McIntosh's C22 preamp debuted 57 years ago, and it still sounds insanely great!

Today's episode kicks off a three part series on vintage preamps. Next weekend we'll look at a Phase Linear 4000 preamp.
More about this C22 can be found o the SkyFi website, skyfiaudio.com/products/mcint...
The C22's price (after this unit is gone over by the SkyFi techs) will be $5,999.
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PLEASE LIKE THIS VIDEO!

[@alibertylover]

When I was 18 back in 1974, I spent $ 1800.00 on a stereo system which was a lot of money at the time, because I only made $4 an hour. I still have that system today & still love it. I am now 64

[@jameswheeler7679]

Wow you were locked in

[@gurdyman1]

I wish I still had the system I had in 1974. All Pioneer with a Dual turntable. I'm also 64.

[@gustavos366]

@tim coker which model of Sansui?

[@alibertylover]

Mine was a tandberg 1055 receiver / Bose 501 speakers & Phillips ga212 turntable with an ortofon cartridge😄😄😄😄😄

[@fmplautus]

Club Soda J

[@jonnyk15]

Great to hear some audiophiles still like tone controls and loudness functions!

[@gurdyman1]

I am currently using a 1982 Yamaha A-1060 with variable loudness control as well as switchable cut-off tone controls. Love it! With the exception of my CD player, I use all vintage gear.

[@Davethreshold]

tim coker, my problem with the old tone controls was they came in at 100Hz, and 10KHZ. Any speaker is flat in these areas. I had TWO preamps which were great that way. A crown IC-150a and a Hafler DH-110. They both came in at 50HZ and 15 kHz which was VERY useful. :-)

[@Davethreshold]

@Larry Niles I swear to GOD, that about ten years ago before everybody looked everything up on eBay I went to a garage sale. The blood drained out of my face when I saw a 909DB for $10! She had no idea what it was. I asked her if she would take 5 and she said YES! Won't happen these days. At an estate sale, one just went for $1,500! Why? Because at estate/garage sales they look them up on eBay first. They go for $1,200-$1,500 on eBay all the time now.

[@bikdav]

@Larry Niles Why did the high end audio manufacturers do away with bass, treble, and loudness controls? I never understood that.

[@yupimbackk]

@Larry Niles I was doing lawn care a few years ago down cape cod and the womans grass i was cutting called me in the house to see if i wanted to remove JBL C60 Sovereign I Loudspeakers from her house and she would pay me a extra 100.00 to remove them. Yup i did and still have them,, Go figure Funny thing was there was no audio amps preamps etc.

[@jdrissel]

The Fletcher Munson curve actually corrects for the change in the ear's frequency response with volume. This is what the Loudness button did. A button is not quite perfect because it has to be calibrated to the maximum listening level. Yamaha had some pre-amps and integrated amps and even made a few car radios with this Loudness knob. The way it worked was to start with the loudness knob fully clockwise, then turn the system up to the maximum level you will ever use, set the EQ and any other tweeks (crossover settings, speaker position, etc). Then turn the loudness knob down. This both reduced the volume and compensated for the change in the ear's frequency response. Any patents related to this have long since expired. It worked beautifully, especially in the car because of how much you have to ride the gain as noise levels change. It has been almost 40 years since I had a Loudness knob and I still miss it.

[@techrider2088]

I really like vintage equipment. The ones I own are just as enjoyable as my newer stuff.

[@mikejames-drummerreginacan1386]

I used a C 26 daily from 1985 (bought used for $300 Canadian) to 2019 and I sold it for $300 Canadian (it had been through a war but still sounded good).....nothing is built like a McIntosh. Great video Steve.

[@cglaurer]

Shout out to Binghamton, NY. For a short time I worked at a place where we were making cabinets for McIntosh.

[@waynebarto3540]

Grew up 20 miles from Binghamton...lots of McIntosh equipment in the area!

[@theebayhififanatic6002]

McIntosh stuff is insanely beautiful

[@moktaabdul6310]

Macintosh are oversized huge big arse looking gigantic Forget about looking... Sexy Stylish Trendy Slick Slim line Monolithic Omnibalance Streamlined

[@dougefresh133]

Love the hi-fi gear from the 60's and 70's. Even into the 80's.

[@michaelburke6406]

Very nice piece on a beautiful old McIntosh. I unabashedly am a McIntosh fan and have been for years.

[@Aswaguespack]

Vintage equipment can be very fine but there will likely be capacitors that are out of tolerance and need replacement with the appropriate value and not all modem components may be the best match for audio purposes. A knowledgeable technician who knows what components are suitable matches for vintage audio should be considered prior to a restoration. Here’s my Thumbs UP on today’s program. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@sinatralala]

"If you want transparency and accuracy you shouldn't buy ANY McIntosh for that matter." WOW! That's certainly a sweeping statement, Steve.

[@SqueamishPuppet]

He said he wouldn't buy vintage equipment. Not specifically Macintosh.

[@sinatralala]

Listen to his exact quote, Holden. It doesn't differentiate between the two. And for the sake of argument, even if he was talking about vintage gear in general, it would still be a sweeping statement. Steve is free to make any kind of statement he wishes, I'm simply pointing out that it was a sweeping comment.

[@moktaabdul6310]

That's the truth. Macintosh are: Overrated Overhyped Overpriced POS

[@thekretch]

Mokta, you should add to your list. "And I'm an idiot troll". Take a hike!

[@pennesalmone6350]

And then a minute later he says it makes vocals sound more natural. Im just getting used to this "audiophile language" but isnt that (part of) transparency too? And maybe its the same for string instruments. Or percussions, etc... I like that Steve makes daily updates and he has tons of knowledge and experience but even so its difficult not to assume that to put 2 days effort in one video and come out with a new one every other day would make these already great videos even better.

[@bareknuckles2u]

This is Steve at his best! I really like hearing him share his experience with pieces of equipment.

[@paulbraun4272]

I'm not an audiophile, or at least I don't have the money to become one right now but I just love watching your videos! I just find them very very calming for some reason.

[@jpined14]

You can participate without too much money! Start with headphones if you can’t do speakers right away. You can get a solid rig for under $1000.

[@HareDeLune]

Money does not make an audiophile. It's the love of music and how it sounds that counts.

[@NateEll]

My area of interest in vintage gear is tuners- amazing how good Marantz and McIntosh tuners from the 60's and 70's can be. And I like the fact that vintage Marantz was made in NY. Queens vs. Binghamton- let the battle begin!

[@garysanford9364]

Always loved the horizontal flywheel tuning control on Marantz tuners...

[@chelle12368]

Thanks Steve! My absolutely adore vintage audio. I have many pieces from the 70s that I listen to on a daily basis. I love the look, sound, and feel of them. I haven't ventured into tube equipment yet but that will probably be my next step.

[@zeusapollo8688]

Yup

[@BenSilberfarb]

This is great. Classic Steve G. and why your channel is so fantastic. Love it!

[@davidrusso4750]

Nice review - you were able to split the difference between the "moderne" sound and that of yesteryear. Nicely done!!

[@mesonto]

Loved this segment.

[@johnnytoobad7785]

When I was in high school I used to drool over McIntosh Audio Equipment. That's a beautiful piece of gear. I (eventually) ended up with a SONY TA2000f.

[@johnfredmurray]

that thing is gorgeous. I can only imagine what'd it be like to have one of these. I have a recapped Sansui AU 9500 that's been with me for years. Still kicking and love the sound. Also that shirt is a beauty Steve!

[@bikdav]

That was a great choice for trying out the preamp. There aren't many speakers quite like the Klipsch Cornwalls over the years.

[@mariosupa4027]

Great video Steve. Phase Linear as a teenager was what I creamed over, I thought it looked so cool better than anything else when I first got the audio bug. But I never got one after all. Instead I got Sansui, Technics, Bryston, Threshold, Spectral, Audio Research etc. I wish I still had my first separate digital frontend my California Audio Labs Alpha Delta combo and my Audible Illusions Modulus 3 preamp. I really enjoy your continued enthusiasm and enjoyment of all things audio perhaps more than I do. Keep the great videos coming brother.

[@davidstein9129]

Thanks for this informative review.

[@HiFiInsider]

I have the 60th Anniversary C22 preamp

Tube circuit design was a very mature technology in the early 60's and the still sound great today.

[@moktaabdul6310]

Sounds rubbish, has always been and will. My taste is neutral. Super detail crystal clear. Airy. Not good at anylise music.

[@pauld7069]

A fun review. Thanks Steve.

[@redstarwraith]

Vintage gear can be a lot of fun, as long as one knows what they're getting into, so thanks for pointing out those pitfalls. There also seems to be a lot of hidden expense in buying certain pieces that have (or had) a "name" (e.g., I bought a Pioneer receiver from the 70's and then bought an Akai receiver from the 70's. Pioneer had the "name", Akai didn't. The Akai was half what I paid for the Pioneer and sounds much better!). It's fun to find the vintage stuff that sounded great and flew under the radar. It's also easier on your pocketbook.

[@carlosbauza1139]

Great! Gorgeous McIntosh!

[@andrew-xr1de]

I love vintage, also. I am into the 70's Marantz 2230 and the 27, which I am learning on recapping and transistor replacements and cleaning the controls. I also have been chasing down the excess snow-hiss that the 27 is known for. But the sound is pretty good after the parts replacements, even through the hiss. I love the tone controls and they are affordable! Very nice to hear a review on the vintage side of things. I learned that the equipment was a bit noisy back than, Thanks!

[@QoraxAudio]

Knobs and switches. My SPL Phonitor 2 preamp also has a lot of them, but it's about 2 years old... 😅 Yes, loudness control is very useful when listening on lower volumes and should be reintroduced to modern products.

[@SeanDamonGreene]

If Steve were to have that shirt pressed, it would turn into wine.

[@ramsaybolton9099]

Sean Greene LoL

[@AntoineThisdale]

lol

[@skip1835]

too funny ! good one - -

[@joybrucebruce3377]

He needs to put it on the floor and mash it up first.

[@tlister67]

Must like white wine, I think Mac would pair better with a malbec

[@philipgreen7445]

Steve, I have a McIntosh C-11 pre-amp. It is identical to a C-22 except that the C-22 has a more modern looking faceplate and control arrangement. Otherwise, identical. So, a couple of things. I think you said the c-22 had 7 tubes. It actually has 6-12AX7A tubes. It is a pure triode configuration. My C-11 has had a total restoration by the top Mac restorers in the US, and again by a very competent shop in nearby Greenville, SC. MY C-11 meets (maybe exceeds) new specs. It has: 1. no channel crosstalk, 2. No pops or unwanted noise 3. no hum 4. no channel fallout. It is an absolute gem. The vinyl playback especially through my matching McIntosh MC-225 tube amp (also restored) has to be heard to be believed. But CD through my NAD CD deck is also excellent.Tell SkyFi to fix the C-22 and send it back for another test audition. You will be glad you did.

[@Davethreshold]

Steve! If you like it that much have it rebuilt with the same spec parts inside, but better quality. New alps volume control etc. I bet it would still sound a little flowery, the way you like it, and all the problems would go away and it would be good for ANOTHER fifty years! It would probably cost $500-$800 to have that done. LOVE your down to earth reviews BTW! :-)

[@sxair2285]

Like this?: www.aliexpress.com/item/4000524824523.html one of many seller of this model

[@coastguv9628]

@@sxair2285 As I can see, the McIntosh's C22 has 6 tubes, but the one sold in aliexpress has 3 tubes only. But the McIntosh's C22 costs about $6000? If it's true, that would be too much for me 😕

[@MG-rg3jo]

It's a beautiful piece of equipment. I use mine almost daily and it has been incredibly reliable.

[@marioschwarzbach2894]

Love your videos 👍👍

[@bba935]

You said the right channel slowly was fading out. I'm 99% sure that is an old cap going bad. If you get this restored, make sure they re cap the entire thing. It will be back to its glorious new self then. I would like a review again afterwards. I think you will surely hear a difference.

[@ronkindel383]

Please, please, please more like this!

[@CrazyHorse74]

Awesome Steve 👍

[@robertdavis5714]

Hell yes tone controls and a Loudness switch is a wonderful attribute.

[@brandonburr4900]

I'm surprised this vintage macintosh piece wasn't gone through before letting you have it. I hope they do this with all the vinage gear they seel. Obviously some of the parts are hard or impossible to find and some of the vintage tubes in them are $$$. I'm not a macintosh fan boy but I do know they stuff has a legendary following for all these years for a reason. All their gear can still be serviced. Also macintosh gear has some of the best resale value in the industry. It tends to keeps its value or even go up. Can't say that about some of today's gear.

[@stevevarholy2011]

Loudness re-eq's the audio for low volume listening conditions. You are correct, it boosts the lows and highs.

[@BadChizzle]

Hello, Steve... I enjoy the vintage adventures, when I find them. There are some companies that long ago cared very much about specs and transparency... and without mentioning names, they also had The Loudness/Contour, button. I agree with your opinion of this feature, by the way. Thank you, for another fun video!

[@AndyBHome]

Around 7:20 the mention of signal leakage. I remember that being such an issue on lower end equipment in the early 70s still and when I got a pretty well made Radio Shack receiver with my paper route/lawn mowing money in 1978 I was absolutely floored by the complete silence I got when it was switched to a source that wasn't playing while other sources ran. I even showed it to my parents who looked at each other, shrugged and went back to whatever they were doing before. I've always been a McIntosh fan, not for the sound but for the durability, repairability and timelessness of the sound quality. I can get the sound du jour for way less money, but if I'm going to spend thousands, I want it to keep working for decades and I don't want it to sound like it was tuned for the year I bought it. From what I can tell, the McIntosh sound is pretty consistent from one decade to the next.

[@Reyfox1]

I loved going to the McIntosh amp clinics way back in the day. Get your amp, no matter what, tested and get the spec sheet when it was done. I personally couldn't afford Mc.

[@MrJamescord]

I use the C22, purchased at an auction then directly sent it to Audio Classics in NY and they went through it and updated it with what it needed to get it back to spec. I teamed it with a MC phono step up transformer. I had to use the Mic input because it has a built in phono stage and when I used the phono input with the outboard phono pre it would not sound right! Had to use the Mic input. For the amp I am using the MC 240 all tube and the 71 tuner, all into a new set of Klipsch La Scalia. I put on the 45 rpm Analog Productions Beach Boys and it is fantastic!

[@khalid969]

After watching hundreds of reviews on KZbin, this is the first review I have seen of a preamp! No one reviews preamps. I don't know what that means.

[@paulitik7]

I just scored a recapped vintage 1976 Pioneer SA-7500 integrated, looks almost brand new, the best phono preamp I’ve heard in years. Zero background noise or hiss.

[@markscott7583]

I expect you will catch a LOT of flack from purists for loving the Loudness button. I love vintage gear and love the tone controls and loudness button for the same reason you described.

[@dougg1075]

Love em

[@robrickels3788]

The loudness button was my favorite control by far. That's what prompted me to buy my first (and only} eq.

[@TorToroPorco]

My first stereo had a Nikko preamp and amplifier combo. I bought it mostly on the basis of the looks which was basic black in classic rack mount. And yes I loved that the preamp had several knobs and switches and that the power amp had a colourful LED output meter. Ironically when I officially became an audiophile I went to a NAIM power stack with none of the same visual flourish, just a couple of nondescript black shoe boxes with the signature big round knobs and a power amp with a blank front panel.

[@Geoduck.]

This was an interesting review for me Steve, thanks. I wish the phono section had worked and you could have shared more detailed thoughts but understandably you did what you could. I own a MX110z and MC2105 that are both slowly being rebuilt. IMO older vintage gear must be rebuilt by a competent tech for best sound and safety.

[@marchunter9679]

Tubes and horns 👍🏻

[@amazoidal]

Still use daily my Marantz 19, BSR EQ-3000 Equalizer, Thorens TD-160 and SUMO Charlie Tuner every day. I took my Marantz 19 to a "McIntosh Clinic" in 1976 wherein McIntosh techs replaced bad tubes in customers McIntosh equipment for free. McIntosh Techs graphed THD to show off McIntosh';s low distortion. They discontinued these Clinics because less expensive rigs were doing as well in THD. I also took my 19 to a Sansui Clinic in 1976. Aw, the 70's.

[@heribertovalentin1563]

Hi Steve....love the old preamps....love the Mac C22....I had the c24 and c27 solid state preamps with a Cary SKA 70B amp...it was ok....now I use a 2a3 Single ended amp made for me and a AE 3 preamp from Cary audio which was a kit but I bought the build one from the factory.....now I'm looking to replace it with a vintage preamp.....I had a PV 2 by Conrad Johnson I should have never sold that....anyway great show as always....Ed from Brooklyn New York 👏

[@joseguerrero8818]

My brother in law had the c22(sadly he passed away). I just remember being extremely jealous of his gear. The man had good taste in music, and audio equipment.

[@paulpavlou9294]

I’m still using a 1982 Allan Wright design “Vacuumstate FVP” Pre-amp in my main system for its glorious phono stage. It has been upgraded to SVP 2 spec. In my office system I’m also using a vintage Nakamichi 600 pre amp with JBL L100 Century speakers, class d power amplifier and a wyred4sound dac. This system sound amazing. For the record I’m still driving my vintage 1974 VW Beatle that I’ve had since 1982.

[@macdunlap6257]

still have one with the macintosh 240 main amp. LOVE IT

[@yourdiytechlife]

Great video on this subject! Im vintage enough now to have owned some of this gear :) while I love the new stuff especially digital amps and new speaker designs I have to say I really love the sound of the Vintage gear especially pre amps and and receivers. Ive always been the heretic that used tone controls and for a while even had an EQ 😱. I just never got in to the idea of no tone controls mostly because I never got in to the idea of having a perfect listening room. At any rate its like you say, You dont expect a 60 year old car to drive like new, thats the whole point of driving a 60 year old car!

[@frankgeeraerts6243]

Leakage from one input to another was called ...Crosstalk ....

[@Mikexception]

Crosstalk was due to tube technology, it's high input impedance and residuum capacities between wires and contacts. Good design like Bell secured grounding all inputs except used one .

[@davemonell9308]

Hey Steve love the video I can say the best preamp I heard was a original Marantz tube model 7 .that been gone thru and retubed with original telefunken tubes and the build quality was suberb. You should review one if can still get one most of them are in Asia.

[@BlankBrain]

When I was getting into audio in the early '70s, tube gear was still available, but expensive. Solid state was largely germanium, with some silicon. By the late '70s, silicon had taken over. Powerful NPN and PNP transistors allowed some really great amps to be designed. Some op amps were available, and some had decent noise figures. This carried over into the early '80s. I'm not sure when power MOSFETs came into the market because I had already purchased equipment I was happy with. This is my recollection living on the West Coast. The Eastern markets may have been different.

[@josefbuckland]

Great video always. Input bleed. Lol. I’m a very strong believer in listening to one thing at a time and stopping or shutting off the other inputs as for viewing I’m with Elvis 3 TVs at once the more the better feed the Grey matter!

[@richardlinks8575]

Having owned numerous examples of original-issue C-22’s, one thing which you and some others might not realize or know about: there are PEC (packaged electronic component) circuits in the phono equalization and tone control circuits in both the C-22 and its less expensive counterpart, the C-11. Around 1985, Dave O’Brien, the traveling factory Performance Clinic tech told me that a lot of those original PEC components inside these preamps weee failing, introducing measurable distortion. There weee no more factory replacements available. If you wanted to properly replace or restore those circuits, you would need to breadboard a clone of the flat wafer-like parts to do so. Incidentally, the circuit of the C-22 and C-11 are nearly identical and closely resemble the Marantz 7 preamp.

[@donb.1426]

I love mine with my McIntosh mx110!

[@korling99]

I have an MX-110, also a great vintage preamp. I’m a big fan of vintage mac tube gear!

[@wjekat]

Pretty much a slightly simplified version of the C 22 bundled with a very good tuner. Mine drives a pair of Mac MC 30 power amps feeding vintage Klipsch Cornwalls. All of the equipment was professionally restored. The sound is glorious and I know that they can be restored again in twenty years.

[@korling99]

Noname1958 My system is pretty similar - mx-110, mc240, and cornwall 2s - Cheers!

[@NickP333]

Loved this departure from the normal type of vids. When you try listening to vinyl on another one of the preamps, why don’t you just put your present day phono pre into one of the line level inputs instead of the SUT? (That old Supex is sexy, btw!) I know you’re probably trying to be true to the old pre, but if they only accept MM carts... Just an idea, that I’m sure you already thought of. Great vid. Thanks, Steve!

[@jeddak]

US line voltage has changed since the debut of the C22, which could also have an impact how they sound today Vs how they sounded back in their heyday. Vacuum tube equipment is notoriously sensitive to power supply voltage. In the early 60's, line voltage was typically around 110-115V; today, 120v is the standard. Another thing to note is that vacuum tube equipment can be quieter than solid state. It is not true that the nature of tubes is noisier than that of transistors - noise in audio systems has more to do with circuit layout and design.

[@nickn5870]

Great point that often gets overlooked. Either a Variac or a "bucking transformer" unit to plug into is the key for dropping the wall voltage back a bit to nicer vintage standards.

[@Another_Audiophile]

I have a lot of vintage components. Actually 2 of my systems are all vintage and are not better or worst to my modern system, just different. And this difference is special. Let say my new system is double espresso and the vintage is chocolate with double cream...

[@kloss213]

I enjoy most all daily shows even if I find slight faults in the technical explanations. Thanks Steve.

[@davidopalecky7318]

I in joyed your video I had C28 pre amp & a 2100 amp still have McIntosh gear

[@ossiebacchus7110]

Love that US phrase 'do dads'! :-)

[@skipgordon5382]

My first hi-end preamp was a C28 - loved it but my home was broken into and it was stolen. It and my MC105 power amp and B&O turntable. A bad day for sure.

[@harryconover289]

These were great when they were new ! But we’re subject to caps failing I have replaced the caps with my favorite which is The Stolen this and basis service and there great also you showed a audio research SP-3 my favorite tube preamp you Menuhin nose this is also a symptom of bad caps too i suggest you do your review with a good sample !

[@jsteve2112]

I use a vintage system, 1958 Goodmans drivers and crossovers in a custom cabs, heavily modified Scott 222c amp, Nikko tuner from the 80s, a project carbon turntable, and a Bluesound Node 2. I will probably add a DAC and quit changing things. I’ll build another system after that. I think most of the hiss and bleed in the inputs is correctable. Restoration of these vintage pieces does wonders.

[@homerjones3291]

Old McIntosh gear is persnickety about what replacement parts you use; some resistor values in the MC2200 are hard to find, for example. Knowledgeable techs know what parts work well. Even McIntosh doesn’t carry all of the replacement parts anymore, but they can tell you which ones to get and where to get them (sometimes).

[@maurice4407]

I love Mcintosh gear, never had the C-22, Ive had a c28 and aC33 with several Mcintosh amps. Now I have an intergraded the MA-7000 that is fabuloso 😎😉. Great video.

[@moktaabdul6310]

Macintosh the biggest POS overpriced overrated overhyped junk trash just like Apple Harley Davidson. Warm Dull Dead Laidback Dark

[@wayneque2101]

Mokta Abdul u are a tone deaf asshole 💩

[@moktaabdul6310]

@@wayneque2101 McIntosh power amplifiers sound about like a 20-year old Audio Research tube amplifier that needs new output tubes...; fairly good, but rolled-off, soft bass, pretty clean midrange, not the state-of-the art in transparency or sonic accuracy. Easy to listen to if you are not a real critical listener. Good if you have mediocre sources and don't want to be offended by the bad things they are doing.... On the other hand- If you want absolutely perfect sound reproduction from 10 HZ to 70Khz, with incredible realism and tonal purity super fine diamonds crystal clear ultra razor sharp super microscopic deatil that you can hear the actual singer taking a slight deep breath or hear a pin drop or pinpoint every single instruments playing at the background and bass so realistic deeeep rich articulate precise it has to be heard to believe it, listen to the newest Bryston Audiolab Cyrus Sony pioneer Luxman Krell Naim Hegel Gryphone Sansui Meridian amp, the . Lmao, the deaf is you, not me. Recording studio Sony Disney's piooner BBC abbeywood studios would never ever use Macintosh POS junk trash . They sound warm laidback. Deaf dumbass fool is you not me. You're the biggest Apple sheep iStupid that pays grand dollars for hundred dollars worth equipment.

[@geol7408]

@@moktaabdul6310 so you're still undecided about McIntosh gear?

[@moktaabdul6310]

@@geol7408 I wouldn't even take them for free, let alone pay for these POS junk trash. I worked in recording studio. We use PMC SPEAKERS, DYNAUDIO, PROAC, ATC, FOCAL, YAMAHA. EPOS, GERSHMAN, and few others. We don't use wilson audio or magnipans, they are just like Macintosh, rubbish overpriced overhyped. I like to analyse music, I want to hear the truth, just like live orchestra. I've listened to Macintosh and audition them. Hate dislike them. You've never been or listened to the actual masterpiece one and only recording done live in studio with the actual singers. Talk about high end Audiophile, Sony recording studio cost them £8million , that $10million dollars ultra speced cooper24kt gold silver are used inside with pure silver wirings with 24kt gold interconnect rhodium pure silver for every nobs dials circuit board with 2 or upto 10 million microfarads , with transformers size is 30inch wide weighing at 190 kilo made with pure silver and gold wirings. I could go on. No expensive has been spared to make masterpiece masterstudio recording studio . All ultra premium materials.

[@brotherspock8180]

I've tried quite a few different vintage preamps over the years, tube and solid state. The one that I will never part with is the Forte Audio model 2... Which I believe Nelson Pass was involved in designing.

[@williamsharp5973]

A second input for tape ('tape head') could be for switching real-time while monitoring between the playback head and record head (source at the record head).

[@timgriffin5512]

This is classic.My standard joke about McIntosh gear is that you need two of them because one channel always cuts out. 🤣

[@markwinechairman]

Great video! I am a vintage technics guy....

[@johnnytheg]

I have a C11 which is the predecessor of the C22 and had the same problem with the volume slowly decreasing on one channel. It turned out the output level control's potentiometer just had some dirt and needed to be turned back and forth a few times and it was back to full power.

[@wilcalint]

Several times in the past I’ve had to make the determination of if it’s worth it to have a component refurbished vs replacing. So many times you have emotion built into something you bought 10, 20 or more years ago. And at least in one case I did invest $1000 into a component that I had purchased for $1000 20-years prior to bring it back to factory specs. But, alas, I think it’s better to replace then to rebuild in most cases. Example. I owned a Crown DC-300A for years. Used it to drive a subwoofer. To rebuild that back to better then factory specs was going to cost $400. The cost of a new Crown Class-D of more power was going to be about the same. And it out performed the old DC-300A big time.

[@denniswaske]

thumbs way up. dug my c28/2105 (pre amp/power amp) out of mothballs 6 years ago.originally bought them 2nd hand in the early 70's. they are my primary system. there is a little noise when first powered up which goes away in 2-3 seconds, after that the sound is as great as ever. not tubes, but still like the sound. enjoy the jbl s2's (14" woofer/horn tweeter) that i got with them, thought have played around with newer speakers i.e. b&w 604's, elac debut 6.2's and klipsch rp600me's. all fun, but stull like the jbl's. vintage is for me.

[@joka7370]

Hi there,i love yours reviews about vintage staff and everything related to music in general.What about a review on those beautiful machines called Reel2Reel and comparison of them?Thanks in advanced,all the best👍🏻

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

Somethings coming along those lines, in a month or so

[@18000rpm]

Wish you could provide some sound clips from the system. Even though it will go through KZbin's compression, it can still give a good feel of the tone, warmth/coolness, noise and overall sense of the component.

[@stephensmith3111]

Yaayyy! Classic Mac! One knob or switch, one function; Leave the nested menus for the smart phones. And tone controls (with a bypass switch) and Fletcher-Munson loudness compensation. The loudness equalization curves are not directly user adjustable with a bespoke control knob, as is Yamaha's implementation, but they are keyed to the volume control. I want one (or the C70, it's younger sibling).

[@stephensmith3111]

erratum: The C22 does not have a tone control bypass switch, but it is my understanding that at the 0 detent, the cut or boast circuits are out of the signal path.

[@TOM-C.]

I paired up my McIntosh MC2205 with a modern tube preamp, the Audible illusions MC3A, and barring winning the lotto, I don't think I would have bought anything to replace those pieces. They were paired with PSB Gold i speakers, and a Rega Planar 9. I would have loved to here that system with the MC22 preamp, to see the difference between modern, and old tube gear.

[@wielentschoten575]

Hello Steve. Did you ever hear the Accuphase E-202? It sounds amazingly good to me. Correct me if i am wrong please.

[@mondoenterprises6710]

I remember a lot of stereo gear from that era being all broke down or in various stages of repair. Most of it driving AR bookshelf speakers? Today my midfi Sony solid state avr has tone controls and loudness control via Optimizer in menu, but you have to dive into the menus. No fun switches or knobs for the kids to play Star Trek with to break the vintage gear.

[@nasskhan4543]

Once had a Mcintosh c32. Bought it 2nd hand , sounded great but kept going wrong. Shame but it had to go. It looked superb.

[@HareDeLune]

But Steve, you've talked about the NAD 3020. That's vintage! At any rate, thanks for the review. Curious to know how the C22 would sound with your First Watt F7.

[@usa68355]

I wish I never sold my vintage tuner..it had the best sound

[@genez429]

Back around 1976 I found a used C20. Had it refurbished. If I remember correctly found the C22 not as transparent as the C20. For some reason I know the C20 was my preference. Less gizmos on the C20. Also stumbled upon a used MC275, and had that refurbished. On a pair of KEF 104AB's your eyes could bug out of your head. Sold it all before I moved. Not easy to lug that MC 275 around. Its hernia territory. ;)

[@jameswheeler7679]

Steve can you do reviews on budget vintage amps? I have gotten very very curious about the vintage amps!

[@jameswheeler7679]

@@wedjr97 : That is not nosy I have a Onkyo AVR , a Denon AVR , and a Onkyo Intergrated Amp however I'm considering a vintage amp for my klipsch

[@georgeclueless6092]

FWIW whilst living in London UK I bought a Leak Stereo 20 amplifier with matching pre connected by the umbilical, made c 1958. I had both refurbished by a valve specialist tech and I thought they sounded really good except the phono which was kinda underpowered even with an mm. Anyway the only reason I sold it was after moving back to Northern Australia it ran too hot (sauna hot) for my small room, even in winter. To keep it I would have had to run air conditioning any time it was used. Haha so your global location can make a difference with vintage vac valve gear for sure.

[@jlmain5777]

I have a feeling there’s about to be a run on C-22s.

[@Sams911]

how do you like the C53 Solid State PreAmp? Would love to see that reviewed... maybe the MC462 also!

[@BG-my7eg]

Hey Steve can you do one on the McIntosh 2505 Amp? I was recently gifted one and would value your insight.

[@robertb5640]

I would like to see how the original c22 compairs to the reissue c22 they recently discontinued

[@carlos2bass]

I had one, sounded great and I made the stupid mistakes of first modifying with a parts connection kit which the sprague caps to modern ones, an unexperienced technician which did the job screw up the letters on the glass plate while disassembling it, it did,t sound any better just different. Second mistake was to sell it it because I wanted to upgrade to a more purist design and i got an ARCls7 line stage which sounded lean in comparasion. BTW my unit made no noise at all, the MM phono stage sounded great.

[@herbward5240]

Hey Steve, the other day a guy called and asked me if I could restore his KLH 24 .... ahh germanium transistor sound ...lol. We had one of those in our high school senior lounge with a very worn out copy of YES songs on the Garrard changer.