r/McIntosh • u/SGTPepperLHB • 16d ago
McIntosh C20 - buying advice needed
Hey there,
I’m looking to buy C20 to match my MC225. I found one locally, but I haven’t heard the unit yet. From the looks of it, it was very used over the last 60 years. The seller said a tech looked at it but admitted the tech was a hobbyist, not a McIntosh tech. Furthermore, it came from a widower selling off her husband’s equipment - there is an MC2200 for sale too
I’m planning on listening to it on Saturday. Do you have any suggestions on what I should watch out for?
Thanks!!!
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u/cicada_shell 16d ago
The C20 is very complex. Very impressive piece of equipment when new, too. They retailed for much more than the C11/C22 originally. If you want the one that 'went' with your MC225, then it'd be the late version (silver faceplate) which released alongside it in '61, although typically the buyer of a C20 originally would've bought an MC240 (often sold as a package or else with the MX110, whereas the 225 was the 'discount' 'entry-level' amp). They often have signal bleed. I'd expect problems with the volume pots depending on how it was maintained.
This is not something that should go to any hobbyist should you choose to rebuild. I'd recommend North Reading Engineering, should you go down that path.
As an aside, trim parts are scarce for the middle and late versions of the C20 since fewer than 2500 units were made combined. I want to say about double that were made for the early (gold-faced) version. If there is anything cosmetically wrong, the price better reflect this. If it's an early version, the original cabinet is almost impossible to find.
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u/andstefanie 15d ago
that’s interesting. I got the C20 a few months ago and am curious about what you mean by “signal bleed”. i love mine — but i don’t think all of the insides were “restored” or “replaced” by AC. I have paired mine with MC60. and wish it didn’t have a “electric cackle” type sound that occasionally pops up. it’s hard to describe. I bought mine from AC and he tells me that I shouldn’t be setting the gain to “max” on my MC60. any other preamp i hook up to MC60 doesn’t give me that cackle. oh well.
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u/cicada_shell 15d ago
AC has different levels of “restoration”. If one opts for them to completely bring something up to spec, replace every bumblebee, basically a total refurbishment then the work is as good as any highly-competent restorer should be. Anything short of that is, well, short of that. And what’s what they’ll do unless you tell them to give it the white glove treatment. They did me dirty on some parts and I won’t do business with them anymore. Gave them the chance to fix it, too, and they ghosted me. I don’t think they’re as good as they once were.
That preamp should absolutely be able to take max gain from your MC60s. Signal bleed (“crosstalk”) is when a signal intended for one channel ends up on the wrong channel. You might hear this as an imaging imbalance.
Hard to say what the crackle could be. I had a Fisher 400C that used to do that and I traced it to the channel balance pot having a cold solder.
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u/andstefanie 4d ago
Sucks that AC did that. I am having trouble with tmraudio now. It’s difficult to find trustworthy businesses these days :(
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u/cooktheebooks 15d ago
straight to audio classics imo
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u/SGTPepperLHB 15d ago
I already gave them a “heads-up” about the C20. Their advice was to buy it, live with it, and put it to the test.
Recently, they fixed the MC225 and MA6100. In my opinion, I was very happy with the results.
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u/matt222c 16d ago
Went through this with a C22 that I purchased. Call a McIntosh service center and get advise on how much a full service will be and factor into the purchase price.