Help with pre amp

[kennyno]

My problem is I see many pre amps for sale ex. MX 118 119 122 130 119 which are audio/video that are much less expensive
then other mc pre amps . will they do the same job as say a c46 pre amp .
I will be using it with a mc240 power amp. Because price differences are thousands.

 

[damacman]

I've had a dozen or so MC240s over the years. Following are a list, by preference, of the preamps I used with mine:

Marantz 7c - IMHO, this was my favorite of all the tube preamps that I've owned. This and the MC240 was magical. Stupidly, I traded it for an MC2500 in '96 or so. I wish I still had it! 2nd place is a distant 2nd.
McIntosh MX110 - I ran this combo for the longest, 5 years or so, mainly because the very first stereo I ever had was an MX110 and MC240. Very enjoyable. Probably the most popular combo sold by Mc dealers at that time. My beef with the MX110 has always surrounded it's severe lack of inputs. The Tape Head and Xtal phono inputs are nearly useless today.
C29 - Honestly, the C29 was maybe a tad better than the MX110 in some areas (phono preamp and flexibility for example) but I didn't use this combo long enough to make a solid case for it over the MX110.
C20 - I bought a C20 / MC240 / MR65B from a gentleman when I was into flipping. The MC240 was the early version and the C20 had the brass faceplate. The C20 was like stepping back in time from what I was accustomed to sound wise.

I still do have an MC225, although it gets zero play time. I used it briefly with my C100 and again briefly with my C200 with excellent results. I'm not a fan of the Home Theater MX units, as they have some reliability issues. Twiiii and others rave about the MX119 and MX151 though so they can't be all bad. Personally, I'd be looking at STEREO preamps only, but that's just me.

Good luck, have fun, and don't be in a hurry. Let the right piece find you!

 

[62caddy]

The units you mention are Home Theater units whose resale value is nowhere near as high as standard two-channel stereo units. The reason is due to the nature of HT technology which changes often, thus rendering the HT circuitry of these units obsolete.

Although this has no bearing on two-channel operation, most people simply don't want the extra complexity that attends this equipment, and this is reflected market prices of these units. The added complexity may also make servicing more difficult but I am not in the position so positively affirm this one way or the other.

Like damacman, I would lean towards standard two channel equipment and eliminate these concerns and will have much better value retention and resale value, if and when the time comes to upgrade.

Any particular reason for the C46? There are many other fine McIntosh preamplifiers that will perform just as well for a lot less.

 

[jbailey930]

There are great tube pre's out there. There is a tempting Audio Research tube on BT for instance. I love my CJ, just saying!