McIntosh MC 75 C22 Tone Audio

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REVIEW ©2009 Printed with permission from TONEAudio. A Remake That is an Honor to the Original In celebration of McIntoshs 60th anniversary, they have decided to release an updated version of that legendary preamplifier. Unlike the Commemo - rative Version that was sold in 1995, with a differ - ent tube complement from the original design, the new version is back to the originals configuration of six 12AX7 tubes. There is also a matching pair of MC75 tube power amplifiers that feature triple- plated gold-colored titanium stainless steel. The 60th Anniversary McIntosh amplifiers and preampli - fier are only sold as a set for $15,000, which is not a bad price for a great vacuum-tube preamp with MM and MC capability and a pair of 75-watt tube mono - blocks, especially with this level of exclusivity. There are only going to be 120 sets built for North America (60 for the US and 60 for Canada), along with 60 sets each for worldwide territories. When I visited the McIntosh factory in March, I was able to see the final units being built and shipped all over the world. The various McIntosh dealers had already purchased all 60 sets for the US market, but as CEO Charlie Randall told me, All of the dealer units havent been sold to customers yet, so we should get the word out on how great this set is. (continued) All of the dealer units havent been sold to customers yet, so we should get the word out on how great this set is.

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REVIEW © 2009 Printed with permission from TONEAudio. And great they are, but Im getting ahead of myself. If you are a car enthusiast, you know that a few classics have been brought back with mixed success. The new Dodge Challenger is by far my favorite current classic because it combines all of the styling cues we remember, it gives a slightly modern aesthetic, and it offers more performance than the original. The owner of the original can look at the current version and not want to take a hammer to it, while owners of the new model can look back on the original and still feel pride of ownership. I think McIntosh has achieved aesthetic perfection with the current issue C22 as well: its just the right balance of classic Mac with subtle updates. The MC 75s are awesome too, but the gold finish will either be for you or not. Its a little too much for me. Im a big fan of the standard chrome finish of the MC275 and McIntosh tube power amplifiers past. Who knows, maybe the folks at McIntosh will release a standard version of the MC 75s in chrome next year? Other upgrades to the basic C22 design is a set of balanced inputs and outputs and a moving coil phono stage in addition to the moving magnet version available on the first C22. MM capaci - tance and MC loading are adjustable on the front panel. Gain is fixed for the MM stage at 40db and the MC stage at 60db, just like the C2300 preamplifier. While it does not have as many balanced inputs and outputs as the C2300, a quick call to Roger Stockholm at McIntosh revealed that the 60th anniversary C22 and the C2300 share a lot of DNA, and their core circuitry is virtually identical. We wanted to put the cartridge loading right on the front panel, just like the original though, and the C22 does not have the microprocessor control of the C2300, but it is lit with LEDs so it should last for a very long time. (c o n t i n u e d) I think McIntosh has achieved aesthetic perfection with the current issue C22 as well: its just the right balance of classic Mac with subtle updates.