McIntosh C-29 Owners manual

THE C 29 SOLID STATE STEREO PREAMPLIFIER

Price: $2.00 Reading Time: 38 Minutes

VARIOUS REGULATORY AGENCIES REQUIRE THAT WE BRING THE FOLLOWING IN
FORMATION TO YOUR ATTENTION. PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY.

WARNING: TO PREVENT FIRE OR SHOCK

HAZARD, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS UNIT TO
RAIN OR MOISTURE.

The Mcintosh you have purchased is a C 29
Preamplifier. It has a serial number located on the
rear panel of the chassis. Record that serial number
here:

Serial Number

The model, serial number and purchase date are im-

portant to you for any future service. Record the pur-

chase date here:

Purchase Date

Upon application, Mcintosh Laboratory provides a

Three-Year Service Contract. Your Mcintosh

authorized Service Agency can expedite repairs

when you provide the Service Contract with the in-

strument for repair. To assist, record your Service
Contract number here:

Service Contract Number

Your C 29 Preamplifier will
give you many years of pleasant and
satisfactory performance. If you

have any questions, please contact:

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Mcintosh Laboratory Inc.

2 Chambers Street

Binghamton, New York 13903
Phone: [phone]

Take Advantage of 3 years
of Contract Service . . .

Fill in the Application NOW.

Contents

HOW TO INSTALL... 2

HOW TO CONNECT... 4

THE FRONT PANEL CONTROLS

AND HOW TO USE THEM .. .8

TOP PANEL CONTROLS .. .11

SPECIFICATIONS... 12

FACILITIES AND FEATURES .. .13

TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION .. .14

PERFORMANCE CHARTS .. .15

BLOCK DIAGRAM... 17

MCINTOSH THREE YEAR SERVICE CONTRACT

An application for a THREE YEAR SERVICE CONTRACT is included with this manual.

The terms of the contract are:

1. Mcintosh will provide all parts,
materials and labor needed to return the
measured performance of the instru­ment to the original performance limits.

The SERVICE CONTRACT does not

cover any shipping costs to and from

the authorized service agency or the

factory.

2. Any Mcintosh authorized service agen­cy will repair Mcintosh instruments at
normal service rates. To receive service
under the terms of the SERVICE CON­TRACT, the SERVICE CONTRACT CER­TIFICATE must be presented when the

instrument is taken to the service agen-

cy.

3. Always have service done by a Mcin­tosh authorized service agency. If the

instrument is modified or damaged, as
a result of unauthorized repair the SER-

VICE CONTRACT will be cancelled.

Damage by improper use or mishandl-

ing is not covered by the SERVICE CON­TRACT.

4. The SERVICE CONTRACT is issued to
you as the original purchaser. To pro­tect you from misrepresentation this
contract cannot be transferred to a se­cond owner.

5. For your protection Mcintosh selects
only dealers who have technical com­petence to guide purchasers fairly, and
provide service when necessary. To

receive the SERVICE CONTRACT your
purchase must be made from a Mcin­tosh franchised dealer.

6. Your completely filled in application for
SERVICE CONTRACT must be post­marked within 30 days of the date of
purchase of the instrument.

7. To receive the SERVICE CONTRACT all
information on the application must be

filled in. The SERVICE CONTRACT will

be issued when the completely filled in
application is received at Mcintosh
Laboratory Incorporated in Bingham­ton, New York.

Copyright 1979 © by Mcintosh Laboratory Inc.

1

that cool air can enter at the bottom of the cabinet
and be vented from the top. With adequate ventila­tion the instrument can be mounted in any position.
The recommended minimum space for installation
is 15 inches (38.1 cm) deep, 17 inches (43.2 cm) wide,
and 6 inches (15.2 cm) high.

To install the instrument in a Mcintosh cabinet,

follow the instructions that are enclosed with the

cabinet. For any other type of installation follow

these instructions:

1. Open the carton and remove the PANLOC
brackets, hardware package, and mounting
template from the carton. Remove the C 29 from its
plastic bag and place it upside down on the shipping
pallet; unscrew the four plastic feet from the bottom
of the chassis.

2. Mark the cabinet panel.
Place the mounting template in the position on the
cabinet panel where the instrument is to be install­ed, and tape it in place. The broken lines that repre­sent the outline of the rectangular cutout also repre­sent the outside dimensions of the chassis. Make
sure these lines clear shelves, partitions, or any
equipment. With the template in place, first mark the
six A and B holes and the four small holes that

locate the corners of the cutout. Then, join the four
corner markings with pencil lines, using the edge of
the template as a straightedge.

The PANLOC system of installing equipment con­veniently and securely is a product of Mcintosh
research. By depressing the two PANLOC buttons
on the front panel, the instrument slide can be lock­ed firmly in place or it can be unlocked so that the
chassis can slide forward, giving you easy access to
the top and rear panels.

The trouble-free life of an electronic instrument is
greatly extended by providing sufficient ventilation
to prevent the buildup of high internal temperatures
that cause deterioration. Allow enough clearance so

3. Drill Holes
Use a drill with a 3/16 inch bit held perpendicular to

the panel and drill the six A and B holes. Then, using

a drill bit slightly wider than the tip of your saw
blade, drill one hole at each of two diagonally op­posite corners. The holes should barely touch the in­side edge of the penciled outline. Before taking the

next step, make sure that the six A and B holes have
been drilled.

4. Saw the Panel Cutout
Saw carefully on the inside of the penciled lines.
First make the two long cuts and then the two short
cuts. After the rectangular opening has been cut out,

2

use a file to square the corners and smooth any ir­regularities in the cut edges.

5. Install the Mounting Strips
In the hardware package you will find two mounting
strips, four 6-32 x 1 1/4 inch fillister head screws and
two 4-40 x 1 1/4 inch inch flat head screws. These are

long enough for any cabinet panel thickness up to

one inch.

Starting at the right-hand side of the panel, insert
a 4-40 x 1 1/4 inch flat head screw into the center
hole in the panel, marked B on the template. On the
back of the panel, align a mounting strip with the

holes in the panel and tighten the screw until the

screwhead is pulled slightly into the wood.

Repeat this procedure to attach the mounting

strip to the left side of the panel.

6. Attach the PANLOC Brackets

Using two of the 6-32 x 1 1/4 inch fillister head
screws in the A holes on each side, attach the
PANLOC brackets to the cabinet panel; the short
flange is mounted against the front (face) of the
cabinet panel. The screws pass through the
PANLOC bracket flange, the cabinet panel, and then

through the mounting strips previously mounted.

7. Install the Instrument
Guide the AC power cord through the panel opening
to the back of the cabinet; then, slide the instrument

into the opening carefully so that the rails on the

bottom of each side of the chassis engage the
tracks on the mounting brackets. Continue to slide
the instrument into the cabinet until it is stopped by
the adjust position latches. Press the latches in-

ward. This permits the instrument to slide into the

cabinet until its front panel is flush with the cabinet

panel. Depress the PANLOC buttons at the lower left

and right corners of the instrument panel to lock the

unit firmly in the cabinet. Depressing the PANLOC
buttons again will unlock the instrument so that it

can slide forward to the adjust position. If you press

inward on the adjust position latches you can
remove the instrument from the cabinet.

3

How to Connect

Rear panel input jacks are provided for 2 stereo

high level sources (AUX 1 and AUX 2), a stereo tuner

(TUNER), 2 stereo turntables (PH 1 and PH 2), stereo

high impedance microphones (MIC), and 2 stereo

tape recorders (TAPE 1 and TAPE 2).

Rear panel output jacks are provided to feed 2

stereo tape recorders (TAPE 1 and TAPE 2), a stereo

600 ohm unbalanced line (LINE) and 2 stereo 2.5 volt

outputs (MAIN).

Front panel jacks provide input and output
facilities for a tape recorder using the circuits of the
rear panel TAPE 2 connections. Two headphone
jacks are provided which are fed by a stereo
amplifier in the C 29.

CONNECTING AUX 1 AND AUX 2

Connect the left channel cable from any high level
source (tuner, TV set, tape recorder, etc.) to the IN-

PUT AUX 1 left jack. Connect the right channel cable

to the INPUT AUX 1 Right jack. A second high level

source can be connected similarly to INPUT AUX 2.

CONNECTING TURNTABLES

The C 29 has shorting plugs in the phono inputs.

To prevent unwanted noise remove the shorting
plugs only from input jacks that are to be used. Con­nect the cable from the left channel of the turntable
into the INPUT PHono 1 left jack. Connect the cable
from the right channel of the turntable into the IN-

PUT PHono 1 Right jack. For a second turntable,

connect PHono 2 in the same way, after removing

the shorting plugs.

CONNECTING MICROPHONES

Connect the cables from high impedance

microphones directly in the INPUT MIC Left and

Right jacks.

CONNECTING TAPE RECORDERS

To Record:

Connect a cable from the OUTPUT TAPE 1 Left

jack to the left high level input of the tape recorder.

Connect a cable from the OUTPUT TAPE 1 Right jack
to the right high level input of the tape recorder. Con-

nect a second recorder in the same manner to the

OUTPUT TAPE 2 jacks.
To Playback/Monitor:

Connect a cable from the left channel output of a
tape recorder to the TAPE INPUT 1 Left jack. Con­nect a cable from the right channel output of a tape
recorder to the TAPE INPUT 1 Right jack. Connect a
second recorder in the same manner to the TAPE IN-

PUT 2 jacks.
Front Panel Tape Recorder Jacks:

Tape recorder inputs and outputs are available at
the TAPE IN-OUT jacks on the front panel just to the

left of the TAPE MONITOR pushbuttons. These

jacks make connections to TAPE 2 facilities without

having to go to the rear panel. A metal shielded 1/4
inch stereo phone plug is used. Connections are tip:
left signal, ring: right signal, and sleeve: common
ground.

4