McIntosh C55 preamplifier
McIntosh Laboratory Inc, to give the company its full name, has been designing and manufacturing high fidelity equipment in Binghamton New York since 1949, which means that when my family and I moved to Broome County (of which Binghamton is the largest town) in New York State in 1985, the brand was already 36 years old. Here we are almost 40 years after that and the company is still producing distinctive and distinguished audio products. In a world that is changing at a dizzying pace it is so good to see them not only surviving but continuing to reach a global audience. To have reached the 75th anniversary of its foundation is a wonderful achievement for a company in any sector, but in the world of audio it is quite rarity.
When I mention to my rather small circle of audio friends that I am hosting the McIntosh C55 preamplifier for a review, almost all of them assumed that this would be some valve-driven beast, such is the brand’s association with what on Chambers Street, Binghamton are known as vacuum tubes. Whilst once upon a time that was certainly the technological foundation of the product line, today a quick look at their website will show that although there are certainly still plenty of tube-based products available, the company now has more solid state based offerings than those with the warm green glow of their tubes. The C55 preamplifier is an absolutely state of the art device and leaves no technological stone unturned in its quest to be the ultimate device of its type available to the discerning audiophile in 2024.
It is always easy to spot a McIntosh product, even in the most crowded of showrooms. The C55 is big, like most of its siblings and whatever adjective one applies to it ‘minimalist’ will not be one. It is 16.5 inches high (41.9cm) and weighs in at 28 lbs (12.5 kg), although as delivered the courier lugged an impressive package weighing nearly 20kg to my front door. McIntosh products are extremely well packed for their journey to every audio-loving corner of our planet. In any case, I had to rebuild my system rack to accommodate it, removing my Yamaha CD-S3000 and my Gold Note PH10/PSU to make space for the Binghamton bruiser. I set it on the shelf above my Primaluna EVO300 Hybrid integrated amplifier and plugged it into the HT input on that amp which bypasses the (valve-based) preamplifier. As you can see from the picture, they form a formidable visual team on the rack, with my trusty Linn Sondek LP12 on the top shelf. The bottom box is the Shunyata Research Hydra Delta D6 power distribution unit.
The C55 is absolutely packed with features, and during the course of the review period I only used those that are relevant to my own needs, but I’ll list all of them here for you to digest. It boasts a staggering 16 inputs: 7 analogue, 2 phono, 7 digital. I plugged the LP12 into the first of the two phono inputs, my television into one of the two optical inputs on the digital section and my Auralic Aries Mini streamer into one of the two coaxial digital inputs. Had I needed them, there were six pairs of analogue RCA inputs available and three pairs of balanced XLR ones too. There is also a whole host of sockets available for integrating the C55 into a full smart home system, but Kelly Towers boasts no such facilities so these went untested. There is also a choice of XLR or RCA output to a subwoofer. I was using the C55 as a stand-alone unit but I did plug it into the my network via the ethernet port just in case the manufacturer happened to issue any firmware updates while it was with me – happily they did not.
Of course it is the front of a McIntosh product that makes it so distinctive, and the C55 certainly continues the family tradition. The illuminated green logos are a bit of a giveaway, but so are the over-sized VU meters and the wonderfully tactile multi-function main knobs on either end of the front panel. Between them is an array of smaller knobs that, when the function is selected via the push button below, allow the user to adjust the sound profile by changing the frequency response across a series of ranges, from deep bass to the high treble. If you remember the graphic equalisers that were quite common in the 1980s this is the 21st century McIntosh version – we’ll come back to that in the listening section.
Although the review unit was supplied with a standard McIntosh remote handset, I found by far the best way to control the C55 was via the Connect app which I downloaded to my Android device. Through this very stable bit of software the user can access almost all the machine’s functions and adjust them from the comfort of the listening chair. I confess I didn’t do this from the outset so initially I used the physical controls on the front panel but once the I had the Connect app installed and set up I did pretty much everything via that medium.
Some 20 years ago I was the very proud owner of a fairly high end Naim system and it always gave me a quiet frisson of pleasure when I walked into the room in which it resided and saw those two stacks of gear with their green logos shining at me on a dark evening. The McIntosh evoked a similar reaction – it is, to my eyes at least, one of the most attractive pieces that has been through my system since I started this reviewing malarkey. It may jar a little to those who have grown up with the more minimalist design, but to me it is gorgeous.
Transcendental alchemy
The question that arises is, is this just a handsome face? I started off looking for the answer to that with a day of streaming from Qobuz, and very quickly established that the beauty was far more than skin deep. I have over recent weeks had in my YouTube feed a series of videos of people ‘discovering’ the music of Dire Straits, in particular the version of Sultans Of Swing from the Alchemy concert at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1983. I started my listening session with the Alchemy album remastered for the 2023 box set release of live albums recorded by Dire Straits between 1978 and 1992. The C55 passed very last drop of recorded music and atmosphere through to the power section of the Primaluna, and it burst from the Harbeths full of power and yet with wonderful dynamic shifts, and a real sense of being in the audience, up against the security barrier in front of the stage. This was a band at the peak of its powers and the recording allows one to appreciate not only the mind-boggling brilliance of Mark Knopfler’s finger-style guitar playing but also the strength of the other musicians. John Illsley’s bass playing is a melodic yet powerful underpinning to the whole sound, while Terry Williams’ drumming carries the music forward with huge energy. By the time we get to track seven, the aforementioned Sultans Of Swing, I was totally immersed in the performance, all pretence of critical listening swept away by the music. Mr Knopfler’s playing had me riding my own emotional wave – a transcendental moment.
That evening the system became the sound engine for the television, thanks to the optical input in the C55’s digital section. Spoken word programs came across with great realism and when we opted to watch a Blu-ray of Top Gun: Maverick the dialogue was crystal clear and the action sequences were aurally astonishing. Another big tick in the box for the C55 as the heart of our listening room.
I then spent much of my time with the C55 using the built-in moving magnet capabilities of its phono stage. Adjustments are made using the two main control knobs, which push in to give access to the settings. Regular readers will know that for the past year I have been using the magnificent Dark Sabre cartridge from Vertere Acoustics. I had a pile of vinyl ready to play but set that aside for an hour or two while I cued up my vinyl copy of the Dire Straits live box set that includes the expanded version of Alchemy, to see how it compared with the digital version. Good grief! The C55 and the record player took me even closer to the music, which I would had considered impossible. This McIntosh phono stage is a superstar in its own right and would certainly be more than adequate for any turntable/cartridge combination that most of us could afford.
It would have been rude not to have played with the equaliser built into the C55, so I spent a couple of days with it selected (default is for it not to be in the signal path). I was able to tweak the sound enough on familiar recordings for it to make an audible difference but not necessarily an improvement. My Harbeths are very even handed across their whole frequency range but I can imagine cases where being able to adjust certain frequencies would be useful. In general the music that I enjoy has been very well recorded by producers and engineers who are masters of their craft and it seems slightly presumptuous for me to try to ‘improve’ the sound of the recordings which they have so meticulously curated, but I have to say it was fun to try.
A word of appreciation here for the power amplifier section of my Primaluna EVO 300 Hybrid amplifier. Its own valve driven preamplifier is a wonderfully musical front end in its own right. However, bypassing those lovely glowing lights and handing all the preamplifier duties to the C55, with its digital and phono capabilities in was definitely an upgrade, aurally and for its sheer convenience.
Final thoughts
By now you will have realised that I was totally smitten with the C55. I loved its rack presence – there is something irresistible in that McIntosh design ethic, and if I had the wherewithal I would be very tempted to go all in with a system every part of which emanated from Binghamton, New York. However, all that visual appeal would count for little if not backed up with outstanding sound quality, and straightforward usability.
It is very easy to give the C55 an unreserved and heart recommendation. It has everything needed to make it the beating heart of any high quality music system. It stands out from the crowd, and is an irresistible blend of good looks and musical excellence.
Postscript
Just after I completed this review the news was announced that the McIntosh Group, which includes both the renowned McIntosh and Sonus faber brands, has been acquired by Bose Corporation. I think this is exciting news for all of us who care about these brands and secures the long term future of them all, in times which are challenging for the audio industry as a whole. Each brings a great deal to the table and I expect that they will all go from strength to strength, maintaining their own brand identities while benefiting from access to their collective technical expertise.