Предусилители — McIntosh C22 MK V

The McIntosh C22 Mk V is a stereo preamplifier built around vacuum tubes and the direct successor to the C70 Limited Edition 70th Anniversary model. It keeps the circuit of that predecessor while bringing back the C22 name and the McIntosh glass and aluminum front panel. Five 12AX7A tubes and one 12AT7 tube are visible through a glass panel on the top of the case.

Key specs that matter

There are seven analog inputs - two balanced, three unbalanced, one moving coil phono and one moving magnet phono. Outputs comprise two balanced variable and two unbalanced variable pairs. High level sensitivity is 900 mV balanced or 450 mV unbalanced, with input impedance of 44k ohm balanced and 22k ohm unbalanced. Voltage gain is 15 dB at high level, 60 dB for moving coil and 40 dB for moving magnet, and phono sensitivity is 0.45 mV for moving coil and 4.5 mV for moving magnet. Maximum output reaches 16 V RMS balanced and 8 V RMS unbalanced. Frequency response is +0, -0.5 dB from 20 Hz to 20 kHz and +0, -3 dB from 15 Hz to 100 kHz. Harmonic distortion is 0.08 percent, signal to noise ratio is 100 dB at high level and 75 dB for both phono stages. The case measures 44.45 x 15.24 x 45.72 cm and weighs 11.3 kg, and power draw is 50 W when on.

Engineering and use context

Impedance and capacitance of the phono inputs are set with separate rotary knobs. Bass and treble controls move in 2 dB steps and can be bypassed. A 6.3 mm headphone jack gets its own High Drive amplifier stage and includes Headphone Crossfeed Director (HXD) processing. Inputs are chosen with knobs and rocker switches, LEDs show the selected input and volume level, and the volume knob also adjusts left and right balance. Four Power Control outputs, two main and two switched, turn connected McIntosh components on automatically, while five data ports and rear IR sensor inputs support remote control integration. The polished stainless steel chassis is a single two-layer design with an illuminated logo and aluminum end caps. McIntosh gives a 3-year limited warranty.

Pairing

Two sets of balanced and unbalanced outputs allow two power amplifiers to be connected at once, for example for bi-amping a pair of speakers. Turntables with either moving coil or moving magnet cartridges connect directly.

Alternatives

The McIntosh C2800 is another vacuum tube preamplifier, using three 12AX7A and one 12AT7 tubes and adding a DA2 module with an 8-channel 32-bit DAC.