McIntosh Laboratory · Tube preamplifiers

C-22

The most collectable McIntosh tube preamplifier; original units and the 1990s/2010s remakes share the name but not the market.

Catalogue code: C22
Years: 1963–1968
Type: tube preamplifier
Valves & speakers: Stereo tube preamplifier, the "audiophile classic" of the McIntosh tube line
Lifecycle: retired
Confidence: High

Specifications

Technology: tube
Channels: 2
Inputs_outputs: phono + line, dual mono layout

Safety

Tube chassis: lethal B+ voltages remain after switch-off — discharge before service. Never power up an unrestored unit on original electrolytics. Serial tag is an ink stamp on a plastic label (often missing/faded); the value depends on original transformers (replaced/rewound iron cuts price sharply).

01 / Witnesses

What applies here

Marks that can be entered for this maker: Serial number, Model / catalogue number, British capacitor code (Hunts, Mullard), Japanese capacitor code (Nichicon, Chemi-Con, ELNA), EIA component code, Version & era marker.

02 / Bounds

The model year is a floor

Nothing predates 1963; components only push the date later.

03 / Value

What moves the price

Sold-price aggregates are not collected yet, so the archive gives no figure — condition, originality of the transformers and a documented recap move this model more than any list price.