McIntosh C220 User Manual

Tube Preamplifier

C220

Owner’s Manual

McIntosh Laboratory, Inc. 2 Chambers Street Binghamton, New York 13903-2699 Phone: [phone] FAX: [phone]

The lightning flash with arrowhead,
within an equilateral triangle, is
intended to alert the user to the
presence of uninsulated “danger­ous voltage” within the product’s
enclosure that may be of sufficient
magnitude to constitute a risk of
electric shock to persons.

The exclamation point within an
equilateral triangle is intended to
alert the user to the presence of im­portant operating and maintenance
(servicing) instructions in the litera­ture accompanying the appliance.

WARNING - TO REDUCE RISK OF

FIRE OR ELECTRICAL SHOCK, DO

NOT EXPOSE THIS EQUIPMENT TO

RAIN OR MOISTURE.

IMPORTANT SAFETY

INSTRUCTIONS!

PLEASE READ THEM BEFORE
OPERATING THIS EQUIPMENT.

1. Read these instructions.

2. Keep these instructions.

3. Heed all warnings.

4. Follow all instructions.

5. Do not use this apparatus near water.

6. Clean only with a dry cloth.

7. Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in
accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

8. Do not install near any heat sources such as radia­tors, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus
(including amplifiers) that produce heat.

9. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized
or grounding-type plug. A polarized plug has two
blades with one wider than the other. A ground­ing type plug has two blades and a third ground­ing prong. The wide blade or the third prong are
provided for your safety. If the provided plug does
not fit into your outlet, consult an electrician for
replacement of the obsolete outlet.

10. Protect the power cord from being walked on or
pinched particularly at plugs, convenience re­ceptacles, and the point where they exit from the
apparatus.

NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS

INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO

QUALIFIED PERSONNEL.

To prevent the risk of electric shock, do not remove cover or

back. No user-serviceable parts inside.

11. Only use attachments/accessories specified by the
manufacturer.

12. Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or
table specified by the manufacturer,
or sold with the apparatus. When a
cart is used, use caution when mov­ing the cart/apparatus combination
to avoid injury from tip-over.

13. Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or
when unused for long periods of time.

14. Refer all servicing to qualified service person­nel. Servicing is required when the apparatus has
been damaged in any way, such as power-supply
cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or
objects have fallen into the apparatus, the appara­tus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not
operate normally, or has been dropped.

15. Do not expose this equipment to dripping or
splashing and ensure that no objects filled with liq­uids, such as vases, are placed on the equipment.

16. To completely disconnect this equipment from the
a.c. mains, disconnect the power supply cord plug
from the a.c. receptacle.

17. The mains plug of the power supply cord shall
remain readily operable.

18. Do not expose batteries to excessive heat such as
sunshine, fire or the like.

2

Thank You

Table of Contents

Your decision to own this McIntosh C220 Tube Preampli­fier ranks you at the very top among discriminating music
listeners. You now have “The Best.” The McIntosh dedica­tion to “Quality,” is assurance that you will receive many
years of musical enjoyment from this unit.
Please take a short time to read the information in this
manual. We want you to be as familiar as possible with all
the features and functions of your new McIntosh.

Please Take A Moment

The serial number, purchase date and McIntosh Dealer
name are important to you for possible insurance claim or
future service. The spaces below have been provided for
you to record that information:

Serial Number: __________________________________

Purchase Date: __________________________________

Dealer Name: ___________________________________

Technical Assistance

If at any time you have questions about your McIntosh
product, contact your McIntosh Dealer who is familiar
with your McIntosh equipment and any other brands that
may be part of your system. If you or your Dealer wish
additional help concerning a suspected problem, you can
receive technical assistance for all McIntosh products at:

McIntosh Laboratory, Inc.
2 Chambers Street
Binghamton, New York 13903
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Customer Service

If it is determined that your McIntosh product is in need of
repair, you can return it to your Dealer. You can also return
it to the McIntosh Laboratory Service Department. For
assistance on factory repair return procedure, contact the
McIntosh Service Department at:

McIntosh Laboratory, Inc.
2 Chambers Street
Binghamton, New York 13903
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Safety Instructions ............................................................

Thank You and Please Take a Moment .............................

Technical Assistance and Customer Service ....................3

Table of Contents .............................................................. 3

General Information .........................................................4

Connector and Cable Information ....................................4

Introduction .......................................................................

Performance Features .......................................................5

Dimensions .......................................................................6

Installation ........................................................................ 7

Connections:

Rear Panel Connections ....................................................

How to Connect the C220 ................................................. 9

Connection Diagram (Separate Sheet) ........ CD1 and CD2

Front Panel Features:

Front Panel Displays, Controls, Push-buttons and Jack . 10

Setup:

How to Operate the Setup Mode .....................................11

Default Settings ...............................................................11

Firmware Version .............................................................11

Balance .............................................................................11

Trim Level Adjustment ....................................................11

Re-Title Inputs ................................................................. 12

Display Brightness .......................................................... 12

Power Control Triggers ................................................... 13

Accessory Power Control ................................................ 13

Auto Tone ........................................................................ 13

Tube LED ........................................................................ 13

Remote Control Selection ............................................... 13

Remote Control:

Remote Control Push-buttons ......................................... 14

How to Operate by Remote Control ...............................15

Operation:

How to Operate the C220 ............................................... 16

Additional Information:

Specifications .................................................................. 18

Packing Instruction .........................................................19

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8

Copyright 2006 © by McIntosh Laboratory, Inc.

3

General, Connector and Cable Information

Power
Control

Ground

N/C

Data
Signal

N/C

Data
Ground

PIN 2 PIN 1

PIN 3

PIN 1

PIN 2

PIN 3

Trigger
Control

Ground

N/C

General Information

1. The C220 uses Vacuum Tubes for amplifying the audio
signal. The C220 is designed to have only qualified Ser­vice Personnel perform any part(s) replacement includ­ing all the vacuum tubes.

2. For additional connection information, refer to the
owner’s manual(s) for any component(s) connected to
the C220 Tube Preamplifier.

3. The Main AC Power going to the C220 and any other
McIntosh Component(s) should not be applied until all
the system components are connected together. Failure
to do so could result in malfunctioning of some or all
of the system’s normal operations. When the C220 and
other McIntosh Components are in their Standby Power
Off Mode, the Microprocessor’s Circuitry inside each
component is active and communication is occurring
between them.

4. Up to two Sensors can be wired in parallel for Remote
Control of the C220 from other rooms.

5. Balanced and Unbalanced Inputs and Outputs can be
mixed. For example, you may connect signal sources to
Unbalanced Inputs and send signals from the Balanced
Outputs. You can also use Balanced and Unbalanced
Outputs simultaneously, connected to different Power
Amplifiers.

6. A McIntosh Power Controller may be added to the C220
to provide AC Power Switching to components that do
not have Power Control Connections. See your McIn­tosh Dealer for additional information.

Connector and Cable Information

XLR Connectors

Below is the Pin configuration for the XLR Balanced Input
and Output Connectors on the C220. Refer to the diagrams
for connections:
PIN 1: Shield/Ground
PIN 2: + Output
PIN 3: - Output

Power Control and Trigger Connectors

The C220 Power Control and Trigger Output Jacks send
Power On/Off Signals when connected
to McIntosh and other Components. A
1/8 inch stereo mini phone plug is used
for connection to the Power Control
and Trigger Outputs on the C220.

Note: The Data, Power Control and

Trigger Connecting Cable is
available from the McIntosh
Parts Department:

Data, Power Control and Trig­ger Cable Part No. 170-202

Six foot, shielded 2 conductor, with 1/8 inch stereo mini
phone plugs on each end.

Data Port Connectors

The C220 Data Out Ports send Remote Control Signals to
McIntosh Source Components. A 1/8
inch stereo mini phone plug is used for
connection.

4

Introduction

The McIntosh C220 Tube Preamplifier is one of the finest
Tube Preamplifiers ever created. The versatile Preamplifier
provides connections for various input sources and outputs
to drive multiple Power Amplifiers. The C220 reproduc
tion is sonically transparent and absolutely accurate. The
McIntosh Sound is “The Sound of the Music Itself.”

-

Introduction and Performance Features

• Low Distortion

Distortion levels of all types are less than 0.08%. Music is
amplified with total transparency and accuracy.

• Moving Magnet Phono Input

There is a Precision Phono Preamplifier for Moving Mag
net Cartridges.

-

Performance Features

• Electromagentic Input Switching with Level Trim
Adjustment and Title Reassignment

Digital Logic integrated circuits drive Electromagnetic
Switches on all Inputs and operating functions for reliable,
noiseless, distortion free switching. All eight Inputs on the
C220 can be matched in level, so that there are no abrupt
changes in volume levels between the different Inputs.
There is also a Record Monitor function for checking the
progress of a recording. Any of the eight Inputs can have
their Input Title reassigned to match the sources in the
system.

• Balanced Inputs
The Balanced Inputs allow the connection of a source

component using long cable lengths without a loss in sound
quality.

• Precision Tracking Volume Control

Volume levels are controlled by a new Multi-Stage Preci
sion Digitally Controlled Attenuator System with a track­ing accuracy of 0.1dB.

• Variable Rate Volume and Balance Control Selection

The C220 Tube Preamplifier’s Volume and Balance Con
trol Circuitry provides an ideal rate of change with control
rotation.

• Tone Control with Assignable Bypass

The Bass and Treble Control Circuit Elements can be re
moved from the Signal Path of any selected input.

-

-

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• Phono Tube Saver

When the Phono Input is selected to be Off in the Setup
Mode, the power going to the Tubes performing the Phono
Amplification is removed, thus extending the life of those
two tubes.

• Output Switching

Front panel Output Push-buttons control two Switched
Outputs that allow sending signals to two separate Power
Amplifiers.

• Remote Control

The Remote Control provides control of the C220 operat
ing functions and any McIntosh Source Components con­nected to it.

• External Sensor Input

There are provisions for connecting External Sensors,
which allows for enjoyment of your McIntosh System from
other rooms in your home via the Remote Control.

• Power Control Output and Trigger Assignment

A Power Control connection for convenient Turn-On of
McIntosh Power Amplifiers, Source Components and Ac
cessories is included. Three of the Power Control Ouputs
may be assigned to activate when a given Input is selected.

• Special Power Supply

Fully regulated Power Supplies and a special R-Core Power
Transformer ensure stable noise free operation even though
the power line varies.

-

-

• Alphanumeric Fluorescent Display

The Multifunction Front Panel Display indicates the
Source Selection, Volume and Balance Levels. Setup Mode
Selections and Adjustments are also displayed. The display
intensity is adjustable.

• Precision Parts

Only the finest precision 1% tolerance resistors are used
throughout.

• Fiber Optic Solid State Front Panel Illumination

The even Illumination of the Front Panel is accomplished
by the combination of custom designed Fiber Optic Light
Diffusers and extra long life Light Emitting Diodes
(LEDs). The glass Front Panel ensures the pristine beauty
of the C220 will be retained for many years.

5

Dimensions

17-1/2"

44.45cm

4-5/8"

11.75cm

6"

15.24cm

14-1/2"

36.83cm

15-7/8"

40.32cm

3/16"

0.48cm

4-13/16"

12.22cm

11-1/2"

29.21cm

1"

2.54cm

13-1/4"

33.65cm

17"

43.18cm

5/8"

1.59cm

Front View of the C220

Rear View of the C220

Side View of the C220

5-3/8"

13.69cm

13/16"

2.06cm

75 WATTS

T630maAL 250V

The following dimensions can assist in determining the
best location for your C220. There is additional informa­tion on the next page pertaining to installing the C220 into
cabinets.

Dimensions

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