McIntosh C2200 Tube Preamp w/phono

This sample is in GREAT shape!

The all-important glass panel looks fantastic.

The meter’s blue color is slightly faded (very common for this model) but otherwise it’s just about mint.

All controls and switches have been tested.

The remote control is included.

All the tubes say McIntosh on them, and the noise is VERY low, so they MAY have been replaced…I don’t know. As long as noise is low, though, as it is, the tube should last quite a while longer.

About the only thing that “goes wrong” with C2200’s (other than slight meter blue fading) is that the lamps that light the panel and meters can burn out after about 10 years or so.

Lamps were replaced with official McIntosh lamps.

It comes with a remote control that can control many other McIntosh components (tuners, CD players, DVD players, etc) also.

What’s a C2200? The C2200 is a stereo tube-type preamp with almost impossibly low noise and distortion.

It has an input selector knob, but it never sees the music. Instead, the knob, when turned, sends pulses to a microchip. The microchip figures out which input you want, and the switching takes place directly adjacent to the input jacks by switching nodes.

These nodes are encapsulated in glass and filled with an inert gas. What does all this mean to you? It means lower noise, greater reliability, never needing to have the input selector switch cleaned, and almost total elimination of hum.

Try this…Start a CD playing through your C2200, pause the CD, and turn the volume up…all the way up! The noise levels of this preamp are dramatically lower than almost all other preamps.

There are lots of both BALANCED (XLR) and Unbalanced (RCA) inputs on the C2200. More importantly, there are THREE PAIRS of BALANCED OUTPUTS and three pairs of UNBALANCED OUTPUTS to run amplifiers for several rooms or tri-amplification. You can even use them all at once…SIX amplifiers!

One pair of Balanced and one pair of Unbalanced outputs are called MAIN. They are always on. The other two sets, both Balanced and Unbalanced, are output sets 1 and 2. They can be used to drive amplifiers to power other rooms or to connect to a subwoofer, or both. Now you can turn your subwoofer on and off right from the OUTPUT 2 button…or on the remote control.

Many users will run their main amp off of MAIN and other amps to power other rooms off of the OUTPUT 1 and OUTPUT 2 jacks. The front panel buttons then act like speaker switches, but, with individual amps, your power is never divided up.

The C2200 has lots of inputs. It has PHONO (MM), TUNER, CD1, CD2, DVD, SAT, TAPE, TAPE, and VCR. AUX and PHONO share the same input. You can choose whether you want to use a turntable (PHONO) or plug something like an IPOD in (AUX). Input names can be changed from a list on on-board titles.

Unused inputs can be “turned off” so you don’t see them when the knob is rotated.

The PHONO (MM) section of the C2200 is VERY good, with low noise and accurate response.

There are multiple triggers on the C2200 for turning on other components.

The LEVELS of each input can be adjusted so the volume stays more constant when you change inputs.

The volume control reads out in large numbers, so it’s easy to see from across the room. The volume is controlled either by remote control (supplied) or by turning the volume control knob, but, like the input selector, the actual volume is being changed electronically.

When you turn the knob, it sends pulses to a microprocessor that figures out where you want the volume and selects precision resistors appropriate to the setting. It’s digitally CONTROLLED but totally ANALOG to the signal…the best of both worlds.

Even better, it changes volume in over 200 minute, inaudible steps, and the rate of change varies with the rotation of the knob, like a mechanical volume control did years ago.

One turn of the knob goes from 1-99. There is no turning, turning, turning to get the volume where you want it as with many other electronically controlled systems.

This two-stage, log-taper, electronic volume control is easy to use, does not wear, never needs cleaning, and assures you of perfect channel balance from “full up” to whisper-quiet volume settings.

Low distortion BASS and Treble controls are included. When they are in the center, detent position, each control is switched completely out. That way you can adjust, say, the TREBLE, but the BASS control is still OFF,

There is also a TONE DEFEAT button on the front panel that turns off both tone controls.

Even better, you can tell the C2200 that you want the tone controls ON for your IPOD, or any other input(s), and it will remember that, but it will keep the controls DEFEATED for any other inputs you want.

There is a jack on the rear panel for connecting an in-wall sensor in another room (or up to four rooms) to control the C2200 and any other compatible and connected McIntosh components.

This preamp is so loaded with features that you may never outgrow it. It is so low in noise that any improvement the company makes in that area might be considered academic. This may, literally, be the last preamp you ever need to buy.

The C2200 contains eight tubes. They are held in place with a metal bracket and rubber bushings, so they do NOT need to be removed for shipping. They are a snap to replace.

Preamp tubes last a long time. It’s not uncommon to test a McIntosh tube preamp from the 1960s that has all its original tubes and still functions well.

REVIEWS: Not only did this preamp get RAVE reviews in almost a dozen magazines, but at least two of the reviewers asked to keep their C2200 to use in their system. One writer, Ken Kessler, was so impressed that he went on to buy the matching amp, and then become such a MacOphile that he wrote a book about the company!

This is, without a doubt, the most highly reviewed preamp ever in McIntosh’s 60-year history.

INCORPORATION INTO A HOME THEATER SYSTEM: You may have a home theater processor or receiver, plus a great pair of speakers and amplifier for your front speakers. With the C2200, you can integrate both systems together and enjoy improved sound for both music and movies. Here is how…

Connect all your audio/video sources to your home theater receiver. Connect your AUDIO ONLY sources directly to the C2200. Go into the setup menu on the C2200 and specify one unused input as your home-theater PASSTHROUGH.

Patch a cable from your home theater receiver’s LEFT FRONT and RIGHT FRONT preamp outputs into the PASSTHROUGH inputs on the C2200. Connect your audiophile-quality stereo power amp directly to the C2200, and your left and right front speakers to that amp.

Connect all your other speakers (center, sub, surrounds) to your home theater receiver.

Finally, patch a cable from your home theater receiver’s TRIGGER output to the PASSTHROUGH TRIGGER jack on the C2200.

When you want to listen to your 2-channel sources, like a CD, just turn on the McIntosh C2200 and listen.

When you want to watch movies, turn on your home theater receiver. It will send the left and right front sound to the C2200, which will trigger ON and to the newly-assigned PASSTHROUGH input, it’s volume will automatically be locked to position 80 (no signal amplification, no signal reduction).

Your left and right front channels pass through the C2200 tubes, through your great 2-channel amp, and to the same two main speakers you use for stereo listening…all automatically.

ATTENTION MC275 OWNERS: The meters on this preamp are not a cosmetic feature. Besides being invaluable when setting up a turntable (you can check balance and crosstalk to align your cartridge with the right test records) they are calibrated to read 0dB when you amp reaches full power! It’s like having meters on your MC275. It even works if you have two MC275s monoblocked!

INCLUDED: The preamp, power cord, remote control, McIntosh box-within-a-box for safe travel, and a copy of the owner’s manual.

Shipping to locations in the US and Canada only. or pickup in Cambridge, MA