playdrv4me
Active Member
So I drove home all day yesterday from being out of state (where I picked these beauties up). And still running on zero sleep, I spent the entire night with my friend playing records and other music between the MT10 and C50.
Let me first start with the TT, and qualify this by saying I am mostly a NOT ANALOG guy, so my experience with turntables has been limited at best. But I figured the deal on the MT10 came along and it made good business sense to take it on for an audition.
I was actually not planning to even tackle the MT10 in its gargantuan box until later today or tomorrow, and just play with the C50, but my roommate who is a lover of records depleted me of every last ounce of energy unboxing this thing and setting it up. He's heard decent turntables, and has a cheap one of his own, but nothing in this league. Still, he has heard almost ALL of my high end equipment and typically always finds SOME fault in it that leaves him unimpressed, and me feeling a little silly. This guy is seriously cynical about the amount people can invest in black boxes. In fact, Part of the reason I chose the C50 (in addition to the fact that both showed up at the same time in the same place) is because of the tone controls which he felt were absolutely necessary after hearing digital music through a cheap DAC (the only one I had) on the C2300, which somehow resulted in a very prominent midrange he didn't like at all.
So it's 2 in the damn morning. I'm dead tired, he's half there from a night out, and we both fumble our way through... and let me say that this is the first revelation with the MT10... With some care, an absolute IDIOT can set this thing up. I'm not actually even entirely sure that I set it up perfectly in the end (precise weight of the tonearm and such). Moreover, in the limited space I have right now, I had no other choice than to set a cardboard riser on top of one of MC601s and then set the MT10 on top of THAT, right NEXT to the speaker no less, due to cable lengths and such (cables that were NOTHING special by the way... some solid, but basic RCAs I had floating around, and some speaker lead I trimmed to make a grounding cable). This is about as amusing a comedy of errors as you could have with such a high end piece of equipment... Here's the bottom line: It didn't matter
This turntable turned not only a horrendous by anyone's measure setup, but plenty of worn out old records into an absolutely sublime auditory experience. I was impressed right off the bat, but seeing my friend's reaction really sealed the deal. I had never seen him so enthralled with ANY piece of gear in the entire time I've known him. And here was the biggest surprise... After he fiddled with the tone controls for a bit, he ended up turning them OFF altogether! On all but the WORST of the WORST records that really had no hope, the MT10 shone through with an incredible depth of imaging, soundstage and "being there" quality that was simply astonishing. NEVER was there a hint of background noise, hum or table noise of ANY kind at any point during our listening session. This table is DEAD SILENT even on the terrible surface I'd made for it, and even next to a speaker. And while I may not be extremely familiar with turntables or the analog world, I am certainly no stranger to what quality music ought to sound like. I may add more to this at a later time, but there's really no need. This piece of equipment shattered our expectations and should be on the list of any McIntosh die-hard, not JUST as a completion to a Mac system, but as a damn good turntable all on its own. So there you go. I'm putting my money where my mouth is after my original inquisition about this table, and telling you that while I am not qualified to make a value judgement, I know that McIntosh achieved what they set out for here. You only need to be the one to ultimately decide upon which turntable and which price point you feel comfortable.
C50 (amended below)
My review of the C50 will be much more brief. All I can say about the C50 so far, is that while it is no doubt in the less popular category in comparison to the tubed C2500 which so frequently overshadows it, it absolutely holds its own with its brother in situations where it can prove to be the more useful of the two. This includes setups where the equipment is on a great deal or on every single day for several hours where tubes might not wear well. Secondarily, its multi-channel EQ is effective and does not overpower any particular frequency. I typically would use it out of loop from the EQ, but for some this feature alone makes the whole unit. My only observation of note on the EQ is that I wish there were a visual representation of the EQ channel and level on the display while you're turning it, like the volume control. But this may in fact be a plus since the EQ is probably analog.
Speaking of the display. This two line display on the newer integrateds, C50, C48 and C2500 is SO nice compared to the blocky characters on the older pres. In addition to looking pretty, it also does yield a good deal more info necessary with the built in DACs on these units.
That DAC, by the way, is no slouch. The average person should have no reason to substitute an outboard DAC with the one built into the C50 (which is shared with the C2500 to my understanding). It's clean, has a superb soundstage and never feels congested or "digitized" in the top octaves. There are outboard DACs I'm sure that can outperform this one, but most people just won't need that level of perfection.
Combined with an excellent line stage and stellar performance in combination with the MT10, the C50 should be on your short list of McIntosh preamps if you're in the market for the latest models and have thought, like I did at one point, that it was C2500 or nothing for the single chassis units. Neither the C50 or C2500 are, by McIntosh's standards at least, fully balanced designs (for this see C500 or C1000, but you'll forgo the DAC, EQ and display updates) but they seem to have no trouble at all despite this.
In summary, the MT10 is the standout here. It is an absolutely MAGICAL piece of gear, and that is something that just is occasionally talked about, but really rarely seen in consumer electronics these days. Even if you are *not* a TT diehard, the MT10 is for you, because of how dead nuts simple it keeps the entire game. And the fact that it performs SO well even with old worn out records you might have sitting in a closet all but forgotten. It's design is not for everyone, but I for one absolutely love it. Two thumbs up for these, and way up for the MT10 in particular. :thmbsp:
Related equipment:
Speakers: B&W 802 Diamond D2
Amplifiers: McIntosh MC601 Monoblocks
Sources (aside from the MT10): AppleTV (48Khz), ATT Uverse receiver.
---
EDIT: For those that are reading this review in the future, please note that I swapped the C50 back out for the C2300/D100 combo in the end. This is really no fault of the C50 in particular, but I felt its sound was a little too bass heavy after listening to it for a more extended period of time, particularly in my small listening space. If you're looking at a C50, do consider the C2500 and C2300 unless you must absolutely have the flexibility of the EQ and are worried about the longevity of the tubes in your particular application. If you are set on SS and want the EQ, the C50 is a great unit.
Let me first start with the TT, and qualify this by saying I am mostly a NOT ANALOG guy, so my experience with turntables has been limited at best. But I figured the deal on the MT10 came along and it made good business sense to take it on for an audition.
I was actually not planning to even tackle the MT10 in its gargantuan box until later today or tomorrow, and just play with the C50, but my roommate who is a lover of records depleted me of every last ounce of energy unboxing this thing and setting it up. He's heard decent turntables, and has a cheap one of his own, but nothing in this league. Still, he has heard almost ALL of my high end equipment and typically always finds SOME fault in it that leaves him unimpressed, and me feeling a little silly. This guy is seriously cynical about the amount people can invest in black boxes. In fact, Part of the reason I chose the C50 (in addition to the fact that both showed up at the same time in the same place) is because of the tone controls which he felt were absolutely necessary after hearing digital music through a cheap DAC (the only one I had) on the C2300, which somehow resulted in a very prominent midrange he didn't like at all.
So it's 2 in the damn morning. I'm dead tired, he's half there from a night out, and we both fumble our way through... and let me say that this is the first revelation with the MT10... With some care, an absolute IDIOT can set this thing up. I'm not actually even entirely sure that I set it up perfectly in the end (precise weight of the tonearm and such). Moreover, in the limited space I have right now, I had no other choice than to set a cardboard riser on top of one of MC601s and then set the MT10 on top of THAT, right NEXT to the speaker no less, due to cable lengths and such (cables that were NOTHING special by the way... some solid, but basic RCAs I had floating around, and some speaker lead I trimmed to make a grounding cable). This is about as amusing a comedy of errors as you could have with such a high end piece of equipment... Here's the bottom line: It didn't matter
This turntable turned not only a horrendous by anyone's measure setup, but plenty of worn out old records into an absolutely sublime auditory experience. I was impressed right off the bat, but seeing my friend's reaction really sealed the deal. I had never seen him so enthralled with ANY piece of gear in the entire time I've known him. And here was the biggest surprise... After he fiddled with the tone controls for a bit, he ended up turning them OFF altogether! On all but the WORST of the WORST records that really had no hope, the MT10 shone through with an incredible depth of imaging, soundstage and "being there" quality that was simply astonishing. NEVER was there a hint of background noise, hum or table noise of ANY kind at any point during our listening session. This table is DEAD SILENT even on the terrible surface I'd made for it, and even next to a speaker. And while I may not be extremely familiar with turntables or the analog world, I am certainly no stranger to what quality music ought to sound like. I may add more to this at a later time, but there's really no need. This piece of equipment shattered our expectations and should be on the list of any McIntosh die-hard, not JUST as a completion to a Mac system, but as a damn good turntable all on its own. So there you go. I'm putting my money where my mouth is after my original inquisition about this table, and telling you that while I am not qualified to make a value judgement, I know that McIntosh achieved what they set out for here. You only need to be the one to ultimately decide upon which turntable and which price point you feel comfortable.
C50 (amended below)
My review of the C50 will be much more brief. All I can say about the C50 so far, is that while it is no doubt in the less popular category in comparison to the tubed C2500 which so frequently overshadows it, it absolutely holds its own with its brother in situations where it can prove to be the more useful of the two. This includes setups where the equipment is on a great deal or on every single day for several hours where tubes might not wear well. Secondarily, its multi-channel EQ is effective and does not overpower any particular frequency. I typically would use it out of loop from the EQ, but for some this feature alone makes the whole unit. My only observation of note on the EQ is that I wish there were a visual representation of the EQ channel and level on the display while you're turning it, like the volume control. But this may in fact be a plus since the EQ is probably analog.
Speaking of the display. This two line display on the newer integrateds, C50, C48 and C2500 is SO nice compared to the blocky characters on the older pres. In addition to looking pretty, it also does yield a good deal more info necessary with the built in DACs on these units.
That DAC, by the way, is no slouch. The average person should have no reason to substitute an outboard DAC with the one built into the C50 (which is shared with the C2500 to my understanding). It's clean, has a superb soundstage and never feels congested or "digitized" in the top octaves. There are outboard DACs I'm sure that can outperform this one, but most people just won't need that level of perfection.
Combined with an excellent line stage and stellar performance in combination with the MT10, the C50 should be on your short list of McIntosh preamps if you're in the market for the latest models and have thought, like I did at one point, that it was C2500 or nothing for the single chassis units. Neither the C50 or C2500 are, by McIntosh's standards at least, fully balanced designs (for this see C500 or C1000, but you'll forgo the DAC, EQ and display updates) but they seem to have no trouble at all despite this.
In summary, the MT10 is the standout here. It is an absolutely MAGICAL piece of gear, and that is something that just is occasionally talked about, but really rarely seen in consumer electronics these days. Even if you are *not* a TT diehard, the MT10 is for you, because of how dead nuts simple it keeps the entire game. And the fact that it performs SO well even with old worn out records you might have sitting in a closet all but forgotten. It's design is not for everyone, but I for one absolutely love it. Two thumbs up for these, and way up for the MT10 in particular. :thmbsp:
Related equipment:
Speakers: B&W 802 Diamond D2
Amplifiers: McIntosh MC601 Monoblocks
Sources (aside from the MT10): AppleTV (48Khz), ATT Uverse receiver.
---
EDIT: For those that are reading this review in the future, please note that I swapped the C50 back out for the C2300/D100 combo in the end. This is really no fault of the C50 in particular, but I felt its sound was a little too bass heavy after listening to it for a more extended period of time, particularly in my small listening space. If you're looking at a C50, do consider the C2500 and C2300 unless you must absolutely have the flexibility of the EQ and are worried about the longevity of the tubes in your particular application. If you are set on SS and want the EQ, the C50 is a great unit.
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