MCINTOSH C2500

MJ19.09.2009

Preamplifiers

The C2500 belongs to the cream of the McIntosh's catalogue and consequently it will be a natural choice for the brand's devotees. Unfortunately, as much as I liked its appearance I was dissapointed by its sound.

Function and form

95%
Ease of use
60%
Sound
96%
Appearance

The C2500 is an extremely versatile piece of equipment. It is a full fledged D/A converter with quite a few operation modes - dual optical input accepts 16Bit, 24Bit - 32kHz to 96kHz, dual coaxial input accepts 16Bit, 24Bit - 32kHz to 96kHz and asynchronous USB input accepts 16Bit, 24Bit, 32Bit - 32kHz to 192kHz. It is a full fledged MM/MC phono preamplifier and fully equipped headphone amplifier (6.4mm jack standard on the preamp's front panel). It has 6 x single ended RCA inputs, RECORD OUT, 2 x balanced XLR inputs and 3 pairs of RCA and XLR outputs each.

The preamplifier is controlled by a microprocessor chip that allows naming the inputs and outputs and adjust their sensitivity values. The owner can also predefine which connections should be controllable by tone controls  - the tone controls work in +/-12dB range. Up to three stereo power amplifiers may be connected at one time; two of them can be switched on and off to simplify your whole house audio distribution. The Home Theater Pass Through feature allows for seamless integration into existing multi-channel theater systems.

The McIntosh C2500 is a tubed preamp (6 x 12AX7) in order to "provide romantic sound to music lovers" as the manual specifies. To support those romantic audiophile souls even further there is a switch that lights up diodes in the valve section to make the internal parts more visible to tube fetishists.

Bass management

Weight
88
Slam
76
Articulation
67

The sound of C2500 is a bit darker then I am used to with nice tonal saturation. In thunderous music fortissimos of Beltrami's World War Z soundtrack the preamp sounds thunderous, during lyrical themes the preamp sounds thunderous too. Let's listen to John Fogerty - it sounds pounding too. The Train of Fools is  a galloping and rolling track through the C2500. The sound is not sophisticated, it is big and cinematic.

Clarity & delicacy

Detail
78
Air
82
Transparency
68

With certain recordings the ability to deliver big sound walls is not bad at all. However, it should not happen with all  recordings. On top of that I missed better definition across the whole frequency spectrum, especially in bottom octaves. At one moment I switched from my Wilson Audio to ATC SCM25A monitors. The ATCs reach down to 40Hz so they can play fundamentals of bass guitar and kick drum with ease, yet my expectations were not fulfilled. The weight and mass was great but the articulation was missing. To make sure that I am not the the weakest part of the audio line up I reached for Music First Audio's Classic passive preamp (silver edition). Now I could hear into music again! Transients became clearly defined, the sound opened up, the haze lifted and the soundstage became structured. Switching back to the Wilson Audio Sasha W/P I catapulted myself into the highest floors of high-end.

Tonal accuracy

Timbre
78
Dynamics
76
Temporal resolution
73

Spatial resolution

Holography
81
Soundstage width
86
Soundstage depth
86

If you already own a McIntosh line up then  the C2500 is an obvious  choice. If you plan to add a preamplifier to your system and McIntosh is only a consideration then consider twice. Until McIntosh really improves their amplifiers to the current high end industry standard, the attractive design will be the only bait for new customers. McIntosh can build very good power amps (look in our power amp section) that are sort of shoot down by inadequate preamps. Now, being a part of Italian Fine Sounds holding, perhaps the company will develop a better taste for music.

Price as reviewed:210 000,- Kč

Recommended resellers

HI-FI studio TYKON, Ostrava, tel. +420 723 449 894

PP HiFi Studio, Otrokovice, tel. +420 603 581 305

Associated components

  • Sources: Linn Unidisk 1.1
  • Amplifiers: McIntosh C2500, Music First Audio Classic Silver, Spectral DMA-150, McIntosh MC1.2KW
  • Interconnects and speaker cables: Audioquest Oak
  • Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Sasha W/P, ATC SCM25A
  • Power conditioning: Furutech Daytona 303E

Gallery

ACCUPHASE C-3800

Nature works with infinite number of colors – hifi & high end components have very limited palettes, however. Fortunately we have already passed the black & white point yet a real orchestra sounds different from what one usually ...

Recommended resellers

Nisel SK, Bratislava, tel. +421 905 203 078

Sound
92%

AUDIOMAT Opus 2

Philosophically speaking, how it is possible that the Audiomat listeners say that the voice of Frank Sinatra in Nice & Easy is perfectly realistic, undistorted and tonally correct? None of them have ever had a chance to hear ...

Recommended resellers

Interaudio SK, Komárno, tel. +421 905 884 677

Sound
78%

BEL CANTO Pre3

It was as if the recording venue had new air filters installed and an extra dose of oxygen was pumped in during a performance – the sense of vertigo was very strong and I did not want to return back to the ´dusty´sound of everything ...

Recommended resellers

Hanzel Audio, Komárno, tel. +421 905 400 770

Sound
64%

BESPOKE AUDIO passive preamplifier

This passive preamplifier is unprecedented. The level of customer care that is out into conceiving every single unit is amazing and throws you back in time, when shoes were made by shoemakers rather than chosen from a full shelves in ...

Recommended resellers

HI-FI studio TYKON, Ostrava, tel. +420 723 449 894

Sound
99%

BOULDER 812

The Boulder 812 is a modern front-end that puts a preamplifier, a DAC, and a headphone amplifier under one hood. Although the brand is synonymous with boulder-like behemoths, the 812 is surprisingly smal. It has a square footprint of ...

Sound
85%

CONSTELLATION AUDIO Pictor/Taurus

The funny fact about the Constellation Audio’s Pictor preamplifier and Taurus stereo power amplifier: in the company’s amplifier hierarchy they are a part of Revelation series which is a ‘compact car’ in automotive terminology. The ...

Recommended resellers

No distributor at the time of the review.

Sound
95%

CREEK OBH-22

The Creek OBH-22 was a heart-stopper. When I substitued different preamps with it or when I used it as a front end of integrated amplifiers, it did not do anything that would impair the sound. So actually it did what it was supposed ...

Recommended resellers

High-End Audio Studio, Praha, tel. +420 224 256 844

Sound
20%
Back to category