the C1100 ... first impressions..

[Zarathoustra00]

Thanks for your feedback. Excellent points !

[Sandor]

May I ask you the lifetime of the tubes in the C1100 ? How often do you need to replace them and it the operation easy ?

I am considering buying the C1100 in the forthcoming months. Has anyone something to say to prevent me from doing this ?

Thanks !

[W9TR]

Originally Posted by Zarathoustra00

Dear friends,

The thread is a pleasure to read. I love the C1100.

However, it has been around for about 6 years. Do you know if a replacement is to be expected soon ? I am interested only in the analog features, so the new one might not be better for me anyway.

What do you tyink ?

Best regards.

FYI

C 1000 was introduced in 2005
C 1100 was introduced in 2015

Ten years between that last TOTL preamp intros.

[Sandor]

Is this the kind of gear you can let switched on all the time (as I do with my SS preamps) without having to change the tubes every 6 months ? Is it a costly/time consuming operation ?
Thanks !

[SAM992]

Originally Posted by W9TR

FYI

C 1000 was introduced in 2005
C 1100 was introduced in 2015

Ten years between that last TOTL preamp intros.

yeah, and technology is even progressing at a slower pace now than in 2015...

This is about as timeless a McIntosh unit as you're ever going to find... apex of what we can do now in terms of tube pre-amps.

[JBT]

I doubt there's much difference from the C1000 and the C1100. The C1100 might have better measurements on the bench but I don't think the human ear could hear it.

[Delmac]

Originally Posted by Sandor

Is this the kind of gear you can let switched on all the time (as I do with my SS preamps) without having to change the tubes every 6 months ? Is it a costly/time consuming operation ?
Thanks !

I’ve only had my C1100 for a couple weeks now (ordered in November), but with my previous C2600 I just left it off when not listening. Doesn’t take more than 15 minutes or so that I thought to sound optimal

[crwilli]

Originally Posted by Sandor

Is this the kind of gear you can let switched on all the time (as I do with my SS preamps) without having to change the tubes every 6 months ? Is it a costly/time consuming operation ?

Thanks !

I wouldn’t.

Tubes in the C1100 I believe, are expected to last up to 10,000 hours. So you could leave it on 24x7 for over a year.

But why would you want to do that? As mentioned above, in my experience, my C-1100 stabilized quickly, like in minutes.

Changing the tubes is not difficult if you have the patience to be careful and take your time. Once you do it a few times, it won’t take more than 10 minutes. Of course, if you keep it off when not in use, you won’t have to change your tues for a few years.

[W9TR]

I don’t keep my C 1100 on when I’m not listening. I’ve even got the auto shutoff feature enabled so it turns off after 30’minutes of no music.

I bought mine a year after they came out so it is about five years old. I am still on the original set of McIntosh tubes.

I did roll in a set of Gold Lion gold pin tubes and couldn’t hear any difference so I put the factory tubes back in.

[Sandor]

Hi,
Has anyone had the chance to make a comparison between the McIntosh C-1100 and the EAR 912 ? I assume their prices should be quite close in the US (In France the EAR is 30% less expensive). I like both but have never had the opportunity to compare them directly.
The Mc is better finished but I like the vintage look of the EAR without any microprocessor inside...
Best.