Фонокорректоры — McIntosh MP100

The MP100 is a solid-state two-channel phono preamplifier from McIntosh, currently the only dedicated phono stage in the company's line. It sits in a compact chassis 9.6 cm tall and 29.2 cm wide, narrower than the usual full-width McIntosh components, so it can serve a new vinyl system, add a second phono input to an existing preamplifier or feed a home theater setup. Besides analog outputs it has digital outputs for transferring records to a computer.

Key specs that matter

Two phono inputs are fitted, a dedicated MC socket and a separate MM socket. MC loading can be set to 25, 50, 100, 200, 400 or 1,000 ohm at a fixed 470 pF, while the MM input is fixed at 47 kohm with capacitance of 50, 100, 150, 200, 300 or 400 pF. Voltage gain is 60 dB for MC and 40 dB for MM, with sensitivity of 1 mV and 10 mV, maximum input of 8 mV and 80 mV, and signal-to-noise of 78 dB and 80 dB respectively. Response stays within ±0.3 dB from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, and total harmonic distortion is 0.005%. Rated output is 2 V balanced and 1 V unbalanced, with maximums of 16 V and 8 V RMS and output impedance of 200 and 100 ohm. Depth is 42.5 cm, weight 3.9 kg and power draw 8 W.

Engineering and use context

Equalization follows the standard RIAA curve. Outputs comprise one balanced and one unbalanced fixed stereo pair, plus coaxial, optical and USB digital outputs that all deliver PCM at 24-bit/96 kHz. The USB link lets a computer record vinyl directly, and a clipping indicator warns when the recording level is too high. When the digital section is not needed it can be switched off, leaving a purely analog signal path. A mono switch sums the channels for playing mono records. Power control input and output jacks let the MP100 turn on and off with other McIntosh components. The unit has no output meters and carries a three-year limited McIntosh warranty.

Pairing

The adjustable MC loading covers low-output coils in the 1 mV class, and the six MM capacitance steps help match a moving magnet cartridge to the capacitance of the tonearm cable. The XLR output connects to any line stage fitted with balanced inputs, and the fixed-level outputs mean volume stays with the downstream component. Two turntables can stay connected at once, one fitted with an MC cartridge and the other with an MM type.

Alternatives

The McIntosh MP1100, produced from 2017 to 2022, is a fully balanced vacuum tube phono preamplifier using four 12AX7A tubes and three sets of RCA phono inputs.