kuisis Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 I just bought a MC 250 from fellow forum member Kevin in Chicago. Its my first non-integrated amp. Now I need a pre amp. I have two scotts, a 233 and 222, and a H/K 730. I think I can run it through the preamp section of one of these for now. I wondered if anyone has a recommendation for a preamp. I was thinking of a juicy music peach or merlin. Any help is appreciated. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Favog Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 Most any preamp with RCA connections would work. The choice is going to be unlimited. Check out www.audioclassics.com for some other "matching" vintage Mac gear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ballylongford Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 As noted, any pre-amp with the RCA connections will work; if you wanted to go with the McIntosh pre-amp that was contemporaneous for the MC250 it would be the C26; From what I know, the C24 is one generation older than the C26 and the phono section is considered noisy, while the C28 is one generation newer and considered to have a quieter phono section than the C24. If you don't listen to vinyl I don't know of any reason, other than price or styling preferences, to choose one over the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j-malotky Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 I use an MC36 in front of my 250's. Some people do not use a pre-amp. If your CD or whatever player has an output volume, you could connect it directly to the amp. Otherwise play some mix and match to find a combo you like. The possibilities re endless. JM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuisis Posted March 26, 2008 Author Share Posted March 26, 2008 Thanks for the imput so far guys. I wondered if anybody has tried a merlin, peach. or blueberry? It looks like they are around the same price as the Mcstuff and have a great rep on this site. Also Mark is a member of this site so if any questions arise he would be the one to ask. Thanks Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Favog Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 Unless you have access to someone that has a Juicy Music product it may be a bit hard to decide on one. Those are usually all built to order. But if you talk to Craig (NOS Valves) I'm sure he'll steer you in the right direction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Spinner Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 i would suggest you look at a bootique product first, before you buy into all the Macintosh overhead . i.e. .. not production cost .. like .. yes .. JM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuisis Posted March 26, 2008 Author Share Posted March 26, 2008 thanks Mark, that is what I was talking about, customer service! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev313 Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 The irony is that I sold the amp to help fund the purchase of a Peach II from another forum member! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audible Nectar Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 The MC250 is the first McIntosh product I ever owned (bought two from the same seller at the same time). I have sampled this amplifier with CD direct, with a McIntosh MX110 tuner/preamp, and a JM Peach - on Belle Klipsch and Cornwalls. The CD direct to the amp was OK, and displayed some of the immediate strengths of the amplifer, but I found the use of the level controls a bit cumbersome, as well as the sound to be just a bit dry/clinical at times. I then inserted a McIntosh MX110 tuner/preamp into the mix, and after a basic rebuild found it an improvement in many areas, including an excellent midrange and an overall "Mac comfy" sound I found very enjoyable. Mac sound tends to have a full bottom and a relaxed top, and the mid and top will sound a bit "creamy" in original versions (in other words, not rebuilt with proper spec caps). Some like the vintage sound as is - I have since had further updating on my MX110, bringing it closer to "audiophile correct" while keeping that easygoing Mac sound that I really like - it's just clearer sounding than before. The MX110 is the most reasonable way to get into a Mac tube preamp - and the synergy with Mac amps make the MX110 a unit to consider. The "Z" series versions are recommended if you can source one. Which brings you to the most challenging aspect of obtaining an MX110 (or other vintage Mac preamp) - finding a good source unit you can have properly updated. We on forum can assist/point a finger to get you looking if you go this route. Of course, there are better vintage Mac preamps, like the C20 or C22, but those are more $$ ($2k to 3.5K). The MX110 is the bang for the buck king in vintage. The modern Mac are nice too, and work well with vintage Mac amps, and no rebuild would be necessary - but that would also set you back 3K or more. I really would recommmend you stay in a tube preamp here, no matter what else you do. That's why I haven't really mentioned Mac solid state. If you can afford the GOOD Mac solid state, you can afford tube, and I'll push you in the tube direction first. Then there are the JM preamps mentioned, which I have had considerable playtime with (the Peach specifically in my systems with the MC250 and MC30 amps as well as some Peach and BlueBerry sampling in other members' systems). The JM preamps are the king of modern high fidelity tube preamps at entry level prices for audiophile gear. No where else will $1500 for a linestage (Peach) get you that good of preamp brand new. The JM preamps all carry a very musical and clean sound that are much more "correct" on an audiophile level. It's quite a bit different from the Mac preamps in terms of presentation - the Macs are more laid back/"comfy" while the JM are more true to the source, image better, and have that natural sounding "triode magic" that make a JM based system sound much better than what you paid for it. I now have my MX110 hooked up to MC30 tube amps on Belle Klipsch, and have eyes currently on a JM Peach for my other system with NOSValves VRD monoblock tube amps on Cornwalls. This way, I won't have to decide if I liked the easygoing musical sound of vintage Mac or the more up to date, audiophile correct capabilities of the more modern gear. This way I could have both. If you stay in this "neighborhood", good results will come in your system - it's a matter of matching up your tastes with what gear suits you best. What speakers are you using here - and what of your listening tastes, habits, and preferences? What do you like to listen to, and how? What do you expect from your system? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuisis Posted March 26, 2008 Author Share Posted March 26, 2008 I have three sets of speakers. Lascala splits, cornwalls, and chorus I. I was thinking of using the amp with either the scalas or Cornwalls. I have the chorus upstairs hookedto the H/K 730 and they sound good, once I get the new amp I'll try them with tubes. I listen to mostly bluegrass, acoustic rock, and lately more jazz and classical. I already bought a bunch of pre war coathangers for cables! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuisis Posted March 26, 2008 Author Share Posted March 26, 2008 I was checking out that electronluv stuff, that is some of the most amazing stuff I've seen. How does it sound ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev313 Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 I was checking out that electronluv stuff, that is some of the most amazing stuff I've seen. How does it sound ? It's like owning a boat. Cool to look at, fun, and stupidly expensive...but not the most convenient thing in the world. No remote and a little touchy. And don't get me started on the internals - Josh is a genius when it comes to metalwork and circuit design, but YIKES! it's a mess in that chassis. A mess of really ungodly expensive parts no less (siltech silver wiring thin as a hair all over, tribute iron etc.). The sound is really great, though. If I had to give a quick and dirty reference, it is a combination of my old Cary Slp98 (with the big tone of those octals) plus the better definition, especially in the bass, of my old BBX. Here's a bad pic of mine. It doesn't look like it, but it is huge...the transformer in the power supply looks like it came off of a fridge. It is the size of a small watermelon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alliclaytor Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 I was considering selling my C-29 if you are interested...let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuisis Posted March 26, 2008 Author Share Posted March 26, 2008 Kevin How heavy is that bad boy? I saw it had mercury rectifiers, I think. Do they still make them? I think I will go the juicy music route, now to decide which one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev313 Posted March 27, 2008 Share Posted March 27, 2008 Together the 2 pieces are just about 80 lbs. It does use mercury rectifiers - 866 jrs. They definitely do not make those anymore (and you wouldn't want to break them around the kids). I got mine from Brent Jesse who got them from a ham radio swap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankphess Posted March 27, 2008 Share Posted March 27, 2008 Peach I http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?preatube Peach II http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?preatube&1208978140 on Audiogon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuisis Posted March 27, 2008 Author Share Posted March 27, 2008 thanks for the heads up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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