C2700 - A Very Long Rambling Review

[W9TR]

Great review! Glad the DA2 is working well for everyone.

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by 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.

Similar gear. HD600 and Harbeth 30.2 fan here. I use a Prima Luna Dialogue HP EL34 on the Harbeths and for headphone use.

[kevtn8]

Originally Posted by PHC1

Similar gear. HD600 and Harbeth 30.2 fan here. I use a Prima Luna Dialogue HP EL34 on the Harbeths and for headphone use.

Hi PHC1, yes it's not a coincidence we have similar musical taste. In fact it was your Harbeth 30.2 feedback that pushed me to seriously consider them. The other factor was I found a great deal on them ( nearly half of retail) on Audiogon when the lockdown started. I was using the Dynaudio Special 40 before and to my ears the Dyns are simply not in the same league. The Harbeth is not only more musical and engaging but also more transparent with a bigger soundstage and more focused imaging. The 30.2 is exceptional in its frequency range and doesn't try to do too much. The Dynaudio while maybe digging a bit lower in bass tries to do too much and thus neither the midrange or bass is as good as it should be. I'm augmenting the Harbeth with a single Martin Logan Dynamo 1100x sub in a small bedroom and it's simply amazing. The Martin Logan room correction software makes a big difference. The HD 600 are simply amazing with C2700 headphone amp. They are true reference headphones that happen to be affordable. I auditioned the HD 650 for a few days and quickly returned them as I find the HD 600 a lot more to my liking and musical preference. This is my end game system and I can't ask for more.

[Madfonzy]

Originally Posted by W9TR

Great review! Glad the DA2 is working well for everyone.

Unfortunately not for me though. After having my unit for two weeks I was having issues playing DSD files. Speaking to the vendor I had an old firmware version and they recommended updating but was advised it probably wouldn’t fix the issue as it am using Linux as a source. But best time update anyway. Dropped it off at the authorized repair shop and they had issues updating the DA2. Two weeks at the shop they were still waiting on McIntosh to respond so in the meantime I took it back not knowing how long it would take. Suffice to say the DA2 is no longer detected and it doesn’t work.

Fortunately I have an external DAC I can use and the C2700 sounds sublime! Apart from the issues above I am happy with the unit but wish unit could be fixed quicker.

[JDCheek]

After this review and many others online, including a Canadian review comparing the C-2700 to the C-2200, I have one on order. I’m really looking forward to the phono and DAC features as I love the sound of my 2200.

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by kevtn8

Hi PHC1, yes it's not a coincidence we have similar musical taste. In fact it was your Harbeth 30.2 feedback that pushed me to seriously consider them. The other factor was I found a great deal on them ( nearly half of retail) on Audiogon when the lockdown started. I was using the Dynaudio Special 40 before and to my ears the Dyns are simply not in the same league. The Harbeth is not only more musical and engaging but also more transparent with a bigger soundstage and more focused imaging. The 30.2 is exceptional in its frequency range and doesn't try to do too much. The Dynaudio while maybe digging a bit lower in bass tries to do too much and thus neither the midrange or bass is as good as it should be. I'm augmenting the Harbeth with a single Martin Logan Dynamo 1100x sub in a small bedroom and it's simply amazing. The Martin Logan room correction software makes a big difference. The HD 600 are simply amazing with C2700 headphone amp. They are true reference headphones that happen to be affordable. I auditioned the HD 650 for a few days and quickly returned them as I find the HD 600 a lot more to my liking and musical preference. This is my end game system and I can't ask for more.

Sorry for the delayed response, I just noticed your post. Glad to hear you are enjoying the same components in your system! Augmenting the stand mounted speakers with a quality sub is much more efficient than fighting with big speakers that overpower the room and there is nothing much that can be done about it. Sound like the ML sub worked out well for you.

I am happy to hear you found satisfaction in the same components I shared my thoughts on and that I also enjoy on a daily basis.

Enjoy!

[Logan Nolag]

Originally Posted by Madfonzy

Unfortunately not for me though. After having my unit for two weeks I was having issues playing DSD files. Speaking to the vendor I had an old firmware version and they recommended updating but was advised it probably wouldn’t fix the issue as it am using Linux as a source. But best time update anyway. Dropped it off at the authorized repair shop and they had issues updating the DA2. Two weeks at the shop they were still waiting on McIntosh to respond so in the meantime I took it back not knowing how long it would take. Suffice to say the DA2 is no longer detected and it doesn’t work.

Fortunately I have an external DAC I can use and the C2700 sounds sublime! Apart from the issues above I am happy with the unit but wish unit could be fixed quicker.

I didn't test DSD or DXD as I don't have any and never listen to any so I'm not sure if mine works. I honestly didn't even think to try but maybe I should just to see if it works.

[Madfonzy]

I got mine to work if I used my Windows PC. But if I used my MacBook or RPi4 it was a no go. PCM would play fine though.

[kevtn8]

Originally Posted by JDCheek

After this review and many others online, including a Canadian review comparing the C-2700 to the C-2200, I have one on order. I’m really looking forward to the phono and DAC features as I love the sound of my 2200.

Congratulations! You'll absolutely love it. Dollar for dollar and considering everything it excels at and can do, it may be the best overall preamp in world.

[kevtn8]

Originally Posted by PHC1

Sorry for the delayed response, I just noticed your post. Glad to hear you are enjoying the same components in your system! Augmenting the stand mounted speakers with a quality sub is much more efficient than fighting with big speakers that overpower the room and there is nothing much that can be done about it. Sound like the ML sub worked out well for you.

I am happy to hear you found satisfaction in the same components I shared my thoughts on and that I also enjoy on a daily basis.

Enjoy!

Thank you. I'm also a big fan of the Luxman sound as I had the L509x and then went to their tube separates Cl38uC / MQ-88uC combo but eventually the Mcintosh tube sound connected with me a bit more. Not to mention I always wanted to own tube monoblocks and after some effort I found a pair of MC75 at a dealer on East Coast and the rest is history. Combined with the Harbeth /MartinLogan speaker combo this is a dream come true and I can't ask for more or need to search for anything else. The best part is these components are not overly big or heavy and can fit and sound great in a lot of rooms.