McIntosh c2700 users please chime in?

I read reviews of the c2600 at the time and both the DAC and phono got really nice reviews. If I got the 2700, I would compare the built in phono with my current outboard ELAC PPA-2 and go with the one that sounds best. Getting rid of a couple boxes (current Dac and phono) sounds appealing to make my rack look a bit cleaner.

I think the tube c2700 would be a nice pairing with my ZU Omen defs and Firstwatt j2. Tube smoothness along with the deep, knarly bass of the SS J2

If you are buying a new C2700, expect no discount. If it’s a C2600 or C2500 which have both been discontinued than expect a discount. McIntosh is very strict with the pricing on current equipment and most (notice I said most) dealers won’t give a discount out of fear of getting in trouble with them. Why do you feel a discount is warranted on new McIntosh equipment?  You don’t get it on most other high end equipment. I realize your Parasound BHK was probably discounted as they always seem to be but not usually so with McIntosh. If you want a big discount with Mac, then buy used. AC would probably laugh if you asked for a discount on new Mac, it just won’t happen.

stereo5

If you are buying a new C2700, expect no discount ... Why do you feel a discount is warranted on new McIntosh equipment? You don’t get it on most other high end equipment ...

In my experience, dealers give discounts to their best customers, including on products such as Mac and ARC. The "best customers" aren’t necessarily the ones who spend the most money, but the ones that are relatively easy to work with.

@cleeds,

Sorry but I don’t agree with that.  I frequent the Mac forum daily on another site and I have yet to hear anyone who has bought a current Mac component say the got a discount.  Many have asked for one but no one has received a discount, unless they are buying a system and other pieces have been discounted to compensate.  If you know of a dealer that does discount, please let me know as I am looking for a few Mac items. I deal exclusively with AC and am very satisfied.  I can’t say enough great things about them.  

stereo5

Sorry but I don’t agree with that. I frequent the Mac forum daily on another site and I have yet to hear anyone who has bought a current Mac component say the got a discount. Many have asked for one but no one has received a discount unless they are buying a system and other pieces have been discounted to compensate.

You’re probably referring to AA, which is a great site and Mac resource. In any event, I can tell you that it is possible to buy new Mac from an authorized dealer and get a discount. It’s easiest if you’re buying a whole system, as you note, or even a few items. It’s also helpful to have a trade, where the dealer will factor the discount when he values your trade. But even without those two mechanisms, it is possible to get a cash-and-carry discount on new Mac.

If you know of a dealer that does discount, please let me know as I am looking for a few Mac items.

As I stated previously, in my experience those discounts go the dealer’s best customers. I think it’s unlikely that they are going to offer you a discount the moment you call them or walk in the door for the first time. It’s all about having a relationship with the dealer.

I deal exclusively with AC and am very satisfied. I can’t say enough great things about them.

I have also worked with AC and agree they are excellent, especially for service! The glass faceplate of my MR80 tuner once broke while in transit to them for service, and they handled the insurance claim and repair superbly. And, of course, kudos to Mac for making a new front panel for a component that had been out of production for decades.

cleeds +1

You may be right about current line up macs. I would be fine with a demo unit, however, being so new, probably not a lot available. However, you can get discounts of the "online dealer Mac models" (the ones you see in crutchfield, MD, etc) at BB Magnolia. 

Who is "AC"?

aberyclark

Who is "AC"?

Audio Classics.

oh yes...thanks

In my experience with buying McIntosh it’s no different than any other brand in terms of discounts. If you work at it and don’t mind being somewhat assertive 20% off wouldn’t too be hard to find and 25% is obtainable. The caveat is that you would need a dealer that you have a good relationship with so that he knows that if he gives you a handsome discount you won’t go blab about it. You have to look at audio gear as no different than any other widget. Don’t we all try to secure the very best price we can on an automobile purchase? We audiophiles have let prices get out of hand because emotionally we think  audio gear is somehow different than other types of products. It’s not and the dealer is a businessman like any other. It’s our job as the consumer to determine how far the dealer will go to make some profit vs none. If you want 20- 25% off tell him you’ll pay by check or paypal ‘friends’ and that you’ll keep your lips sealed. There’s nothing unsavory about it at all. Either more stays in your pocket or his. FWIW

You are correct. I've read many forums thru the years, when discounts and prices are brought up, there is always a "pretender" or two who seem to think it's an insult to ask for a discount. Generally, Lottery winners go broke because they do not shop wisely and overspend on things. Lottery winners love showing off the fact they are no longer in the trailer and brag about their new digs (they way over pay for). I have my own business and quote adjustments are the norm in business.

You can get a discount on anything. McIntosh probably less than others though. They have a strong brand and don’t have to deal as much as some others. It’s not factually true that you can’t get a discount. . It’s not like the BHK is a dog. Im not sure the McIntosh is an upgrade. I own Mcintosh but I think the BHK is probably as good.

I agree. Maybe some dealers will not give one. That is totally fine. The BHK is a great preamp. The 2700 has more of what I’m looking for feature wise. 

@d2girls,

if you got a discount, good for you. You also bought 2 pieces. If you bought only 1, you probably wouldn’t have gotten anything. Regardless, I couldn’t care less.  Everyone thinks they are entitled.  Did you buy yours in Canada or the US?

Everyone thinks they are entitled.

Why is it entitlement when seeking a better price? Stereo 5, you pay full price for a car? You pay asking for a house? If this is the case, then you really have probably threw away tons of money in your life. An $8000 pre amp is expensive. It’s not like buying a pack of gum and asking the store for 20% off. Just like with a house or car, the dealer can say no. If a dealer gets insulted, that is their problem. I say no all the time. Is the sales person "entitled" to receive the commission on extended warranties? No. However, they are going to ask..that is their job. I can say no.

"How dare you to a ask a Mcintosh dealer for a discount...Mcintosh is audio royalty and needs to be respected as such"......get over it

I apologize to all for my above snarky comments. I mis-read the intent of the post. I need to just get away from all the noise in the world for a while. 

A new c2700 would help me clear my mind :)

While I can't speak to getting a discount, I am about ready to sell my C2700 and MC462 here on Audiogon. I bought each new soon after they were released. Fantastic gear, and while I love them both, I need to size down and will be replacing these with an MA9000. Anyway, buying high level pre-owned gear is certainly a good way to go.  

I was just on the phone with my local Mc dealer. He offered me a nice price on the C2700. Nevertheless, it is true that McIntosh generally doesn’t discount. Whatever deal you get is coming out of the dealer’s pocket, so to speak. McIntosh is such a strong brand that they don’t even discount demo units to dealers.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to ponder whether I’m ready to drop this much cash today...

I recently purchased a C2600 and my favorite audio store.  I noticed it was on the specials pages.  I felt the price was interesting and wanted to know the real life impact on the C2700 and the upgradable DAC module: (1) the C2600 module wasn't up-gradable and (2) the upgrades are most likely will be oriented on future formats.

I test drove the C2600 and never looked back.  I enjoy how the Masters on Tidal sounded and CD quality was a significant upgrade from my previous integrated amp using digital sources.  The built-in phono stages were a significant upgrade for me.  And I was able to get a discount and full 3 year warranty.

The only down-side was I also found a demo MC 302 amplifier to go with it on this website - great deal but an unlikely purchase without the C2600 showing the compromises of a NAD C375BEE.

I run an MC302 with a C2500 = Heaven.

I would probably be fine with the c2600 if the DAC was upgradable. The non tubed version (c53) is also on my radar. 

I just ordered  a new Macintosh C2700 tube preamp 1 week ago. I demoed the stereo store’s model for a week with my audio system in my home and made my decision to end the preamp search.

Next on the list is to pick a McIntosh amp to go with it.

Did you get a discount?

I bought a C-47 2 years ago, paid like 4k canadian which is a bargain considering the sound quality and the fact it has a dac built in. The dac quality surprised me, no need for more.

Magnolia in Best Buy offered me 15% off any McIntosh piece without much hassle.
A local small dealer offered 22% off anything McIntosh.
Im in California.

@sanctus555where I live, dealers won’t budge.  There isn’t a Magnolia dealer in my area that carries McIntosh.  It’s all home theater receivers and multichannel. I personally would not buy such an expensive piece at Best Buy. They couldn’t get a 2K Dell laptop fixed properly so I doubt they would fix McIntosh properly.  I deal with AC, they have been good to me and I am a repeat customer.  Happy you got good deals. 

Magnolia wouldn’t be fixing the McIntosh.   It would be covered under warranty so a McIntosh Authorized repair facility would be fixing it.

How is the phono section of the C2700? I’ll probably keep my current ELAC ppa-2 phono pre

@ stereo5, not much off. Probably same as anyone else. I feel that the sound is as good as I’m going to get for what I have. 2 years ago  I remember shaking my head at a McIntosh dealer thinking a waste of money, Three weeks ago at a different stereo shop, told me to take the 2700 home for a try. And I had a hard time picking a day to bring it back. I know there’s a lot of other nice brands out there like audio research and luxman but I’m not gonna spend that much money. I still wanna save up for a nice tube amp, possibly the 2301. 

I just went back To my favorite stereo shop today and checked out the McIntosh MC462 power amp they just brought in. It was hooked up to the C2700 preamp. WOW! I’m a liking it.

I jumped on the C2500 right after the C2600 was released.  It was listed as a demo, therefore it was highly discounted.  You may want to wait until the C2700 is on closeout.  Over the years I've purchased OEM up-gradable devices. I did an up-grade once. It was over priced and did sound that good either. I sold the device within a few weeks.  Good Luck!

At least with the 2700 one can upgade the dac once it becomes outdated in 7 - 10 years time

Anyone using the phono section of the c2700?

When I was looking at the C2600 I found a discontinued C2500 being sold as a "Demo unit" and highly discounted on this site.  The unit arrived NEW with warranty. I was not interested in the internal DAC.

I’m very happy with the phono section of the McIntosh C2700. I stopped using my musical surroundings phono stage to my older tube preamp. I like that you can have 2 record players with two different cartridges hooked up to the Mac. I like to use my moving magnet for my old records and get another record player with a moving coil for the new mobile fidelity records. 

Something you folks may want to think about beforehand.

I’ve had my C2700 for about 6 months now and the phono stage input recently went on the fritz. Man I couldn’t believe it when the repair facility told me that it would take 6 months or longer for them to get an audio board from McIntosh. It’s a whole lot of money for a unit to sit in the shop and collect dust for 6 months so they recommended that I take the unit home and use a separate phono pre-amp while waiting for the part to come in. Macintosh’s supply chain issues are not exactly what I signed on for when I decided to go with a Mac.

starwarrior

I’ve had my C2700 for about 6 months now and the phono stage input recently went on the fritz. Man I couldn’t believe it when the repair facility told me that it would take 6 months or longer for them to get an audio board from McIntosh ... they recommended that I take the unit home and use a separate phono pre-amp while waiting for the part to come in. Macintosh’s supply chain issues are not exactly what I signed on for when I decided to go with a Mac.

Covid has affected many businesses and Mac isn't immune, but this does sound extreme. Was this a factory authorized repair facility? Is your unit still under warranty? It might be a good idea to get your dealer involved.

Since McIntosh is manufacturing the C2700, I would check with McIntosh on the availibility of the parts.

Regarding phono stage - I use my C2600 phono stage for my Rega P8 and listen to LPs about a third of the time versus hi-res streaming.

I anticipate the C2700 phono stage is equally as good

C2700 update, It turned out to be a bad Audio board... 2.5 months and three trips to the repair shop, (400 miles to and fro) and it’s fixed... Yea! I also replaced all the tubes with vintage RCA’s just in case the crummy Mac tubes were stressed from the ordeal as it sounds absolutely gorgeous. Yippie!

I had always wanted Mac gear since I was a kid, and once I did try a 302 amplifier and actually didn’t like it with my speakers at the time (surprising!)

But, a couple of months ago as I decided to make a change to my Pass Combo (which I loved), and almost spur of the moment took a roll of the dice on the C2700 and the MC462.

The amp is well reviewed, and considered to be very neutral (it is).  The pre-amp I was interested in the built-in DAC, and trying tubes.

In short - I absolutely love the combo, and I’ve found the C2700 to be the real gem of the combo.  (For a short while I was able to run the C2700 with the Pass X250.8).  There was a slight difference in sound but the C2700 played a bigger role than the X250.8 or the MC462.

Frankly I do not need all the inputs as I run a streamer and HT bypass.  But I really like the built-in DAC along with the tubes.  Accurate, and the tubes add just a bit of what I wanted them to do.  Soundstage is huge and the midrange, particularly guitars are just awesome.  

It’s a great pre-amp (coming from a pass xp20 that I also really liked).  I never say never on upgrades, but I see this one in the system for a while.

f you are buying a new C2700, expect no discount. If it’s a C2600 or C2500 which have both been discontinued than expect a discount. McIntosh is very strict with the pricing on current equipment and most (notice I said most) dealers won’t give a discount out of fear of getting in trouble with them. Why do you feel a discount is warranted on new McIntosh equipment?  You don’t get it on most other high end equipment. I realize your Parasound BHK was probably discounted as they always seem to be but not usually so with McIntosh. If you want a big discount with Mac, then buy used. AC would probably laugh if you asked for a discount on new Mac, it just won’t happen.

I know I am bumping an old thread, but i stumbled upon this while doing some research for my C2700. Saying you can't buy McIntosh products with a discount from the dealer is 100% poopy. In fact, I just bought the C2700 and MX123 new from a dealer and received a 20% discount on one and 24% on the other. I have bought a total of 11 Mac pieces from this dealer and have never paid full retail, even on the first ones.