stevemcx
Responses from stevemcx
| Don’t buy used McCormack DNA 1990s amps Thanks for your interest. Yes on the LD-2, but no on the 750 monos and the UDP-1. We have never done upgrade work on the UDP-1, but we have done a few pairs of the 750 monoblocks in the past, but no longer. Like the DNA-2, DNA-500, the 750 monos a... | |
| Don’t buy used McCormack DNA 1990s amps The DNA-1 design predates the DNA-0.5 by around 2 years. I made several changes to the circuit design for the 0.5, and its circuit boards were a bit smaller and not as complex as the DNA-1. There is a central ground area on the DNA-1 board that is... | |
| Don’t buy used McCormack DNA 1990s amps Your DNA-0.5 may be just fine. They have held-up better overall than the DNA-1. Give us a call if you have any questions. Steve M | |
| Don’t buy used McCormack DNA 1990s amps Photodusty - Yes, the circuit boards are the same in the DNA-1 Standard & Deluxe. The difference was in the higher-performance / more-expensive parts used in key circuit locations in the Deluxe model. This included resistors, capacitors, diode... | |
| Don’t buy used McCormack DNA 1990s amps Sorry Soix - my mistake. It was someone else who was dissatisfied with his DNA-225 upgrade. I still wish we could have another go at sorting that out for him. The original DNA amps all date to the '90s, with a few final pieces of the DNA-1 and 0.... | |
| Don’t buy used McCormack DNA 1990s amps Hello Audiogoners, I see that I'm late to the party here, but I thought I ought to contribute a few clarifications to this thread. First of all, despite their advancing age, the only DNA amp we've had trouble with is the DNA-1, and ONLY the DNA-... | |
| BAT VK -200 vs. McCormack DNA 1 Deluxe? Hi Guys,There is nothing about BAT gear that makes it incompatible with my DNA amp designs. I know of quite a few people who run this combo happily. However, the original DNA-1 and 0.5 amps have a protection circuit that monitors the output for ex... | |
| Why do some fine solid state amplifiers like Soulution have such low input impedance? Hi Guys - I just saw this thread and thought that I ought to chime in to (hopefully) clear-up any potential misunderstanding. All of the McCormack DNA amplifiers except the DNA-500 and DNA-750 monoblocks have a 100kohm input impedance, and this is... | |
| Question on McCormack MLD preamp Hi Tom,The Micro Line Drive (MLD) has both a passive and active signal path. Unlike the TLC-1 (with buffered unity-gain path) the MLD's active circuit is a more traditional gain stage (adjustable via internal jumpers to +6 or +12dB). If you are lo... | |
| The Phoenix Spatial Coherence preamp Hi Scoville,Thanks for your feedback - I'm pleased to hear that you are enjoying the preamp. Restoring that piece was a fun project - like seeing an old friend again. Enjoy your music and let me know if you have any questions.Best regards,Steve M... | |
| McCormack SMC Audio upgrades: how good are they? Hello Audiogoners,I would prefer that my amps turn on-and-off silently but the nature of the design allows for a bit of a turn-on thump, and the amount varies somewhat from one amp to another. I find a small thump acceptable and I would never ship... | |
| McCormack DNA-1 rear fuse won't stay in Sorry to hear you ran into a fit problem. I like the ACME fuseholder and I don't mind opening the hole size to fit it, but I understand this may not work for everyone. The fuseholder hole diameter on the DNA-1 is 1/2" with 2 flat sides to take adv... | |
| McCormack DNA-1 rear fuse won't stay in The DNA-1 fuseholder is a "bayonet" type - push it in slightly with a blade screwdriver and rotate CCW 1/4 turn to release. Push in and rotate 1/4 turn CW to reinstall. It is possible that it might be damaged and not working properly so check it c... | |
| Spatial Coherence Thanks Tony! I'm very pleased to hear that you are enjoying your restored and improved Phoenix preamp. It was a fun project to get involved with and really took me down memory lane. The TFET-Valve modules have proven to be remarkably reliable and ... | |
| McCormack TLC-1 loose front panel knobs Hi Kilowat3 -The TLC-1 knobs are secured with #4-40 hex-head set screws, and you will need a .050" hex driver to tighten them. The original set screws were steel but I have now replaced them with longer Stainless Steel screws that do a better job ... |