2. amps-preamps
  3. 159029-149366

Reliability of brand

For a budget of $3000, which preamp is most reliable? I am leaning towards Mcintosh for the reason there is a recommended service center near where I live. This is a recommended service center listed on the Mcintosh website. I am a new member here, returning after inactive for several years. Recently, because of the crisis and the oil price plummeting, I have some free time on my hand because I was off the job market. So I am looking to upgrade my preamp after using my Onkyo as a processor for so many years. I am trying to learn from this board here so please have some patience.

My system:

Amplifier: Mcintosh MC2200, (it is old, I know, 1976 vintage)
Audio Processor: Onkyo TX-NR801
CD Player: Sony DVP-S9000ES and Yamaha DVD-C920
Magnepan 1.7

I know it is not much but it will do for now. I want to upgrade to a better amplifier and a preamp and that is why I am turning to this board. And the fact that I am not working now is I need to watch how I spend my money real conservatively for it to last for a long time. I hope I can learn along the way and pass it on to some of my friends. I knew two older colleague who also used this board constantly to upgrade their equipment. One of them had a Krell amplifier that died and the weight of 150 lbs alone prevented him to get it repaired. That is why reliability and price are the most two important considerations for me, right after performance.

I had spent half the afternoon reading through my search: "best preamp." The opinion varies by a wide range. The is no collective thought like a report or a chart plotting the results. For an example, if I am looking for a preamp between $2000 to $3000, I wish there is a report stating the frequency of the brand mentioned by the board members and plot them on a chart, like a charting of a survey. Is there such a report or study? Thank you for your input and your time.

sengr

Showing 1 response by sengr

sengr OP
8 posts
 
Guys
Thanks for all the responses. To me, it is all about getting the value for what you paid for. I will probably stick to Mcintosh for now and see if I like it. I recently found out about another service center that can work on Mcintosh. The seller advertise on Craigslist and noted he had taken his amp to an alternate to the authorized Mcintosh service center listed on McintoshLabs.com. The review on the original service center listed on the website was not that good. I am afraid to take my amp in there to get the unit checked out and probably do a capacitor check too. I have read it typically cost around $300 to do a service and recap. Is that an accurate estimate. What are your experience in getting your Mac amps serviced like diagnostic and assessment; and recap cost? The authorized service center would charge $150 just to look at it. Not sure if that fee applies toward any repair. I will definitely look at the other place first. I will start another post and talk about my intend pre amp purchase.
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