McCormacks -- For lovers and investors

Have you heard one? It is a superb amp. And if you want that sound, well they just aren't making them any more. 

But more generally, what I keep saying but everyone is nana nana I can't hear you, we are in the early stages of monetary inflation. People have cash, can't earn any interest, and are beginning to see the wisdom in converting worthless paper into useful hard assets. It's happening all over. But people are blind, tunnel vision, and no self-awareness. So right now you see a DNA amp. Last week it was a record. Poor guy cannot figure it out no matter how many times it is explained. Hard assets. Worthless fiat currency. Figure it out.

Buy a non working unit and send it to SMcAudio.
Pat and Steve will use the case and replace all the innards.
So, basically you are getting a new amp at a fraction of the cost of buying new.
B

As Bob says, they are indeed actively making them now and more importantly they are making them better than ever.

The current all-in upgrades use little more than the case and heat sinks from the old amps.  Send them a non-working amp....it doesn’t matter.  The end result will be stunning.  They have completely new boards, use larger low-noise toroidal transformers, and virtually all new parts that they have found make the most sonic improvements.  Ask about the benefits of their Gravity Base option.  The case can be powder coated, copper clad if desired, and finished per your choice.  They will have a new faceplate made to match your aesthetic preferences if you wish.

I saw that eBay DNA-0.5 amp and it would have been a good amp for somebody who wanted something better than stock but didn’t want to sink a lot of money in it or go through the upgrade process.  However, their upgrades have come a long way in the 22 years since 1999 so for me the price was too steep considering the age.  Nonetheless, I suspect it can give the new owner years of musical enjoyment.

Someone should’ve done their homework.  While I agree that’s a steep price for that amp, what makes it infinitely worse is that DNA amps from that era have input boards that are now failing, and when that happens — and it will happen likely sooner than later — the new owner will have little more than a $1612 boat anchor as it’s not repairable.  I know this because I have a dead DNA-0.5 Rev. A circa late ‘90s sitting in my basement right now that in all likelihood has (as per SMcAudio, which is why I know it’s not repairable) suffered that exact fate.  I’m afraid overpaying for the amp is the least of the buyer’s worries at this point.  

@soix - Hopefully the ebay buyer's DNA-0.5 amp will not suffer the same fate as yours - at least not in the near future.  However, your amp is not exactly a boat anchor since even in its current non-operating condition, it can be upgraded by SMc Audio with the result being competitive with many of the better amplifiers available today.  SMc now has new boards they can use to rebuild those older amplifiers, and it would probably make sense to upgrade at the same time.  If you would rather sell it than upgrade, I suggest letting SMc know so they can pass your name along to a potential buyer who needs the chassis/heat sinks for their upgrade project.  There would be no difference in value to that buyer between your amp and a working stock DNA-0.5, which I usually see sell in the $600-$800 range.  Someone may purchase it simply so they don't have to wait for one to come up for sale.  Just last year, I purchased two old DNA-1s that SMc then turned into Ultimate-G monoblocks, and it didn't matter whether the amps I sent to them were in working condition or not.

Hopefully the ebay buyer’s DNA-0.5 amp will not suffer the same fate as yours - at least not in the near future.

@mitch2 — Hate to be a negative Nellie but unfortunately it absolutely will fail. I spoke with SMcAudio about it directly and they said the input boards of that era are physically at the end of their lives and not possible to repair or replace and that the rest of the guts are basically trash. Not what I wanted to hear. They said the only viable option would be to use the carcass for one of their upgrades that replace everything, which is what I plan to do as I really loved my amp before it went kaput and can’t wait to hear how much better the new upgrades will sound. Now just need to save up enough shekels to git’er done.

Incidentally, what do you think are the standout sonic strengths of your SMcAmps vs. stock (if you’ve ever heard that) and what other amps have you compared them to? Also, what level upgrades did you consider and why did you choose the Ultimate-G? Not sure if it was you, but I remember someone saying the new bases are very worthwhile. I’m not familiar with Steve’s latest upgrades so appreciate your thoughts having gone through this. Thanks for any thoughts/advice!

@soix. 
 What about the conrad Johnson made McCormack branded amps?
are these also susceptible to the boards going bad as you previously  mentioned??

Gents,
Steve M told me that they can't source components for aging .05 amps which could be problematic for folks. 

I have moved to tube amps in the past few years and have a DNA .05, upgraded a few years back to their Platinum version (i.e, but for the chassis, every component inside is brand new).   The upgrade cost was $3800.  I am happy to have it in my stash of gear, but if someone is keen to have this outstanding amp, please send me a PM.  

What about the conrad Johnson made McCormack branded amps?

Sorry @arcticdeth, I only know about older DNA amps but I’m sure if you contact SMcAudio (or CJ) they’d be able to tell you.  I’d tend to doubt they used the same input boards considering those amps came out later and may well have used CJ-sourced components, but that’s just a guess and there’s only one way to know for sure.  I’d be curious to know what you find out.