Greetings, ..

My Mc2100 cards finally got back from a vacation at the repair -shop (had a few bad caps and transistors causing early clipping).

While cosmetic restoration is material for another thread, I'm looking for suggestions for a preamp to use with this old boy.

my budget is $170, owing to some audio equipment recently liquidated, Here are the options:

1. don't bother, .. use the gain controls on the amp
2. one of my CD-players apparantly has (remote control) volume control, . use that
3. rig up a cheap passive volume control using a radioshack alps pot
4. buy an integrated amp / reciever with preamp-amp connectors and
a. use the pre-out to the mac
b. since i also own an active crossover, .. use both the mac and the integrated amp sections in a biamp arrangement.

5. buy a bottlehead foreplay / build a tube preamp and build a hybrid system

6. buy a SS preamp (new / vintage)
7. buy a vintage tube preamp

I'd like phono capability, though it is not an absolute necessity.

All said, alternatives 4 - 7 seem more promising, given that a good active preamp, IMO, adds a degree of slam which passive preamps don't, albeit at the expense of a slight degree of transparency


Looking for specific model suggestions, keeping in mind the budget

thanks,
:uzi:

If you don't need tone controls, phono stage, tuner, etc., I'd say
go direct. Run with it, see what you really need, and go from there.
Separates will cost more, a foreplay would be fun but no tone controls,and so on. Spend the $170. on music. That's what I would do on a budget anyway. Hope that helps.

Carl

thanks, ..

i currently run the mac off the gain controls. i think i will take your advice and use those and the CD player volume control to modulate the volume.

i think i have a couple of dual gang tone control pots, volume pot and balance pot lying around somewhere from an earlier tube amp cannibalization effort.. perhaps in the future, when time permits, i will rig up a basic preamp with bypassable tone controls. shouldn't cost too much $$ (power tranny and choke should make up the bulk of the expense).

There you go! A lot of knowledgeable help and maybe parts with doing just that in DIY forum too! :)

Carl

I agree with Carl as well...

Also a vintage tube pre from H.H. Scott, Fisher, harman/kardon, EICO, Marantz, Pilot, Dynaco, and HeathKit are all worthy considerations, although they may need some sort of restoration work done to them.

For $245, I'm waiting for the arrival of a Hong Kong built BEZ 6SN7 SRPP linestage tube preamp with tube rectification and dual chokes...should be an interesting combo with my SS MC250 mated to my Klipsch Cornwalls.

FWIW...

Taking into consideration the budget, the Philips 5721 preamp is a bargain in the average range of about 170 off eBAy. I've been using 1 that I got as part of a Philips system and have been very pleased with it though I usually dislike ss preamps (except Mc). Especially pleased with the 4 discrete phono preamps it uses allowning custom loading for 2 phono cartridges which is the first preamp I've seen with this feature. The phono section is very clean, not harsh and sweet. The unit was relatively expensive when new and not a big seller and little known today. One of the few ss preamps I could live with IF I had to give up my C28.

Zob,,,where did you send your Mc for service?

Originally posted by WhiteSE
Zob,,,where did you send your Mc for service?

you have been PM'd
;)