McIntosh preamp?

[TheHills44060]

What Mac did you have and what tubes did you like? I am only familiar with all the 6CG7's, 6N1P's, 6DJ8's and 396A's. The Mac's use different tubes.

I currently own the C220 preamp but I had both the C2200 and C2300 in my own system for a while so I got to dabble quite a bit. First I tried Electo-Harmonix because they were a friend's leftovers. Oddly I didn't hear much of a difference at all which made me paranoid because I thought I must be missing something. It was my first tube swap so naturally i was bummed out.

Next I tried some Ruby's that came from from a guitar amp and my first impression was that they hissed a lot more than I liked. Good crunch but I couldn't get over the background noise. Not sure if that was due to the fact that they were burned hot in the amp but nevertheless I was turned off.

I borrowed some Svetlana's which I really liked but in the end I ended up with Gold Lions. I love a warm sound but these tubes gave me the best of both worlds and kept me from diving into the overly warm pool which I tend to do sometimes.

EDIT: I never did get a chance to try Tung-Sol's which I have heard some favor in the Mac preamps.

[blackraven]

Was the C2200 detailed? Did it have good air, sound stage and transparency? Was it warm or more neutral? How as the midrange?

Thanks!

[TheHills44060]

Was the C2200 detailed? Did it have good air, sound stage and transparency? Was it warm or more neutral? How as the midrange?

Let me address air and sound stage first. The best I can describe is that I wasn't hearing a big wall of sound crashing on top of me but instead I felt like was surrounded by music in different locations on different planes yet everything melded together without being mushed together into a conglomeration. The air was there because if I chose to I could easily focus on a particular instrument and analyze it then break my concentration and enjoy the piece as a whole. Not sure if that makes any sense but it's the only way I can explain it without resorting to all useless reviewer adjectives and terminology.

Now as far as warmth vs detail that's a more slippery slope. My preference is for warmth over detail and i think I'd rate every piece of gear in my system from source to speakers to be on the warm side. What I can say is when I inserted the C2200 into the mix I didn't I feel like I turned my listening room into a quiet ski cabin with thick area rugs, giant tapestries and furry elk heads on the wall which rob high frequencies. You mentioned tone controls for taming sibilance, well the same cd's where I needed to turn down the treble with other preamps I still needed to do so with the C2200. Based on this I think it's has some pretty darn neutral qualities but since nothing is absolutely neutral I'd say a tick on the warm side.

I have used various Rotel, Adcom, Onkyo Integra, Creek, Bryston preamps in my system in the same room and the C2200 was my favorite.

[blackraven]

Thanks Hills! I am at the point that sacrificing a smidge of detail for the overall sound is worth it. I really like my X1 preamp but it is definitely missing some emotion to the music. The Mac is probably not as detailed or transparent but it sounds like it will fit the bill. It has XLR, tone controls, tubes and great reviews and heritage. It was an Stereophile class A component for what ever that is worth. And its lovely worthless blue meters.

[TheHills44060]

I was just reading reviews on the latest big Rotel units and the same complaint from owners there about the 1/8 Headphone jack. It would seem that MFGs think that everybody uses cheesy ear buds or they save $0.50 on each unit by using the 1/8 in place of the 1/4 jack. Either way, that sucks.

Wow what a sad trend. Even if for some ungodly reason I wanted to use 1/8 plug walkman headphones with a nice stereo preamp I'd still rather use a 1/8 to 1/4 adapter just for the snug connection and piece of mind. I'm always worried about that little plug snapping off.

Thanks Hills! I am at the point that sacrificing a smidge of detail for the overall sound is worth it. I really like my X1 preamp but it is definitely missing some emotion to the music. The Mac is probably not as detailed or transparent but it sounds like it will fit the bill. It has XLR, tone controls, tubes and great reviews and heritage. It was an Stereophile class A component for what ever that is worth. And its lovely worthless blue meters.

No problemo. I wish I had heard the X1 before so i could give you a precise A to B comparison but I've never known anyone with a Pass preamp however I think your gut feeling is on track. I agree that from the reputations of both companies one would think you may lose some of that initial Pass excitement and pop but gain some long term emotion and enjoyment with the C2200.

As embarrassing as it sounds the glow of the Mac really does have a soothing effect. It would be strange for me not to see the blue and green hue cast onto the floor and walls in my listening room anymore.

[frenchmon]

Thanks Hills! I am at the point that sacrificing a smidge of detail for the overall sound is worth it. I really like my X1 preamp but it is definitely missing some emotion to the music. The Mac is probably not as detailed or transparent but it sounds like it will fit the bill. It has XLR, tone controls, tubes and great reviews and heritage. It was an Stereophile class A component for what ever that is worth. And its lovely worthless blue meters.

Raven..are you still missing some mid range texture with the X1?

[frenchmon]

Raven...heres more for your consideration.

Aesthetix Calypso - Upscale Audio

Atma-Sphere MP-3 Mk II.3 with Phono & Teflon cap upgrade! - Upscale Audio

Cary Audio SLP 98L Formula One with HT Bypass! - Upscale Audio

[blackraven]

Yes, the X1 is a little thin in the midrange. That Atma Sphere preamp looks like a great deal and it is enticing. I have looked a an MP-3 pre before. But it has no remote which is a deal breaker because I an too lazy to get up and change the volume after a long day at work. It also has only one pair of outputs and no sub out.

I am going to go over to my local Mac dealer later today and give a listen to some of their preamps to help me decide on the C2200.

[frenchmon]

I currently own the C220 preamp but I had both the C2200 and C2300 in my own system for a while so I got to dabble quite a bit. First I tried Electo-Harmonix because they were a friend's leftovers. Oddly I didn't hear much of a difference at all which made me paranoid because I thought I must be missing something. It was my first tube swap so naturally i was bummed out.

Next I tried some Ruby's that came from from a guitar amp and my first impression was that they hissed a lot more than I liked. Good crunch but I couldn't get over the background noise. Not sure if that was due to the fact that they were burned hot in the amp but nevertheless I was turned off.

I borrowed some Svetlana's which I really liked but in the end I ended up with Gold Lions. I love a warm sound but these tubes gave me the best of both worlds and kept me from diving into the overly warm pool which I tend to do sometimes.

EDIT: I never did get a chance to try Tung-Sol's which I have heard some favor in the Mac preamps.

In my system the Gold Lion where leaning towards more of a lively presentation pared with NOS Telefunken than I cared for in my preamp. And Mullards/Telefunken where great until I put the NOS Valvo tubes in the amp. Those Valvos are great! I am now waiting a set of Tungsram NOS.

Raven...what tubes are in the McIntosh?