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McIntosh instruments have always been designed for long life, with low maintenance costs and highest-quality performance. McIntosh instruments have always been, and are, the laboratory standard for the world. It's no wonder that since 1949, satisfied customers the world over view their McIntosh products as investments worthy of being passed down through generations.

McIntosh is the Best


McIntosh Pre Amplifiers mcIntosh pre-amp header

McIntosh takes particular care and attention to the performance, ergonomics and quality of our all our products. Nowhere is this more evident than in their Preamplifiers. McIntosh's Audio and Video Preamplifiers are exceptionally easy to use, even in a darkened home theater. Their feel and familiarity immediately invite you to explore your McIntosh System, significantly enhancing your ownership experience.

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McIntosh C-2700
mcintosh c2500

The new C-2700 combines McIntosh’s legendary vacuum tube preamplifier circuitry, and sound quality, while featuring a full set of exciting and modern features and functions.

The McIntosh C-2700 preamplifier offers a full complement of six dual triode vacuum tubes to ensure the finest level of musicality of all of your music sources, and even playback of your treasured vinyl recordings. Offering the romantic sound quality of tubes, the McIntosh C-2700 boasts the highest measured performance of any single chassis McIntosh tube preamplifier. With a total of eight high level inputs, two dedicated phono inputs with both Moving Magnet and Moving Coil that are both adjustable, and five digital inputs, makes for an extremely flexible preamplifier which will allow you to assemble even the most complex of two channel audio systems.

The digital inputs, two coaxial, two optical, and one dedicated USB Audio all run thru a powerful McIntosh Digital Engine that are sent thru a 32bit/192 kHz DAC to provide a sound that will astound you with its musicality and accuracy while maintaining the classic McIntosh sound that you come to expect. Connect your CD player, your lossless FLAC files on your server thru the McIntosh C-2500 and you will be amazed with the difference of sound quality, all without the need, and complexity of adding on add-on digital decoding boxes! A total of eight high level inputs, two dedicated phono inputs with both Moving Magnet and Moving Coil that are both adjustable, and five digital inputs, makes for an extremely flexible preamplifier which will allow you to assemble even the most complex of two channel audio systems.

The front panel of the McIntosh C-2700 is a sight to behold with its beauty and level of craftsmanship with the classic look of its silkscreened glass front panel backlit with modern fiber optic lighting permits you to easily read and operate the C-2700, and allows its beauty to be admired for many years to come. Also highlighting the C-2700’s front panel is the characteristic McIntosh blue VU meters that completes its appearance. The inverted stainless steel chassis with the C-2500 delivers both form and function, by keeping the sensitive analog circuitry isolated from the digital circuits, delivers a level of performance of separate audio components in a simple, single chassis. And with McIntosh’s new High-Performance Headphone Amplifier section will easily drive and transport you with a totally new level of headphone listening experience and enjoyment.

The McIntosh C-2700 preamplifier builds upon their vast knowledge and expertise of manufacturing some of finest sounding components, while including modern technologies that will bring the utmost musical enjoyment, and be a preamp that you will be proud to own for many years to come!


Specifications for
McIntosh C-2700 Pre Amplifier
Dimensions Height, 7.2in, X Width, 17.5in, X Depth, 18.0in
Freq range 10Hz-100kHz
THD .008% THD from 20Hz-20kHz
Input
Versatility
6 Unbalanced High-Level Inputs
2 Balanced (XLR) Inputs
Vacuum Tube Moving Coil and Moving Magnet Phono Preamplifiers
5 Digital Inputs 2-Optical, 2 Coaxial, 1 USB
S/N Ratio 100dB
Net Weight 30.5lbs
   



McIntosh C-49
mcintosh c48

With unprecedented flexibility and control, the McIntosh C-49 redefines what a preamplifier should be!

McIntosh C-49 offers more exciting new options while maintaining the traditional McIntosh preamp functionality. These engineering enhancements combined with smart, user programmable features to deliver a truly powerful and emotionally engaging music listening experience.
Most stereo preamplifiers are designed to work primarily with analog music sources, the McIntosh C49 preamplifier continues to deliver world class analog performance, as well as, all of your digital sources as well. The McIntosh C49 has four high performance digital audio inputs so you can connect your CD player, or Airport Express to send music wirelessly to your McIntosh system. There are also eight analog inputs, including a phono input for either moving magnet or moving coil cartridges.
McIntosh’ proprietary USB digital audio input allows music that is downloaded, ripped from CD, or streamed from a music service or internet radio to be enjoyed on your home audio system.

The McIntosh C-49 features advanced digital decoding to utilize the latest 32 bit/192kHz Digital to Analog conversion. All the digital data is asynchronously re-sampled up to 32 bit/192kHz making the data independent of its source and jitter free, resulting in superb analog sound quality from digital sources, and USB source data rates to 32 bit/192kHz is supported. The designers at McIntosh were careful to separate all the digital circuitry and power supplies from the analog circuitry (digital is mounted below the steel chassis, and analog mounted above). This separation allows the electrical shield of steel to enhance the C48 performance close to that of a two chassis preamp design.

The McIntosh C-49 also includes a five band tone control that allows you to tailor your music to your personal taste, as well as, the ability to not only to adjust by input, but also the option to bypass its tone control also. With its excellent sound quality, superior connectivity, all in a beautiful and easy to use component, the McIntosh C-48 is a very musical preamplifier you will find very gratifying, and be proud to own for years to come!


Specifications for
McIntosh C-49 Pre Amplifier
Dimensions Height, 6.0", X Width, 17.5i", X Depth, 18.0"
Freq range 10Hz-100kHz
THD .002% THD from 20Hz-20kHz
Input
Versatility
6 Analog Inputs Unbalanced
2 Balanced (XLR) Inputs
Moving Coil and Moving Magnet Phono
4 Digital- 2 Coax, 2 Optical, 1 USB Input
S/N Ratio 93dB
Net Weight 26.5lbs
   



McIntosh C-53
mcintosh c50

Now you can get spectacular sounding music in both the Digital and Analog musical worlds with the new McIntosh C-53 Stereo Preamplifier.

The McIntosh C-53 offers more flexibility and performance capabilities than any previous McIntosh preamplifiers. Notably, where most stereo preamplifiers are designed to work primarily with analog music sources, the C-53 preamplifier continues to deliver world class McIntosh analog performance while dramatically enhancing contemporary digital sources as well, such as music stored on a computer hard drive.

McIntosh' proprietary USB digital audio input allows music that is downloaded, ripped from CD, or streamed from a music service or internet radio to be enjoyed on your home audio system. The McIntosh C-53 features advanced digital decoding to utilize the latest 32 bit/192kHz Digital to Analog conversion. All the digital data is asynchronously re-sampled up to 32 bit/192kHz making the data independent of its source and jitter free, resulting in superb analog sound quality from digital sources, and USB source data rates to 32 bit/192kHz is supported. The McIntosh C50 also has four high performance digital audio inputs so you can connect your CD player.

The designers at McIntosh were careful to separate all the digital circuitry and power supplies from the analog circuitry (digital is mounted below the steel chassis, and analog mounted above). This separation allows the electrical shield of steel to enhance the C53 performance that is very close to that of a two chassis preamp design!

The very functional and transparent Eight Band Tone Equalizer is truly useful for customizing the sound to your personal preference. You also have the ability to deploy or bypass the equalizer by input selection also.

Aesthetically, the McIntosh C-53 is as beautiful to look at it is to listen to! The beautiful and timeless "McIntosh Blue" front panel meters on the C50 allow monitoring of output level. Also the McIntosh C-50 features a hand fabricated, polished stainless steel chassis, and topped with a beautiful top glass cover. This preamplifier will leave you spellbound with its beauty, and sonic performance, but you'll also appreciate its exceptional build quality that only the craftsmen at McIntosh Laboratories could provide!


Specifications for
McIntosh C-53 Pre Amplifier
Dimensions Height, 7.6in, X Width, 17.5in, X Depth, 18.0in
Freq range 15Hz-100kHz
THD .002% THD from 20Hz-20kHz
Input
Versatility
8 Unbalanced High-Level Inputs
2 Balanced (XLR) Inputs
Moving Coil and Moving Magnet Phono Preamplifiers
S/N Ratio 93dB
Net Weight 29.5lbs
   



McIntosh C-500
mcintosh c500

The new incredible sounding McIntosh C-500 preamplifier uses two separate chassis to keep noise from entering the delicate preamplifier circuits; this is a no-holes barred design.

The Dual Chassis design completely separates all power
supply, microprocessor and control circuits from the pure audio circuits for total noise isolation. To further aid in channel isolation the circuitry for both channels is totally separate, physically isolated and shielded. The C500 incorporates two identical power supplies one for each channel, to help assure total channel isolation.

This dual-mono preamplifier is available with your choice of either solid-state or vacuum tube electronics. There are separated dedicated moving coil and moving magnet phono stages for your turntable that are fully adjustable with either the front panel controls or the remote! The volume control is a balanced design that assures accurate volume tracking and extremely low noise.

This is a preamplifier that will provide you with the utmost musical performance and give you enjoyment and pleasure for many years to come!


Specifications for
McIntosh C-500 Pre Amplifier
Dimensions Height, 6.0in, X Width, 17.5in, X Depth, 19.0in
Freq range 13Hz-30kHz
THD 92dB spl (2.83v, 1m)
Input
Versatility
4 Unbalanced High-Level Inputs
4 Balanced (XLR) Inputs
Vacuum Tube Moving Coil and Moving Magnet Phono Preamplifiers
S/N Ratio 93dB (Tube)
Net Weight 28.2lbs
   



McIntosh C-1000
mcintosh c1000

The debate over whether tubes or transistors sound better is still going strong after forty years.

McIntosh has led in both technologies, and has just raised the bar again, with the C1000, The C-1000 is a three-chassis design that offers the ultimate in flexibility. It lets the listener choose between a solid-state preamplifier, vacuum tube preamplifier, or both. All three modules can be combined with each source available through either preamplifier module, selectable at the push of a remote control button. For ultimate stereo fidelity the preamplifier modules employ Dual Mono topologies yielding over 130 dB of channel separation.

The C1000 Preamplifiers with a Controller are the finest audio preamplifiers McIntosh has ever created. No design compromises were allowed in the quest for a preamplifier, both Solid State and Tube with absolute accuracy, total sonic purity and virtual elimination of distortion and audible noise. For those who have been searching for the "Best in Preamplifiers", your wait is over.


Specifications for
McIntosh C-1000 Pre Amplifier
Dimensions Height, 6.0in, X Width, 17.5in, X Depth, 18.8in
Freq range 10Hz-40kHz
THD .002% THD from 20Hz-20Khz
Input
Versatility
4 Unbalanced High-Level Inputs
4 Balanced (XLR) Inputs
Vacuum Tube Moving Coil and Moving Magnet Phono Preamplifiers
S/N Ratio 93dB (Tube)
Net Weight 39lbs (C-1000c)