Which McIntosh tube preamp?

[George Roland]

I am interested in what used McIntosh tube preamp members here consider to provide the best sound for use with K-horns? Has to have a really good phono section!

Thanks,

George

[scott0527]

I am interested in what used McIntosh tube preamp members here consider to provide the best sound for use with K-horns? Has to have a really good phono section!

Thanks,

George

Of the classic vintage oldies, the choices are:

C11, C20 and C22. Also an MX110 which is a combination tuner/preamp. I have each of these and in stock form, my least favorite was the C20. I found the C11, C22 and MX110 to sound very similar. All have very nice phono sections. The MX110 has a great tuner and two phono inputs but limited amount of line inputs. So if you want more than a CD player, you might want to look at the others.

I have one of each of these. None of them sounded nearly as good in stock form as they did after I had them properly serviced. Craig at NOSvalves has a series of photos showing an example of his C22 rebuild. The C11 is usually a better bargain since it is not as collectible as the C22. The C22 is considered McIntosh's best old tube preamp and is highly sought after as a collectible which means it goes for a higher price.

I think you'll find people here on the forum who have each of these and I think everyone speaks very highly of them. Again, as long as you make sure a good tube technician has serviced your unit, you can't go wrong with any of these 4. By "good tube techician", I mean someone who services tube equipment all year long, day in and day out.

Are you looking to replace your Blueberry or is this for another system? I use a Blueberry in my den and a Mac C11 in my living room. I love them both!