McIntosh C500 User Manual

Controller/Preamplifier/Tube Preamplifier

C500

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

Your decision to own this McIntosh C500 Controller to­gether with the Preamplifier or 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.

Table of Contents

Safety Instructions ............................................................ 2

Thank You and Please Take a Moment ............................. 3

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

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

Important Information and Connector Information ........... 4

Introduction ....................................................................... 4

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

Dimensions ..................................................................... 6-8

Installation ........................................................................ 9

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:

Dealer Name

Purchase

Date

Model

Numbe r

Serial

Numbe r

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:

Connections:

C500 Rear Panels ............................................................ 11

C500 Controller Rear Panel Connections

(Separate Sheet) ......................................................... Mc1A

C500 Preamplifier and Tube Preamplifier

Rear Panel Connections (Separate Sheet) .................. Mc2A

How to Connect the C500 Controller and

Preamplifier and Pasthru Mode .................................. 12-13

Μ Μ

Connection Diagrams (Separate Sheet)......... Mc3A,

Μc

Μ Μ

3Β3Β

3Β

3Β3Β

Connection Diagrams (Separate Sheet)......................Mc1

Front Panel Features:

C500 Controller Front Panel Controls,

Displays and Push-buttons ............................................... 14

C500 Preamplifier and C500 Tube Preamplifier

Front Panel Displays and Jack ......................................... 15

Setup:

How to Operate the Setup Modes ............................... 16-25

Remote Control:

Remote Control Push-buttons .......................................... 26

How to operate the Remote Control ................................. 27

Operation:

How to Operate the C500 ........................................... 28-32

Additional Information:

Technical Description..................................................33-36

Block Diagrams (Separate Sheet) .............................. Mc2

Specifications ..............................................................37-38

Packing Instruction .......................................................... 39

ΒΒ

Β

ΒΒ

ΒΒ

Β

ΒΒ

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

Copyright 2007 © by McIntosh Laboratory, Inc.

3

Important Information

WARNING: The McIntosh C500 is a two chassis design,

with separate Preamplifier and Controller
chassis. There are custom interconnecting
cables and custom chassis sockets used to
connect the two chassis together.
Use ONLY the custom interconnect cables
supplied with the C500 to connect the chassis
together.
DO NOT connect the C500 Left and Right 25­Pin Chassis Sockets to any other component.
Failure to observe the above warnings will

result in damage to the components connected.

1. The C500 System consists of two separate chassis, one
Controller and one Preamplifier. The C500 Controller
Chassis will be referred to as the C500C throughout this
Owner’s Manual. In a similar manner, the C500
Preamplifier (Solid State) Chassis will be referred to as the
C500P and the C500 Tube Preamplifier Chassis will be
referred to as the C500T throughout this Owner’s Manual.

2. For additional information on Audio Connections, refer to
the Owner’s Manual(s) for the component(s).

3. Connecting Cables and Connectors are 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 plug on each end.

Controller to Preamplifier Cable Part No. 171-872

Three foot, shielded 23 conductor, male-to-female
custom cable, two required between Controller and
Preamplifier. Do not use any other cable when
connecting the C500 Controller to the C500
Preamplifier or C500 Tube Preamplifier. This cable is
for use only with the C500 Controller and Preamplifier.

4. The Main AC Power Cable going to the C500C and any
other McIntosh Component(s) should not be connected to
an AC Power Outlet until all the system components are
connected together. When the C500C 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. Failure to
do so could result in malfunctioning of some or all of the
system’s normal operations.

5. Up to two sensors can be wired in parallel for Remote
Control of the C500 from other rooms.

6. 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.

7. Sound Intensity is measured in units called Decibels and
“dB” is the abbreviation.

8. If the C500P and/or C500T Preamplifiers 23-conductor
custom interconnect cable(s) becomes temporarily
disconnected from the C500C when it is On or in Stand-by
Mode, a cable error message will appear on the C500C.
Remove the AC Power Cord from the C500C, connect the
disconnected 23-conductor custom interconnect cable(s)
and then reconnect the AC Power Cord. The C500 System
will automatically reset itself to the previous configuration.

Connector Information

XLR Connectors

Below is the Pin configuration for the XLR Balanced Input
and Output Connectors on the C500 Preamplifier. Refer to
the diagram for connection:

PIN 1: Shield/Ground
PIN 2: + Signal
PIN 3: - Signal

Pin 2

Pin 1

Pin 3

Main Power Control Connectors

The C500’s Power Control Outputs provide a +5 volt sig­nal. An additional connection is for
controlling the illumination of a Power
Amplifier Output Meter. Use a 1/8
inch stereo mini phone plug to connect
to the Power Control Input on other

Power
Control

Meter
Illumination
Control

Ground

McIntosh Components.

Trigger Control Connectors

The C500’s Trigger Control Outputs provide either a +5
volt (default) or +12 volt signal (refer to
page 18). Use a 1/8 inch stereo mini
phone plug to connect to the Power
Control Input on McIntosh and/or non­McIntosh components.

Trigger
Control

N/C

Ground

Data and IR Port Connectors

The C500’s Data Port Output provides Remote Control Sig­nals. Use a 1/8 inch stereo mini
phone plug to connect to the Data
Port Inputs on McIntosh Source
Units.

Data Signal

N/C

Data Ground

Introduction

The C500 Preamplifier with a Controller is one of the finest
audio preamplifiers McIntosh has ever created. No design
compromises were allowed in the quest for a preamplifier,
both Solid State and Tube with absolute accuracy, total
sonic purity and virtual elimination of distortion and audible
noise. For those who have been searching for the “Best in
Preamplifiers”, your wait is over.

4

Performance Features

Introduction and Performance Features

••

• Dual Chassis with Dual Mono Design

••

The Dual Chassis design completely separates all power
supply, microprocessor and control circuits from the pure
audio circuits for total noise isolation. To further aid in
channel isolation the circuitry for both channels is totally
separate, physically isolated and shielded. The C500 incor­porates two identical power supplies one for each channel,
to help assure total channel isolation.

••

• Balanced and Unbalanced Inputs/Outputs

••

Four balanced high level inputs and three balanced main
outputs are provided. Four high level unbalanced inputs,
two unbalanced outputs as well as listen and record proces­sor loops are included.

••

• Moving Coil and Moving Magnet Phono Inputs

••

The C500 contains two different shielded precision Phono
Preamplifier Circuits. One is designed for low output Mov­ing Coil Phono Cartridges and has selectable resistance
loading. The second Phono Preamplifier is for Moving
Magnet Cartridges and has selectable capacitive loading.
Both circuits use the latest designs to provide the lowest
possible noise and distortion. The RIAA Correction Equal­ization Circuitry utilizies 0.5% tolerance resistors and 1%
capacitors for an extremely flat frequency response.

••

• Precision Parts

••

All resistors are precision metal film type. Low dielectric
absorption film capacitors are used in all critical circuit lo­cations.

••

Passthru Mode

•

••

The Automatic Passthru Mode allows the C500 to become
part of a Multichannel Sound System for DVD-Audio,
SACD and Home Theater Movies.

••

• Remote Control

••

The Remote Control included with the C500 allows remote
operation of the Preamplifier along with controlling various
other McIntosh Source Components and Processors.

••

• Optional External Sensor Input

••

There are provisions for connecting external sensors, which
allow for enjoying your McIntosh System from another
room(s) in your home via the remote control.

••

• Power Control Output

••

A Power Control connection for convenient turn-on of
McIntosh Source Components, McIntosh Power Amplifiers
and accessories is included.

••

• Input Level Trim Adjustment

••

All the C500 Inputs can be matched in volume level, so
there are no abrupt changes in volume levels between the
different inputs.

••

• Precision Tracking Variable Rate Volume Control

••

Volume levels are controlled by a Multi-Stage Precision
Digitally Controlled Attenuator System with an Optical En­coder Rotary Control. This helps to assure a tracking accu­racy between channels of 0.1dB, while providing 213 indi­vidual 0.5dB steps of change in the volume level and all of
this with no noise as the volume level is changed.

••

• Balance Control

••

The Balance Control Circuitry allows for precise and re­peatable change in channel balance in 1dB steps.

••

• Alphanumeric Fluorescent Display

••

The Multifunction Front Panel Display indicates the Listen
and Record Source Selection, with Volume indicated in dB
or percentage and Balance Levels in dB. Setup Mode Selec­tions and Adjustments are also displayed.

••

• Glass Front Panel with Fiber Optic Illumination

••

The famous McIntosh Illuminated Glass Front Panel en­sures the pristine beauty of the C500 will be retained for
many years.The Illumination of the Front Panel is accom­plished by the combination of custom designed Fiber Optic
Light Diffusers and Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). This
provides even Front Panel Illumination, together with the
extra long life LEDs.

• •

• Extruded Side Panels

• •

The sides of the VP1000 are extruded aluminum panels
with a bead blast textured surface and a black anodized fin­ish.

••

• Special Power Supply

••

Fully regulated Power Supplies, one for each channel, uti­lize special R-Core Power Transformers helping to ensure
stable noise free operation even though the power line var­ies.

5

Dimensions

The following dimensions can assist in determining the best
location for the C500 Controller, C500 Preamplifier and
C500 Tube Preamplifier. There is additional information on
page 8 pertaining to installing the C500 System into cabinets.

Front View of the C500C

17-1/2"

44.45cm

17-1/16"

43.34cm

5-3/8"

13.69cm

6"

15.24cm

Rear View of the C500C

Side View of the C500C

5/8"

1.59cm

13-1/4"

33.65cm

18-3/8"

46.67cm

17"

43.18cm

4-5/8"

11.75cm

3/16"

0.48cm

4-13/16"

12.22cm

13/16"

2.06cm

3"

7.62cm

6

12-5/8"

32.07cm

1-3/8"

3.49cm

Front View of the C500P

17-

1/2

44.45cm

Dimensions

"

5-

3/8

"

13.69cm

6"

15.24cm

Rear View of the C500P

Side View of the C500P

17-

1/16

43.34cm

13-

1/4

33.65cm

18-

3/8

46.67cm

"

"

"

17"

43.18cm

4-

5/8

11.75cm

3/16

0.48cm

"

"

4-

13/16

"

12.22cm

13/16

2.06cm

3"

7.62cm

"

12-

5/8

"

32.07cm

1-

3/8

3.49cm

"

7

Front View of the C500T

17-

1/2

44.45cm

Dimensions, con’t

"

5-

3/8

"

13.69cm

6"

15.24cm

Rear View of the C500T

Side View of the C500T

17-

1/16

43.34cm

13-

1/4

33.65cm

18-

3/8

46.67cm

17"

43.18cm

"

4-

5/8

"

11.75cm

"

"

3/16

"

0.48cm

4-

13/16

12.22cm

"

13/16

"

2.06cm

12-

5/8

3"

7.62cm

8

32.07cm

"

1-

3/8

3.49cm

"

Installation

The C500C, C500P and C500T can be placed upright on a
table or shelf, standing on their four feet. The four feet, may
be removed from the bottom of the C500C, C500P and
C500T when they are custom installed as outlined below.
The four feet, together with the mounting screws should be
retained for possible future use if the C500C, C500P and
C500T are removed from the custom installation and used
free standing. They also can be custom installed in a piece
of furniture or cabinet of your choice. The required panel
cutout, ventilation cutout
and unit dimensions are
shown.

Always provide ad­equate ventilation for the
C500C, C500P and
C500T. Cool operation en­sures the longest possible
operating life for any elec­tronic instrument. Do not
install the units directly
above a heat generating
component such as a high
powered amplifier. If all
the components are in­stalled in a single cabinet,
a quiet running ventilation
fan can be a definite asset
in maintaining all the sys­tem components at the
coolest possible operating
temperature.

A custom cabinet in­stallation should provide
the following minimum
spacing dimensions for
cool operation refer to the
illustration. Allow at least
2 inches (5.08 cm) above
the top of the C500C,
C500P and C500T, 2
inches (5.08cm) below the
bottom and 1 inch (2.54
cm) on each side of the
Controller/Preamplifier, so
that airflow is not ob­structed. Allow 24 inches
(61.0cm) depth behind the
front panel1 for Intercon­nect Cables. Allow 1 inch
(2.54 cm) in front of the

C500C
C500P
C500T
Front Panel
Cabinet Cutout

Cabinet
Front
Panel

Opening for
Ventilation

C500C
C500P
C500T
Side View in a
Partially Open
Cabinet

1-

1/8

2.86cm

C500C

"

15/16

2.38cm

"

C500P
C500T
Support Shelf
in Cabinet

Notes: Center the Cutout Horizontally on the unit.
For purposes of clarity, the above
illustration is not drawn to scale.

Installation

mounting panel for clearance. When the C500C, C500P and
C500T are to be installed in cabinets refer to the illustra­tion below . Be sure to cut out a ventilation hole in the
mounting shelf according to the dimensions in the drawing.

1

Interconnect Cables are supplied with the C500P
and C500T Preamplifiers and connect to the
C500 Controller.

17-

1/16

43.34cm

2"

5.08cm

Cutout Opening for Ventilation

"

Cutout Opening for Custom Mounting

5-

13.02cm

14

-3/4

37.47cm

Cutout

Opening

for

Ventilation

1/8

"

"

9-

24.13cm

Chassis
Spacers

14-

1/4

36.20cm

1/2

"

"

4 -

7/8

12.38cm

Support
Shelf

15"

38.10cm

"

9

Notes

10

Rear Panel Connections

The identification of Rear Panel Connections for the C500
Controller, C500 Preamplifier and C500 Tube Preamplifier
are located on separate folded sheets contained in the
Owner’s Manual Packet.

C500 Controller

Refer to folded sheet “Mc1A”

C500 Controller Rear Panel

Connections

Rear Panel Connections

C500 Preamplifier

Refer to folded sheet “Mc2A”
C500 Preamplifier Rear Panel

Connections

C500 Tube Preamplifier

Refer to folded sheet “Mc2A”

C500 Tube Preamplifier Rear

Panel Connections

11

How to connect the C500

This page contains information for connecting the McIntosh
C500C to the C500P or C500T and to other audio compo­nents.

The C500 has the ability to automatically switch power
On/Off to McIntosh Source Components via the Power
Control Connections. The Data Port Connections allow for
the remote operation of basic functions using the C500 Re­mote Control. With an external sensor connected to the
C500, remote control operation of the system is possible
from another room and/or when the C500 is located in a
cabinet with the doors closed.

The connection instructions below, together with the In­put and Output Connection Diagrams located on the sepa­rate folded sheet “Mc3A/3B”, are an example of a typical
audio system. Your system may vary from this, however the
actual components would be connected in a similar manner.

For additional information refer to “Connector and
Cable Information” on page 4.

Note: Balanced and Unbalanced Inputs and Outputs

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

Power Control Connections:

1. Connect one of the supplied custom 23-Conductor
Cables from the C500C RIGHT OUTPUT Socket to
the C500P or C500T RIGHT INPUT Socket.

Note: After the cable connector is firmly seated into the

chassis socket, rotate the two locking screws on
either side until they are finger tight.

2. In a similar manner, connect the other 23-Conductor
Cable from the C500C LEFT OUTPUT Socket to the
LEFT INPUT Socket on the Preamplifier.

3. Connect a Cable from the C500C POWER CONTROL
MAIN Jack to the Power Control In Jack on the McIn­tosh Left Channel Power Amplifier and another Control
Cable from the McIntosh Left Channel Power Amplifier
Power Control Out Jack to the McIntosh Right Channel
Power Amplifier Power Control In Jack.

Note: There is approximately a one-half second delay

added to the Power Control Out Jack signal going
to the next McIntosh Power Amplifier, to reduce
the strain on the AC Power Line.

4. Connect a Cable from the other C500C POWER CON­TROL MAIN Jack to the Power Control In of the
McIntosh D/A Converter.

5. Connect a Cable from the McIntosh D/A Converter
Power Control Out Jack to the Power Control In of a

McIntosh AM/FM Tuner.

6. Connect a Cable from the McIntosh AM/FM Tuner
Control Out Jack to the Power Control In of a McIntosh
Audio/Video Player.

7. Connect any remaining McIntosh Source Components
in a similar manner.

Data Control Connections:

8. Connect a Cable from the C500C D/A (7) DATA PORT
to the Data In Jack of the McIntosh MDA1000 D/A
Converter.

Note: If a McIntosh MCD1000 is part of the system,

connect the SUM DATA PORT Jack to the Data
Port In Jack on the MCD1000, using a Data
Cable. Refer to figure A.

9. Connect a Cable from the C500C TUNER (3) DATA
PORT to the Data In Jack of the McIntosh Tuner.

10. Connect a Cable from the C500C DVD (1) DATA
PORT to the Data In Jack of the McIntosh Audio/Video
Player.

11. Connect any remaining McIntosh Source Components in
a similar manner.

12. Optionally connect a RG-59 or RG-6 Cable from the

C500C Rear Panel EXT Sensor connector to the McIn­tosh Sensor.

Audio Connections:

13. Connect XLR Cables from the McIntosh D/A Converter

to the C500 Preamplifier Balanced XLR D/A (7) LEFT
and RIGHT INPUTS.

14. Connect Cables from the McIntosh Tuner Fixed Audio

Outputs to the C500 Preamplifier Unbalanced TUNER
(3) LEFT and RIGHT INPUTS.

15. Connect Cables from the McIntosh Audio/Video Player

2CH Unbalanced Audio Outputs to the C500 Preampli­fier Unbalanced DVD (1) LEFT and RIGHT INPUTS.

Note: The 2CH Balanced Audio Outputs of the McIntosh

Audio/Video Player may be connected to the C500
Preamplifier CD (6) INPUTS instead of the
Unbalanced Connections.

16. Connect Cables from the Turntable (with a Moving

Magnet Cartridge) to the C500 Preamplifier Unbal­anced MM (8) LEFT and RIGHT INPUTS.

Note: If the Turntable has a Moving Coil Cartridge,

connect the cables to the MC (9) Inputs.

17. Connect the Turntable Ground Cable to the GND bind-

ing post located between the C500 Preamplifier MM (8)
LEFT and RIGHT INPUTS.

18. Connect Cables from the External Sound Processor Left

and Right Inputs to the C500 Preamplifier PROCES­SOR TO LEFT and RIGHT Output Jacks.

12

How to connect the C500

19. Connect Cables from the External Sound Processor Left
and Right Outputs to the C500 Preamplifier PROCES­SOR FROM LEFT and RIGHT Input Jacks.

20. Connect Cables from the Music Server Left and Right
Outputs to the C500 Preamplifier Unbalanced SRVR
(4) LEFT and RIGHT INPUTS Jacks.

21. Connect Cables from the Music Server Left and Right
Inputs to the C500 Preamplifier Unbalanced SRVR (4)
LEFT and RIGHT OUTPUTS Jacks.

22. Connect XLR Cables from the C500 Preamplifier
MAIN LEFT and RIGHT Balanced OUTPUTS, to one
of the Balanced Inputs on the Left and Right McIntosh
Power Amplifiers.

Note: If the C500 is not part of a Multichannel Audio

System, proceed to step 25.

Passthru Connections:

The C500 Preamplifier has a special operating mode known
as Passthru, when it is used as part of a McIntosh Multi­channel Sound System. The Front Left and Right Channels
coming from the McIntosh A/V Control Center connect to a
predetermined input at a preset volume level and then onto
the Left and Right Main Power Amplifiers/Loudspeakers.
Passthru requires several extra connections and activation
by using the SETUP Mode of the C500.
The following connection instructions, together with the In­put and Output Connection Diagrams located on the sepa­rate folded sheet “Mc1B”, are an example of a typical audio
system. Your system may vary from this, however the actual
components would be connected in a similar manner.
For additional information refer to “Connector and Cable
Information” on page 4.

23. Connect a Power Control Cable from the McIntosh A/V
Control Center Zone A Power Control Output Jack to
the C500C PASSTHRU Input Jack.

Note: The Passthru Mode will also work non-McIntosh

Multichannel Processors, the voltage required to
activate the Passthru feature is +5 to +12 Volts
D.C.

24. Connect XLR Cables from the McIntosh A/V Control
Center Zone A Outputs Front Left and Right to the
C500P CDR (5) LEFT and RIGHT INPUT Balanced
Connectors.

Note: Any of the C500C Inputs (except for the MM (8),

MC (9) and Record Link Inputs) both Balanced or
Unbalanced may be used for the Passthru Mode.

A.C. Power Connections:

25. Connect the supplied AC Power Cord between the
C500C AC Power Cord Socket and a live AC outlet.
Refer to figure B.

26. Proceed to page 23 for customizing the SETUP Fea­tures of the C500 Preamplifier.

Figure B

Connect to a
live AC Outlet

Figure A

13

C500 Controller Front Panel Controls, Displays, and Push-Buttons

BALANCE Control
allows the adjustment
of the relative volume
levels for each channel
and is used for setup
functions

RECORD Switch selects
the program signals that
are available to record
from and is used for setup
functions

DISPLAY indicates
the Listen and Record
Sources, Listening
Volume Level and
Setup Functions

LISTEN Switch selects
the program signals
that are listened to and
is used for setup func­tions

VOLUME Control
adjusts the listening
volume level and is
used for setup func­tions

IR Sensor for
Remote Control
Operation

14

SETUP Push-button
with ON indicator al­lows the changing of the
default settings for In­puts, Levels and the Dis­play

REC MONITOR Push-but­ton with ON indicator
switches the RECORD Out­put signals to the Listen Out­put so the Program Signals
sent to the Record Outputs
are audible

MUTE Push-button
mutes audio in all
Listen Outputs

STANDBY/ON Push-button
with ON indicator Switches
the C500 On or Off
(Standby), it is also used to
RESET the internal micro­processor

C500 Preamplifier and C500 Tube Preamplifier Front Panel Displays and Jack

METER indicates the
Preamplifier’s Left
Channel relative
Output Level

HEADPHONES jack accepts
dynamic headphones

METER indicates the
Preamplifier’s Right
Channel relative Out­put Level

METER indicates the
Preamplifier’s Left
Channel relative
Output Level

HEADPHONES jack ac­cepts dynamic headphones

METER indicates the
Preamplifier’s Right
Channel relative Out­put Level

15

How to Operate the Setup Modes

Your McIntosh C500 has been factory configured for de­fault operating settings that will allow immediately enjoy­ment of superb audio without the need for further adjust­ments. If you wish to make changes to the factory default
settings, a Setup Feature is provided to customize the oper­ating settings using the Front Panel Alphanumeric Display
on the C500C Controller. The setup fuctions available for
change and/or adjustments are dependent upon connection
of the Preamplifier(s) C500P or C500T connected to the
C500C Controller.

1. The Red LED above the STANDBY/ON push-button
lights to indicate the C500 is in Standby mode and is
connected to a live AC Outlet. To switch On the C500,
press the STANDBY/ON push-button. Refer to figure

2. The Alphanumeric Display will indicate the last input
listened to. If this is the first time the C500 is switched
on, the display will indicate “15 TUNER”, refer to fig­ure 3.

Figure 3

Note: Dependent upon which Preamplifier (C500P or

C500T) is connected to the C500C, the Front
Panel Alphanumeric Display will indicate
different operational messages when switched
On, refer to page 28 for additional information.
If the Front Panel Alphanumeric Display
indicates CABLE ERROR, remove the AC Power
Cord from the Rear Panel of the C500C. Refer
to figure 4. Then check to verify that both
interconnect cables coming from the C500P or
C500T are connected to the correct sockets on
the Rear Panel of the C500C. Refer to page 12.
After correcting the cable connection error,
reconnect the AC Power Cord to the Rear Panel
of the C500C. Perform Step one again.

Figure 4

2. Press the C500C Front Panel SETUP push-button once.
The LED above the SETUP Push-button will illuminate
and the Front Panel Display will indicate CONTROL­LER. The “Controller” is the first of the two main
menus. The second main menu is named “Preamp” and
will be accessed in step 5. Refer to figures 2 and 5.

Figure 5

3. Rotate the BALANCE (Menu) Control and notice that
the Setup Controller Setup Mode advances through
seven different possible adjustment selections and one
informational display.

Note: When in SETUP MODE, it may be necessary to

rotate the Controls BALANCE (Menu), RECORD
(Select 1) and LISTEN (Select 2) either clockwise
or counter-clockwise to the desired function or
setting.

4. Press the SETUP Push-button to exit the CONTROL­LER Menu, the LED above the SETUP Push-button
will extinguish and the Front Panel Display will revert
back to its normal display. Refer to figure 3.

5. Now Press the SETUP Push-button twice to enter the
PREAMP Setup Menu. Refer to figure 6.

Figure 6

6. Rotate the BALANCE (Menu) Control and notice that
the Setup Preamp Mode advances through nine different
possible adjustment selections.

16

Figure 2

Setup

7. To exit from the Setup Preamp Mode press the SETUP
Push-button, the LED above the SETUP Push-button
will extinguish and the Front Panel Display will revert
back to its normal display. Refer to figure 3.

Default Settings

The following listings indicate the Setup Menu Mode (Con­troller or Preamp), Menu Name, Default Setting and the
page number for instructions on how to change a setting.

Menu Function Name Setting Page No.

Control Version (C500 Firmware) _ . _ _ 17
Control Display (Brightness) 7 17
Control Remote (Control) HR061 17
Control Meter (Illumination) ON 18
Control Volume (Display) Percent 18
Control Trigger A Lvl (Rear Panel Jack) 5V 18
Control Trigger B Lvl (Rear Panel Jack) 5V 19
Control Triamp (Balanced Outputs) OFF 18
Control D/A Ctrl (MDA1000) OFF 19
Preamp Input 3 (Title of Inputs) TUN 20
Preamp D Port (Assignment to Input) Note 2 20
Preamp Trim (Input Source Level) 0.0 21
Preamp Trigger (Input Source) -- 22
Preamp ACC Control (Remote Con.) -- 22
Preamp LPROC (Listen Processor) NONE 23
Preamp RPROC (Record Processor) NONE 23
Preamp MM (Phono Capacitance) 50PF 24
Preamp MC (Phono Resistance) 25 OHM 24
Preamp Passthru (Multichannel) OFF 24

Notes: 1. Charts on page 25 allow for recording any changes

made to the default settings.

2. The D. Port default assignment is the same as the
C500 Controller Rear Panel Data Port Labeling.

Firmware Version

The C500 functionality is controlled by internal software
that is know as Firmware. The Version of the Firmware in
the C500 can be identified at any time by utilizing the Setup
Controller Mode.

1. Press the SETUP Push-button once to access the Setup
Controller Mode.

2. Rotate the MENU Control until VERSION 1.0 or
higher appears. Refer to figure 7.

4. If no other adjustments are to be made at this time,
press the SETUP Push-button to exit the Setup Control­ler Mode or proceed to the next desired Setup Control­ler Mode for adjustment.

Display Brightness

The Front Panel Alphanumeric DISPLAY Brightness may
be varied from a setting of 1 (Dim) to 7 (Bright). Follow the
steps below for reducing the Display Brightness.

1. Press the SETUP Push-button once to access the Setup
Controller Mode unless the C500C is already in the
Setup Controller Mode.

2. Rotate the MENU Control until the word “DISPLAY
7” appears. Refer to figure 8.

Figure 8

3. Rotate the SELECT 2 Control until the Front Panel Al­phanumeric Display indicates “DISPLAY 5” or the de­sired Brightness is achived. Refer to figure 9.

Figure 9

4. If no other adjustments are to be made at this time,
press the SETUP Push-button to exit the Setup Control­ler Mode or proceed to the next desired Setup Control­ler Mode for adjustment.

Remote Control

The C500 Preamplifier default setting for remote control
operation is for the supplied McIntosh HR061 Remote Con­trol. The setting may be changed to allow the C500 to work
with the legacy HR054 Remote Control by performing the
following steps:

1. Press the SETUP Push-button once to access the Setup
Controller Mode unless the C500C is already in the
Setup Controller Mode.

2. Rotate the MENU Control until the words “REMOTE
HR061” appears. Refer to figure 9A.

Figure 7

3. The number after the character V is the Firmware num­ber.

Figure 9A

17

3. Rotate the SELECT 2 Control counterclockwise until
the Front Panel Alphanumeric Display indicates RE­MOTE HR054. Refer to figure 9B.

Figure 9B

4. If no other adjustments are to be made at this time,
press the SETUP Push-button to exit the Setup Control­ler Mode or proceed to the next desired Setup Control­ler Mode for adjustment.

Meter Illumination

The Front Panel Meter Illumination of the C500P or C500T
Preamplifiers may be switched Off. Follow the steps below:

1. Press the SETUP Push-button once to access the Setup
Controller Mode unless the C500C is already in the
Setup Controller Mode.

2. Rotate the MENU Control until the words “METER
ON” appears. Refer to figure 10.

3. Rotate the SELECT 2 Control until the Front Panel Al-

Figure 10

phanumeric Display indicates “METER OFF”. Refer
to figure 11.

4. If no other adjustements are to be made at this time,

Figure 12

3. Rotate the SELECT 2 Control until the Front Panel Al­phanumeric Display indicates “VOL DECIBEL”. Re­fer to figure 13.

Figure 13

4. If no other adjustments are to be made at this time,
press the SETUP Push-button to exit the Setup Control­ler Mode or proceed to the next desired Setup Control­ler Mode for adjustment.

Trigger A Voltage (Power Control)

The Rear Panel Trigger A Jack can provide either a 5 or 12
Volt Output when activated, with 5 Volts as the default.
McIntosh Components with Power Control utilize 5 Volts;
non-McIntosh components when connected to the C500C
might required a higher voltage to switch them On or Off.
To change the output voltage to 12 volts follow the steps
below:

1. Press the SETUP Push-button once to access the Setup
Controller Mode unless the C500C is already in the
Setup Controller Mode.

2. Rotate the MENU Control until the words “TRIGA
LVL 5V” appears. Refer to figure 14.

Figure 11

press the SETUP Push-button to exit the Setup Control­ler Mode or proceed to the next desired Setup Control­ler Mode for adjustment.

Volume Display

The Front Panel Alphanumeric Display of the current vol­ume setting may be indicated either as a Percentage of the
maximum volume (0 - 100%) or in Decibels (-92.0dB to
+15.0dB). To change the display to Decibels follow the
steps below:

1. Press the SETUP Push-button once to access the Setup
Controller Mode unless the C500C is already in the
Setup Controller Mode.

2. Rotate the MENU Control until the words “VOL PER­CENT” appears. Refer to figure 12.

18

Figure 14

3. Rotate the SELECT 2 Control until the Front Panel Al­phanumeric Display indicates “TRIGA LVL 12V”.
Refer to figure 15.

Figure 15

4. If no other adjustments are to be made at this time,
press the SETUP Push-button to exit the Setup Control­ler Mode or proceed to the next desired Setup Control­ler Mode for adjustment.

Trigger B Voltage (Power Control)

Setup, con’t

The Rear Panel Trigger B Jack can provide either a 5 or 12
Volt Output when activated, with 5 Volts as the default.
McIntosh Components with Power Control utilize 5 Volts;
non-McIntosh components when connected to the C500C
might required a higher voltage to switch them On or Off.
To change the output voltage to 12 volts follow the steps
below:

1. Press the SETUP Push-button once to access the Setup
Controller Mode unless the C500C is already in the
Setup Controller Mode.

2. Rotate the MENU Control until the words “TRIGB
LVL 5V” appears. Refer to figure 16.

Figure 16

3. Rotate the SELECT 2 Control until the Front Panel Al­phanumeric Display indicates “TRIGB LVL 12V”. Re­fer to figure 17.

Figure 17

4. If no other adjustments are to be made at this time,
press the SETUP Push-button to exit the Setup Control­ler Mode or proceed to the next desired Setup Control­ler Mode for adjustment.

3. Rotate the SELECT 2 Control until the Front Panel Al­phanumeric Display indicates “TRIAMP ON”. Refer
to figure 19.

Note: The Unbalanced SPKR1 and SPKR2 Main Outputs

are still controllable (On or Off) with the Remote
Control.

Figure 19

4. If no other adjustments are to be made at this time,
press the SETUP Push-button to exit the Setup Control­ler Mode or proceed to the next desired Setup Control­ler Mode for adjustment.

D/A Control (McIntosh MDA1000)

When the McIntosh MDA1000 D/A Converter and
MCD1000 CD Player are connected to the C500 Controller
there are special functions to enhanced operation of the D/A
Converter with the C500. The following steps activate these
functions:

1. Press the SETUP Push-button once to access the Setup
Controller Mode unless the C500C is already in the
Setup Controller Mode.

2. Rotate the MENU Control until the words “D/A CTRL
OFF” appears. Refer to figure 20.

Triamp (Balanced Outputs)

The C500P and C500T Preamplifiers provide three Bal­anced XLR Output Connectors for each channel. One Out­put is labeled MAIN (non-switched) and two additional
Outputs MAIN/SPKR1 and MAIN/SPKR2 (switched On
or Off by using the Remote Control ). Outputs MAIN/
SPKR1 and MAIN/SPKR2 may be configured to remain
On along with the MAIN Output for use in systems with
three Power Amplifiers per channel. To change the MAIN/
SPKR1 and MAIN/SPKR2 Outputs perform the following
steps:

1. Press the SETUP Push-button once to access the Setup
Controller Mode unless the C500C is already in the
Setup Controller Mode.

2. Rotate the MENU Control until the words “TRIAMP
OFF” appears. Refer to figure 18.

Figure 18

Figure 20

3. Rotate the SELECT 2 Control until the Front Panel Al­phanumeric Display indicates “D/A CTRL ON”. Refer
to figure 21.

Figure 21

4. Rotate the Menu Control until the words “D/A INP1
ON” appears. Refer to figure 22.

Figure 22

In the following step the memory of the C500C will be up­dated to reflect the assigment of active Digital Inputs on the
MDA1000. This will prevent having to go through unused
inputs when changing the D/A Inputs by using either the
C500 Front Panel Controls or the Remote Control.

19

5. Rotate the SELECT 2 Control to select On or Off for
“D/A INPut 1”.

6. Rotate the SELECT 1 Control to select the next input,
“D/A INPut 2”.

7. Rotate the SELECT 2 Control to select On or Off for
the next “D/A INPut 2”.

8. Repeat steps 6 and7 until all seven of the MDA1000
Input Assignments have been entered into the C500
Memory.

9. Rotate the MENU Control until the words “PROG DP
SUM” appears. Refer to figure 23.

Figure 23

10. Rotate the SELECT 2 Control to select the Digital Input
of the MDA1000 that the MCD1000 is connected to.
Refer to figure 24.

Figure 24

11. Press the SETUP Push-button to exit the Setup Control­ler Mode.

Figure 26a

3. The Input Titles choices available for the High Level
Inputs start with DVD2, AUX2, TUN2, SVR2, CDR2,
or CD2.

4. The PHONO MM and PHONO MC Inputs Titles are
fixed, however they may be switched On or Off.

1. Press the SETUP Push-button twice to access the Setup
Preamp Mode unless the C500C is already in the Setup
Preamp Mode.

2. Rotate the MENU Control until the Alphanumeric Dis­play indicates “INPUT 3 TUN•” appears. Refer to
figure 26a.

3. Rotate the SELECT 1 Control until the Display indi­cates “INPUT 2 AUX•”. Refer to figure 26b.

Figure 26b

4. Rotate the SELECT 2 Control until the Display indi­cates “INPUT 2 DVD2”. Refer to figure 27.

Input Selection and Title Reassignment

The C500 has nine Audio Inputs, which includes seven high
level inputs, two dedicated Phono Inputs and two external
processor loops. These inputs already have assigned titles
that will allow for immediate hookup, operation and enjoy­ment.

If the default Input Titles for the High Level Inputs do
not match up with components in your system they may be
reassigned. The following example will illustrate how to re­name the AUX Input to DVD2. When the Input Selector is
rotated to select what was originally the AUX Input, DVD2
will now appear on the Front Panel Alphanumeric Display.

Notes: 1. Unused Inputs may be switched Off so they will not

appear when going through the input source choices
using the LISTEN Control, RECORD Control or
when using the Remote Control. Refer to figure 25.

Figure 25

2. The Alphanumeric Display will indicate the default
Title for the Input number selected with a dot
appearing to the right of the Title. Refer to figure
26a.

Figure 27

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until all the Inputs have the de­sired Title or are switched Off.

6. If no other adjustments are to be made at this time,
press the SETUP Push-button to exit the Setup Preamp
Mode or proceed to the next desired Setup Preamp
Mode for adjustment.

Data Port Assigment

The Data Control Ports on the C500 Controller by default
are assigned to control just one input (1 thru 7) on the
Preamplifier.

In the following example there are two McIntosh CD
Players, one connected to the CD Balanced Input number 6
and the other CD Player connected to the CDR Unbalanced
Input number 5 on the Preamplifier. Both CD Players will
share the same DATA PORT number 6 by performing the
following steps:

1. Press the SETUP Push-button twice to access the Setup
Preamp Mode unless the C500C is already in the Setup
Preamp Mode.

2. Rotate the MENU Control until the Alphanumeric Dis­play indicates D PORT _ _ _ _.

20

Figure 29

3. Rotate the SELECT 1 Control until the desired Input
Title to be changed appears in the Display, e.g. “D
PORT CDR 5”. Refer to figure 29.

4. Rotate the SELECT 2 Control until the number 2 ap­pears in the Display, e.g. “D PORT CDR 6”. Refer to
figure 30.

Figure 30

Note: Connect a 1/8 inch Stereo Mini “Y” adapter to

Data Port number 6 on the C500 Controller. From
each leg of the “Y” adapter connect a Cable to the
Data In jacks on each CD Player.

5. If there are any other Data Port re-assignments to be
made, repeat steps 3 and 4.

Note: DATA PORTS may also be switched off by

selecting “- -” using the SELECT 2 Control Refer
to figure 31.

Figure 31

6. If no other adjustments are to be made at this time,
press the SETUP Push-button to exit the Setup Preamp
Mode or proceed to the next desired Setup Preamp
Mode for adjustment.

Trim Level Adjustment

Setup, con’t

Source that is frequently listened to as the reference.
The reference Input Source should be set to a Level of

00.

1. Rotate the SELECT 2 Control to select the Tuner Input
and adjust the VOLUME Control to the desired listen­ing level. Refer to figure 32 .

Figure 32

Note: If the C500 Controller is in the SETUP Mode, exit

before proceeding.

2. Press the SETUP Push-button twice to access the Setup
Preamp Mode, unless the C500C is already in the Setup
Preamp Mode.

3. Rotate the MENU Control until the words “TRIM 0.0
TUN” appears. Refer to figure 33.

Figure 33

Note: The Level Input Trim can also be set via the

Remote Control.

4. If necessary, rotate the SELECT 2 Control until the
word TUN appears on the right side of the Front Panel
Alphanumeric Display, “TRIM 0.0 TUN”.

5. If necessary, rotate the SELECT 1 Control until two
zeros appears in the center of the Front Panel Alphanu­meric Display, “TRIM 0.0 TUN”.

6. Rotate the SELECT 2 Control until the word CD ap­pears on the right side of the Front Panel Alphanumeric
Display, “TRIM 0.0 CD”. Refer to figure 34.

Various source components can have slightly different vol­ume levels. This could result in the constant need to readjust
the C500 Volume Control when switching between different
Input Sources. The Level Input Trim Feature on the C500
Controller allows the adjustment of levels for each of the
Source Inputs, so that they have the same relative volume.
The Tuner and CD Inputs are used in the following ex­ample.

Notes: The possible range of adjustment in volume level is

±6dB. The Tape/Record Output Levels are unaffected
by any changes in the Level Trim Settings. Any LEVEL
Trim adjustments made are retained in permanent
memory and can be changed only by performing a new
Level Trim Procedure. The Tuner Input Volume Level
can serve as a reference or choose another Input

Figure 34

7. Rotate the SELECT 1 Control until the Volume Level
of the CD Input is the same as the Tuner Volume Level.
Figure 35 indicates a 3.0dB decrease in the CD Level.

Figure 35

8. Rotate the SELECT 2 Control until the next desired In­put Source Name is displayed.

9. Repeat steps 6, 7 and 8 until all the Inputs with sources
connected to the C500 have the same relative volume
levels when switching between them.

21

Accessory Control

10. If no other adjustments are to be made at this time,
press the SETUP Push-button to exit the Setup Preamp
Mode or proceed to the next desired Setup Preamp
Mode for adjustment.

Trigger Selection

The Trigger A and B Power Control Outputs on the C500
Controller are reassignable from their default settings to ac­tivate only when a given Input(s) is selected. To change ei­ther Trigger A or B from the default setting perform the fol­lowing steps:

Note: Power Control Cables coming from the components to

be controlled need to be connected to the correct
Trigger Jack on the Rear Panel of the C500C to
function.

1. Press the SETUP Push-button twice to access the Setup
Preamp Mode unless the C500C is already in the Setup
Preamp Mode.

2. Rotate the MENU Control until the Alphanumeric Dis­play indicates “TRIG TUN --” . Refer to figure 36.

When the Trigger A or B Power Control Outputs on the
C500 Controller are used, one of the Triggers may be as­signed to switched On or Off by using the ACCessory Push­button on the supplied Remote Control. To select either
Trigger A or B for remote operation, perform the following
steps:

1. Press the SETUP Push-button twice to access the Setup
Preamp Mode unless the C500C is already in the Setup
Preamp Mode.

2. Rotate the MENU Control until the Alphanumeric Dis­play indicates “ACC CONTROL --”. Refer to figure

38.

Figure 38

3. Rotate the SELECT 2 Control until the desired Trigger
A or B appears in the Display, e.g. “ACC CONTROL
A”. Refer to figure 39.

Figure 36

3. Rotate the SELECT 1 Control until the desired Input
Title to be changed appears in the Display, e.g. “TRIG
DVD --” .

4. Rotate the SELECT 2 Control until the desired Trigger
A or B (in this example the DVD Input will activate the
Trigger A Jack) appears in the Display, e.g. “TRIG
DVD A”. Refer to figure 37.

Figure 37

Note: Additional Inputs may also be assigned in the

same manner to also activate Trigger A.

5. If no other adjustments are to be made at this time,
press the SETUP Push-button to exit the Setup Preamp
Mode or proceed to the next desired Setup Preamp
Mode for adjustment.

Figure 39

Note: Devices connected to the Trigger (A or B) Jacks

will be effected when Trigger (A or B) in SETUP is
changed.

4. If no other adjustments are to be made at this time,
press the SETUP Push-button to exit the Setup Preamp
Mode or proceed to the next desired Setup Preamp
Mode for adjustment.

22

Listen Processor

The C500 Preamplifier has a Listen Processor Loop for
connecting an external sound processor. The Listen Proces­sor may be assigned to be active for only those Inputs de­sired. To activate the Listen Proccessor Loop and assign
Inputs, perform the following steps:

Note: If the Listen Processor is set active for a given Input

and no Listen Processor is connected to the C500, no
sound will be heard when that Input is selected.

1. Press the SETUP Push-button twice to access the Setup
Preamp Mode unless the C500C is already in the Setup
Preamp Mode.

2. Rotate the MENU Control until the Alphanumeric Dis­play indicates “LPROC NONE”. Refer to figure 40.

Figure 40

3. Rotate the SELECT 2 Control until the word
PRESENT appears in the Display, “LPROC
PRESENT”. Refer to figure 41.

Record Processor

The C500 Preamplifier has a Record Processor Loop for
connecting an external sound processor. The Record Proces­sor may be assigned to be active for only those Inputs de­sired. To activate the Record Proccessor Loop and assign
Inputs perform the following steps:

Note: If the Record Processor is set active for a given Input

and no Record Processor is connected to the C500, no
sound signal output will be available for recording
purposes when that Input is selected.

1. Press the SETUP Push-button twice to access the Setup
Preamp Mode unless the C500C is already in the Setup
Preamp Mode.

2. Rotate the MENU Control until the Alphanumeric Dis­play indicates “RPROC NONE”. Refer to figure 45.

Figure 45

3. Rotate the SELECT 2 Control until the word
PRESENT appears in the Display, “RPROC
PRESENT”. Refer to figure 46.

Figure 41

4. Rotate the MENU Control until the Alphanumeric Dis­play indicates “LPROC TUN - -”. Refer to figure 42.

Figure 42

5. Rotate the SELECT 2 Control until the word ON ap­pears in the Display, “LPROC TUN ON”. Refer to
figure 43.

Figure 43

6. Rotate the SELECT 1 Control until the Title of the next
desired Input is displayed and then set the Listen Pro­cessor to On.

7. Rotate the SELECT 2 Control until the word ON ap­pears in right side of the Display.

8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 until all Inputs requiring the Listen
Processor have been set active.

9. If no other adjustments are to be made at this time,
press the SETUP Push-button to exit the Setup Preamp
Mode or proceed to the next desired Setup Preamp
Mode for adjustment.

Figure 46

4. Rotate the MENU Control until the Alphanumeric Dis­play indicates “RPROC TUN - -”. Refer to figure

47.

Figure 47

5. Rotate the SELECT 2 Control until the word ON ap­pears in the Display, “RPROC TUN ON”. Refer to
figure 48.

Figure 48

6. Rotate the SELECT 1 Control until the Title of the next
desired Input is displayed and then set the Record Pro­cessor to On.

7. Rotate the SELECT 2 Control until the word ON ap­pears in right side of the Display.

8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 until all Inputs requiring the
Record Processor have been set active.

9. If no other adjustments are to be made at this time,

23

press the SETUP Push-button to exit the Setup Preamp
Mode or proceed to the next desired Setup Preamp
Mode for adjustment.

Moving Magnet Cartridge Capacitance

The C500 allows the adjustment of the Moving Magnet Ca­pacitive Loading to accommodate a wide variety of car­tridge types and turntable/cabling combinations. The range
of adjustment is from 50pf to 750pf in 50pf increments. To
change the capacitance from the default value of 50pf set­ting perform the following steps:

1. Press the SETUP Push-button twice to access the Setup
Preamp Mode unless the C500C is already in the Setup
Preamp Mode.

2. Rotate the MENU Control until the Alphanumeric Dis­play indicates “MM 50 PF”. Refer to figure 50.

Figure 50

3. Rotate the SELECT 2 Control until the desired capaci­tance appears in the Display, e.g. “MM 150 PF”. Re­fer to figure 51.

Figure 51

4. If no other adjustments are to be made at this time,
press the SETUP Push-button to exit the Setup Preamp
Mode or proceed to the next desired Setup Preamp
Mode for adjustment.

Figure 52

tance appears in the Display, e.g. “MC 200 OHM”.
Refer to figure 53.

4. If no other adjustments are to be made at this time,

Figure 53

press the SETUP Push-button to exit the Setup Preamp
Mode or proceed to the next desired Setup Preamp
Mode for adjustment.

Passthru Mode

The C500 can be part of a Multichannel Sound System for
SACD, DVD-Audio and Home Theater. The Right and Left
Front Channels from a McIntosh A/V Control Center or
Surround Decoder can “Passthru” the C500 and onto its
associated Power Amplifier(s). The Setup Mode allows the
activation of the Passthru Mode and the Selection of the
C500 Input that will be used for the Right and Left Front
Channels. In the example below, the Right and Left Front
Channels from the Multichannel Processor/Decoder will be
connected to the CDR Input Jacks on the C500. Refer to
page 13 for additional connection information.

1. Press the SETUP Push-button twice to access the Setup
Preamp Mode unless the C500C is already in the Setup
Preamp Mode.

2. Rotate the MENU Control until the Alphanumeric Dis­play indicates “PASSTHRU OFF”. Refer to figure 54.

Moving Coil Cartridge Resistance

The C500 allows the adjustment of the Moving Coil Resis­tive Loading to accommodate a wide variety of cartridge
types and turntable/cabling combinations. The range of ad­justment is from 25 ohms to 1,000 ohms in six increments.
To change the resistive load from the default value of 25
ohms setting perform the following steps:

1. Press the SETUP Push-button twice to access the Setup
Preamp Mode unless the C500C is already in the Setup
Preamp Mode.

2. Rotate the MENU Control until the Alphanumeric Dis­play indicates “MC 25 OHM”. Refer to figure 52.

3. Rotate the SELECT 2 Control until the desired resis-

24

Figure 54

3. Rotate the SELECT 2 Control until the desired Input
appears in the Display, e.g. “PASSTHRU CDR”. Re­fer to figure 55.

Figure 55

4. If no other adjustments are to be made at this time,
press the SETUP Push-button to exit the Setup Preamp
Mode or proceed to a previous desired Setup Preamp
Mode for adjustment.

Setup, con’t and Setup Settings Charts

V

V

Nu m be r

De fault

Title

New
Title

Trim

Level

De fault

Dat a
Por t

New

Data
Por t

C500 Pre amplifier or C500 Tube Preamplifier

1DVD 1

2AUX 2

3TUNER 3

4SRVR 4

5CDR 5

6CD 6

7D/A 7

8MM - -

9MC - -

Additional Settings

Lis te n

Processor

(Prese nt

Yes or No)

Record

Processor

(Present

Yes or No)

Moving

Magnet

(PF)

Moving

Coil

(OHMS)

Trigger

Sele ct

(A or B)

Listen

Processor

(ON or OFF)

Re co r d

Processor

(ON or OFF)

Passthru

Input

Display

Brightness

(1-7)

Input

Num b er

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Meter

Illumination

(ON or OFF)

McIntosh MDA1000 and MCD1000 Settings

Inputs

(On or OFF)

Settings for the C500 Controller

Volume

Display

(% or dB)

MCD1000
Data Po r t

Num b er

Trigger A

oltage

(5 or 12)

Trigger B

oltage

(5 or 12)

(On or OFF)

Triamp

Outputs

Accessory

Contr ol

(Trigger A or B)

25

Remote Control Push-Buttons

LED illuminates during
the time a remote com­mand is sent to the C500

Turns AC Power ON or OFF to
certain McIntosh Components
when connected via the Data Port

Selects Functions for McIntosh
Home Controller and as a “shift”
key when used with the AM or FM
push-buttons to select Output 1 or 2

Switches OFF the entire
C500 System except in
Passthru Mode

Use to select tuner pre­sets, disc tracks or any
numbered operation

Selects Switched Output 1,
AM Tuner Operating Func­tions and Disc Selection on
certain McIntosh CD Players

Press to Power the
C500 ON or OFF

Press MODE to switch the
MONO Mode On or Off

Press to Power ON
the C500

Press to Power OFF
the C500

Selects Switched Output
2, FM Tuner Operating
Functions and Track Se­lection on certain McIn­tosh CD Players

Press +10 to Review Tuner
Station Presets and select
certain functions on McIn­tosh CD Players

Adjusts the volume
level up or down

Press TRIM and then
the LEVEL Push-but­tons to select and ad­just various functions

Mutes the audio

Selects Disc Player, Mu­sic Server or Tape Re­corder Functions and also
performs various func­tions on a variety of
McIntosh Components

Selects one of the seven
High Level Audio/Video
Sources or Phono Input

Press to listen to the se­lected Record out signal

Selects On Screen Func­tions for McIntosh DVD
Players and certain CD
Players

Selects the FF (Fast For­ward) or REWind Mode
on a Disc Player, Music
Server or Tape Recorder;
tunes Up or Down the
AM/FM Dial

Scrolls through the
available C500 Inputs
and the McIntosh
MDA1000 Digital
Sources when connected
to the D/A Input

1

26

Note: Push-buttons whose function is not indentified

above are for use with other McIntosh Products.

1

Requires a Data Cable Connection between the C500C and the MDA1000

How to Operate by Remote Control

The supplied Remote Control is capable of directly control­ling the functions of contemporary McIntosh Source Com­ponents connected to the C500.

How to Operate the Remote Control

automatic brief audition of each of the presets stored in the
tuner memory. Press +10 a second time to stop on a station
preset and exit the Review process.

Mute

Press the MUTE Push-button to mute audio. The Record
Signals present at the CDR and SRVR OUTPUTS are not
affected by the MUTE function. The C500 Front Panel Al­phanumeric Display will indicate the word MUTE. Press
MUTE a second time to unmute audio.

Mono

Press the MODE Push-button to switch Mono Mode On or
Off for the selected Listen Signal.

Trim

Press the TRIM Push-button, followed by the LEVEL UpS
or DownT Push-button to select various sound adjustments
and functions.

Note: Refer to “How to Operate the C500” starting on page

28 for additional information.

Input Source Selection

Press one of the appropriate Source Push-buttons or the In­put W or X Push-buttons to select the desired program
source.

Note: When directly selecting sources with Title names

ending with a “2” or “3”, the appropriate Numbered
Push-button needs to be pressed after the push-button
with the Titled Name is pressed; e.g. for Input DVD2,
press the DVD Push-button followed by the “2” Push­button.

Volume

Press the UpS or DownT VOLUME Push-button to raise
or lower the listening volume level.

Note: The Record Signals present at CDR and SRVR

OUTPUTS are not affected by volume changes.

Amplifier Selection

Press the 2nd push-button followed by the OUTPUT 1 or 2
push-buttons to control the rear panel OUTPUTS 1, 2
which can feed signals to a power amplifier or other acces­sory component.

Acc On

Press ACC ON to turn the power ON to a McIntosh Disc
Player.

Acc Off

Press ACC OFF to turn the power OFF to a McIntosh Disc
Player.

Pause

Press Pushbutton to perform various functions on a vari­ety of McIntosh Components. It will also pause the playing
of a disc or tape player. The Push-button will also allow
for quick exiting from the active menu when in the setup
mode. The Push-button is also used as an Enter Push-but­ton with some McIntosh components.

Disc, Server and Tape Functions

Use these push-buttons to operate a DVD Player, CD
Player, CD Changer, Music Server or Tape Recorder.

Numbered Push-buttons

Press Push-buttons 0 through 9 to access tuner station pre­sets, tracks on discs or selections on a Music Server.

Disc and Track

Use the DISC and TRACK Push-buttons when a Disc
Player or Music Server is being used.

Tuner Push-buttons

Press the AM or FM Push-button to select the desired
broadcast band. Press and release the Channel UpS or
DownTPush-button to move from station to station. Press
and hold a Channel UpS or DownT Push-button to move
continuously from station to station. Press +10 to start the

27

How to Operate the C500

Power On

The Red LED above the STANDBY/ON push-button lights
to indicate the C500 is in Standby mode and is connected to
a live AC Outlet. To switch On the C500, press the
STANDBY/ON push-button. Refer to figure 64. The Al­phanumeric Display will indicate the last input listened to.
If this is the first time the C500 is switched on, the display
will indicate “15 TUNER”, refer to figure 61.

Figure 61

Notes: 1. Dependent upon which Preamplifier (C500P or

C500T) is connected to the C500C the Front
Panel Alphanumeric Display will indicate
different operational messages when switched
On, refer to page 32 for additional information.

2. With the C500 Tube Preamplifier connected to
the C500C, the first display on the
Alphanumeric Numeric will be “TUBE
WARMUP”. Refer to figure 63. The amount of
time the display will indicate “TUBE
WARMUP” is dependent upon the temperature
of the Tubes inside the C500T.

Figure 63

Balance Control

Adjust the BALANCE control as needed to achieve ap­proximately equal listening volume levels in each loud­speaker. Turn the BALANCE to the Left to emphasize the
left channel by reducing the level of the right channel. Turn

the BALANCE to the right to emphasize the right channel
by reducing the level of the left channel.

As soon as the BALANCE control is turned, the Volume
Display reads the balance change from 1 to 107 in one dB
steps. Refer to figure 65. After approximately 3 seconds the

Figure 65

Volume Display returns to the Volume reading. To verify the
balance setting without changing it, move the control one
detent in either direction. The display will indicate the se­lected balance changes for approximately 3 seconds and
then return to the volume display.

The “L” or “R” will illuminate to indicate which channel
has been emphasized by the BALANCE control. It is per­fectly normal for the BALANCE control to be off the center
to achieve the correct listening volume from each loud­speaker in many listening rooms. Listening balance can also
vary with different program sources, room acoustics and
listening positions relative to the loudspeakers.

Source Selection

Select the desired Listening Source with the Front Panel
LISTEN Control or the appropriate Push-Button(s) on the
Remote Control. In a similar manner, select the Record Out­put Source with the Front Panel RECORD Control. When
the RECORD Control is rotated, the Front Panel Alphanu­meric Display will change to indicate the Title of the Record
Input on the left side, the volume level in the center and the
Title of the Listen Input on the right side. Both Titles will be
the short text form and the display will revert back to the
regular display in about six seconds after the rotation of the

28

Figure 64

How to Operate the C500

RECORD Selector has stopped. Refer to figure 66.

Figure 66

Note: When the McIntosh MDA1000 is connected to the

C500 Controller (refer to page 12) and the “D/A
Control” is active (refer to the Setup Controller Mode
page 19) the LISTEN Control and the INPUT Push­buttons (W and X) on the Remote Control will step
thru the active MDA1000 Inputs automatically when
the D/A Input is selected. When recording from the D/A
Input, care should be exercised not to select the D/A
for Listening as the MDA1000 Input can change. The
D/A Control feature may also be temporarily switched
Off (refer to the Setup Controller Mode page 19) when
recording the D/A Input.

Volume Control

Adjust the Front Panel VOLUME control or the VOLUME
Push-buttons on the Remote Control for the desired listen­ing level.

Note: The default setting of the Front Panel Alphanumeric

Display indication of the volume level is percentage.
Refer to figure 61. The other choice is decibels, and a
change in Setup on page 18 is required for the display
to indicate decibels. Refer to figure 67.

Figure 67

Setup Mode

Pressing the SETUP Push-button activates the Setup Mode
of the C500 and allows customizing of the various Operat­ing Modes, Front Panel Alphanumeric Display and indica­tion of the Firmware Version. The LED above the SETUP
Push-button will Illuminate. Refer to page 16 for additional
information on the SETUP Mode.

Mute

Press the MUTE Push-button to mute audio in all Listen
Outputs including headphones and the Front Panel Alphanu­meric Display will indicate MUTE in place of the actual
volume setting. Refer to figure 69a. Press the MUTE again

Figure 69a

to resume listening. If it is desirable to listen privately with
headphones (connected to the Preamplifier Front Jack),
press and hold the MUTE Push-button until the Front Panel
Alphanumeric Display indicates “HDPH MODE ON”.
Refer to figure 69b. Only the Headphones will be active for

Figure 69b

listening. Return to regular listening of Loudspeaker or
Headphones by pressing and hold the MUTE Push-button
until the Front Panel Alphanumeric Display indicates
“HDPH MODE OFF”. Refer to figure 69c.

Listen and Record External Processors

The activation of both the Listen and Record Processors is
fully automatic on a Input per Input basis. To activate the
Listen or Record Processor refer to page 23.

Record Monitor

Press the Front Panel REC MONITOR Push-button or the
REC MONITOR Push-button on the Remote Control to
hear the Signal Source that is available at the Record Out
Jacks for recording. The LED above the REC MONITOR
Push-button on the Front Panel will Illuminate.

Note: The Front Panel Alphanumeric Display will display the

Input Title on the Left side of the Display with the
Volume Level on the right side. Refer to figure 68.

Figure 68

Figure 69c

How To Make A Recording

The separate RECORD and LISTEN Controls allow the
recording from one program source while listening to an­other. You can also listen (monitor) to the recorded signal
off the recording media, a fraction of a second later. You
can also listen to the signal at the record outputs by pressing
the REC MONITOR push-button.

1. Select the desired program source to record with the
Front Panel RECORD Control.

2. Adjust the record level using the recorders volume con-

trol.

3. To listen to the signal at the record outputs going to the
recorder, press the REC (Record) MONITOR push­button.

29

4. To listen to the playback of the program source just re­corded, rotate the LISTEN Control to the desired input.

Note: The C500 RECORD OUTPUTS are not affected by

the VOLUME or BALANCE Controls. To listen to
a different program source while recording, turn
the LISTEN Control to the desired source. The
recording process will not be affected and will
continue.

Output Meters

The C500’s Output Meters indicate the Output Voltage
available at the MAIN and SPKR OUTPUT 1 & 2 Jacks to
drive Power Amplifiers. Refer to figure 70. The Meters are
calibrated in dB
(decibels) and re­spond to all the
peaks contained in
the musical infor­mation. They indi­cate to an accuracy

Figure 70

of at least 95% of a
single cycle from a 2000Hz tone burst.

The Meter Electronic Circuitry “Time Stretches” the
Meter Drive Signal so the Meter Pointer pauses just long
enough for the human eye to see it and is followed by a
moderate decay rate.

Panel Alphanumeric Display will indicate the words
“MONO ON” for those Inputs where MONO was
previously selected.

Speaker Output 1 and 2

The 2nd Push-button and OUTPUT1 (SPKR1) or OUT­PUT2 (SPKR2) Push-buttons on the Remote Control allow
the sending of the audio signals to separate power amplifi­ers connected to the Rear Panel Balanced MAIN/SPKR1
and Unbalanced SPKR1 or MAIN/SPKR2 and Unbalanced
SPKR2. It also activates the TRIGGER Jacks SPKR1 &
SPKR2 Jacks on the Rear panel of the C500C. Press the
desired Push-button (2nd Push-button followed by pressing
the OUTPUT1 [SPKR1] or OUTPUT2 [SPKR2]) once to
activate the Front Panel Alphanumeric Display indicating
the current Speaker Setting. Pressing the Push-button com­bination a second time while the display is indicating the
“SPEAKER1 or SPEAKER2 (On or Off)” will change to
the opposite setting. Refer to figures 73 and 74.

Figure 73

The following C500 Operating Functions are performed us­ing the supplied Remote Control.

Mono Mode

Press the MODE Push-button once to activate the Front
Panel Alphanumeric Display indicating the current mode
setting. Pressing the MODE Push-button a second time
while the display is indicating the “MONO (On or Off)”
will change to the opposite Mode. With the MONO Mode
On, the left and right stereo signals will be combined to a
mono signal at all Outputs except the Record Outputs. Re­fer to figures 71 and 72.

Figure 71

Figure 72

Note: The C500 automatically stores into memory for each

Listen Input, the Selection of the Mono Mode On or
Off. After a Listen Input has been Selected, the Front

Figure 74

Trim

The Trim Push-button on the Remote Control allow for
various function and level changes to be made, while listen­ing, without having to go into the SETUP Mode. Any
changes made using the Remote Control Trim Push-buttons
will change the previous adjustments made in SETUP. By
repeated pressing the TRIM Push-button on the Remote
Control, the Front Panel Alphanumeric Display will step
through the possible adjustments. These include Input Trim
Volume Level, Balance Level Adjustments, Stereo or Mono
Mode, Speaker 1 On/Off, Speaker 2 On/Off, Display
Brightness (1-7)1, Meter Illumination On/Off1, the Moving
Magnet Phono Input Capacitance1 and Moving Coil Phono
Input Resistance1. Once the desired Trim function is se­lected use the LEVEL UpS or DownT Push-button to
make the change. Refer to the chart on the next page:

1

For additional information on these functions refer to
SETUP starting on page 16.

30

How to Operate the C500, con’t

Trim Function Adjustment

Input Volume Trim +6dB to -6dB 75a and b
Balance Level (Left)107dB to (Right )107dB 76
Mono (Stereo) On or Off 77a and b
Speaker 1 On or Off 78a and b
Speaker 2 On or Off 79a and b
Display 1-7 80a and b
Meters On or Off 81a and b
Mo ving Magn et 50pf to 750pf 82a and b
Mo vig Coil 25 ohms to 1,000 ohms 83a and b

Figure 75a

Figure 75b

Figure

Numbe rs

Figure 80a

Figure 80b

Figure 81a

Figure 81b

Figure 82a

Figure 76

Figure 77a

Figure 77b

Figure 78a

Figure 78b

Figure 79a

Figure 79b

Figure 82b

Figure 83a

Figure 83b

How to use the Passthru Mode

When the C500 is connected together with a McIntosh Mul­tichannel A/V Control Center or Surround Decoder and has
the PASSTHRU MODE activated, it will automatically
turn-on when the A/V Control Center or Surround Decoder
is turned On. It will indicate on the Front Panel Alphanu­meric Display “PASSTHRU”. Refer to figure 84.

Figure 84

The C500C Front Panel Controls, Push-buttons and the Re­mote Control Push-buttons are deactivated as long as the
Passthru Mode is active. The settings for the LISTEN and
RECORD Processor and OUTPUTS 1&2 remain un­changed when the C500 is in the Passthru Mode.

31

Reset of Microprocessors

In the event that the controls of the C500 stop functioning
press and hold the STANDBY/ON Push-button. Three to
four seconds later the Front Panel Alphanumeric Display
will indicate “DETECT SYSTEM”; at this point release
the STANDBY/ON Push-button. This will reset the C500
microprocessors. Refer to figure 85.

3. Reteach the AC Power Cord.

4. Press and hold the SETUP and REC MONITOR Front
Panel Push-buttons until the Alphanumeric Display in­dicates “DETECT SYSTEM”, then release the two
Push-buttons. At this point several messages will ap­pear on the Alphanumeric Display depending on the
C500 System makeup. Refer to figures 88 thru 91.

Figure 85

Note: The above condition is usually caused by either

interruptions in AC power and/or major changes in
voltage.

Configuration Change

When a change is made to a C500 System (Controller and
Preamplifier) by changing the current Preamplifier type
(C500P or C500T) , the Front Panel Alphanumeric Display
will indicate “CONFIG CHANGE” and the LED indicators
above the SETUP and REC MONITOR Push-buttons will
be flashing. Refer to figures 86
and 87. If there is not to be any
changes to the C500 System,
but rather reconnecting a
Preamplifier that was previ­ously connected to the C500
Controller perform the follow­ing:

Figure 86

Figure 88

Figure 89

Figure 90

Figure 91

5. For any changes from the default settings that are de­sired go to page 16 SETUP to perform them at this
time.

Figure 87

1. Remove the AC Power Cord from the Rear Panel of the
C500 Controller.

2. Reconnect the previously connected Preamplifier.

3. Reattach the AC Power Cord.

4. The C500 System will automatically reset itself and will
retain any changes that where previously made in the
SETUP Mode.

If the change to the C500 System is a result of changing
Preamplifier Types (C500P or C500T) then perform the fol­lowing steps:

1. Remove the AC Power Cord from the Rear Panel of
C500 Controller.

2. Connected the Preamplifier(s) to the C500 Controller.

32

Technical Description

How to Operate the C500, con’t and Technical Description

McIntosh Laboratory, the company who introduced the
world’s first amplifier that could be called “High Fidelity”,
has done it again. The McIntosh Engineering Staff has cre­ated a Preamplifier without compromise, using the most ad­vanced McIntosh circuit design concepts.

The C500 is the third generation of a two chassis design
with fully balanced circuitry that started with the introduc­tion of the C100 in 1997. In the two chassis design, the
power supplies and digital control circuitry are contained in
the Controller Chassis and the second chassis contains the
Preamplifier Circuitry. This prevents the possible introduc­tion of hum and noise into the audio signal. In the C500, an
additional refinement has been added to help assure total
channel isolation, dual mono design. There are two indepen­dent power supplies, one for each channel, and the Pream­plifier also contains two totally independent preamplifier
circuits.

Creating an Preamplifier with this level of performance
did not come easily. Many months of design, testing and
measuring were required. Extensive controlled listening
tests, the ultimate form of measuring, were made before the
final design was accepted.

Silent Audio Switching

All of the Audio Signal Switching in the C500 is performed
by 50 Electro-Magnetic devices. This includes the selection
of the desired Audio Input Source for Listening, for Record­ing Outputs, External Signal Processing Loop, Final Audio
Output Selection and the Audio Muting Function. These
Electro-Magnetic devices switch silently, without adding
noise to the Audio Signal for the lifetime of the C500
Preamplifier. The Balanced Input Switching Printed Circuit
Boards for one channel of the C500 are shown in figure 92.

Figure 92

Electro-Magnetic Switching is a proven technology that
uses the latest in materials and manufacturing methods.
Each switch consists of a glass tube filled with an inert oxy­gen-free atmosphere and sealed with tiny leads protruding

from either end. These leads extend into the tube and over­lap one another with a separation of a few thousandths of an
inch. The leads are
made from a fer­rous material that
is influenced by a
magnetic field.
They are first
plated with gold as
a base material,
then with rhodium
and finally ruthe­nium. Ruthenium
is the best contact

Figure 93

material known.
Refer to figure 93.

The glass assembly is then placed in the center of a
multilayer coil of copper wire. The entire assembly is
molded together in a tough shock absorbing material. The
switch and coil connectors extend from the bottom in the
form of printed circuit board terminals. When a DC voltage
is applied to the coil, current flows and creates a magnetic
field. The force of the field causes the leads to bend and
contact one another inside the sealed glass tube. The inert
gas eliminates corrosion of the contacts and insures a low
resistance, distortion free switch.

Volume Adjustments

The most frequently operated control on a Preamplifier is
the Volume Control. The desired volume level can vary by
the type of music, size of our listening room and even the
time of day with which we listen. So it is no surprise that
McIntosh has devoted a substantial amount of time in pur­suit of the “Perfect Volume Control System”.

A conventional Mechanical Potentiometer for a volume
control is totally unacceptable for use in the C500 Pream­plifier. Mechanical Controls have poor tracking especially
when it comes to maintaining channel balance and after a
period of time they tend to introduce noise into the audio
signal, as they are rotated. The one desirable thing they
have is the rate of change in volume for degrees of rotation,
known as the audio taper. Using Electronic Circuitry for
controlling the volume can be designed to be free from noise
and maintain channel balance, however the audio taper pro­duced by the typical Electronical Volume Control Circuit is
unacceptable for use in the C500, as it does not match the
classic McIntosh Volume Control Audio Taper. The C500
incorporates electronic circuitry together with sophisticated
firmware to produce electronically the classic McIntosh Vol­ume Control Audio Taper, while maintaining the channel

33

balance and freedom from control noise.

The Volume Control

on the Front Panel of

Infrared LED

Optical Disc

the C500 is actually a
special digital optical
encoder. As the Volume
Control is rotated, a
beam of Infra Red Light
is picked up by two in­ternal sensors as a series
of digital pulses. Refer

Figure 97

to figure 97. The number of and time between
pulses are counted by a Microprocessor which
in turn controls the McIntosh designed Preci­sion Electronic Attenuator that provides 213
steps in 0.5dB increments and maintains the
channel balance to within + 0.1dB.

With most Preamplifiers the Volume Con­trol is placed ahead of the Amplifying Cir­cuitry, refer to figure 98 on the next page, ex­ample No.1. This design provides a great dy­namic range and freedom from input overload,
but the background noise level is higher espe­cially at lower settings of the volume control.
In example No. 2, by placing the Volume Con­trol after the Amplifying Circuitry there is a
reduction in dynamic range and input overload
of the Preamplifier, but has the benefit of
lower background noise levels. The only cor­rect way to design a high performance Pream­plifier is with two volume controls, refer to
example No.3. This provides the benefits of
wide dynamic range, freedom from Input over­load and a background noise level that actu­ally goes down as the volume control setting is
reduced. The actual improvements in
this McIntosh design achieve a noise
floor of 118 dB, refer to figure 99.
The special controlling circuitry for

-95

this dual volume control design is
known as the McIntosh “Dynamic
Control Multiplexer”.

Fully Balanced Circuitry

To compliment the level of perfor-

-100

-105

-110

- 115

Signal to Noise (dB)

mance achieved in one of McIntosh’s
famous Power Amplifiers with Quad

-120

Balanced Circuitry, the C500 Pream­plifier also utilizes fully balanced cir-

cuitry. This design topology allows for the virtual cancela­tion of all forms of distortion, both audible and measurable,
along with extremely low background noise levels.

In the typical Preamplifier, one set of circuits have to
amplify the positive and negative going parts of the audio
sound wave form. In the C500, the implementation of fully
balanced circuitry has the positive going audio sound waves
amplified by one set of circuits. In a similar manner the

Sensors

negative going audio sound waves are amplified by another
set of circuits. Refer to figure 100. Audio signals connected

Figure 98

Signal to Noise vs. Volume Level of the

C500 Preamplifier versus High Performance

Mechanical and Electronic Volume Controls

-95 -85 -75 -65 -55 -45 -35 -25 -15 -5 5 15

Volume Level (dB)

Figure 99

Mechanical

Electronic

C500

34

Technical Description, con’t

Logic Controlled Circuitry

All Inputs, Outputs, Data Ports, Power Control Outputs
and Trigger Outputs are controlled by Logic Circuits in the
C500C. The microprocessor is the heart of the Logic Cir­cuits and is controlled by McIntosh developed software. It
implements all commands received from the Front Panel
Controls or the supplied Remote Controls and indicates
them on the Alphanumeric Display. Refer to figure 102.

Figure 102

Figure 100

to the unbalanced Inputs of the C500 are first converted to a
balanced signal before they are amplified. In a similar man­ner the balanced audio signals are converted to unbalanced
signals before they are available to the unbalanced outputs
jacks.

Moving Coil Preamplifier

One of the popular types of Phono Cartridges for Turn­tables used today are “Moving Coil”. Due to their design,
the Moving Coil Cartridge’s output voltage is typically in
the range of 300 to 500 microvolts (millionth of a volt) and
thus requires additional amplification in order to match the
output voltage of a “Moving Magnet/Induced Moving Mag­net” cartridge type with 2.5 to 10 millivolts (thousandths of
a volt). The lower the output voltage of the cartridge, the
greater the level of amplification required and thus the
greater potential for higher noise levels being generated by
the circuitry.

McIntosh has designed a
new Totally Shielded Moving
Coil Preamplifier Module us­ing special ultra low noise
circuitry with out the need for
a step-up transformer. Refer
to figure 101. The C500
utilizies a double filtered
power supply design, just for
the Moving Coil Preamplifier
Module. It offers the ability to
change the input impedance

Figure 101

from 25 ohms to 1000 ohms in six steps to match a wide
variety of Moving Coil Cartridges.

When McIntosh Source Components are connected to

C500C Data Ports, basic command functions from the
C500 Remote Control are passed on to those components,
thus allowing one Remote Control to operate an entire
McIntosh Audio System. The Logic Circuits also sense
whether the C500 Preamplifier or C500 Tube Preamplifier
is connected to the C500 Controller and adjusts the opera­tional functions automatically.

Meter and Circuitry

The lack of accurate performance in ordinary meters has
presented difficult and complex problems. Ordinary meters
are incapable of indicating the short interval information in
a sound wave. Refer to figure 103. The mass of the meter
movement is
too great to
respond to the
nearly instan­taneous
changes in
music program
material. That
short interval
information
can have a du­ration less
than as one­half of one
thousandth of
a second. Even
if the meter

Figure 103

were capable
of such high velocity movement, the human eye could not
perceive the displayed information. McIntosh solved both

35

problems electrically. By developing electronic circuits the
meters are made to respond to short intervals with an accu­racy of 95%! To permit the eye to see such high speed mo­tion, the electronic circuits that drive the meter pointer are
time stretched. Special logarithmic circuitry allows the
meter to indicate a 60dB plus range, without resorting to a
Meter Range Switch.

Power Supply Circuits

To compliment the design of the C500, there are two
indentical fully regulated power supplies, one for each chan­nel. The C500 Contoller contains both low and high voltage
regulated power supplies for each channel. It also supplies
the appropriate voltages to meet the different requirements
of the C500 Preamplifier and C500 Tube Preamplifier. The
special “R” core transformers, one for each channel, supply
the necessary voltage/current for the low and high voltage
regulated circuitry and are housed in shielded enclosures.
Refer to figure 104.

Technical Description, con’t

Figure 104

Most owners desire one power switch for the whole au­dio system. The C500 Controller is equipped with circuits
providing remote Power Control On/Off signals to McIn­tosh Source Components and Power Amplifiers. When the
C500C is switched On, a digital “1” (+5V) signal changes
the operational state of digital control circuitry and a DC
voltage is sent to the Power Control Main Jacks. There are
also special Power Control Jacks (Triggers and Passthru)
and together with options in SETUP allow for the customiz­ing of the Power Control Control Signals In for specific
functions.

Block Diagrams

Refer to folded sheet “Mc2B” for the C500 Controller and
C500 Preamplifier Block Diagrams.

36

Specifications C500 Preamplifier and C500 Tube Preamplifier

Specifications C500 Preamplifier Specifications C500 Tube Preamplifier

Frequency Response

+0, -0.5dB from 10Hz to 40,000Hz

Total Harmonic Distortion

0.002% maximum from 20Hz to 20,000Hz

Signal To Noise Ratio

High Level, 100dB
Phono, 88dB

Maximum Voltage Output

12V RMS Unbalanced (Spkr1 and Spkr2 Outputs)
25V RMS Balanced (Main, Spkr1 and Spkr2 Outputs)

Output Impedance

220 ohms (Unbalanced and Balanced Outputs)

Sensitivity

High Level, 450mV for 2.5V rated output
Phono MM, 4.5mV for 2.5V rated output
Phono MC, 0.45mV for 2.5V rated output

Frequency Response

+0, -0.5dB from 10Hz to 20,000Hz

Total Harmonic Distortion

0.05% maximum from 20Hz to 20,000Hz

Signal To Noise Ratio

High Level, 93dB
Phono, 80dB

Maximum Voltage Output

10V RMS Unbalanced (Spkr1 and Spkr2 Outputs)
20V RMS Balanced (Main, Spkr1 and Spkr2 Outputs)

Output Impedance

220 ohms (Unbalanced and Balanced Outputs)

Sensitivity

High Level, 450mV for 2.5V rated output
Phono MM, 4.5mV for 2.5V rated output
Phono MC, 0.45mV for 2.5V rated output

Input Impedance

High Level: 22K ohms
Phono:
MM, 47K ohms; 50 to 750pF, in 50pF steps
MC: 25, 50, 100, 200, 500 or 1,000 ohms; 100pF

Maximum Input Signal

High Level:
5V Unbalanced
10V Balanced
Phono:
MM, 50mV
MC, 5mV

Voltage Gain

High Level Input to Record Output: 0dB
High Level Input to Main Output: 15dB
Phono (Moving Magnet) to Record Output: 40dB
Phono (Moving Coil) to Record Output: 60dB

Input Impedance

High Level: 22K ohms
Phono:
MM, 47K ohms; 50 to 750pF, in 50pF steps
MC: 25, 50, 100, 200, 500 or 1,000 ohms; 100pF

Maximum Input Signal

High Level:
5V Unbalanced
10V Balanced
Phono:
MM, 50mV
MC, 5mV

Voltage Gain

High Level Input to Record Output: 0dB
High Level Input to Main Output: 15dB
Phono (Moving Magnet) to Record Output: 40dB
Phono (Moving Coil) to Record Output: 60dB

Tube Compliment

Phono Circuitry:
4 - 12AX7A

High Level Circuitry:
4 - 12AX7A

37

Specifications C500 Controller and General

Specifications C500 Controller General Specifications

Power Requirements

100 Volts, 50/60Hz at 75 watts
110 Volts, 50/60Hz at 75 watts
120 Volts, 50/60Hz at 75 watts
220 Volts, 50/60Hz at 75 watts
230 Volts, 50/60Hz at 75 watts
240 Volts, 50/60Hz at 75 watts

Note: Refer to the rear panel of the C500 Controller for the

correct voltage.

Overall Dimensions

C500C:
Width is 17-1/2 inches (44.45cm)
Height is 6 inches (15.24cm) including feet
Depth is 24 inches (61.00cm) including the Front Panel,
Knobs and Interconnect Cables

1

C500P:
Width is 17-1/2 inches (44.45cm)
Height is 6 inches (15.24cm) including feet
Depth is 23 inches (58.42cm) including the Front Panel and
Interconnect Cables

1

C500T:
Width is 17-1/2 inches (44.45cm)
Height is 6 inches (15.24cm) including feet
Depth is 23 inches (58.42cm) including the Front Panel and
Interconnect Cables

1

Weight

C500C - 30.1 pounds (17.7 kg) net

46.5 pounds (27.9 kg) in shipping carton

C500P - 25.1 pounds (15.0 kg) net

41.5 pounds (24.3 kg) in shipping carton

C500T - 26.4 pounds (15.4 kg) net

42.8 pounds (24.8 kg) in shipping carton

1

The Custom Interconnect Cables are supplied with the

C500 Preamplifier and C500 Tube Preamplifier. They
are the ONLY cables to be used for connecting a C500
Controller to the C500 Preamplifier or C500 Tube
Preamplifier.

38

Packing Instructions

Packing Instructions

In the event it is necessary to repack the equipment for ship­ment, the equipment must be packed exactly as shown be-

It is very important that the four feet are attached to the

low.
bottom of the equipment. This will ensure the proper equip­ment location on the bottom pad. Failure to do this will re­sult in shipping damage.

Use the original shipping carton and interior parts only if
they are all in good serviceable condition. If a shipping car­ton or any of the interior part(s) are needed, please call or
write Customer Service Department of McIntosh Labora­tory. Please see the Part List for the correct part numbers.

Note: Unless instructed otherwise, please return the

McIntosh Custom Interconnect Cables along with the
C500 Preamplifier and/or C500 Tube Preamplifier.
Please do not return the Remote Controls or
Accessories, unless instructed otherwise.

Quantity Part Number Description

1 033838 Shipping carton only
4 033837 End cap

1 033836 Inside carton only
1 034414 Top pad (foam)
1 034301 Bottom pad

4 017937 Plastic foot
4 400159 #10-32 x 3/4” screw
4 404080 #10-7/16” Flat washer

39

McIntosh Laboratory, Inc.

2 Chambers Street

Binghamton, NY 13903

The continuous improvement of its products is the
policy of McIntosh Laboratory Incorporated who
reserve the right to improve design without notice.

Printed in the U.S.A.

McIntosh Part No. 04105400