re comment by mickeyb
McCormack audio is now part or wholly owned by Conrad Johnson.
I put the money in a newer amp.
McCormack (the brand name) was sold to C-J. That is a totally different entity than SMc Audio, which is independently owned and run by Steve McCormack. SMc builds their own amps and preamps, which are high-dollar products and hang with the best of them. They also completely upgrade older McCormack amps etc like the DNA-1 and make them brand new and better (I want one, and should have kept my old DNA-1 when it died, for a future upgrade). The new "Gravity Base" that they install in the amps is said to be amazing, and was a byproduct of the work Steve has been doing with designer David Berning.
FYI
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My original DNA-1 was purchased in 1994 and gone through 3 upgrades. The only remaining original part is the heat fins. I am considering the power block upgrade because separate power supplies on my LTA preamp and Lumin streamer do make quite a noticeable improvement. Any DNA-1 owners have experience with the power block update. I can easily live with my present DNA-1 which has great clarity, musicality, tonal balance and deep slams.
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I had my 22 year old DNA-1 deluxe fully rebuilt last summer. It sounds amazing - quiet, relaxed (and detailed at the same time), with an impressive, life-like three dimensionality to voices and instruments.
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I’m glad to read about your experience’s and am glad you guys are honest.
I have no doubt that once I send it off it will be the best I can afford.I put together my system on a budget and have done what I can to upgrade through the years,I have always said that’s it’s really nice to be able to pick up the phone and talk to the man who’s name is on the amp.
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I had my DNA-1 Deluxe upgraded by SMc Audio 21 years ago. The improvements were considerable resulting in a more refined, nuanced sound yet with much more responsive dynamics. Music really came to life. Last year, the 20th anniversary of the original upgrades I called Steve on a whim just to pick his brain about what had been happening with their upgrades for the last two decades. Steve's story to tell was quite compelling. He had the good fortune of running across some well healed audiophiles who wanted the best regardless of cost leading him to have to carefully consider such a challenge. High customer expectations! Steve talked of all SMc was able to learn about the possible and fortunately many of those innovative circuit designs were able to trickle down to the amps of those of us who have budget constraints.
So away my amp went again! Once back and run in a bit, for what I paid, I realized what a bargain SMc had offered me. Now a finely polished diamond was amplifying with authority across the frequency spectrum. The soundstage or space was as vast or limited as intended by the recording artist. A fantastic value! I will never part with this amp. Is it the best amp one can get? Who knows? I'm sure there are many designs that are its sonic equal or maybe even better but as I listen to the vinyl of Pink Floyd "The Later Years" enveloped in a vast wash of great tunes I just relax and enjoy as the music takes over the room. Good stuff indeed.
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I really like the combo
The question I haven't seen an answer to is, what about the sound of your system would you like to improve by changing amplifiers and/or speakers? IMO, McCormack amps sounded good in stock form. Your Revision A Gold should have improved on the stock amp considerably.
However, McCormack upgrades are not for everyone. They do cost money, so the question you have to ask yourself is, "what could I purchase new or used for the same all-in cost?" In addition, the upgrades take time. Steve and Patrick do their best but they have a lot of customers and the process is staged, with some of the work relying on others to complete, like powder-coating chassis, ordering key parts like the low-noise transformers they use, ordering custom faceplates, and other steps in the process. Finally, those who say you will lose much of the upgrade cost on resale are mostly correct, which means you should do everything you can to figure out what you want and whether the upgraded McCormack amplifier is likely to provide it. If you don't like the sound of your McCormack amp now, an upgraded version is probably not going to be much better for you. However, if you already like the house sound but want improved refinement, lower noise, improved high frequency clarity, improved bass definition, and more depth/dimensionality, then the upgrades should push you further towards your goal. Some options can have a significant impact on the level of improvement, such as going from a single amplifer to monoblocks or installing the much larger low-noise transformers in the DNA 0.5s.
As expensive as my upgraded SMc monos were, they provide sound quality from my system that I had previously not achieved at anywhere near the price, including monoblocks from well-regarded manufacturers priced at about $17K (new) for the Claytons (upon their last issue) and about $34K (new) for the Lamm amps (current pricing). Some might even say the SMc amplifiers are a bargain.
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I really don’t want to go to crazy I’m happy with the sound of the nht’s.There is always bigger and badder out there.I know the McCormack is the old kid on the block, but I really like the combo sounds like the house is split I have ALL Nht stuff in my system and I worked really hard to piece it together Just feeling out what you guys all think.I guess as long as I see the two little green lights through the top all is good.
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That.... is a giant can of undulating worms.....
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What would you guys suggest as for as a speaker upgrade?
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@teo_audio +1 on that suggestion. You got an amp that’ll compliment better speakers.
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I don't know if anyone has bothered to mention it yet...but...the amplifier is a more serious performer than the NHT 2.9's. Consider selling the speakers, and keeping the amp.
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100% agree to live with it as is or find something else. If decide to sell, you will be out most of the cost of the upgrade, which frankly is the case for most upgrades in my experience. I personally found a very modest improvement going from a stock DNA.05 to the same amp with the Platinum upgrade, the upgrade which cost $3800. At any rate, it is a great amp and a great company if you do decide to do the upgrade.
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@richiekess I feel your pain as I’m in a similar sitch. I had a Bryston SST2 in my system and will say it was comparable to my 0.5 Rev A but not better, so I gotta believe one of Steve’s amps with his latest upgrades should be significantly better. My big question is how Steve’s upgraded amps compare to the new GaN amps from AGD, Underwood HiFi, etc. FWIW.
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I've been mulling the upgrade path as well. I have a DNA-1 in excellent condition. Original owner. I think the amp is about 30 years old right now. Been looking to the basic upgrade from Steve, without the new base, but adding a new transformer. It's about a $2700 upgrade. Was weighing that against a selling the DNA-1 and getting a used Bryston 3b squared or 2.5b squared...
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$2500 for an upgrade? I have to start raising my prices we build a complete Point-to-point wired hybrid power amp from old Counterpoint chassis for $4K. Intersesting.
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I upgraded my DNA--1 up to the gold rev, but didn't commit to that upgrade. I had the pleasure of talking to Steve about each of the upgrades we did. That was about 15 years ago. I got curious about some other amps especially tubes. Yes, I dragged my amps to other peoples home and we compared them. Anyway, after doing a number of A/B comparisons in peoples homes, I sold the McCormacks, I couldn't see spending more money and not being sure that when finished they would be comparable or better to what I had heard. Just my two cents. Good luck
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McCormack audio is now part or wholly owned by Conrad Johnson.
I put the money in a newer amp.
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Sorry, I don't remember. It was 20 years ago.
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Steve McCormack and Patrick at SMc Audio have upgraded a pair of my DNA-1s, a large DNA-2, and a TLC-1 preamplifier that is very close to what you get from his highly regarded VRE-1. In short, the upgraded preamp and DNA-1 monos are very, very good sonically, IMO. I compared the preamp to around 20 other preamps, a couple of which were north of $10K and I have not found anything that sounds as enjoyable to me based on tone, body, clarity, and dynamics. Same with the DNA-1 monos. While those monos may not be the very best at any one thing, they are quite good across the board with the end result having excellent tone, body, clarity, dynamics, and drive, and no noticeable shortcomings which, IMO, is a rare and welcome attribute.
Regarding upgrades, all they need now to create an upgraded amp is a unit that has intact chassis and heat fins, because they can replace virtually every other part of the amplifier in their new builds, including the boards. The amp you send them doesn't even need to work. If you can sell your amp for a little more because it is a Gold revision, you may consider selling your amp, buying a DNA-1 that has not been upgraded or that may not currently work, and using the delta between those transactions on the upgrades.
I suggest researching the current state of the upgrades further on their website where there are some youtube video interviews with Steve. I recommend looking at videos 3 and 4 for more info about the amplifiers. You should also check out the new amplifiers they are offering. I am very happy with my upgraded amplifiers (pictured below) and IMO they sound overall better in my system than the Clayton M300 Class A monoblocks and the Lamm M1.2 Reference monoblocks I owned previously.
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I don’t know... putting another $2,500 in an already upgraded amp that is around 25 years old probably won’t get you much more.
@koestner Not sure I agree. Many people here who’ve done Steve’s latest upgrades have been very happy and I’m sure they compete with the best amps out there. My quandary, because I have a busted 0.5 Rev A from the late 1990s, is whether to upgrade or go for something like a GaN amp from AGD, Underwood, or Atmasphere. That’s honestly a tough question for me right now. I’ll say this though, you should check if the input board has the same known problem as my 0.5 and if so if it’s been replaced with your upgrade. If not it’ll obviously be replaced with any upgrade, but if you sell your amp that has that input board problem it might be a problem because it’s a fatal failure and can’t be fixed without a major overhaul.
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@koestner ..."The improvement was OK, but I eventually changed amps."
Care to share more..., what did you change to that you like better now?
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I don't know... putting another $2,500 in an already upgraded amp that is around 25 years old probably won't get you much more. I vote for selling the amp, using the $2,500 and get something newer. After all this hobby is fun if you change things up every once in a while. I also owned a DNA .5 Rev A gold or something like that. The improvement was OK, but I eventually changed amps.
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I have owned many McCormack amps over the years. I had an original DNA-1, a pair of DNA- deluxe monoblocks, a DNA-2, and a DNA-1 Gold revision. If you are staying in the SS camp, McCormack amps are about as good as anything out there that is comparably priced. I would vote for sending it back for the upgrade.
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