Don’t buy used McCormack DNA 1990s amps

@ozzy62 Same. It came down to doing full upgrades (with Gravity Base) for around $2500 for what’s basically a new and much better amp than I had or find something else for around $3k and risk I wouldn’t like it as much. I’m happy and likely have my forever amp.  Nice system BTW.  Love the combo of the Sachs with the 0.5 — that must be one sweet pairing.  I lust after putting a Spatial Raven in front of my 0.5 some day.  Never ends. 

I’ve got 5k in my DNA 0.5 and I can say it was money well spent. I’m not sure what SS amp you could find in that price range that could beat it. Mine has the magnetic circuit breaker type switch @soix mentioned, but most of the time it’s left on.

@gdaddy1  Like I said I kind of remember Steve reversing that statement, but I’m not gonna go search for it.  It’s a serious issue so you should just call them.  

@soix   I saw this quote from Steve...

 the only DNA amp we've had trouble with is the DNA-1, and ONLY the DNA-1. This is because of age-related problems with the main circuit board, and ONLY that board.

Pretty simple to work on IMHO. No rocket science required.

As a 30 year owner of a DNA 0.5 with deluxe upgrade, it’s good to hear from Steve Mc, that the board problem exists only in the 1.0.

@gdaddy1 Unfortunately that’s not true — the input board on my DNA 0.5 Rev A failed after about 35 years and it is definitely an issue with this amp as well as the DNA 1 and I’m pretty sure also with the DNA 2 although I think they did say the DNA 1 was the worst offender. I think Steve later corrected himself on this.  I will say that Steve and Pat are big proponents of leaving the amp on and that it significantly prolongs the life of the amp, so if I was you I’d leave the amp on 24/7 (or at least avoid turning it on/off very often) unless you’re going away for several days.  They believe this to the extent that when they upgraded my amp a few years ago they disabled the power switch that became just a dummy light so that whenever the amp was plugged in it is on.  Pat told me they have since found a magnetic switch that they’re comfortable with so they use that now, but you get the point.  FWIW  

Here's a re-cap parts list for the 0.5 for anyone interested...

A very helpful thread!!

As a 30 year owner of a DNA 0.5 with deluxe upgrade, it's good to hear from Steve Mc, that the board problem exists only in the 1.0.

I am contemplating re-capping. The parts are really not expensive so all that is required is a solder sucker and an iron and a bit of skill. Doesn't look that difficult as it's all mechanical replacement.  A day or two at most and the savings is substantial.

I have put this off because the amp still operates flawlessly and still sounds great. However, I do wonder if I am missing over the years. Maybe nothing!

Nothing lasts forever.

I hope that he repairs better than he writes.

Steve still the best place to upgrade and recap if you still want to stick with the best sound from DNA. Don’t listen to bs Soix.  I have good enough skill to repair and upgrade Krell, Adcom, DnA-1 and others

@seattlerepairhobby  Well good for you.  For the rest of us mere mortals when the input board goes as mine did — and it will go at some point due to the design and age — you’re looking at a $2500+ bill at SMcAudio to overhaul the amp because they don’t just repair the input board.  That’s a bitter pill to swallow when it happens and what I wanted prospective buyers to know before spending their hard-earned $$$ on an older McCormack amp.  The newer generation amps don’t suffer from this problem BTW.

the input board, output and PSU are repairable for me. You need to have proper schmatic and understand how it work.

Steve still the best place to upgrade and recap if you still want to stick with the best sound from DNA. Don’t listen to bs Soix.

I have good enough skill to repair and upgrade Krell, Adcom, DnA-1 and others

Don’t listen to bs Soix. All Mccormack is be able to repair, recap and upgrade if you have good skill. DnA-1 deluxe and Rev-A have best sound without break your bank.
 

Hello Mccormack DNA folks,

I have 3 DNA-1 since last June 2024 till now.

I recapped the first one by my self with best sound stage and PSU capacitors Nichicon brand and sound is amazing. Then I upgraded it to Deluxe version by myself.

The second DnA1 deluxe I bought as not working or $300. Then repaired and recapped it to have two deluxe and they play similar with original sound. 
 

The third one I bought was in last Dec 2024 as Deluxe Rev.A for just $800. Then I recapped and beeak in. Sound is more bass and more treble than original Rev.A (Nichicon KG 6800uF /100V.

I had best Nichicon KG and others for each stage of the main board, output and psu.
 

Before recapped, I contacted CJ and Steve SMC for price but too much and out of my budget. I have 30 years repair skill but in hi-end sound is totally different. Luckily I have a friend from Greece whom has 35 years experience in sound stage with capacitors sound affects. Thanks John.

I have preamp with Krell KRc-3 and Phantom III (arriving soon). Before that I had Adcom and Aragon 24K and Krell Kav-250p. 

now I have 3 “brand new” DNA-1 that can play for another 20-30 years

I have a DNA-225 that has a transformer hum, which (I think) is also seeping into the audio signal (i.e., coming through the speakers).  This model does not appear to be subject to the troubled, double-sided input board issue.  But, I recall reading somewhere that one maker of McCormack transformers from this time were particularly subject to hum; I can't find, or recall, which brand of transformer it was, although I think the brand name started with a 'C'.

A while ago, I spoke on the phone with Pat about my issue, and he recommended trying a better power cord, and checking for DC noise on my main line.  But, after trying a few different power cords (costing up to $900), and trying two different DC blocker devices, I still have hum.

My next step is to get the amp serviced and/or upgraded.  I'm able and willing to invest in this, but I wonder if a simple repair/replacement of the transformer makes more sense than a total upgrade.

Other power amps in my stable are:

- DIY clone First Watt Aleph J

- Butler Audio TDB 2250

- Symphonic Line RG1 MK3

- McCormack DNA-125 (still present, but lesser amount of hum)

I also have an Adcom GFA-555, and a Phase Linear PL-400 (with White Oak Audio upgrade), but these are really backups.

My current 'itch' is a CODA S5.5 pure Class A amp, so trying to weigh options.  Thanks in advance for advice.

@wturkey  Just be aware that if your amp has the original input board it’s very likely to fail at some point.  Hope yours holds on for a long time. 🤞

Current owner of an SMC modified DNA-1 here. Works great to this day. 

Being irritating is not the same as being wrong.

I did not admit to any "mistake". There was a miscommunication that was subsequently clarified, and I don't see the need to assign blame or judgment on anyone since we've since corrected the issue.

Well, I had a good conversation with Pat this morning and it appears it would be unfair to malign him or SMC audio over this incident. It looks like this was probably more the result of a miscommunication with a seldom-used outside sales person that deviated from his normal "direct-to-consumer" sales approach.

@fishagedone Hey, all I did is call you out on something that just didn’t sound right That’s all so don’t make it more than that. As you’ve now admitted you were mistaken and that’s fine — it happens to all of us at one time or another My goal was not to belittle you at all but rather to challenge your account of events because on the surface they didn’t make sense given my experience with the company That’s it. As for @rubicon15 you’re basically a baby here and nothing you say means anything to me so don’t even bother.

@Soix I always find it helpful to ask clarifying questions before sticking my foot in my mouth… You certainly didn’t hurt my feelings. Obviously, I’m tired of reading your crap. Personally, I’d be embarrassed if I were you. Didn’t you announce you were leaving this forum some time ago. Hope that didn’t hurt your feelings.

Soix,

You didn’t call me out on anything and I didn’t appreciate your baseless and false attacks, or the tone of your ignorant posts. I share the same sentiment as Rubicon, your posts are tiring and generally uninformed. And, they don’t do anything productive or contributory to solve the actual issue. You just come across as a bitter, angry, judgmental, and condescending old man (which you probably are). I don’t know why you are, but you don’t need to spread your bad energy to innocent people on this forum .

The irony is you are doing more to deter people from buying into the brand when they see people like you are associated with it. 

@rubicon15  Hey, he was berating a reputable business unfairly and I called him out on it and I was right.  Sorry if that hurts your little feelings. 

This has been an interesting thread to say the least. It appears fishagedone’s experience was accurate. However, a bit vague in the beginning. I am so tired of reading Soix’s condescending and judgmental posts. @ram360j is another example in a long list of many. On the positive side, Steve stepped up and corrected S. Of course, after that, S had to save face and attack fishagedone. 

Unfortunately, a third party agent was the real culprit not SMC. Not to mention, fishagedone setting the record straight in his last post. In the end, it all worked out for fishagedone. He was able to establish a relationship with SMC without using a third party agent. That’s the real purpose of the forum. 

I’ve been a long time owner of CJ. In fact, I still have a fully functional DV-2b. I’m wondering if Steve designed this unit back in the day. CJ doesn’t have any information on the player. Unfortunately, it may become an anchor when it dies. 

@soix thanks for the tip - can’t believe I didn’t think of that… 🙄  

@fishagedone 

Good on ya for clearing this up. As you can see, there is a lot of respect and support for the work Pat and Steve do, and for good reason. I’m glad we all have a little better perspective on what happened.

Well, I had a good conversation with Pat this morning and it appears it would be unfair to malign him or SMC audio over this incident. It looks like this was probably more the result of a miscommunication with a seldom-used outside sales person that deviated from his normal "direct-to-consumer" sales approach. He indicated that I could contact him directly and purchase from him directly from this point forward, which would probably avoid any future incidences. One thing I did learn is that it appears there is no shortage of support for SMC audio, and Pat does appear to be stand by his business.  Who knows, maybe there could be a SMC amplifier in my future after all.

My DNA 0.5 has no power switch on the front panel either. It has a breaker on the side for powering on/off.

FWIW, pmy monoblocks have no power switch at all, if they are plugged in then they are powered on. My SMc DAC has the magnetic switch.  For my preamp, I believe there is a power switch on the outboard power supply.

@cheeg  I think it depends on what version of the upgrades you have.  Mine was done a couple years ago and my power switch is just a dummy light — not my favorite feature.  Should be pretty easy to tell if your power switch is active just by turning the amp off while music is playing.  Whether the music stops or not will give you your answer.  Patrick told me their newest upgrade uses a magnetic power switch so if you do an upgrade now you get an active power switch. 

@soix, thanks for starting this chain of posts – I can’t believe how many responses it has generated.  Like you, I am a very happy owner of a rebuilt DNA-1, but a comment in one of the posts much earlier said that the on/off switch on the front panel only turns the blue light off, and leaves the rest of the amp on. Can you please confirm that this is true? I have been occasionally turning off the panel switch when lightning may be coming to my area, and assuming that the amp would be protected. If I need to actually unplug the amp, please let me know. 

Soix, 

I see reading comprehension isn't your strong point so I'll repeat: the salesperson introduced me to Pat, but I spoke to both of them during this time period.  Are we clear now?

Patrick didn’t refer me to the agent. The agent introduced me to Patrick and I spoke with Patrick about it.
 

Your story is now contradicting itself   This is what you wrote before  

Let me put it this way, when I asked Pat about how much it would cost to upgrade to balanced inputs and an external power supply, he stated that he could not discuss pricing with me and I had to go through this agent.

You can’t even keep your story straight.  Stop blaming SMcAudio for some agent who quoted you an unfair price.

Mitch, agree with your points. And thank you for the civil discussion.  

Patrick didn’t refer me to the agent. The agent introduced me to Patrick and I spoke with Patrick about it.

Ozzy, you are mistaken. Smc audio ratified and approved the price and agency relationship with this person, so they do bear some responsibility for this experience frankly. If they want to come make a statement about it, they are welcome. I’ve already shared more than enough information that adequately apprises future buyers about this situation. If you’re not satisfied, that’s your problem. I don’t believe I need to dox people because you think I should.

You should be more forthcoming about who this “agent” is. If you really want to warn the audiophile community, as you say you do, then that is the person of concern.  Not SMc audio.

Agree, fair enough.  I am sorry your experience wasn’t great.

If you ever have the opportunity, I suggest trying to hear one of their newer amplifier creations. Unfortunately, they don’t have a dealer network and don’t typically display at shows so, listening opportunities are mostly limited to whether you know somebody who owns their products.  Therefore, buying from them can require a bit of a leap of faith.

So Patrick referred you to an agent?  Why the hell would he do that???  Nothing about this seems right. 

Mitch,

Fair enough. There’s more to this story that I really don’t think it’s worth anyone’s time to get into. Look if I’m the only bad experience out of 1000 transactions then I’m happy for our community. I hope that to be the case. And I hope my feedback can only go to improving and strengthening the audiophile market and experiences for everyone. I believe we should all speak out and give everyone a chance to express themselves as long as it’s based on factual information.

@fishagedone

"If it’s so great, go buy it Mitch and post pictures of the amazing chassis and value."

I did just that. Beat out a pair of Lamm M1.2 Reference monoblocks and a pair of Clayton M300 Class A monoblocks in my system, all of which I owned at the same time. Pictures of my amps are on the home page of SMc Audio’s website, the black monoblocks.

To your other question, I don’t generally care what people like or don’t like but when I read about good people being maligned for silly reasons that seem to make no sense then, yes, I may challange that. You don’t want to pay the price, you don’t feel comfortable with refurbished equipment, you want balanced inputs, and you saw a similar amp advertised for less money so, sure, the SMc amp wasn’t for you, I get that. I also understand the frustration of dealing with a pushy sales person. However, what I don’t understand is why that should reflect so negatively on SMc Audio. You didn’t buy anything or lose any money so, in the absence of actual damages, your level of negativity seems disproportionate, IMO of course.

I can't speak for SMC.  I can only relay my own personal experience as accurately as possible. 

This is the first time I have ever heard of sMC having an agent. I bought my amp as a GT-20 back in July and when I decided I wanted to upgrade it, I picked up the phone and called Pat. We had several conversations and emails over the next few days about what I wanted and what they would do. He sent me an invoice and I shipped the amp out. Are you saying this process has drastically changed in the course of a few months?

Ozzy,

Let me put it this way, when I asked Pat about how much it would cost to upgrade to balanced inputs and an external power supply, he stated that he could not discuss pricing with me and I had to go through this agent. That alone made me feel there was a lack of transparency in the transaction, and frankly, it makes me wonder why SMC would agree to that. 

I will agree with you that $10.5k was far beyond anything I’ve ever seen charged for this refurbished amp. I would hope SMC knows what their agents are charging and reign in any excessive pricing. That’s the purpose of this post, to make sure buyers are made aware this type of experience could happen to them. This is compounded by the lack of information on the products and the brand, as well as the lack of a credible dealer network to obtain firsthand information.

As far as balanced inputs, I have invested in good balanced cables and have terrible EMI problems, so it’s a must for me. I would expect this feature on any amp in the $10k range.

All this talk about sales agents. Where the hell did you contact this person? Is that a big secret? You aren't doing your credibility any favors.

And I still don't understand why you are harping on the lack of balanced inputs. That's not the criteria by which high end amplifiers are judged.

Finally, the price you reference doesn't seem to be commensurate with prices on upgraded McCormack amps. I think someone tried to scam you and it sounds like you perceived it to be genuine. 

Full disclosure, I own an Smc GT-24 with all the bells and whistles, including a new chasis and  custom faceplate. It is a fantastic sounding amp and no, it doesn't have balanced inputs.

Maybe the sales agent I worked with is not a w2 employee, but apparently SMC was comfortable enough to provide pricing and sell through this person. 

Mitch, are you for real? Do you also go on Yelp and cry about everyone who didn’t love the food or service of every restaurant? Again, a decades old amplifier at $10.5k with no balanced inputs isn’t a screaming bargain to me, okay? If it’s so great, go buy it Mitch and post pictures of the amazing chassis and value. It’s available, so no excuses! Just don’t come crying again when you realize you could have got the same model for over half off.

Here’s the problem — SMcAudio is only Steve and Patrick so whatever salesperson you spoke to does not work for SMcAudio as you imply.  

@fishagedone

The problem here is that you basically dropped a turd in the room and then insinuated the stink is somehow related to a company that many of us have had nothing but excellent interactions with over many years. It only gets worse when you attribute your dissatisfaction to an unnamed "authorized agent", "somebody who apparently works with them", "authorized sales distribution channel" (whatever the heck that is), or a "a sales guy working with SMC audio" (which is total BS).

The fact is you are not a customer as you have not purchased anything from SMc Audio or even interacted with the two principals. Your impressions are based on interactions with an unnamed proxy and the substance of your dissatisfaction seems to be the price of an amplifier that you believe to be too high because it has been refurbished and doesn’t have balanced inputs. You clearly do not understand SMc Audio’s business model or products. To imply their pricing is not "fair" and that their products don't "stack up against market competition" (i.e., a couple of visible name brands you are familiar with), is absurd. Did you even listen to the amplifier?  I own a pair of their 650 wpc monoblocks because I like the way they sound in direct comparison to amplifiers I owned at and well above their price point. BTW, some of those "decades old chassis" are copper-plated steel, which you will not get from many (any?) other manufacturers. Sometimes, when you find yourself in a hole it is best to quit digging.