McIntosh C33 User manual

Why,sinceitsbeginningin1949,hasMc-
Intoshbeenacknowledgedastheworldwide
leaderforgoodsound,realisticmusicre-
production,thechiefsourcefortechnologi-
caladvancement,outstandingappearance,
quality,andvalue?Whyhastheindustryused"asgoodasa
McIntosh"asitsyardstickbywhichtocompare.McIntoshhascare-
fullyandexpertlymergedthemanycontributingelementsintoa
resultthatisuniversallyenviedandcopiedbutneverequaled!The
C33ControlCenteristhelatestillustrationofsomeofthefactors
contributingtotheMcIntoshreputation.
McIntoshunites:
•continuedresearchintouserdesiresconsistentwithhigh
qualitymusicreproduction,
•engineeringthatisaggressivelyinquisitiveinthe
searchforbetterwaystobringtheseuserdictated
requirementstoa technologicallysuperior,
innovativeandclearlyusefulresult,
•appearancedesignthathaslonglife,
complementsthelivingstyle,
iscomplimentarytotheowner,
andismadeofmaterials,
whosecharacteristics
permit'alikenew
always'appearance,
•easyto
operate;
Theunique
McIntosh
designed
panelsare
alwayseasily
readable
inyour
choiceof
homelighting
Theyare
obviously
designed
byhumanbeings
forhumanbeings.
•manufacturedofcarefully
specifiedandselectedcompo-
nentpartsthathavehighquality
andlongpredictedlife,
•assembledbyhighlytrainedcraftspeople
whoarededicatedtoquality,accuracyand
perfection,
•thoroughverificationofthedesiredcapabilities
andqualityofperformancebyconstantandcomplete
testingthroughouttheentiremanufacturingprocess.
Thesearesomeoftheelements
thatarepositiveandreadily
verifiable.Thereareother
elementsintheMcIntosh
reputationthatareless
tangible,butnoless
important.McIntoshhasnever
dissipatedresourceson
opportunisticadventuresinto
purecommercialismlike
quadraphonicsound.Today
manypeoplearemountain
climbingonmolehillsintheir
efforttofindsomepointto
extoltheirproducts.They
wouldhaveyouworryabout:
•distortioninsoldered
joints,
distortionincapacitors,
speakerconesnotmade
withMt.Fujiwater,
conductingelectrical
soundfrequenciesin
anythingbutlitzwire,
transient inteimodulation
distortionand
manyotherscientifically
indefensibleallegations.
Thereproductionofsoundisa
verycomplexundertaking
whenyoulivemerelywith
reality.Thereisnoneedto
complicaterealityand
wastetimeand
energywith
incantations
overawitch's
brewofspeaker
wires,toroids,
classesA thruZ,
directcoupling,DAD,
no IC'setc.etc.

TheC 33ControlCenteristhe
distillationofmorethan30years
oftechnologicalprogress.High
Fidelity*describeditasmind
bogglinginitsusefulnessand
flexibility.
Afterall,itsreallytwo
preamplifiers;itincludes:
—Themost flexible, complete,
stereopreamplifier
—Themostflexible,complete,
separatestereorecording
preamplifier
—The most flexible, complete,
programcompressorand
expanderthatcanoperatein
eitherthelistenorrecord
preamplifier
—Highquality,high
performancedistortion-free
fivebandtoneshaping
controlsthatcanbeusedin
eitherthelistenorrecord
preamplifier
—Highquality,high
performancemonitorpower
amplifierthatprotectsyour
speakersandyourmusicwith
theexclusiveMcIntoshPower
GuardandSentryMonitor
Circuits.
Uniqueseparatelisten
andrecordfacilities,
introducedandperfected
byMcIntosh,permit
completeandindependent
operation.Separateinput
selectors,electricallyisolated
fromeachother,providenon-
interferenceoperationinboth
thelistenandrecord
preamplifier.Bothlistenand
recordinputselectorscontrol
lowDCvoltageswhichinturn
control,electronically,
FieldEffectTransistorAnalog
switches.BecausetheFET
analogswitchesarelocatedat
theinput,noise,switchclicks
andpopsareeliminatedandthe
potentialforinducedhum
pickupisclosetozero.
Youcanrecordon3 taperecorders
fromanysourceandyoucancopy
fromonetaperecordertoanother
whilelisteningtoa completely
differentprogram.Theprogram
beingrecordedcanbemonitored
easilywiththemonitor
pushbutton.A fourthtapedeck
maybepluggedintothefront
panelwithoutdisturbingyour
permanentlywiredsystem.
SuggestedRetailPrice$2299
CabinetExtra
Fiveseparatetone
shapingcontrolsprovide
musicalspectratone
shaping.Eachcontrol
adjuststwooctaveband
segmentstosatisfyyourpersonal
preferenceorthedemandsofthe
programmaterial.Atthedetentin
thecenteroftherotationofeach
controltheequalizercircuitsare
disconnected,completelyremoved
fromtheoperatingcircuits.
McIntosh has pushed the barriers of
low noise performance with this
new totally shielded, direct input
connected phono preamplifier
section. Superior performance, even
in the presence of strong
interference fields, is assured by the
use of the steel exterior chassis plus
an inner shield enclosure of plated
steel, (shield removed here to show
circuits)
TheMcIntoshcompandor
permitsexpansionor
compressionofthe
dynamicrangeof
programmaterial.
Compressedrecordingsand
broadcastscanbeexpandedon
playbacktorestoredynamic
range.Tapescanberecorded
usingcompressionandreplayed
usingexpansiontoincreasesignal-
to-noiseratio.Theoperating
rangesofthecompandorareso
versatilethatcommercially
encodedprogrammaterialcanbe
reproducedwithouttheadded
investmentinotheroutboard
equipment.
Loudnesscontrolsin
ordinaryequipmentare
usuallysimple,passive
circuitsconnectedtoa
portionoftherotation
rangeofthevolumecontrol.Asa
consequence,loudness
compensationaccuracyis
dependentonmanyvariablessuch
asspeakerefficiency,amplifier
gainanddifferencesininputlevel.
TheC 33loudnesscontrolis
continuouslyvariable,operates
independentlyofthevolume
control,anditscontouris
accuratelymodeledafterthe
familyof"EqualLoudness"curves
developedbyDrs.Fletcherand
Munson.
Theprecisiontracking
volumecontrol,a step
attenuator,haschannel
tochannelaccuracy
within1 dBthroughout
itsentirerotation.Suchextremely
accuratematchingisachieved
throughelectronicallycontrolled
trimmingoftheresistance
materialdepositedonpairsof
printedcircuits.Theaccuracyof
thechanneltochannelbalance
andthecompletelynoisefree
performancearepermanently
maintained.Usedoesnotaffect
performanceasinordinaryvolume
controls.
The main circuit board inthe C 33,
aswith the other boards, is
constructed of military grade epoxy
fibreglasresin. The photo processed
circuit foils are protected from
excessive solder, potential short
circuits, and destructive circuit
bridging by an extra process,
screened solder resist. This is
another McIntosh practice to protect
your musical pleasure and the
unit's performance.

Theappearanceofa
McIntoshspeaks
eloquentlyofprecision,
quality,premier
performanceandlong,
trouble-freelife.Considerthe
constructionandmaterialsusedin
thefrontpanelandknobs.Each
constituentpartisselectedfor
long,wear-resistantlifeandstable
attractivestyling.Thepanelitself
isselectwhiteflintglass,freefrom
bubbles,flowmarksandother
faults.Itissilkscreenedonthe
reversesidewiththermalsetting
epoxyscreeninkswhich
practicallybecomea partofthe
glass.Thenitisbuiltintoa
brightlypolishedandanodized
frame.Theknobsusedare
meticuouslymachinedofsolid
aluminumthenanodizedand
thermallyisolated.
Convenienceandeaseof
operationsupportthe
conceptofhuman
engineeringwhentheAC
powerswitching
versatilityisconsidered.TheAC
powertotheentirestereosystem
maybecontrolledfromeitherthe
turntable'spowerswitchorthe
powerswitchonthisexceptional
preamplifier.Connectedtoa
specialpoweroutletisa current
sensingrelay that will be energized
whentheturntableisturnedonor
whentheredpowerswitchis
pushedontheC 33.Therelay,in
turn,controlstheACpowertothe
restofthestereosystem.
Sensitivityofthecircuitis
adjustabletomatchthecurrent
consumptionofyourturntable.
YoucaninstallyourC 33
anywhere.A solidcopper
band,a siliconsteelband
anda mildsteelouter
casingconfinesthe
magneticfieldofthepower
transformertoreducethe
potentialforhumpickupineither
theC 33orassociatedequipment.
Thistimeprovenyetexpensive
constructionbypassesthe
destructiveheatandother
associatedproblemsfoundin
alternate,lesssatisfactory
methodsoftransformer
construction.TheMcIntosh
transformerdesignand
constructiongivesyoua very
worthwhilebenefitbyremoving
anylimitationsonhoworwhere
youmayinstallyourequipment.
Awideband,verylow
distortion20wattsper
channelpoweramplifier
feedspowerto
headphones.Thepower
amplifierisa complete,fully
designedamplifier.Musiclistening
isprotectedbythepatented**
POWERGUARDcircuitandcircuit
componentsareprotectedbythe
patented** SentryMonitorcircuit.
The listen and record selector
switches are mounted on the front
panel sub chassis. Input selection
for each preamplifier originates here
by switching dc on these contacts.
ThePowerGuardwaveform
comparisoncircuitdetects
waveformdifferencesbetweenthe
inputandtheoutputsignal.A
samplingoftheprogrammaterial
attheoutputoftheamplifieris
constantlycomparedwiththe
programmaterialattheamplifier
input.Shouldthedifferencesreach
1%,PowerGuardgoestowork.In
onlya fractionofa millisecond
PowerGuarddynamicallyreduces
inputleveltopreventamplifier
overloadyetpermitstheamplifier
todeliveritsabsolutemaximum
poweroutputwithoutextra
distortion.Theoperationofthe
PowerGuardcircuitisabsolutely
silent.Thereisnoteven "soft"
clipping.Thereissimplyno
clipping!
TheSentryMonitoringcircuit
constantlymonitorstheoutput
signal.Atsignallevelsuptorated
outputthiscircuithasnoeffect.If
thepoweroutputexceedsdesign
maximum,orintheeventofa
shortcircuitorseveremismatch,
theSentryMonitoringcircuitwill
protecttheoutputtransistorsfrom
failure.
*HighFidelity July 1982
**McIntoshresearch,engineering
and design for the McIntosh C 33
Control Center has developed circuits
covered by these U.S. Patents:
4,065,682;4,048,573;3,526,847;
and3,526,846.

MCINTOSHPEOPLEMAKETHE
DIFFERENCE
Ina worldofmassproducedAtMcIntosh,eachofus
merchandiseMcIntoshisa knowsthatMcIntoshisthe
welcomerelief.Since1949,allworldleaderintechnology
McIntoshinstrumentshaveperformance,reliability,long
beenandstillarehandmade,lifeandconsumerprotection.
onebyone,withasmuchcareEachofusisresponsiblefor
anddedicationasifeachwereproductquality.Eachofus
theonlyone.Thereisnoknowsthata priceofleadership
productionrushatMcIntoshforistheconstant struggle for
handcraftingtakestime.Theexcellence. Eachofusis
personalprideofthecrafts-dedicatedtogivingyouthe
personisbuiltintoeachexcellence inperformanceyou
McIntosh.Handcraftinggives expectandtheexcellence in
youlongerlife,morevalueyoudeserve.
performanceandmorevalue.
The compandor circuit and control. The power amplifier along with the
the loudness circuit and control, speaker and musicprotecting
and the balance control are POWER GUARD and SENTRY
incorporated on this one compact MONITOR circuits are mounted on
epoxy fibreglas board. Aswith all this circuit board.Noticethe heat
circuit boards. It is interconnected sink which is intimately engaged
with plug-together cables to prevent with the entire chassis to rapidly
soldering malfunction. dissipate any heat generated.

PERFORMANCELIMITS
Performancelimitsarethemaximumdeviation
fromperfectionpermittedfora McIntoshinstrument.
Wepromiseyouthatwhenyoupurchasea newC 33
from a McIntoshfranchiseddealer, it will be capable of
orcanbemadecapableofperformanceatorexceed-
ingtheselimitsoryoucanreturntheunitandgetyour
moneyback.McIntoshistheonlymanufacturerthat
makesthisstatement.
FREQUENCYRESPONSE
+0,- 0.5dB from 20Hz to 20,000 Hz
MAXIMUMVOLTAGEOUTPUT
10voltsfrom20Hzto20,000Hz
TOTALHARMONICDISTORTION
0.01%maximumfrom20Hzto20,000Hzatrated
output
SENSITIVITY
Phono-2mVfor2.5Vratedoutput
(0.4mVIMF)
HighLevel-250mVfor2.5Vratedoutput
(50mV IMF)
SIGNALTONOISERATIO,A-WEIGHTED
Phono-90dBbelowl0mVinput
(84dB IMF)
HighLevel-l00dBbelowratedoutput
(86dB IHF)
MAXIMUMINPUTSIGNAL
Phono-l00mV
HighLevel-10volts
INPUTIMPEDANCE
Phono-47kohmsand65pFcapacitance
HighLevel-50kohms
EQUALIZATIONCONTROLS
Variable12dBboostto12dBcutatcenter
frequenciesof30,15O,500,1500,10kHz
COMPANDORRATIOS
From1:2compressionto2:1expansion
LFFILTER
Flat or roll-off at 12dB per octave below 50Hz.
HFFILTER
Flat or roll-off at 12dB per octave above 7,000 Hz.
CONTINUOUSAVERAGEPOWEROUTPUT
20wattsperchannelinto8 ohms,from20Hzto
20kHz,at0.01%maximumharmonicdistortion
FREQUENCYRESPONSE
+0 -O.2dBfrom20Hzto20,000Hz
SENSITIVITY
750mVforratedoutput(170mVIHF),
inputimpedanceis27kohms
SIGNALTONOISERATIO,A-WEIGHTED
l00dBbelowratedoutput(87dBIHF}
SEMICONDUCTORCOMPLEMENT
31BipolarTransistors
76FieldEffectTransistors
35IntegratedCircuits
107Diodes
1SiliconControlledRectifier(SCR)
ACPOWEROUTLETS
2current-sensing,100watts,green
4switched,1200wattstotal,black
POWERREQUIREMENTS
120volts,50/60Hz,25to85watts
MECHANICALINFORMATION
SIZE:
16incheswide(40.6cm)by5-7/16incheshigh
(13.8cm)by13inchesdeep(33.0cm),including
PANLOCshelfandbackpanelconnectors.Knob
clearancerequiredis1-1/2inches(3.81cm)infront
ofthemountingpanel.
FINISH:
Frontpanelisanodizedgoldandblackonwhite
flint glass with special gold/teal nomenclature
illumination.Chassisisblack.
MOUNTING:
ExclusiveMcIntoshdevelopedprofessionalPANLOC
WEIGHT:
26pounds(11.8kg)net,38pounds(17.2kg)in
shippingcarton.
FranchisedDealer:
O3945O Printed in U.S.A.
MCINTOSHLABORATORYINC.
2 CHAMBERS ST., BINGHAMTON,N.Y. 13903-2699
607-723-3512
MONITORAMPLIFIERSECTION
PREAMPLIFIERSECTION