No luck with McIntosh tube preamps for me

[lwschwartz]

Having had both the C1000 and C500 with the MC2301's playing through my IRS V'S, I like the C500 better. The C1000 is a great pre-amp but the switching circuitry used to allow simultaneous tube and solid state pre-amps to run is not transparent. Granted, they both sounded very similar with digital media as the resolution is not as good but when listening to vinyl with a stradivari, the differences could be heard, even though they are slight. I'll stick with the C500 until the C1100 is released.

[Jerome W]

Originally Posted by lwschwartz

Having had both the C1000 and C500 with the MC2301's playing through my IRS V'S, I like the C500 better. The C1000 is a great pre-amp but the switching circuitry used to allow simultaneous tube and solid state pre-amps to run is not transparent. Granted, they both sounded very similar with digital media as the resolution is not as good but when listening to vinyl with a stradivari, the differences could be heard, even though they are slight. I'll stick with the C500 until the C1100 is released.

This is interesting indeed.... Thanks for sharing.
Serge, if you take this for granted, you should probably pass your way and forget the C1000....
Oh I forgot, which one did you have the 1000P or the 1000T ? against a C500 P or T ? There is a big difference for me between the P and the T....

[Tonepub]

If you want some big tube warmth, I'd try a cj art 2 or art 3.... The aesthetix Callisto signature is excellent too, but it gobbles tubes.

[Tonepub]

Or consider a vintage ARC SP 10....

[wakkz]

What kind of music do you listen to Serge?

[turntable]

Serge

Did you honestly believe the bottom of the rung c220 would give you any joy, expecially after you have experienced the joys of Lamm and Ayre KXR?

And, yes even the c2300 is lean in real terms, so don't try that either.

[1KW]

Some funny material Serge. You may want to wait for the C50. It will have simillar specs of the C1000, a simillar phono stage as per Ryan. You will have flexibility with both phono , built in dacs for your MS300 , will let you use your MCD201 as a transport and you will be able to use a network hard drive or computer as a music server allowing you to use the better saber 32/196 dacs for even recording your lp's off the SME for your car and whole house system using the analog input on your sonos . The MRSP is $6500 . It also gas a 8 band equalizer.

[Alberto]

Originally Posted by PHC1

Well this is the second McIntosh tubed preamp I've had in my systems. A C2200 and now the C220. The C500P solid state actually had some very good synergy with the 2301's. Not this little guy... While the C500P sounded full bodied and well balanced tonally, the C220 has virtually no bass, lean upper mids, it sounds shrill and annoying.

Serge,

I am a bit surprised, but you have great "ears" and lots of experience so I won't argue with what you heard.

What I find surprising is that I've experienced (and I am currently experiencing) the opposite. I find the bass nice and round (especially now that I added two subs though), the mids just right (voices sound very natural) and the highs anything but shrill and annoying.

So what's going on here? It could be a number of things, I'd put the tubes at the top of the list. I've switched to Telefunkens I've ripped off form an old Fisher 400 I had and I've been listening to those for a good couple of years, the tubes that come with the C220 are noisy and well worth replacing. There is also synergy with the other components and - of course - the room AND OUR OWN EARS. Your amps, speakers (and ears) may be more resolving than mine and thus expose some inherent problems when used in conjunction with the C220.

It could also be a "bad" C220, or perhaps not well broken in. Or the cables you (and I use) I admit that did identify some shrillness when I experimented with relatively high-end (~$500) interconnects and speaker cables (I went back to my original 'home-made' speaker cables after trying several different brands.)

In any case, I don't doubt your evaluation and, frankly, while the C220 works very nicely with my setup, I am not sure I would use it with the 2301s.

One of the reasons I've stopped doing reviews (including my VeeViews video reviews) is that I realized it's rather pointless to review individual components since the rest of the system, the room, the source material and the room and our own ears ultimately have a compound effect that, in most cases, overwhelms the character of any one component - especially those with no moving parts such as pre and power amps.

Alberto (see, I still lurk around here )

P.S. I still enjoy following your (and other AAers experiences) very much.

[chessman]

Originally Posted by Alberto

Serge,

I am a bit surprised, but you have great "ears" and lots of experience so I won't argue with what you heard.

What I find surprising is that I've experienced (and I am currently experiencing) the opposite. I find the bass nice and round (especially now that I added two subs though), the mids just right (voices sound very natural) and the highs anything but shrill and annoying.

So what's going on here? It could be a number of things, I'd put the tubes at the top of the list. I've switched to Telefunkens I've ripped off form an old Fisher 400 I had and I've been listening to those for a good couple of years, the tubes that come with the C220 are noisy and well worth replacing. There is also synergy with the other components and - of course - the room AND OUR OWN EARS. Your amps, speakers (and ears) may be more resolving than mine and thus expose some inherent problems when used in conjunction with the C220.

It could also be a "bad" C220, or perhaps not well broken in. Or the cables you (and I use) I admit that did identify some shrillness when I experimented with relatively high-end (~$500) interconnects and speaker cables (I went back to my original 'home-made' speaker cables after trying several different brands.)

In any case, I don't doubt your evaluation and, frankly, while the C220 works very nicely with my setup, I am not sure I would use it with the 2301s.

One of the reasons I've stopped doing reviews (including my VeeViews video reviews) is that I realized it's rather pointless to review individual components since the rest of the system, the room, the source material and the room and our own ears ultimately have a compound effect that, in most cases, overwhelms the character of any one component - especially those with no moving parts such as pre and power amps.

Alberto (see, I still lurk around here )

P.S. I still enjoy following your (and other AAers experiences) very much.

Alberto ... This is the sort of post that makes this forum so enjoyable - educational, wise, and above all civilized.

[two dot]

Originally Posted by chessman

Alberto ... This is the sort of post that makes this forum so enjoyable - educational, wise, and above all civilized.

+1... Always good to hear from Alberto