3 Luxury McIntosh Preamps sound review and comparison C1100, C2300, C22,
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- Опубликовано: 21 авг 2024
- In this Video you get to compare Sound Recordings from 3 of the best High-end McIntosh preamplifiers. McIntosh C1100, C2300, C22 Get your Headphones ready and help me decide on which one to keep.
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My pick is…your cat! Coolest cat ever.
Cats are cheaper to buy than are McIntosh preamps!
The C1100 has a fully balanced topology to go along with McIntosh Quad Balanced power amps. I have it paired with the McIntosh MC1.25KW after changing over 20 amps, speakers etc over 25 years, this is the first time I have no urge to upgrade anymore. The MC1.25KW amps are something else! I have Sonus faber Olympica Nova V Speakers will upgrade them in the future but the amps are here to stay.
C22+275 = the American dream.
They are all Excellent. The Choice for me is between C1100 and C22! Your DIY speakers are awesome ,Thank you! 👍👍👍
I have a c22. The simple switches and retro look were what got me hooked. Sound? As good as any other on my system. The phono input even with my low output mc is as good as I've heard.
I loved the C22
It’s a fantastic video. I think the most refined is the C1100. It’s detailed, 3D and musical. I don’t really like the c2300 because even though it gives a lot of everything, it’s more hifi than the others. Almost V-shaped and a little bit hard. The C22 is less hifi but sweet, coherent and musical with a big midrange, even though it’s less transparent and a bit wholly . They’re closer than I would have thought but there are differences indeed. I wonder if C22 is volume matched.
C22 gets my vote.
I think the C22 sounds more like a solid state, it's firmer and doesn't swing like other models. While the mid bass c2200 feels more pounding. The c1100 mid high is the most swinging and exposed. If i were you i would keep c1100 and c22
I bought the c22. Sound was as good and the style cemented the deal. Dead quiet mc input.
That is great I still miss my C22
Since my stereo sounds better than my headphones I ran the RUclips through my stereo system. First time I had to listen to make sure you weren't just changing the pictures they all sound pretty close. I was finally able to hear some differences. On the first tune (on my system) I preferred the 2300 over the C22 during the drum intro. The C22 seemed less full compared to the 2300. The C1100 came across fuller yet but I seemed to like the C2300 better. I don't much care the second song and it was harder for me to tell differences on the third song.
Great video.
I found with good headphones on a pc with good sound the differences were clear. I also found C2300 and C22 very similar. I found the C2300 wooly and having a bass bump that is not well defined. While the C22 is similar, I found it a little clearer and perhaps slightly more musical. Many will prefer these as they have the old school bass heavy McIntosh sound.
The C1100 is the clear winner for me. Very transparent resulting in less perceived bass but simply better defined and textured. It's a question of taste between the C1100 and the C22. The C2300 would be eliminated. For me, I'd take the C1100 if money was no object.
Yes I preferred the 1100 hands down. With headphones it had more clarity which in turn gives more depth, bigger soundstage and more engaging. Between the 2300 and the 22 very close, I might take the c22 just for its history. Nice old school look and function
What about the C52 preamp? Are they any good ?
I love the C-22 sound. I have a very similar C-11 which I love as well.
Yes the c22 is special
C1100, C22, C2300 for me.
In my opinion, it is better to check all in a very technical system first, then i perfer c2300 with my 37 years of my experience in live audio engineering that was a little bit more dynamic and a little bit live thank you for this work I wish I could have one in iran
in this situation i think you can choose based on looks features and price as i dont think the differences would be missed, if it were me id keep the c22 as it looks better with the 275s
I find the C22 to be forward, I like it out of the two.. Pared with a MC 2105 one would have a fabulous match with say , a set of Klipsch Cornwalls or JBL 4333's..
No contest. The 1100 has the edge, at least from where I'm sitting. The reverb on those midranges of the vocals and keyboards is so much brighter with the 1100 than the other amps, it literally is louder. Maybe that's why you felt the bass on the 1100 wasn't as good as the 2300?
I listened on two sources, since I don't have headphones last night I listened on my tv and just now through my system (cambridge audio amp, dac, with Yamaha NS-10m speakers, and subwoofer). It was the same result for me.
The reason I listened on my tv is from my musician days, we would listen to recordings we'd made on a variety of systems, just to make sure the recordings sounded as good as possible on everything, no matter the quality.
But what I'm interested in is the function of those Mc275s, don't they perform the function of the power amp, or are they just better? If they do the same thing, then what's the point of the power amp? Sorry. Beginner question. I'm new to the world of high end hifi. Thanks for the great content!
Crank up the cerwin Vegas, with the Mac!
the C1100 is probably as good as it gets in my view..
The C1100 is discontinued and has been replaced by the C12000, which can operate in either tube mode or solid-state mode. Even in tube mode, it supposedly (according to reviewers) sounds much different than the C1100, as the C12000 sounds more like the MA12000 hybrid-integrated amp with a tube pre-amp stage and solid state power amp stage.
Nice video, well conceived and produced. I have bottom of the line separates, C49 preamp an MC 152 power amp paired with the MCT 500 SACD/CD transport. (I use the MCT/din connector between the onboard C49 DAC for disc playback and a 🦞BlueSound Node streamer for Qobuz streaming.)
Speakers are “lowly” Sonus Faber Lumina IIs. So, all solid state and the kicker is this system is installed on my sailboat. Even with the constraints of cabin geometry the music sounds wonderful to my old ears. I don’t think you can go wrong with anyone of the three preamps, my aesthetics favor the C22 with the MC 275s.
Nice system and Thanks 🙏
C-22 all day long. More musical.
Doesn't the 2300 have the DAC chip? The 22 is the same without DAC? The 1100 is in a class of it's own, probability the best sounding $14,000.00 preamp in the world at this point in time.
No, the C2300 is fully analog.
The C22 was much more detailed and fuller and just sounded better than the C1100 & C2300. Would like to hear a Luxman M900-U or even the M-10 X and C 900 -U preamp with these speakers, well if we are going high end we can all have our particular wish list of components.
Coming soon!
C1100 has a greater separation of instruments, but through good headphones, I would go for price.
Thanks for posting this Clint. Have you or any of your viewers yet developed any listening impressions about the two upgradable DACs that McIntosh makes..the DA1,found in this M49 Preamp, and the newer DA2?
Thanks,
David-
Would go for C1100
LOVE the Cat
C22... !
Amazing thorough video and beautiful setup! Subscribed.
The ultime perfection ! Brilliant ! A must !
Hello from Montreal, I have the C2600 tube preamp and the MC462 amplifier. It’s my first time that went with separates so I chose Mcintosh as a safe bet for it’s sound quality and that it keeps it’s price. Two things about the preamp one being that it’s very sparse inside. A big box with very little inside not what I expected. Definitely no hand to hand wiring, more like the inside of a printer. The C2300 probably looks the same inside.
Another thing that I found was a noticeable clicking noise when I used both built in mm and mc phono inputs at higher volumes. Even with no phono connected to the amp, if you turn the volume up you will see on the uv meters and hear a noticeable clicking sound out of the speakers. I took the amp to the shop, we tested the tubes all fine. Then we tried the same test on other preamps in the store. We tried a newer C2700 and even a used high end preamp by another company all made this noise with their built in phono preamp. The owner of the store was shocked. Any idea? Have you come across this issue?
Is there something inherent about built in phono preamps? Are they too sensitive?
I just thought I’d ask you. Thank you/Merci
I noticed the same even my $15000 C1100 preamp
The reason is you are amplifying phono by a 10000 times a Mc cartridge is around 0.2 mv and you want to get to 2 v
So the tiniest noise or hum gets also amplified
The signal to noise ratio is poor but if you don’t crank the volume it is acceptable
But that is phono it is a love hate relationship
Hope that helps :)
@@Gabster1 Thanks for the reply. Does this issue happen with a external phono preamp? I've never tried or used one just what's in the Mcintosh.
I would choose the C2300 overall.
I looked at the c1100 it was very nice but I really wish mac would've done a tube line stage. I don't use turntables so the phono stage is a waste and all the tubes stay on all the time. I'm using it inside a Home theater system the bypass. I settled on the Conrad Johnson gat2, got a really good price. I do have mac Mono blocks MC 611 600 W and they seem nice. I'm intrigued by your do it yourself speakers
I'm gonna spend time listening to your crossover videos an area i need to learn more about you certainly are into it.
Top tube amplifiers. The top solid state is the C53.....😉
Since Im not a "tuber" that's their top pre.
For the expense, I choose the C22, if you need the phono stage, get an external and save a ton of money. No progress in preamps in decades with this brand.
Thanks for this informative video.
hi Gabster, the C12000 offers both solid state and vacuum tube output.....ps why do so many reviwers attack the Mac 'sound' ?
it's because McIntosh is the most successful, and honestly they make the only high end gear that has the best sound in the mid range as well as highs and bass. most other high end gear seems to lack in one of the three. McIntosh is the original high end brand, and still the best.
@@kwd-kwd do you work at McIntosh ?
C1100: too much bass in all frequencies and not well defined. Not fatigue free listening , not refined. Midrange is bigger, but not well defined, not a clear/pure sound. Maybe the best for rock/ big orchestral music.
C22: good bass definition, just a little thin. Brighter sound. Very good midrange with equilibrated emphasis. More like vintage tube sound. Maybe the best for electronic music.
C2300: a mix of the C1100 and the C22 best sound qualities. Maybe the all around music, acoustic music, jazz.
Great observations thank you for sharing your thoughts.
They all sound quite same
Just different presentation
But price difference is huge
Bottom. Top. Middle. The bottom has more clarity all day.
C22 > C1100 > C2300
Surprisingly, I kind of agree, c22 definitely good VFM
Did anyone hear the McIntosh C8 and the C22 preamplifiers?
How IYO, did they compare?
I have pretty discerning ears and I do a lot of focused listening to Hi-Rez music files.
Any info you can provide is surely appreciated.
Thanks,
Di-
Is the same brand of tubes used throughout? The C1100 should be better in theory, especially at roughly twice the money. I don't remember the C2300 costing $8K; its last MSRP was $6K (US dollars), I thought. The C2300 has more inputs, which I needed so that sealed the deal for me.
McIntosh uses their own brand but from what I see usually made in China but a better grade version hand selected and tested.
I replaced all of mine
@@Gabster1 As far as I know, that's still true.
Great video, thanks! Did you ever try the C53, solid-state pre-amp?
Not yet may be one day, I do love Tubes
I have one, in my solid state world its as good as it gets.
Perhaps a silly question but can you run any of these preamps without a power amp to drive lower power bookshelf speakers?
I don't think you have the ooomph in your amplifiers to justify the two chassis preamp. you need larger amps....for your setup you would be best with the other 2 options
C1100 has the most body to it and it is clearly obvious it is the tubed component.
Of the two solid state pres, the C22 seems a bit thin and lacking in mids.
If you don't mind the ongoing tube maintenance costs, the C1100 seems to be the best of the three.
They are all tube preamps.
Whats inside tgese preamps.how well are they engineered.
Shocking result. The c1100 sounded the most boomy. None of them seem to allow for a controlled bass. I hope it’s the rest of the system otherwise I must say McIntosh is kaputt 😂😂.
What do you think about C52 ? Is it a good preamp ?
Never owned it to comment on it but the differences are not big between models
I am considering to buy C22/C2700 + C275 ...I notice that you used two pieces of C275...will that be big difference if i just use one C275?
you should be fine with one C275 unless you have very inefficient speakers the C22 sounded a tiny bit better then the 2700 if you do not mind less inputs and No Vu meters
Hi Gab, have you played around with footers for any of your McIntosh amps?
Not Yet I will once I settle on a favorite one
C12000 ys Top
They are pretty much the same 😳 at least from my devialet gemini Bluetooth device🙈
they are very close
I am not an audiophile, I am more of a melomaniac although I like to have a reasonable but lower price hi fi system, I started in my teens & 2 of my brother in laws kept coming round to listen eventually setting up their own systems, but their collections are worth more than their hifi into hundreds of thousands with investment in rare albums. Me I am just a Soul lover of any format but mainly my vinyl. Aren't your speakers meant to be further from the back wall.
They are 3 feet away 5 ft to the front baffles
I did numerous tests with a calibrated mic and Rew and listened and that was the best spot I think they appear closer in the videos
Try a CAT preamp
Honestly, I like the C22 best. The C2300 sounds dead.
If I may, just a comment about your set up. THE COUCH! Is absorbing all of the sound! Try it without the couch and let me know what do you think.
How can you say that, Do you know his room?
@@ramsaybolton9099 In the video, it CLEARLY shows his COUCH in between his speakers!! I am asking him to remove the couch between the speakers and give it a listen. I am 100% sure he’ll notice a big big big improvement.
And the amplifier is stacked on top of the couch!!! Are you crazy!!!?.
Did you try it without the couch in the middle!!
you're in love with the couch...I rather like the puddy tat...sending love and peace to everyone...
All 3 would be the same quality for rca input of blue ray player?
Very close
co to za kolumny??
McIntosh C 1100 beats them all !
C 2300 for me
The C2300 is thr shit. I can hear the difference
No good ! Due to unable manufacturing good transformer. Totally failed and disspointed.
Are the C2700 and CC2800 bottom line?
I would not go that far