McIntosh C1000T
A two-box tube preamp with output voltage figures that read more like a power amp's, and a price tag of around ¥2,520,000.
Overview
The C1000T is the tube half of McIntosh's C1000 dual-chassis preamplifier concept. The documentation calls it a "tube type stereo preamplifier," built to pair with the C1000C control and power-supply chassis. McIntosh split the C1000 into two flavors: "The C1000P is a solid-state type and the C1000T is a bulb-tube type," and there were two variations in the line. The T is the one with glass in it, and it is not a token tube stage bolted onto a solid-state frame. The documentation lists eight 12AX7A tubes in total: four in the signal stage and four in the phono rack. That is a lot of tubes for a line-and-phono preamp.
The output headroom is what sets the C1000T apart. Rated output is 2.5V RMS unbalanced and 5V RMS balanced, but maximum output climbs to 8V RMS unbalanced and 16V RMS balanced. Those are numbers you normally associate with a driver stage, not a preamp. The C1000T can swing enough voltage to drive just about any power amplifier without strain, and it leaves a lot of margin between normal listening levels and clipping. Output impedance is 220Ω, low enough to keep cable interactions from becoming a problem.
The price reference on record is ¥2,520,000 tax-included, "around 2007." That was flagship territory even by McIntosh standards, and it explains why the C1000T never sold in volume.
Key Features
Fully Double-Balanced Circuit Through Every Signal Path
The two-chassis split is not cosmetic. Separating the preamp from the control and power supplies let McIntosh run "a fully double-balanced circuit for all signal paths," a topology that keeps noise and common-mode interference out of the signal from input to output. The C1000C chassis carries the control logic and power supply. The C1000T carries the audio. Both share the same maximum external dimensions: 445 × 152 × 475 mm. The manual lists the C1000T cabinet at 17-1/2 inches wide, 6 inches tall including feet, and 24 inches deep including the front panel and interconnect cables. It needs a shelf with real clearance behind it.
VRV Digital Volume with 214 Steps
The volume control is one of the more interesting choices here. McIntosh used a VRV (Variable Rate Volume) digital electronic volume with 214 steps in increments of 0.5 dB, and the design goal was to make it behave "as if it were an analog volume." A 0.5dB step is fine enough that level changes are effectively inaudible as discrete jumps. The contact structure is described as resistant to changes over time, enabling long-term stable operation.
Inert-Gas Electromagnetic Switching
Input switching uses an electromagnetic switch filled with inert gas, a switch resistant to oxidation that can pass signals without contact failure over a long period of time. All input terminals are programmable. None of this shows up on a spec sheet.
Blue-Eye Meters with 70dB of Range
The C1000T carries left and right independent blue-eye meters capable of monitoring output level across a range over 70 dB. That is a wide window, wide enough to be useful at low listening levels where most meters sit dead.
MM/MC Phono Stage with Eight Tubes
The phono circuit covers both moving-magnet and moving-coil cartridges. Input sensitivity is 4.5mV for MM at 47kΩ and 0.45mV for MC, with MC loading selectable at 25, 50, 100, 200, 400, or 1000Ω. Gain runs 40dB for MM and 60dB for MC to the tape output. Maximum phono input is 50mV for MM and 5mV for MC. The phono rack uses four 12AX7A tubes, and the signal stage uses another four. A remote control was included with the unit.
Connectivity
The rear panel is well equipped: four RCA line inputs and three XLR line inputs; one MM and one MC phono input; two RCA and one XLR recording outputs; two RCA and one XLR processor loops; and two RCA plus three XLR pre-outs. Maximum balanced line input is 10V, unbalanced 5V. Line gain to pre-out is 15dB, and line to tape output is unity at 0dB. The documentation lists total harmonic distortion at 0.8%, and power consumption at 120W. The C1000T weighs 15.4kg. The C1000C control chassis is heavier at 17.7kg, which the manual corroborates as 39.0 pounds net.
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