McCormack ALD-1 repair

Dear @edwin4  No it is not. See my post above. Mine is a very comparable if not better unit called a Reference Line Preeminence One.

Sorry they cannot fix your unit, but Patrick is a good guy and very helpful and they'll do what they can. 

Thanks all for your advice. Last night Patrick called me from SMc Audio and we talked at length. He told me they do not repair the ALD-1 and explained in detail why they do not. What they could do (and have done with other ALD-1's) is gut the chassis and build a TLC-2. I do not yet know the cost but will find out. Alternatively they could buy the preamp for its copper plated chassis and I can pursue another avenue for a new/used preamp. @patrickdowns, is your pre the TLC-1?

I was a longtime owner of Steve McCormack’s great DNA-1 Deluxe amp, which I used for 15 years. I considered getting his ALD line stage, and ended up with the Reference Line Preeminence One, which was said to be as good as the McCormack passive. I never A-B’d them, but I loved this Ref Line and never wanted to part with it. Maybe it is time? I have a preamp with gain and will continue to. I’m not posting it here for sale, so ADMINS, don’t spank me! Post something here @edwin4 if you like, and I’ll decide whether to list it. I just shot photos of it. PD

BTW, this is a true passive line stage...FWIW. No a/c power.

SMc Audio will shoot you straight. They may not be able to repair your ALD, or it may be too expensive to do so. 
 

I reached out to him four or five days ago but have not yet received a reply. In the meantime I picked up a used Denon preamp as a stopgap until I find a suitable replacement (assuming the ALD-1 cannot be repaired).

+1 @gdaddy1  SMcAudio will be straight with you.  If you like the sound of your pre and send it in to be repaired you might inquire about their mods as they’re known to make big improvements.  Just something to consider.

Did you contact Steve McCormack directly? 

https://smcaudio.net/

IMHO... for the extreme cost of repair you can buy a new unit for less that has modern advancements that will outperform it. For example, modern volume controls are far superior.