I got here too late. Wish I had got here before you made your order to make you aware, at least, of some C47 issues.

Control Problems
I have minor reliability issue on my C47 - in my case, the rotary input selector on the front panel selects sources at random rather than sequentially - you have to keep rotating it until it randomly lands on the source you want. The input selector on the remote works correctly and this can be fixed when I get around to it - so minor. I think these kind of issues are not uncommon on the modern preamps. So as soon as you get your C47, make sure all the controls work right in case you need to seek recourse for any issues with the seller.

USB DAC Input bug
You said you want to use your computer USB as a source but the C47's built-in DAC has an unfixable bug when using the USB digital input - it cuts off the 1st second or so at the beginning of a digital track in some cases. This is a design flaw and no fix is offered / available / possible. (I recall the DA1 module in other preamps had the same issue fixed only by replacing with a DA2 but there's no recourse in the C47.) This bug does not affect the coax or optical digital inputs which work fine.

So if you're already using your computer USB digital output with the MX117, you must already have an external DAC. You can continue to use that DAC with one of the C47's analog inputs. But other than the bug, the C47 DAC sounds really good, so if it beats your existing DAC's sound, you may just want to use the C47 DAC and live with the bug.

I think this initial 1-second cut off only happens when the input changes from one recording (file) to another (maybe with a different bit rate) so if you play an entire album, only the first second of the first track is missed. So, right after a new albums starts and you lose the 1st second, you can just restart and you will hear the start and the whole album just fine. But if you make your own mixes where each song is from a different file or bit rate, this bug would probably be annoying.

Other than those issues, the C47 is what you're expecting based on the above posts. If you play vinyl, the phono section is excellent and very quiet, even with the MC input.

Let us know.
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Hey, thanks for that awesome details. I haven’t ordered a new preamp yet, the MC152 is the amp in the mail… I plan to get it all going with the MX117 and see how it goes.

I have a Topping D90 DAC, that I like, but I assume the C47 DAC would be far superior?

I did see a post you made regarding the 1sec mute on USB, I thought I read somewhere that firmware updates solved this? My source would be Apple Music lossless (and vinyl).

The Input selector issue would be VERY annoying… I hope they solved that with FW also. Do you happen to recall what version you were running?

Thanks in advance, great help.
 
aawhite said:
Will let you know, it’s in shipment! I’m certain there will be a change. Current amp is a Parasound A23+
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Will be interesting to hear how the Parasound compares with the MC152 (using the C47).

If you keep your MX, you can still use the tuner section by plugging the MX tape output into the C47 "tuner" input. The MX might also be handy as a spare or for controlling a second system, say in another room.

I'm not a big fan of streaming radio stations, they mostly use 96-kbps feeds (highly digitally compressed from about 1,420-ish-kbps stream that comes off a CD). 96-kbps streams usually just give me a headache when played on high-resolution sound systems. I prefer analog FM, although the SQ of FM depends on a whole lot of stuff most of which you can't control. I think some (a very few) stations stream at the full 1,400-ish kbps rate which should be pretty good.
 
aawhite said:
Hey, thanks for that awesome details. I haven’t ordered a new preamp yet, the MC152 is the amp in the mail… I plan to get it all going with the MX117 and see how it goes.

I have a Topping D90 DAC, that I like, but I assume the C47 DAC would be far superior?

I did see a post you made regarding the 1sec mute on USB, I thought I read somewhere that firmware updates solved this? My source would be Apple Music lossless (and vinyl).

The Input selector issue would be VERY annoying… I hope they solved that with FW also. Do you happen to recall what version you were running?

Thanks in advance, great help.
Click to expand...

There were rumors of a firmware fix for the C47 DAC bug but it never came. A McIntosh rep. confirmed to me directly that no fix is possible.

I've not heard the Topping DAC so I cannot say how it compares to the C47. You can compare them if you get the C47.

To be clear, the input switch is a defective switch only in my unit and not a universal design flaw. It can be fixed by replacing the switch. Yours will likely not have this issue. So I'm just saying be aware of this kind of stuff - probably with any new Mc preamp although my C220 has been perfect for coming up on 20 years now. If you can demo the unit before you buy it, do so and check for stuff like this.

Otherwise, a fantastic sounding preamp.
 
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