@lals As with any vintage equipment, you need to have a good service technician you can rely on. Some sellers are audio shops that first service a piece and will charge a bit more than an individual. Whatever sale ad your looking at will likely state whether or not the unit was recently serviced. Many will do that feeling it necessary to sell.
Once you take delivery, you can just plug it in and listen, or you could take it to your favorite local technician and have it checked out.
McIntosh maintains a network of service technicians if you donʻt trust your local guy.
One of my favorite resources for vintage gear is HiFi Shark. Go there and do a search on whatever audio gear youʻre interested in and youʻll see listings from all over the planet. You can also filter for just the country you live in. McIntosh sold a LOT of the C22 preamps and 275 power amps back in the day, so it will be more than easy to find a nice one.
Both designs were good enough that a few years ago, McIntosh began manufacturing and selling them again. My own preference is for the older gear just because I love the beauty of something special from that era.
You can debate with people all day long about what is "the best." Get into that argument and youʻll go crazy. This is solid, durable equipment that has timeless beauty.
Suggestions for a tube pre and power amp
Dear Audio Friends,
I am writing to seek your experienced suggestions regarding an upgrade to my current stereo setup. My current system consists of Revel F328Be speakers powered by a Luxman 590Mk2 Class A integrated amp. My frontend includes a Sonic Transporter (Roon core) powered by a Farad LPS, a Holo Red streamer, and a Holo May KTE DAC.
I am considering transitioning to a tube preamplifier and a solid-state power amplifier combination. While my speakers have a 91dB sensitivity, the impedance dips to 3 ohms between 100Hz and 200Hz.
My current shortlists are as follows:
- Power Amps: Coda S5.5 Class A or Coda No. 8 V1.
- Tube Preamps: Backert Labs Rhumba, Spatial Audio Raven, or Motherlode XL.
I am looking for a 3D holographic, warm sound with a high level of clarity and detail. While I am aware of the general rules regarding impedance matching, I would value your insights on how these specific components might pair together. I am also very open to any other combinations you might recommend.
Thank you for your help.
Rlal
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- 125 posts total
@russbutton Thank you for giving me lot of details about vintage gears. Old gears seems to be better made compared to modern gears may be due to higher cost of high quality components. The power amp you mentioned is MC275 right? |
@lals Yes. The MC275 is the amplifier. |
@russbutton Okay. Will look in to this. You are correct , I also do the same endlessly pursue perfection instead of enjoying current setup. Thank you. |
- 125 posts total