McIntosh C504 Solid State Vintage Preamplifier With Wood Cabinet

Free Shipping on *ALL* Electronics (Excluding Speakers, Contiguous 48 US States Only)

Super compact yet capable vintage preamp from McIntosh. Full of features including dual phono inputs and a three-band EQ.

Perfect match to our just arrived MC502 vintage amplifier.

Includes a very nice looking wood case with the original intact McIntosh "Walnut" sticker, plus a complete set of paperwork.

The SkyFi Testing Process for Preamplifiers:
We start with a visual inspection of all internal components to make sure there are no signs of stress or aging. Capacitors are checked for telltale sings of bulging or leaking, resistors are checked for signs of overheating or cracking, and transistors are checked for signs of stress or damage. Special attention is paid to the power supply which is the most common source of failure for preamps. We then power up the unit and run a simple 1k sine wave while monitoring the low voltage output on an oscilloscope for signs of distortion or noise to get a baseline.

At this point we will lubricate and clean all switches and potentiometers (that are not sealed) with a high quality contact cleaner, and then re-test all functions for any signs of noise or scratching.

Final testing involves putting actual music through the preamplifier. We have learned over time that some issues are only noticeable to a trained ear while listening to a familiar source material. Our test bench has reference vintage KEF speakers that we are super familiar with which will quickly reveal any discrepancies. Some preamps will then move into the listening room where they will be tested with our in-house reference system.