McIntosh C36 Preamplifier w/Phono - Survivor Condition, Narrow Width

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This is my personal C36 that I bought to match my MC7270 & MR500 from the same 1980's era of McIntosh. This was the system I listened to hour after hour, days on end during work in my smaller office from the start of COVID through most of the pandemic.

(Click here to view the MC7270 listing. MR500 listing coming soon).

I loved the front classic yet touch of modern control knob layout from the start. Plus it matched the rest of my system and looked stunning even when powered off.

It's been sitting with little use for over a year now from the amount of short and long term gear we test at the shop.

After a lot of thought I've decided to list this for sale to find a happy new home.

Early model C36 preamps had a 16-3/16" wide faceplate to match related McIntosh gear during that time. This is one of those models with the narrower profile that isn't so common to find anymore.

C36 production spanned the time when McIntosh increased the chassis (and/or faceplate) width of many of their products. Later C36 models featured the newer 17-1/2" width chassis/faceplate.

This preamp is working perfectly with no issues. Physical condition is excellent, really an 8 out of 10, but somehow during a move a small indentation appeared on the top metal cover of the faceplate which is shown in our photos. Not something you notice in everyday use, but it's there, so it's a 7 out of 10.

This C36 originally had lighting that was a slightly dim, but all of the bulbs tested fine. Then one day it turned off and would not come back on. Our in-house technician discovered an issue with the internal power supply and we ordered replacement parts from McIntosh to resolve.

Afterwards the lighting on this C36 is now about the brightest & newest looking that I've ever seen for a preamp from this era. The original faceplate is also in excellent condition.

We have an official replacement C36 box on order from the factory that we should receive soon to ensure safe travels to your home.

Click below to add our recommended matching cables from Kimber Kable, all brand new as SkyFi is an official Kimber dealer.

Kimber Kable - RCA Interconnects - Better

Kimber Kable - Phono Interconnects - Better

Kimber Kable - RCA Interconnects - Best

Kimber Kable - Flagship Tonearm Interconnects - Best

The SkyFi Testing Process for Preamplifiers:

We start with a visual inspection of all internal components to make sure that there are no signs of heat stress or damage. Capacitors are checked for telltale signs of predictive failure including bulging, shrunken wrappers, or physical leakage. We also inspect the PCBs for discoloration from resistors or transistors that may have been running hot. On vintage units we often spot check select capacitors for value and ESR.

When we first power on a preamplifier we connect its RCA output to a Sencore PA81 Power Analyzer which simulates real world loading conditions and gives us an oscilloscope interface. The first order of business is checking that the volume control works smoothly throughout its entire range with acceptable channel balance. This is accomplished by feeding a 1KHz sine wave into one of the preamp’s line level inputs while monitoring the preamp’s output on an oscilloscope. We then switch to a 1KHz square wave to test the tone controls, loudness function, and filters where applicable. During this step we are watching for equal alteration of the test signal by both channels. This also helps us identify dirty controls that will need treatment. Once the basic line stage functions are verified, we test each input individually. This is especially important for devices that use relays to select their sources. If the preamp is equipped with a phono stage we test that as well. We use an inverse RIAA filter which allows us to feed a reference test signal into the phono input with the proper RIAA equalization and level. A square wave or sine sweep is used to verify that the device’s phono stage is faithfully reproducing the RIAA curve. If the preamp under test has balanced inputs and/or outputs these are tested as well.

We finish up our bench testing with a listening test with our bench amplifier and reference speakers. During this test we check for hum or hiss that may not have shown up in earlier testing. We also check that all of the tone controls and filters perform as expected. If the preamplifier has remote control functions these are also tested. Preamps with tube circuits or complicated power supply topologies are connected at our long term test rig for extended stress testing under real world conditions.