C712 back from the Upgrade Company

[Vintage Pete]

Originally Posted by David

Yes in stock at McIntosh, and they're shipping via UPS ground . Well packed I'm sure.

I've seen how McIntosh packs their glass, and it is very well done. Being much lighter in weight than an actual unit, you shouldn't have a problem....hopefully!

Good luck!

Pete

[Still-One]

Originally Posted by Vintage Pete

I've seen how McIntosh packs their glass, and it is very well done. Being much lighter in weight than an actual unit, you shouldn't have a problem....hopefully!

Good luck!

Pete

Pete is correct. When McIntosh shipped me replacement glass for one of my 501's I previously owned, it was packaged well and very light.

Jim

[AudioNut]

Originally Posted by David

According to David Schulte, it will need about 600 hours of burn in.

Now, with only a few hours, I would say it has more bass thrust and sounds more dynamic than before. The mid range and highs are now tight with the sound stage as before or possibly slightly constricted. I expect it to open up substantially during burn in.

Good luck with the sound of your modified C712. As I reported in an earlier post, (http://audioaficionado.org/home-thea...sh-mvp871.html) I had a MVP871 player modified by the Upgrade Company, and I couldn't be happier.

I now have a couple hundred hours of playing time on the unit and it continues to get better and better. Soundstaging, Imaging and Tonality are all outstanding - almost better than vinyl!!!!

[David]

Originally Posted by jprice

Good luck with the sound of your modified C712. As I reported in an earlier post, (http://audioaficionado.org/home-thea...sh-mvp871.html) I had a MVP871 player modified by the Upgrade Company, and I couldn't be happier.

I now have a couple hundred hours of playing time on the unit and it continues to get better and better. Soundstaging, Imaging and Tonality are all outstanding - almost better than vinyl!!!!

I hope I will be as pleased as you are. Perhaps we have some volunteers who own stock late model Mac Pre-amps who would want to A/B them. I would love to compare it to a C500 or C45 or C46, once it is fully burned in next month. I am in NYC, any one from NJ, eastern Pa, southern Ct who would like to do this? I will bring the wine, beer, pizza, Chinese or whatever.

[Gordon]

Originally Posted by David

I hope I will be as pleased as you are. Perhaps we have some volunteers who own stock late model Mac Pre-amps who would want to A/B them. I would love to compare it to a C500 or C45 or C46, once it is fully burned in next month. I am in NYC, any one from NJ, eastern Pa, southern Ct who would like to do this? I will bring the wine, beer, pizza, Chinese or whatever.

I'm in Southern Maryland and don't meet any of the requirements of your AB but sounds like a hell of a party Wine, beer, pizza, Chinese or whatever sounds like a heck of an afternoon or evening! I'll bring an appetite for good food and drink!

Gordon

[mike175gr]

I am curious what the differences shake out to be. I have a C712 in my 2nd set up. I like it quite a bit and have it paired with a MC7270.

[miner]

I checked on an upgrade for my C2200 - it was going to run about $1K. I am seriously thinking about it. If all goes well, I will then have my MC252 done.

[80B]

This whole phenomenon of upgrading equipment like Mcintosh is a bit perplexing. Take Julian's MVP871 for instance. It's an MSRP $4,500 player, and the UC charges $1,000 for the upgrade. Let's assume McIntosh could do the same upgrades to the parts for $500-$600 additional price to the unit (cost of new less cost of old, likely stronger buying power than the UC). If the upgrade is truly significant, wouldn't McIntosh incorporate that into their product? It's already expensive, and the additional price probably would not deter many customer.

I'm not saying the upgrades are not effective or worth it - I'm happy for both David and Julian's good results. I'm also tempted to do it myself someday. The mystery seems that McIntosh doesn't have the upgraded components to begin with, given its premium market position and proven engineering excellence. A significant improvement in sound should also garner more passionate reviews. Then again, there inevitably would be somebody doing upgrades and/or tinkering no matter what - they do it with Porsche and other top-quality automobiles. So, if anyone wants to contradict me, I've beaten him to the punch!

[es347]

What did the upgrade cost?

[es347]

Originally Posted by 80B

This whole phenomenon of upgrading equipment like Mcintosh is a bit perplexing. Take Julian's MVP871 for instance. It's an MSRP $4,500 player, and the UC charges $1,000 for the upgrade. Let's assume McIntosh could do the same upgrades to the parts for $500-$600 additional price to the unit (cost of new less cost of old, likely stronger buying power than the UC). If the upgrade is truly significant, wouldn't McIntosh incorporate that into their product? It's already expensive, and the additional price probably would not deter many customer.

I'm not saying the upgrades are not effective or worth it - I'm happy for both David and Julian's good results. I'm also tempted to do it myself someday. The mystery seems that McIntosh doesn't have the upgraded components to begin with, given its premium market position and proven engineering excellence. A significant improvement in sound should also garner more passionate reviews. Then again, there inevitably would be somebody doing upgrades and/or tinkering no matter what - they do it with Porsche and other top-quality automobiles. So, if anyone wants to contradict me, I've beaten him to the punch!

I recall in a aftermarket power cord thread someone saying that McIntosh's position on PCs was, to paraphrase, "our components work best with the pcs we provide", or some such. MAC also has never, as I recall, been a big proponent of exotic cables using fairly ordinary cabling in demos. Could it likewise be that MAC doesn't see the value in installing "exotic" R,L and Cs in their designs? But what do they know?!