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My first McIntosh

zappafan2

zappafan2

Well-Known Member
Well after 40 years of being a music fan and having many brands of good sounding mid-fi equipment I purchased my first McIntosh. I just got a completely recapped 2105 and all I can say is Amazing, I cant believe the authority my music has now, everything is crisp and firm and I am really blown away by the sound. The 2105 is in beautiful shape, new glass, the insides look brand new, and the sides and top are in great shape. The chrome on back is just fair and with the new LED lights the face looks great except for the meters and the power light are a bit dim, otherwise the sound is just amazing and I could not be happier. It was rebuilt by an authorized factory tech in Arizona and I am glad I am not going to have to worry about anything. Now I have to save some coin for a really nice pre and I am open to suggestions from you guys. IMG_0873.JPG
 
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Congrats on your foray into the world of Blue Meters!

I agree with twiiii on your pre-amp options.
 
You may not realize this, but the MC2105 is one of the most iconic McIntosh amplifiers of all time. I've had a few over the years and greatly enjoyed them, owning my last for 15+ years.

The MC2105 is a power house, easily besting its ratings by 50% or so. It has a very smooth sound, offers great flexibility, and was the 2nd McIntosh power amplifier to be offered with a full glass faceplate with power meters. Although introduced in the late 1960s, the MC2105 can best many modern amplifier designs.

All in all, a very good place to begin your journey with McIntosh!

The C28 is the period correct preamplifier that would have been sold along with the MC2105. I have one and it has very similar sonic characteristics. It does also include a very competent phono preamp. The C28 however is a very maintenance heavy preamplifier due to its complexity. So, I'll agree with twiiii - keep an eye for a refurbished C29, great sound and nearly maintenance free.
 
What Twiiii said!

I will add that:
The C26, like the higher maintenance C28, has the matching knobs.
A properly rebuilt C-28 volume control will last for years.
The C504 has a fantastic phono section.
The C30 had a very short (for Mac) production run and is rather expensive due to its rarity.
Gordon Gow's son reports that Gordon considered the C37 the best McIntosh preamp.
 
Thanks guys, I am really loving the new amp and appreciate the suggestions for a preamp and will start researching my options. It has been a dream to own a McIntosh so needless to say I am very jazzed up about this purchase.
 
MACKIE1975 said:
To the OP
Yes the MC2105 is good but compare to what you have before.
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Well I was using a fully recapped and restored Sansui AU 717 in my system and I will tell you it is a great sounding unit and I really liked it, but as such with this hobby I wanted to try seperates. Most of my friends are no longer into music but the few that are have been trying to get me to go the seperates route over the years but I have always been happy with what I had honestly financially with kids at home and going to college I felt what I had was satisfactory. I had an uncle (no longer in the family) who had a McIntosh system when I was in high school and enjoyed that system on many occasions, it has always left an impression on me and I knew someday I would have a McIntosh system. Well that day has come for me to start, one kid graduated and has a great job and the other is almost done soon and basically on his own. I have been shopping around and looking at reviews hard for the last 6 months and pulled the trigger on this 2105. Right out of the box I knew I made a great decision, I still have a lot of listening to do but here are my initial impressions in my words. The music is so much more tight and authoritative , I am hearing better separation of instruments in the complex passages. The vocals and drums are just amazing, on many albums that I have been listening to for 35 years I am hearing many passages in a new light. My speakers are just in more control of the music if that makes sense, I am very happy with my upgrade and am also thankful for my fiance' and avid listening partner who was insistent that I not just up my power with cheaper (I am sure still great) components. She kept telling me " you have talked about McIntosh since we met and that's what you need to get" and she is a huge music fan and loves the new amp and how good her favorite lps sound. Seems to be a lot of McIntosh haters out there and that's cool but show me another brand that is so iconic and retains the value that a McIntosh unit does, there isn't one, and the sound to these ears is amazing. Very happy and proud McIntosh owner here:rockon::rockon::rockon:
 
Nice one, classic amp to reproduce some classic music....
I would go for a C29,30,33,34,40.......I have a C33 in my music room system, it was a ebay purchase, got it for $1500US and its in all original condition, and funnily enough, everything works on it. Took a gamble and it paid off.
I am going to do a bit of a resto and freshen it up, but the point is, is a lovely creamy sounding pre-amp, and a lot of pre-amp for what I paid, I love it, just as happy to use and listen to my B system as I am listening to my main system, you have taken your first step into a larger world of audio!!

At least both your meters are working!! UNLIKE my MC452 as of this morning!!
 
Welcome to Mac World. I think you will be listening to some quality sounds for a long time now. The best of luck finding a preamp you want.
 
OP - that's quite a story. My fiancé also is very supportive of my hobby. As for the haters, we just ignore them because we know better. With McIntosh gear, you'll spend more time listening to the music and less time listening to the gear.

Enjoy!
 
The MC2105 is amazing and very iconic. It is also subject to the period it was made -- and that was a while ago. It is most likely best to get a preamp from the same time. I have had the chance to check out the C37 and C39 -- both amazing, but their specs are better than the MC2105 so limited by it should you go with one of these.

I am not trying to talk you out of some of McIntosh's amazing preamplifiers, but an older one will play best with your MC2105. An older one will also be most in need of service.

I am not a good example. I have a MC2100 that has been rebuilt paired with a C712. They are not the same generation.

With mine, I find the loudness control makes a big difference pairing the two.
 
Thanks for all the great suggestions guys, well I am getting things dialed in and set where I like them. I am using a Kenwood C2 pre that I purchased here on AK from MTFLYCASTER, he completely recapped and upgraded things. It has a bunch of settings on it which most I will not use but it is sounding great, it has great reviews for its phono section and I am pleased with it for now. I am really digging my setup and the tunes are sounding great, listening to some live Zappa now, only problem I am having is wanting to turn it up :jump:
 
Just in case you want to know just how bad a C-28 is I'm enclosing a test sheet of my original C-28 I sold to Mr Parra in 1978. For a 10 or 11 year old unit it measured mighty fine especially after receiving its 3rd volume control. By the way it exceeded signal to noise specs by 6 db in the line section and 4 db in the phono section. The 28 had a very smooth warmer phono section. I preferred the dryer and quieter C-29, but a C-28 surpassed specs by a wide margin. Now my C-34 has less distortion at 1 khz, 1/3 as much at 20 hz. and about 1/20th of the distortion at 20,000KHZ. And of course the C-34 is about 4 db quieter than the 29 for the line inputs. wineries.jpeg
 
twiiii said:
Just in case you want to know just how bad a C-28 is I'm enclosing a test sheet of my original C-28 I sold to Mr Parra in 1978. For a 10 or 11 year old unit it measured mighty fine especially after receiving its 3rd volume control. By the way it exceeded signal to noise specs by 6 db in the line section and 4 db in the phono section. The 28 had a very smooth warmer phono section. I preferred the dryer and quieter C-29, but a C-28 surpassed specs by a wide margin. Now my C-34 has less distortion at 1 khz, 1/3 as much at 20 hz. and about 1/20th of the distortion at 20,000KHZ. And of course the C-34 is about 4 db quieter than the 29 for the line inputs. View attachment 1001253
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Thanks Twiiii and everyone else giving me suggestions, now I am trying to run down a connection problem or problem with amp now. Every once in awhile I will get a channel going out for just a minute or two, when the sound goes out the meter on the channel is still working. I don't know much but it seems to me the amp is getting the signal from pre and putting that signal out but there is a problem between the amps outs and the speakers in or in the speaker itself but it randomly happens to both channels. Also is it normal for my speakers driver to pulsate when powering amp on?? Once in awhile I will hear a small noise but usually driver for lack of a better term is burping. The guy I purchased amp from is being very cool with everything and he has said that is normal on this amp, they are certified McIntosh repair facility. Thanks guys, this has been a bit of a frustrating move to seperates but I am sure I will figure problem out.
 
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