Preamp for under $1000?

[Yggdrasill]

This is an offshoot of my earlier thread about the C32 and MX117.

Which vintage Mcintosh preamp would you choose for $1000 or less? It would be running through a MC2205.

I am new to Mac though not to vintage gear and am considering taking the plunge. Help me out.

 

[Gregory]

This is an offshoot of my earlier thread about the C32 and MX117.

Which vintage Mcintosh preamp would you choose for $1000 or less? It would be running through a MC2205. I am new to Mac though not to vintage gear and am considering taking the plunge.

You could probably land a C29 Preamp for 935 bucks using Roger Russell's reference to the LRP and the standard McIntosh electronics resale factor.. 2/3 or 0.667 of NEW. http://www.roger-russell.com/preamps.htm#c29


-Gregory

 

[jdwk]

and with a little luck, you might even get a c32 or even a c33 for less than a grand.

 

[eedork]

You can definitely get a number of different models for less than $1k. It just depends on what kind of condition they are in.

I bought a C30 locally with a smashed faceplate for $300 about three years ago. A trip to Terry's and a new faceplate brought me up to about $650 total (not including shipping to and from Terry).

I sold the C30 recently and bought a clean, tested C712 from AudioClassics (graded B1). The C712 is much newer (mid 90s) and has a remote and was just under $1k.

If you want a tested and cosmetically near perfect preamp, I'd look at the stock available from AudioClassics or mcintoshaudio.com. These will be more expensive, but they will be updated, certified, and problem free. You can save some money by taking a flier on preamp locally or online, but you may have to spend some additional cash just to get them looking and working right.

In my experience its usually better to purchase from a reputable seller, unless you find a screaming deal on something locally.

-Matt

 

[MX117.MC7150]

The C29 and newer preamps will have much better tone controls. There are several threads here detailing the problem with the C28 and older preamps having bad tone-contol/on-off switches and the difficulty in finding proper repair parts. The stepped control used in the C29 is excellent.

 

[vahe]

After using the C29 for over quarter century and getting it upgraded by Terry I now have a C15 which I bought from Terry’s partner for around $1K in practically new condition.
My goal was to get a simplest preamp with least number of buttons and controls but with the best possible S/N for a basic stereo system. I also use 2205’s in my setup, the C15 has a much quieter background compared to the upgraded C29, both C15 and C29 are the simplest McIntosh preamps (KISS) out there.

Vahe

 

[mike175gr]

I bought a C712 for my bedroom system from Audioclassics. It arrived in the factory double box looking perfect. All the lights were replaced and it sounds wonderful. I am very happy that I made that decision...