McIntosh SCR2 (1969–1970)

The SCR2 was McIntosh’s solid-state stereo control preamp of the late 1960s, introduced in 1969 and built through 1970. It sat between the C26 and the C28 in the lineup — hifi-wiki lists the C24 as its predecessor and the C28 as its successor — and was offered at an original price of $300. The front panel was brushed gold anodized aluminum, and it used dual concentric knobs (two sets of controls), a detail that distinguishes it from the later C26 and C28, which switched to single concentric knobs to save space. Two phono inputs were provided, with Phono 1 noted as a low-level input.

The SCR2 is documented largely through McIntosh’s own advertising. A full-page Stereo Review ad from December 1969 introduced it alongside the MC2505 stereo power amplifier, and the pairing continued into 1970 with the MR-73 tuner as a complete system. The ads were promotional, not technical — no frequency response, THD, or S/N figures were printed in them — and no independent review of the SCR2 appears to have been published. The record is thin on circuit details, dimensions, and weight; what survives is the identity, the era, and the place in McIntosh’s preamp history.

Known facts, in brief: