It all began with my grandfather who purchased a pair of MC-60s from a movie theatre and became one of the earliest McIntosh owners in Hong Kong. I admit, I am a McIntosh fan boy, perhaps not blindly starry -eyed enough to buy the $1,800 USD McIntosh wall clock, but I have a long enough family history with McIntosh to prove my street cred. The only thing I would like to see in the future is a way to balance the left and right channels individually, as the output from my old tape deck is slightly uneven.Die-Cut Decal Sticker Walt Disney All Our Dreams Can Come True for MacBook Laptop (All MacBook with Reflective Apple Logo): Amazon.com.au: Computers & AccessoriesWhen the McIntosh MP1100 phono preamplifier arrived at my doorstep, I was as excited as when I saw the first McIntosh product at 12 years old. Works well on an older MacBook running 10.7. I am converting cassette tapes to digital with Vinyl Studio and it has been perfect.
Review My Vinyl Software Is ThatWords and Photos by Richard Mak A storied heritage.The best part about using this vinyl cutting software is that it is compatible with both windows os and Mac OS as well. When it was my time to get serious with high end audio, I acquired almost every one of the vintage McIntosh tube amps, including the elusive MC3500 “Woodstock” amplifier, which I proudly own it to this day. After the MC-60s, we acquired the MC-75s, followed by the MC275. Grandpa eventually passed the MC-60s onto my father, who later passed them on to my first cousin.Despite his status, I found him to be a friendly, soft spoken and humble man of few words. Evans is a giant in the audio world, whom I had the pleasure of meeting in person for the first time in 2005. Other famous designs by Evans include the MC1000 amplifier (his favourite amp), the C1000 Preamp, MC2301 Tube Amp, the six-chassis 2,000 watt MC2KW and all the built-in phono stages since the C1000. Theres a free audio-recording program available for Mac, Windows.Ron Evans designed the first separate solid-state power amplifier fitted with the Power Guard – the MC2205 – which came out in 1975. Richard Mak (Left), and Ron Evans in 2005.Having a digitized version of your vinyl collection is useful for loading songs into.![]() Under the hood of the MP1100.The signal remains fully balanced from the tube output to the XLR outputs. There are two identical tube amplifiers per channel and they are connected in a balanced configuration which significantly reduces even-order harmonic distortions. Finally, come the equalization profiles which are located in the feedback network of the tube amplifiers. Next is an adjustable attenuator which selects the overall gain, then the vacuum tubes which provide the main amplification. It is then followed by ultra-low noise, discrete solid-state, complementary balanced amplifiers. As the signal engages any one of the three inputs, it is first met with the programmable resistance and capacitance loading components, all of which can be adjusted on-the-fly via the front panel or the remote control. ![]() True to all McIntosh products, there is a complete absence of tube noise or grounding hiss. Below 0.3 mV you may need to use a Step-Up Transformer (SUT) into the MM 40dB gain setting. Green means go.With 64dB of gain, the MP1100 has adequate gain to achieve sufficient volume with the 0.2+ mV MSL BC cartridge, but the overall dynamic contrast was much better with the 0.3 mV Lyra Olympos, or the 0.6 mV Goldfinger Statement, so I would say 0.3 mV would be the ideal minimum output cutoff. The tubes on the MP1100 glow orange as the front panel displays TUBE WARMUP, 15 seconds later the tubes glow green indicating the unit is good to go. With my entire system connected via the 5-12V remote triggers, I press one button on the McIntosh C1000 Pre-amplifier’s remote, and it turns on the entire system including the MP1100. The SoundI utilized all three inputs on the MP1100, connecting them to a Clearaudio Goldfinger Statement (0.6 mV), a ZYX Universe Premium (0.24 mV), a Lyra Olympos (0.3 mV) and an ultra low impedance 0.6 ohm My Sonic Lab Ultra Eminent BC (0.20+ mV). Vlc for mac converter2, with Reiner conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on CISCO’s Reissue (LSC-2219). In other words, great sound staging and instrument separation.The same can be said of Brahm’s Piano Concerto No. Cymbals and drums on the left, with the trumpet and saxophone more in the centre, but all in their rightful spatial extension, in their proper size and with perfectly appropriate dynamic contrast. Panning across the romantically lit soundstage is the piano, with a velvety touch. Even with the ultra-low impedance and low output My Sonic Lab BC cartridge, there was no detectable background noise.I pulled out Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue 45rpm reissue on Musical Fidelity, and I immediately heard the hallmark McIntosh house sound through the MP1100: Soft, relaxed, rounded and with an elegant yet subtle politeness which never brings listening fatigue. Both instruments float nicely in the air with plenty of texture and decay, yet they blend together which makes me focus entirely on the music, and not hifi characteristics. In the third movement, there is an extended solo cello with the backdrop of the piano. Individual instruments are not as pin-point or resolved as some, but it is this non hifi-ish nature of the sound which makes me love McIntosh. This was a sound that was most pleasing to my ears. Frankly, whether or not the record was made with the DECCA equalization curve did not matter to me. Switching over to the LP equalization curve tamed the sound even more. The relaxed and rounded character of the MP1100 gave the violin just enough of a calming effect to make it more pleasing to the ear. On the Audio Research Reference Phono 3 (review forthcoming), the performance was rendered with all its unmitigated abrasive realism, including the ear- piercing higher notes of the violin, precisely how it was captured in the recording. Normally, I would much prefer the RCA recording with Szeryng and the CSO, both in interpretation and recording quality, but I pulled out the DECCA just to see how the MP-1100 would perform. Cassandra Wilson’s voice reminds me of Sade, but deeper, more throaty and stunningly realistic. Credit should be given to Pure Pleasure for their fantastic re-mastering effort which renders this release much less glittery and edgy than the CD.
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