McIntosh C42 volume control questions.

The volume control is extremely smooth and effortless. My c45 exhibits no sound (ie hum) from any source including the internal mm phono when turned to high volumes. My owners manual says that volume levels are controlled by a new Multi-Stage Precision Digitally controlled attenuator system with a trackng accuracy of 0.1 db. You should read about the volume control engineering on the mcintosh labs website. All sources on the c45 are gain adustable for seamless volume matching. I can't comment on previous models but the c45/mc352 provides all the volume my 85db/m/w speakers need using 1 to 3 watts on the vu meters to provide a wonderful listening experience.

I realize I should have included the C41 in the previously used volume control idea. I would like to know if you have to crank the new versions up to 3/4 volume before you get much sound out of it, and whether that leaves much room for increased volume outout.

In a word -No- you dont have to crank the new versions up to 3/4 volume before you much sound out of it. More depends on the strength of the input signal. If you run a moving coil pickup through a moving magnet phono stage you won't get much volume because the MM phono stage requires 2.0 mv and most MC pickups put out .05mv so that is not the preamps fault. Another example is if you are using the variable volume out jacks on a cd player and you have the volume set very low you wont get as much volume out of the preamp. I have set the gain for my sources to give me about 85db at volume 50. Since there are 50 more increase units to go (total of 100) I know my speakers would blow apart before 80 was reached. Please tell me what Audio Review is saying. Thanks.

FWIW, my C220, which, I think, has the new volume control, is plenty loud between 40 and 50 on the display. The numbers go up to 99 (100?).

Thanks for the responses. Some of the guys on AudioReview were discussing the fact that with the new volume control, much of the time the control had to be cranked very high to get any response from it; and they were wondering if this was normal. So I thought I'd get some input before I plunged in and bought something I didn't like, i.e.the C42.I currently have a C37, and rarely do I even get it up to 10 on the display, and even then that's loud. My amp is the 7200, and I keep the gain controls at 50%. If I raised the gain controls all the way on, the pre would display 2!

You want your volume control to be at least at 1/2 (50% or at 12:00 o'clock) to have enough adjustment for minute adjustments in volume from the remote control. If you have maximum listening volume at 25% or 9:00 o'clock just one change up or down from the remote control could be more or less of what you wanted and you have to get up to change the volume on the component. I had this situation with a high output tube preamp and corrected the problem with a different set of tubes. The C45 is a great preamp.