McIntosh C2300


Hi,

I am looking to buy a C2300 and have 2 questions:

1) I am not thrilled about my local dealer and am looking to buy it from a dealer that I have done business with in the past and was my local dealer when I lived in PA. The owner's manual states that over the phone sales or product purchased and NOT installed by an authorized dealer void the warranty. Is this reality or hype? My dealer in PA is a reputable authorized dealer.

2) the owner's manual page 13 states that using the passthru for HT passes the signal from a MCIntosh AV control center or surround decoder. Is there something propreitary to be concerned about? I have a Conrad Johnson PV-15 connected to an Integra DTC-9.8 via pass thru. looking to repleace the CJPV15 with the C2300.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Lou
128x128Ag insider logo xs@2xrunnerlk
The pass thru will work with any pre/pro with a standard low volt trigger. It just takes the volume control out of the signal path for the designated input. My B&K pre/pro sends a trigger to the mac no problem.
I wouldn't worry about which dealer you purchased from. If they are both authorized dealers I don't see why you would have warrantee issues.
I know people who buy from dealers out of state, although they drive to pick up the components in person.... I don't know if that makes a difference or not.

Arthur
I agree with the above post. You have to Contact McIntosh and ask them about their authorized McIntosh Dealer polices. McIntosh will ONLY support product sales if you buy from an Authorized McIntosh Dealer. Their web site includes a dealer locator to find the Authorized McIntosh Dealer near you. McIntosh product warranty and customer service is excellent but you have to buy McIntosh products from an authorized McIntosh dealer. Please call McIntosh and explain your situation before you buy anything. This will save you from having servicing problems in the future.
Lou, before you make any purchases of Mcintosh equipment you need to read this post from a few months ago. Type in mcintosh warranty in the search field and you will see it.
Ditto above.Guy had a huge hassle buying out of state from a Mac dealer regarding warranty.Cheers,Bob
Thanks everyone for your input. I should have did a search prior to my post and I would have gotten the answers to my question. I will call McIntosh tomorrow and state my case, but from what I have thus far, you need to walk into the store and buy it over the counter. While I may not agree, that's what it is.

To me that is a poor customer service policy. If a consumer has a comfort level and trust in a particular dealer and they just happen to be hundreds of miles away, you must spend another $500 in T&E to pay $6,000.00 retail and tax for a product that I could buy locally from a dealer that 1) I don't know, 2) have visited and do not care for and would not take a radio to them let alone a high end pre.

I may still buy the product but may buy from AGon. Then Mac looses the revenue from the sale. Or I may look at other pres.

Thanks,

Lou
I had the C2300 and it is built like a tank. I bought it used on AG with less than 200 hours on it. Never an issue.

If you do buy used, ensure those plastic feet are in place in the bottom of the inside carton and put some foam under the front panel/glass to preculde any shipping damage. The 2300's outer and inner box weigh something like 20 lbs and is substantial but doing the above will ensure if you do buy used it will get to you without any damage.

I also switched out the two linestage tubes as the standard Chinese tubes that Mac uses aren't the best sounding in my opinion.

Very flexible and nice sounding preamp.
what changes would you make to the c2300 to make it more ideal? for example, the tubes that come with the unit are not really that good so what should i change them to?
The tubes are good, the pre-amp sounds great. I use the stock tubes for a good while before I broke it open and rolled 'em.
As an update, spoke to McIntosh VP of sales who will remain nameless. Let's just say that we did not come to a mutually agreable resolution and I will be looking at other companies/products that comparable. More than likely i will buy another CJ which suits me just fine. I will not have any company dictate to me where I can and cannot do business based on their archaic policies.

Thanks,

Lou