C2700 - A Very Long Rambling Review

[Logan Nolag]

Anyone who has seen any of my recent posts will know that I was recently in the market for a new preamplifier to replace my C47. The main reason I wanted to upgrade my C47 was because I was never happy with the C47's USB input. It sounded great but there were a number of minor quirks which made it more or less unusable to me.

When the C49 was announced I didn't bother upgrading because DA1 module was more or less the same as the C47's DAC so it wasn't guaranteed that it would solve my problem. Also the fact that the MSRP was $1000 more than I paid for my C47 it made little sense to upgrade. When the DA2 module was announced I knew that a C49 with the DA2 would solve my problem but at around $6000 for the pair it also didn't make a whole lot of sense.

When the C53 and C2700 were announced they were automatic non starters due to the very high price.

Because I was basically priced out of the new McIntosh preamps I decided that instead of buying a new McIntosh preamp I would get a DAC with preamp capabilities from another brand. Initially I purchased an RME ADI-2 PRO FS R BE which sounded amazing and has a lot of cool features but the build quality and QA left a lot to be desired. I also auditioned a Benchmark DAC3 HGC at this time which I also rejected. After that I started floating the idea of just adding a cheap standalone DAC to my C47 but then the C8 was announced.

The C8 was announced just after I purchased my RME which was excellent timing. The C8 was pretty much exactly what I needed an affordable preamp with the DA2 module. I returned the RME and placed an order for the C8 with my local dealer. Unfortunately the DA2 module turned out to be backordered until December.

The dealer had an open box C52 which they offered me for slightly less than the C8. I almost took the offer but after communicating with some members of various forums I determined that it would not solve the USB issues with my C47.

After determining that the C52 would not solve my problems I was ready to wait until December for my C8 when the dealer informed me that they now had an open box C2700 in stock. I asked the price and was pleasantly surprised when they offered it to me for barely more than the price of the new C8. The dealer told me that it had been returned for some minor problems but it was sent out to the authorized repair center and found to be 100% fine. I immediately jumped on the offer and I couldn't have made a better choice.

Now for the part you have all been waiting for. First of all the C2700 is absolutely amazing. It didn't start out amazing however. When I first plugged it in I was met with horrible distortion from the HDMI input and I thought to myself, "I guess it is broken after all."

But then I remembered from the owners manual that the HDMI input had a digital gain option which lo and behold was turned all the way up to +15db. After turning the digital gain back down to 0 the distortion disappeared like magic. I think that may have been the problem the original customer experienced. Disaster averted the only other problem remains is that there appears to be some kind of debris blocking part of the standby LED but I got such a good deal that I think I can live with that minor issue. Also the dealer said it should be covered under the warranty if I feel the need to get it fixed.

Now with that introduction out of the way on to the SOUND.

The sound is SO much better than the C47. I didn't think it was possible for anything to sound better than the C47 which is an incredible preamp but I immediately noticed that EVERYTHING I played though the C2700 just sounded fuller and richer.

I think the best way to describe the C2700's sound that it is bigger. Everything just sounds more realistic. Treble is less harsh, and the midrange and bass sound much fuller. It's truly amazing. It's like the difference between skim milk and whole. No other single component I ever added to my system has made such a huge difference.

The C2700 makes me realize how much potential my MC302 was missing out on it sounds like a brand new amp. It's not just the DA2 which sounds better but so does every source I throw at it.

I played a number of records on my Technics SL-5300 with my almost 40 year old MM Audio Technica AT122EP cartridge with it's original needle and I honestly couldn't even tell I was listening to vinyl.

The sound was so clean it almost sounded like a CD or digital file. Absolutely Amazing.

The only other tube preamp I owned was a C220 and I didn't really like it since it had a very low SNR and you could hear hissing from the speakers when nothing was playing even at low volumes. The C2700 on the other hand is more or less as quite as the C47. There is a bit of hiss if you turn the volume up to 100% with nothing playing but at normal levels there is absolute silence.

The DA2 works amazingly well. It has none of the problems associated with the first and second generation McIntosh USB DACs. Previously I've owned 3 McIntosh DACs: The D100, D150, and C47 and this is the first McIntosh DAC which has absolutely no issues whatsoever. All 3 of the previous DACs had a very annoying "feature" where they would immediately mute the USB input whenever a source stopped playing. This is fine but instead of immediately resuming playback when the source started playing again it would ramp the volume up over the course of approximately 1/2 second or so. The result of this was that the first half second or so of every track was cut off. McIntosh attempted to fix the problem by adding an automute defeat option to the menus of several preamps including the C52, C1100 and DA1. This is great in theory but from all accounts even with automute turned off the USB still sometimes doesn't start playing back right away.

I am happy to report that the DA2 works perfectly via USB. There is no option to turn off automute on the DA2 because it doesn't need it. The C2700 USB input never mutes and when you restart playback it comes right back on. It looks like McIntosh finally figured out how to make a good USB DAC.

The DA2 module also has a really great HDMI ARC connector which works perfectly with my Sony x900f 48" 4k HDR TV. The sound quality is awesome and the HDMI-CEC functionality works ok. The C2700 usually turns on and off when the TV is turned on or off but not the other way around. This is a little annoying but from my experience this is more of an HDMI-CEC issue rather than an issue with the DA2. HDMI-CEC is never perfect with any device.

From a purely sound perspective I can't recommend the C2700 more. Also on top of the amazing sound it's also incredibly feature rich.

Now on to the features. It has 4 sets of unbalanced analog inputs, 3 sets of balanced inputs, one MM phono and one MC phono inputs with dedicated grounding posts for each, two coaxial digital inputs, two optical digital inputs, once proprietary MCT CD transport connector, one USB input, and one HDMI ARC input.

As for outputs it has one unswitched balanced output, one unswitched unbalanced output, two switched balanced outputs, two switched unbalanced outputs, and one fixed unbalanced output. The switched outputs can be controlled from push buttons on the front panel

In addition to the analog inputs and outputs the C2700 has a series of 1/8" jacks on the back panel which are used for various functions including 4 programmable 12v trigger outputs, 1 passthru connection which allows a home theater processor or receiver's preamp outputs to bypass the C2700 so it can be incorporated into a multichannel system, 1 RS232 connection, an IR input, and multiple data connectors which can be used to transmit remote control data from the C2700 to other connected McIntosh components.

The front panel has 2 large output level meters, two knobs one for input selection and one for volume. The input knob is also used to bring up the trim menu which contains many options such as balance, basic bass and treble tone controls, and phono settings. Holding the input knob in brings up the settings menu which allows you to do things like rename inputs or even turn them off completely. In the trim and settings menus the volume knob is used to make changes.

The rest of the front panel is rounded out with a very nice VFD display. There are also 5 push buttons: Output 1 and 2, Tone, Mute, and Power/Reset. The front panel also has a single 1/4" headphone jack which is connected to McIntosh's High Drive headphone amplifier with HXD crossover function.

The headphone amplifier is very good and it gets quite loud but I think it could use a little bit more power. For example it's not as strong as the one built into the RME ADI-2 PRO FS R BE or Benchmark DAC3 HGC for example. Unfortunately McIntosh doesn't publish any specs for the headphone amp so it's pretty hard to compare it to competitors but it defiantly doesn't get as loud as those other amps. The HXD function is pretty neat. It isn't explained exactly what HXD does in the owners manual but from what I understand it basically adds a little bit of the left channel to the right and vice versa which supposedly emulates what you hear when listening to speakers.

Overall the preamp has a huge number of features necessitating an excellent 31 page owners manual.

The industrial design of the preamp is as equally impressive as it's sound quality and feature set. First of all the preamp is a very large component measuring 17.5" wide 16.5" deep and 7.625" tall. The C2700 has a 2 layer design. The bottom 1/3 is a beautiful polished stainless steel and the top 2/3s is a nice matte black box. The top of the preamp has an amazing glass window showing off the 6 vacuum tubes at the heart of the C2700. There are 5 12AX7s and 1 12AT7. The tubes light up with orange LEDs when the preamp is initially turned on and then turn green when the preamp is warmed up. The green LEDs can be turned off if you want to see the natural tube glow instead. The front panel is the traditional McIntosh all glass panel with the aforementioned output meters, knobs, VFD, and buttons.

The C2700 has a new style of LED backlighting which McIntosh called direct LED in comparison to my MC302's backlighting which was referred to as fiber optic LED backlighting. Honestly I prefer the backlight on the MC302. It seems like the new direct LED lighting is more similar to the backlights in their old bulb models. If you look closely at the McIntosh logo for example you can see the light source shining through the letters. On the older MC302 the text is perfectly opaque. The letters however are much more gold when off than the MC302 which has a slight green tinge when off. Also the color of the meters is a slightly different shade of blue than the meters on the MC302.

The build quality all in all is pretty great. Really the only thing I would change if I was in charge of design is that I would get rid of the plastic buttons. Personally the plastic buttons is the only part of the McIntosh design language I am not totally happy with. I feel like plastic has no place on an almost $10000 component. I think that ideally they should keep the same button design but switch to nice machined anodized aluminum buttons. As for quality control I can't really judge since mine was an open box item. My unit does have a few minor issues with it's glass panel but as far as I know that very well could have been the reason it was returned by the original customer. Regardless McIntosh provides a generous 3 year warranty which should cover the minor cosmetic issue.

As for features I wish it had. The C2700 is missing very little the only things I wish it had are the following: A more advanced EQ like the one in the C53 or MA12000, a balanced and unbalanced processor loop like the one which was removed for some reason after the C2500, and a balanced fixed output with a 2v - 4v output. I think with the addition of those features the C2700 would basically be the perfect preamp. As it stands however I don't think there is any other preamp I would rather have other than maybe the C1100 but since the C1100 doesn't have the DA2 I think the C2700 is my ideal preamp.

TLR the C2700 is a thoroughly impressive device and I can't be happier. I fully recommend it to anyone and everyone.

Now for some images:

Room Lights On:


Room Lights Off:


The Minor Cosmetic Issue:

[JemHadar]

Thx for sharing...always nice when a new purchase meets or exceeds expectations

[Maks]

Nice write up, enjoy the C2700!

[JWJW]

Originally Posted by Logan Nolag

Anyone who has seen any of my recent posts will know that I was recently in the market for a new preamplifier to replace my C47. The main reason I wanted to upgrade my C47 was because I was never happy with the C47's USB input. It sounded great but there were a number of minor quirks which made it more or less unusable to me.

When the C49 was announced I didn't bother upgrading because DA1 module was more or less the same as the C47's DAC so it wasn't guaranteed that it would solve my problem. Also the fact that the MSRP was $1000 more than I paid for my C47 it made little sense to upgrade. When the DA2 module was announced I knew that a C49 with the DA2 would solve my problem but at around $6000 for the pair it also didn't make a whole lot of sense.

When the C53 and C2700 were announced they were automatic non starters due to the very high price.

Because I was basically priced out of the new McIntosh preamps I decided that instead of buying a new McIntosh preamp I would get a DAC with preamp capabilities from another brand. Initially I purchased an RME ADI-2 PRO FS R BE which sounded amazing and has a lot of cool features but the build quality and QA left a lot to be desired. I also auditioned a Benchmark DAC3 HGC at this time which I also rejected. After that I started floating the idea of just adding a cheap standalone DAC to my C47 but then the C8 was announced.

The C8 was announced just after I purchased my RME which was excellent timing. The C8 was pretty much exactly what I needed an affordable preamp with the DA2 module. I returned the RME and placed an order for the C8 with my local dealer. Unfortunately the DA2 module turned out to be backordered until December.

The dealer had an open box C52 which they offered me for slightly less than the C8. I almost took the offer but after communicating with some members of various forums I determined that it would not solve the USB issues with my C47.

After determining that the C52 would not solve my problems I was ready to wait until December for my C8 when the dealer informed me that they now had an open box C2700 in stock. I asked the price and was pleasantly surprised when they offered it to me for barely more than the price of the new C8. The dealer told me that it had been returned for some minor problems but it was sent out to the authorized repair center and found to be 100% fine. I immediately jumped on the offer and I couldn't have made a better choice.

Now for the part you have all been waiting for. First of all the C2700 is absolutely amazing. It didn't start out amazing however. When I first plugged it in I was met with horrible distortion from the HDMI input and I thought to myself, "I guess it is broken after all."

But then I remembered from the owners manual that the HDMI input had a digital gain option which lo and behold was turned all the way up to +15db. After turning the digital gain back down to 0 the distortion disappeared like magic. I think that may have been the problem the original customer experienced. Disaster averted the only other problem remains is that there appears to be some kind of debris blocking part of the standby LED but I got such a good deal that I think I can live with that minor issue. Also the dealer said it should be covered under the warranty if I feel the need to get it fixed.

Now with that introduction out of the way on to the SOUND.

The sound is SO much better than the C47. I didn't think it was possible for anything to sound better than the C47 which is an incredible preamp but I immediately noticed that EVERYTHING I played though the C2700 just sounded fuller and richer.

I think the best way to describe the C2700's sound that it is bigger. Everything just sounds more realistic. Treble is less harsh, and the midrange and bass sound much fuller. It's truly amazing. It's like the difference between skim milk and whole. No other single component I ever added to my system has made such a huge difference.

The C2700 makes me realize how much potential my MC302 was missing out on it sounds like a brand new amp. It's not just the DA2 which sounds better but so does every source I throw at it.

I played a number of records on my Technics SL-5300 with my almost 40 year old MM Audio Technica AT122EP cartridge with it's original needle and I honestly couldn't even tell I was listening to vinyl.

The sound was so clean it almost sounded like a CD or digital file. Absolutely Amazing.

The only other tube preamp I owned was a C220 and I didn't really like it since it had a very low SNR and you could hear hissing from the speakers when nothing was playing even at low volumes. The C2700 on the other hand is more or less as quite as the C47. There is a bit of hiss if you turn the volume up to 100% with nothing playing but at normal levels there is absolute silence.

The DA2 works amazingly well. It has none of the problems associated with the first and second generation McIntosh USB DACs. Previously I've owned 3 McIntosh DACs: The D100, D150, and C47 and this is the first McIntosh DAC which has absolutely no issues whatsoever. All 3 of the previous DACs had a very annoying "feature" where they would immediately mute the USB input whenever a source stopped playing. This is fine but instead of immediately resuming playback when the source started playing again it would ramp the volume up over the course of approximately 1/2 second or so. The result of this was that the first half second or so of every track was cut off. McIntosh attempted to fix the problem by adding an automute defeat option to the menus of several preamps including the C52, C1100 and DA1. This is great in theory but from all accounts even with automute turned off the USB still sometimes doesn't start playing back right away.

I am happy to report that the DA2 works perfectly via USB. There is no option to turn off automute on the DA2 because it doesn't need it. The C2700 USB input never mutes and when you restart playback it comes right back on. It looks like McIntosh finally figured out how to make a good USB DAC.

The DA2 module also has a really great HDMI ARC connector which works perfectly with my Sony x900f 48" 4k HDR TV. The sound quality is awesome and the HDMI-CEC functionality works ok. The C2700 usually turns on and off when the TV is turned on or off but not the other way around. This is a little annoying but from my experience this is more of an HDMI-CEC issue rather than an issue with the DA2. HDMI-CEC is never perfect with any device.

From a purely sound perspective I can't recommend the C2700 more. Also on top of the amazing sound it's also incredibly feature rich.

Now on to the features. It has 4 sets of unbalanced analog inputs, 3 sets of balanced inputs, one MM phono and one MC phono inputs with dedicated grounding posts for each, two coaxial digital inputs, two optical digital inputs, once proprietary MCT CD transport connector, one USB input, and one HDMI ARC input.

As for outputs it has one unswitched balanced output, one unswitched unbalanced output, two switched balanced outputs, two switched unbalanced outputs, and one fixed unbalanced output. The switched outputs can be controlled from push buttons on the front panel

In addition to the analog inputs and outputs the C2700 has a series of 1/8" jacks on the back panel which are used for various functions including 4 programmable 12v trigger outputs, 1 passthru connection which allows a home theater processor or receiver's preamp outputs to bypass the C2700 so it can be incorporated into a multichannel system, 1 RS232 connection, an IR input, and multiple data connectors which can be used to transmit remote control data from the C2700 to other connected McIntosh components.

The front panel has 2 large output level meters, two knobs one for input selection and one for volume. The input knob is also used to bring up the trim menu which contains many options such as balance, basic bass and treble tone controls, and phono settings. Holding the input knob in brings up the settings menu which allows you to do things like rename inputs or even turn them off completely. In the trim and settings menus the volume knob is used to make changes.

The rest of the front panel is rounded out with a very nice VFD display. There are also 5 push buttons: Output 1 and 2, Tone, Mute, and Power/Reset. The front panel also has a single 1/4" headphone jack which is connected to McIntosh's High Drive headphone amplifier with HXD crossover function.

The headphone amplifier is very good and it gets quite loud but I think it could use a little bit more power. For example it's not as strong as the one built into the RME ADI-2 PRO FS R BE or Benchmark DAC3 HGC for example. Unfortunately McIntosh doesn't publish any specs for the headphone amp so it's pretty hard to compare it to competitors but it defiantly doesn't get as loud as those other amps. The HXD function is pretty neat. It isn't explained exactly what HXD does in the owners manual but from what I understand it basically adds a little bit of the left channel to the right and vice versa which supposedly emulates what you hear when listening to speakers.

Overall the preamp has a huge number of features necessitating an excellent 31 page owners manual.

The industrial design of the preamp is as equally impressive as it's sound quality and feature set. First of all the preamp is a very large component measuring 17.5" wide 16.5" deep and 7.625" tall. The C2700 has a 2 layer design. The bottom 1/3 is a beautiful polished stainless steel and the top 2/3s is a nice matte black box. The top of the preamp has an amazing glass window showing off the 6 vacuum tubes at the heart of the C2700. There are 5 12AX7s and 1 12AT7. The tubes light up with orange LEDs when the preamp is initially turned on and then turn green when the preamp is warmed up. The green LEDs can be turned off if you want to see the natural tube glow instead. The front panel is the traditional McIntosh all glass panel with the aforementioned output meters, knobs, VFD, and buttons.

The C2700 has a new style of LED backlighting which McIntosh called direct LED in comparison to my MC302's backlighting which was referred to as fiber optic LED backlighting. Honestly I prefer the backlight on the MC302. It seems like the new direct LED lighting is more similar to the backlights in their old bulb models. If you look closely at the McIntosh logo for example you can see the light source shining through the letters. On the older MC302 the text is perfectly opaque. The letters however are much more gold when off than the MC302 which has a slight green tinge when off. Also the color of the meters is a slightly different shade of blue than the meters on the MC302.

The build quality all in all is pretty great. Really the only thing I would change if I was in charge of design is that I would get rid of the plastic buttons. Personally the plastic buttons is the only part of the McIntosh design language I am not totally happy with. I feel like plastic has no place on an almost $10000 component. I think that ideally they should keep the same button design but switch to nice machined anodized aluminum buttons. As for quality control I can't really judge since mine was an open box item. My unit does have a few minor issues with it's glass panel but as far as I know that very well could have been the reason it was returned by the original customer. Regardless McIntosh provides a generous 3 year warranty which should cover the minor cosmetic issue.

As for features I wish it had. The C2700 is missing very little the only things I wish it had are the following: A more advanced EQ like the one in the C53 or MA12000, a balanced and unbalanced processor loop like the one which was removed for some reason after the C2500, and a balanced fixed output with a 2v - 4v output. I think with the addition of those features the C2700 would basically be the perfect preamp. As it stands however I don't think there is any other preamp I would rather have other than maybe the C1100 but since the C1100 doesn't have the DA2 I think the C2700 is my ideal preamp.

TLR the C2700 is a thoroughly impressive device and I can't be happier. I fully recommend it to anyone and everyone.

Now for some images:

Room Lights On:


Room Lights Off:


The Minor Cosmetic Issue:

Excellent on the 2700! What a fantastic pre.

I have to say, the 312 is a significant upgrade to the 302.
I’ve owned a lot of Mc amps over the years and the 312 is magical.
Maybe your next move??? Enjoy!

[Logan Nolag]

Originally Posted by JWJW

Excellent on the 2700! What a fantastic pre.

I have to say, the 312 is a significant upgrade to the 302.
I’ve owned a lot of Mc amps over the years and the 312 is magical.
Maybe your next move??? Enjoy!

Possibly. I think my next upgrade will be speakers since I'm still using Dynaudio Focus 160s which aren't really in the same league as the electronics. If and when I upgrade the amp I will probably get an MC452 or MC462 or possibly an MC275.

[SAM992]

great review, and great choice... so glad to see you sorted that out! My bet is that amazing improvement in sound you're hearing over the C47 is related to the 2700 being a Tube preamp... You just prefer that sound, and probably have all along... The newer McIntosh tube pre's are very quiet relative to others... matter of fact, my c1100 actually has a lower THD than many of McIntoshes own solid state pre's.

For me, I find the best results when I have a tube pre-amp and a solid state amp.

As for EQ... McIntosh seem to bias putting EQ's on their solid state stuff (12000 not withstanding)... and the more Tube style the preamp, the less likely it will have tone controls of any kind... again, my C1100 doesn't even have Bass/Treble, much less an EQ.

Finally, yes, the DA-2 was the hook that kept me away from the C1100, as originally I was going with the MA9000, then the C53/MC462, then the C2700 as I realized I preferred the tube sound over the EQ...But I stupidly heard the dCS Rossini DAC and managed to triple my budget (the jury is out on how responsible that was)... to go with a non-McIntosh digital gateway thus making the 1100 an option again.

For what you've spent, there is no doubt, you have a much better sounding system now than you set out to have in the begging. I don't think you'll ever regret this choice for a line stage.

[PHC1]

A long review means you were inspired to write it. Enjoy the C2700. A great system is built up over time with enough pauses in-between to savor the moments and appreciate the new level of performance and enjoyment from music.

[Logan Nolag]

Originally Posted by PHC1

A long review means you were inspired to write it. Enjoy the C2700. A great system is built up over time with enough pauses in-between to savor the moments and appreciate the new level of performance and enjoyment from music.

Yeah. And listening to the system the entire time helped as well.

[bart]

Good read. Your review clearly shows your passion.
Thank you for sharing!
Enjoy the new toy to the fullest!

[kevtn8]

Having owned the C2700 for a few months now , I agree with almost everything you said. For me this is a dream preamp. The Positive Feedback review sums it up well : combining their superb tube preamp experience, the Sabre ESS9028Pro based da2 module, a great tube phonostage for both MC/MM carts, and their superb high drive headphone amp - Mcintosh really hit a home run with this. Listening to the MC75 monoblocks and C2700 through the Harbeths 30.2 is something that I will always be grateful for. For the late night sessions if I don't want to disturb anyone I plug in my Sennheiser HD 600 and it's pretty much all I will ever need. Thank you Mcintosh for making this possible.