McIntosh C-31V (ca. 1988)
The public record on the McIntosh C-31V is thin, but one substantial period source exists: an Equipment Profile in Audio (February 1988, p.80) by Leonard Feldman, which identified it as an audio/video preamplifier. Feldman found it free of switching noise and hum. He praised the accuracy and transparency of its sound.
Two design details come out of that review. The volume control was an electronically switched ladder attenuator - a type Feldman noted would not become noisy or intermittent over time. The chassis used McIntosh's Panloc slide-out mounting, so the whole unit could be pulled forward out of the cabinet. His measurements put the signal-to-noise ratio at roughly 88 dB (the review text also references a 94 dB figure). He felt that was ample for the full dynamic range claimed for CDs: more than 90 dB from input to speaker outputs.
Beyond that review, the record goes quiet. No production years, original price or full specifications have surfaced in the sources available to the Archive. If you own a C-31V or have an owner's manual, brochure or service literature, the Archive would welcome the details.
- Type: Audio/video preamplifier
- Volume control: Electronically switched ladder attenuator
- Mounting: Panloc slide-out chassis
- S/N ratio (measured): ≈88 dB; review text also references 94 dB
- Source: Audio Equipment Profile, February 1988, p.80
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