McIntosh C36 User manual

C36
AUDIOCONTROL
CENTER

C36
AUDIOCONTROL
CENTER

IMPORTANT
SAFETY
INSTRUCTIONS
THESE
INSTRUCTIONS
ARETOPROTECT
YOUANDTHE
MclNTOSH
INSTRUMENT.
BESURETO
FAMILIARIZE
YOURSELF
WITHTHEM
Copyright1992© by
MclntoshLaboratoryInc.
1.Readallinstructions- Readthesafetyandoperatinginstructionsbeforeoperatingtheinstrument.
2.RetainInstructions- Retainthesafetyandoperatinginstructionsforfuturereference.
3.Heedwarnings- Adheretowarningsandoperatinginstructions.
4.FollowInstructions- Followalloperatinganduseinstructions.
WARNING:TOREDUCE RISK OFFIREORELECTRICALSHOCK,DONOTEXPOSE THIS IN-
STRUMENT TORAINORMOISTURE.
5.PowerSources- Connectthepowersupplyonlytothetypedescribedintheoperatinginstructions
orasmarkedontheunit.
6.Power-CordProtection- Routepower-supplycordssothattheyarenotlikelytobewalkedonor
pinchedbyitemsplaceduponoragainstthem,payingparticularattentiontocordsatplugs,
conveniencereceptacles,andthepointwheretheyexitfromtheinstrument.
7.Ventilation- Locatetheinstrumentforproperventilation.Forexample,theinstrumentshouldnot
beplacedona bed,sofa,rug,orsimilarsurfacethatmayblockventilationopenings;or,placed
ina built-ininstallation,suchasa bookcaseorcabinet,thatmayimpedetheflowofairthrough
theventilationopenings.
8.Heat- Locatetheinstrumentawayfromheatsourcessuchasradiators,heatregisters,stoves,or
otherappliance(includingamplifiers)thatproduceheat.
9.WallorCabinetMounting- Mounttheinstrumentina wallorcabinetonlyasdescribedintheowner's
manual.
10.WaterandMoisture- Donotusetheinstrumentnearwater- forexample,neara bathtub,washbowl,
kitchensink,laundrytub,ina wetbasement,orneara swimmingpool,etc.
11.Cleaning- Cleantheinstrumentbydustingwitha drycloth.Cleanthepanelwitha clothmoistened
witha windowcleaner.
12.ObjectandLiquidEntry- Donotpermitobjectstofallandliquidstospillintotheinstrumentthrough
enclosureopenings.
13.NonusePeriods- UnplugthepowercordfromtheACpoweroutletwhenleftunusedfora longperiod
oftime.
14.DamageRequiringService- Servicemustbeperformedbyqualifiedservicepersonnelwhen:
A.Thepowersupplycordortheplughasbeendamaged;or
B.Objectshavefallen,orliquidhasbeenspilledintotheinstrument;or
C.Theinstrumenthasbeenexposedtorain;or
D.Theinstrumentdoesnotappeartooperatenormallyorexhibitsa markedchangeinperformance;
or
E.Theinstrumenthasbeendropped,ortheenclosuredamaged.
15.Servicing- Donotattempttoservicebeyondthatdescribedintheoperatinginstructions.Allother
serviceshouldbereferredtoqualifiedservicepersonnel.
16.GroundingorPolarization- Donotdefeattheinherentdesignfeaturesofthepolarizedplug.Non-
polarizedlinecordadaptorswilldefeatthesafetyprovidedbythepolarizedACplug.
17.CAUTION:TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL SHOCK DONOTUSE THIS (POLARIZED) PLUG
WITHANEXTENSIONCORD,RECEPTACLEOROTHEROUTLETUNLESSTHEBLADESCAN
BEFULLYINSERTEDTOPREVENTBLADEEXPOSURE.
ATTENTION: POUR PREVENIRLES CHOCS ELECTRIQUESPASUTILISERCETTE
FICHEPOLARISEEAVECUNPROLONGATEUR,UNEPRISEDECOURANTOUUNEAUTRE
SORTIEDECOURANT,SAUFSILESLAMESPEUVENTETREINSEREESA FONDSANSEN
LAISSERAUCUNEPARTIEA DECOUVERT.
Thelightningflashwitharrowhead,withinanequilateraltriangle,isintendedtoalertthe
usertothepresenceofuninsulated"dangerousvoltage"withintheproduct'senclosure
thatmaybeofsufficientmagnitudetoconstitutea riskofelectricshocktopersons.
CAUTION:TO PREVENT THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK,DONOT
REMOVECOVER(ORBACK).NOUSER-SERVICABLEPARTSINSIDE.
REFERSERVICINGTOQUALIFIEDPERSONNEL.
Theexclamationpointwithinanequilateraltriangleisintendedtoalerttheusertothe
presenceofimportantoperatingandmaintenance(servicing)instructionsintheliterature
accompanyingtheappliance.
WARNING:THISUNITISCAPABLEOFPRODUCINGHIGHSOUND
PRESSURELEVELS.CONTINUEDEXPOSURETOHIGHSOUND
PRESSURELEVELSCANCAUSEPERMANENTHEARINGIMPAIRMENT
ORLOSS.USERCAUTIONISADVISEDANDEARPROTECTIONIS
RECOMMENDEDWHENPLAYINGATHIGHVOLUMES.
2

Theserialnumber,purchasedate,andMclntoshLaboratoryServiceContractnumberare
importanttoyouforpossibleinsuranceclaimorfutureservice.Recordthisinformationhere.
SerialNumberPurchaseDate
ServiceContractNumber
Uponapplication,MclntoshLaboratoryprovidesa ServiceContracttotheoriginalpurchaser.
YourMclntoshAuthorizedServiceAgencycanexpediterepairswhenyouprovidetheSer-
viceContractwiththeinstrumentforrepair.
SERVICECONTRACT4
INTRODUCTION5
INSTALLATION5,6,7
FRONTPANELCONTROLS8,9
HOWTOMAKECONNECTIONSONTHEREARPANEL9,10,11
SPECIFICATIONS12
PERFORMANCECHARTS13
TECHNICALDESCRIPTION14,15
BLOCKDIAGRAMS16,17,18
3
TABLEOF
CONTENTS

TAKEADVANTAGEOF3 YEARSOFCONTRACTSERVICE.. .
FILLINTHEAPPLICATIONNOW.
YourC36AudioControlCenterwillgiveyoumanyyearsofsatisfactoryperformance.Ifyou
haveanyquestions,pleasecontact,
MclntoshLaboratoryInc.
2ChambersStreet
Binghamton,NewYork13903-2699
Phone:[phone]
AnapplicationforA THREEYEARSERVICECONTRACTisincludedwiththismanual.
Thetermsofthecontractare:
1.Iftheinstrumentcoveredbythiscontractbecomesdefective,Mclntoshwillprovideallparts,
materials,andlaborneededtoreturnthemeasuredperformanceoftheinstrumenttothe
originalperformancelimitsfreeofanycharge.Theservicecontractdoesnotcoverany
shippingcoststoandfromtheauthorizedserviceagencyorthefactory.
2.AnyMclntoshauthorizedserviceagencywillrepairallMclntoshinstrumentsatnormal
servicerates.Toreceivethefreeserviceunderthetermsoftheservicecontract,theser-
vicecontractcertificatemustaccompanytheinstrumentwhentakentotheserviceagency.
3.Alwayshaveservicedonebya Mclntoshauthorizedserviceagency.Ifthe Instrument is
modified or damaged as a result of unauthorized repair the service contract will be cancell-
ed. Damagebyimproperuseormishandlingisnotcoveredbytheservicecontract.
4.Theservicecontractisissuedtoyouastheoriginalpurchaser.Toprotectyoufrom
misrepresentationthiscontractcannotbetransferredtoa secondowner.
5.UnitsinoperationoutsidetheUnitedStatesandCanadaarenotcoveredbytheMclntosh
FactoryServiceContract,irrespectiveoftheplaceofpurchase.Norareunitsacquired
outsidetheUSAandCanada,thepurchasersofwhichshouldconsultwiththeirdealer
toascertainwhat,ifany,servicecontractorwarrantymaybeavailablelocally.
MclNTOSH
THREEYEAR
SERVICE
CONTRACT
4

Mclntoshhasearnedworldrenownforitstechnicalcontributionstoimprovedsound
reproduction.WhenyouboughtMclntosh,youboughtnotonlyhightechnology,butalso
technologicalintegrity provenbytime.TheMclntoshC36AudioControlCenteristhenewest
evidenceofMclntoshengineeringexcellence.
Mclntoshaudioproductshavealwaysbeendesignedforthebestsoundandsuperior
reliability.Dedicationtoachievingthesegoalssince1949hasearnedMclntoshthereputa-
tionforcreatingthefinestqualityproductsinthestereoindustry.TheMclntosh"Classic"
designhasalsobeenrecognizedasthemostoutstandingintheindustry.
Mclntoshproductsaredesignedtobemaximumuserfriendlysoanyonecaneasilyenjoy
usingthem.AnotherMclntoshdesignpolicyistoprovideproductsthatareeasytomaintain.
TheC36AudioControlCenterissimple,yetelegant.Therearemanyusefulfeaturesto
enhanceyourlisteningenjoyment.
Thereareninepairsofhighlevelinputstoaccommodatethetraditionalprogramsources
aswellasthemostrecentnewsources.TheseincludeCDplayers,audiosignalsfromlaser
discplayersandaudiofromvideorecorders.A lowlevelinputisalsoprovidedfora record
playerwitha magneticphonocartridge.
DIGITALLOGICintegratedcircuitsdriveELECTROMAGNETICSWITCHESonallinputs
andoperatingfunctionsforthemostreliable,lowestdistortionswitchingavailabletoday.
SeparateRecordandListencircuitsallowforrecordingfromonesourcewhilelistening
toanother.A continuouslyvariableActiveLoudnesscontrolallowsloudnesscompensation
tobeselectedforanysettingofthevolumecontrol.TheLoudnesscontrolcircuitelements
areremovedfromthesignalpathwhenthecontrolisintheflatorfullycounterclockwise
position.
BassandTrebletonecontrolsprovide12dBofboostorcut.Atthecenterordetentposi-
tionofthetonecontrols,alltonecontrolcircuitsareremovedfromthesignalpath.
TwoSignalProcessorloopsareprovided,oneforRECORDsignalsandoneforLISTEN
signals.Powersupplyvoltageregulator circuitsmaintainstableoperationeventhoughthe
ACpowerlinemayvary.A doubleshieldedpowertransformercompletelyisolatesitfrom
theaudiocircuits.
Frontpanelpushbuttonscontroltwoswitchedoutputsaswellastwopairsofspeakers
whentheoptionalSCR3switchingrelayisadded.
LOCATION
TheC36maybeinstalledina matchingMclntoshcabinet,orcustominstalledinfurniture
ofyourchoice.AlwaysprovideadequateventilationforyourAudioControlCenter,eventhough
itgenerateslittleheat.Donotinstalltheunitdirectlyaboveheatgeneratingcomponents
suchashighpoweredamplifiers.Allowatleast1 1/2inches(3.8cm)spaceabovethe
preamplifiersocoolingairflowisnotobstructed.Therecommendedminimumspaceforin-
stallationis181/2inches(47cm)wide.6 inches(15.3cm)highand151/2inches(40cm)
deep,includingclearanceforconnectors.Allow1 1/2inches(3.8cm)infrontofthemoun-
tingpanelforknobclearance.Thetroublefreelifeofanyelectronicinstrumentisgreatly
extendedbyprovidingsufficientventilation.Thispreventsthebuild-upofinternaltemperatures
thatcancausedeteriorationofcircuitcomponents.
INTRODUCTION
INSTALLATION
5

MclNTOSHPANLOCMOUNTINGSYSTEM
ThePANLOCsystemofinstallingequipmentisa productofMclntoshresearch.Twosteel
PANLOCmountingshelvesareattachedtothefrontpanelateachsideofthepanelcutout,
usingthescrewsandbracketsprovided.TheC36hasrunnersonthebottomofitschassis,
allowingittoslideintotheshelves.Whentheunithasbeenpositionedfullyintothecabinet
anditsfrontpanelrestsagainstthecabinetpanel,itcanbelockedintoposition.Turneach
PANLOCbuttonone-quarterturnclockwisetolock.Turncounterclockwisetounlocktheunit
soitcanberemovedfromthecabinet.
UNPACKING
OpenthecartonandremovethePANLOCshelves,thehardwarepackageandthemount-
ingtemplate.LifttheC36upofftheshippingpalletandremovetheplasticbag.TheC36
isnowreadyforshelfortabletopinstallation.
IftheC36istobeinstalledina Mclntoshcabinetorcustominstallation,placeitcarefully
upside-downona flatsurfaceandunscrewthefourplasticfeet.
INSTALLINGINA MclNTOSHCABINET
InstallthePANLOCshelvestothefrontsideofthetwobracketsattachedtotheleftand
rightinsideedgesofthecabinet.Usethefour6/32by1-1/4inch(32.8mm)fillisterheadscrews
includedinthehardwarepackage.
GuidetheC36ACpowercord throughthefrontpanelopening,tothebackoftheback
ofthecabinet.Slidetheunitintotheopening,makingsuretherailsonthebottomofeach
sideoftheamplifierchassisengagethetracksonthePANLOCshelves.Slidetheunitcom-
pletelyintothecabinetuntilthebackedgeofitsfrontpanelispressinggentlyagainstthe
frontofthecabinetpanel.TurnthePANLOCbuttonsapproximatelyonequarterturnclockwise
tolocktheunitinthecabinet.TurnthePANLOCbuttonsonequarterturncounterclockwise
tounlocktheunitsoitcanberemovedfromthecabinet.
CUSTOMINSTALLATION
1.MARKTHECABINETFRONTPANEL
Tapetheplasticmountingtemplatetothecabinetpanelinthepositionwheretheunitis
tobemounted.Thebrokenlinesthatrepresenttheoutlineoftherectangularcutoutalsorepre-
senttheoutsidedimensionsoftheC36chassis.Makesuretheselinesclearanyshelves,
partitionsoranyotherequipmentmountedinthesamecabinet.Withthetemplateinplace,
firstmarkthesixA andB holes,andthefoursmallholesthatlocatethecornersofthecutout.
Thenjointhefourcornermarkingswitha rulerorstraightedge.
6
INSTALLATION

2.DRILLTHEHOLES
Usea drillwitha 3/16inch(5mm)bit.DrillperpendiculartothefrontpanelthesixA and
Bholes.Then,usinga drillbitslightlylargerthanthetipofyoursawblade,drillonehole
ateachoftwodiagonallyoppositecorners.Theholesshouldbarelytouchtheinsideedge
ofthepenciledoutline.Beforetakingthenextstep,besurethesixA andB holeshavebeen
drilled.
3.SAWTHEPANELCUTOUT
Firstmakethetwolonghorizontalcuts.Thenmakethetwoshortverticalcuts.Afterthe
cutoutisfinished,usea tiletosquarethecornersandsmoothanyroughedges.
4.INSTALLTHEPANLOCMOUNTINGSTRIPS
Thehardwarepackageincludestwo
mountingstripsandtwoblackflathead
6/32x 1-1/4inch(31.8mm)screwsand
four6/32x 1-1/4inch(31.8mm)fillister
headscrews.Placea mountingstrip
behindeachedgeofthecutoutand
secureittothebacksideofthepanelin-
sertinga blackflathead6/32screw
throughthecenterholesmarkedB onthe
template.Makesurethescrewsaredrawnflushorslightlyintothewoodbeforeattaching
thePANLOCshelves.
5.ATTACHTHEPANLOCSHELVESPositionthePANLOCshelvesinsidethe
cutoutwiththeshortflangeagainstthe
frontfaceofthecabinetpanel.Fastenthe
shelvesbyinsertingtwofillisterhead6/32
screwsthroughtheholesineachofthe
PANLOCshelfflanges,throughthefront
panelandintothethreadedreceptacleon
themountingstrips.
6.INSTALLTHEC36
GuidetheC36ACpowercordthroughthepanel openingtothebackofthecabinet.Slide
theunitintotheopening,makingsuretherailsonthebottomofeachsideofthechassis
engagethetracksonthePANLOCshelves.Slidetheunitcompletelyintothecabinetuntil
thebacksideofitsfrontpanelispressinggentlyagainstthefrontofthecabinetpanel.Turn
thePANLOCbuttonsapproximatelyone-quarterturnclockwisetolocktheunitinthecabinet.
TurnthePANLOCbuttonsone-quarterturncounterclockwisetounlocktheunitsoitcanbe
removedfromthecabinet.
7
INSTALLATION

The back cover of this manual folds out to show photographs of the front and rear
panels of the C36. Fold it out to assist you in identifying and locating the controls
and switches on the C36 front panel, and the connectors on the rear panel. The let-
ters and numbers on the photographs refer to the paragraphs that follow.
A.BASSANDTREBLE
Provide12dBboostandcut.withneutralcenterdetentposition.
B.RECORD
SelectstheprogramsignalthatwillfeedtotheTAPE1 and2 OUTPUTS.
C.LISTEN
SelectstheprogramsignalthatfeedstheMAINandSWITCHED1 and2 OUTPUTS.
D.VOLUME
AdjuststhevolumelevelattheMAINandSWITCHED1 and2 OUTPUTS.TheTAPEOUT-
PUTSarenotaffectedbytheVOLUMEcontrolsettings.
EandF.LOUD(Loudness)andBALANCE(concentriccontrols)
TheBALANCEcontrol,(largeouterknob),adjuststhevolumeofthechannelsrelativeto
eachother.
L,(left):Turnthecontroltothelefttoaccenttheleftchannelbyreducingthevolumeof
therightchannel.
R,(right):Turntherighttoaccenttherightchannelbyreducingthevolumeintheleftchannel.
TheLOUDnesscontrol,(smallinnerknob),providesfrequencyresponsecontouredtocom-
pensateforthebehaviorofthehumanearatsofterlisteninglevels.Atthefully
counterclockwisedetentposition,thefrequencyresponseisperfectlyflatandtheloudness
circuitcomponentsareremovedfromthesignalpath.Turnthecontrolclockwisetoincrease
bothbassandtreblefrequenciesinthecorrectproportionforproperlisteningatsoftervolume
levels.Thecompensatedfrequencyresponseisnotaffectedbychangesinthevolumecon-
trolsettings.Firstadjustthevolumeforthedesiredlisteninglevel,thenadjusttheloudness
controltothesettingyouprefer.
THE FIVE PUSH BUTTONS ARE PRESS AND RELEASE, WITH LED INDICATORS TO
SHOW THE SELECTED OPERATING FUNCTIONS.
G.SPEAKERS1 AND2
PressSPEAKERS1 toturnontheLISTENSWITCHEDOUTPUTS1.Theseoutputsallow
youtoswitchtheC36signalstootherpoweramplifiersoraccessories.
IftheoptionalSCR3Switching Relayisconnected,thepairofspeakersconnectedtothe
speaker1 terminalswillturnON.A greenLEDindicatorwillalsoilluminatenexttotheswitch.
PressSPEAKERS1 againtoturnthespeakersOFF.
PressSPEAKERS2 toturnONandOFFthesecondsetofLISTENSWITCHEDOUTPUTS
orspeakersina similarmanner.
H.POWER
PresstheredPOWERbuttontoturntheC36systemON.PressagaintoturnitOFF.
I.MONO(Monophonic)
PresstheMONObuttontoaddtheleftandrightchannelsignalstogetherforMONOsignals
attheLISTENMAIN,SWITCHED1 andSWITCHED2 OUTPUTS.A greenLEDindicatornext
totheswitchwillilluminatetoindicatetheMONOmodeofoperation.TheMONOswitchdoes
notaffecttheTAPEoutputs.Theyarealwaysstereo.
FRONT
PANEL
CONTROLS
8

J.MUTE
PresstheMUTEbuttontoturnofftheMain,Switched1 and2 outputs.A REDLEDin-
dicatorleftofthepushbuttonwillilluminatetoindicatetheMUTEcondition.PressMUTE
againtorestorenormalsound.TheTAPEoutputsarenotaffectedbytheMUTEbutton.
K.HEADPHONES
Plugina pairoflowimpedancedynamicheadphonestothisjackforheadphonelistening.
L.PANLOC
TurnthePANLOCbuttonsapproximately1/4turnclockwisetolocktheC36inplace.Turn
thebuttonscounterclockwisetounlocktheunitforremoval.
Usegoodqualityshieldedcablestointerconnecttheassociatedequipmentusedwiththe
preamplifier.Theinstallationofproperqualitycableswillinsurethebestpossibleperformance
fromyourstereosystem.Yourdealercanadviseyouonthetypeandlengthofcablesbest
suitedforyourinstallation.
LISTENFUNCTIONS
1.MAINOUTPUTS
Connecta cablefromtheC36LeftchannelLISTENMAINOUTPUTtotheLeftchannel
poweramplifierinput.Connecta cablefromtheC36RightLISTENMAINOUTPUTtothe
Rightchannelpoweramplifierinput.
2.SWITCHED1 AND2 OUTPUTS
Twoadditionalpoweramplifiersoraccessorycomponentscanbeconnectedtothe
SWITCHED1 and2 LISTENOUTPUTS.Connectina mannersimilartotheMAINoutputs.
AudiooutputsignalsarefedtothesejacksonlywhentheappropriatefrontpanelSPEAKER
1or2 switchesarepressed.
Thisswitchingcapabilityisusefulwhenadditionalpoweramplifiersareusedtopower
remotelisteningareas.
3.PROCESSOR-FROMandTO
AnexternalsignalprocessorcanbeaddedtotheC36whichwillaffectonlytheLISTEN
MAINandSWITCHED1 and2 outputs.
ThePROCESSOR-FROMjackshavebuilt-inswitchingcontactstoallownormalsignalsto
passthroughwhennocablesareconnected.Whenanexternalprocessorisproperlycon-
nected,theprogramsignalsfeedtotheprocessorfromthePROCESSOR-TOjacks,andreturn
totheC36atthePROCESSOR-FROMjacks.
Connecta cablefromtheleftchannelprocessoroutputtotheC36leftchannel
PROCESSOR-FROMjack.Connecta cablefromtherightchannelsignaloutputtotheC36
rightchannelPROCESSOR-FROMjack.
Connecta cablefromtheC36leftchannelPROCESSOR-TOjacktothesignalprocessor
leftchannelinput.Connecta cablefromtheC36rightchannelPROCESSOR-TOjacktothe
rightchannelsignalprocessorinput.
WHEN AN EXTERNAL SIGNAL PROCESSOR IS CONNECTED TO THE C36, THE PRO-
CESSOR MUST BE TURNED ON AND OPERATING FOR A PROGRAM TO BE HEARD
THROUGH THE SYSTEM.
FRONT
PANEL
CONTROLS
HOW TO
MAKE
CONNECTIONS
ON THE
REARPANEL
9

RECORDFUNCTIONS
4.TAPEOUTPUTS1,2 and3
Theseoutputsprovidesignalstofeedasmanyasthreeseparatetaperecorders.Theprogram
thatappearsatthetapeoutputsisdeterminedbythesettingofthefrontpanelRECORDswitch.
Connecta cablefromtheC36leftchannelTAPE1 OUTPUTtotheleftchannelhighlevel
inputofa taperecorder.Connecta cablefromtheC36rightchannelTAPE1 OUTPUTto
therightchannelhighlevelinputofa taperecorder.Connecta secondandthird taperecorder
ina similarmanner.
5.PROCESSOR-FROMANDTO
AnexternalsignalprocessorcanbeaddedtotheC36whichwillaffectonlytheTAPE
RECORDOUTPUTjacks.
ThePROCESSOR-FROMjackshavebuilt-inswitchingcontactstoallownormalsignalsto
passthroughwhennocablesareconnected.Whenanexternalprocessorisproperlycon-
nected,theprogramsignalsfeedtotheprocessorfromtheC36PROCESSOR-TOjacks,and
returntotheC36atthePROCESSOR-FROMjacks.
Connecta cablefromtheleftchannelprocessoroutputtotheC36leftchannel
PROCESSOR-FROMjack.Connecta cablefromtherightchannelprocessoroutputtothe
rightchannelPROCESSOR-FROMjack.
Connecta cablefromtheC36leftchannelPROCESSOR-TOjacktotheleftchannelpro-
cessorinput.Connecta cablefromtheC36rightchannelPROCESSOR-TOjacktothepro-
cessorrightchannelinput.
WHEN AN EXTERNAL SIGNAL PROCESSSOR IS CONNECTED TO THE C36, THE PRO-
CESSOR MUST BE TURNED ON AND OPERATING FOR A PROGRAM TO BE FED TO
THE TAPE OUTPUTS.
AUDIOINPUTS
6.VIDEO
Usetheseinputsfortheaudiosignalsfromaccessoriessuchasa LaserDiscPlayer,VCR,
orTVreceiver.
Connecta cablefromtheleftchannelaudiooutputofthevideounittotheC36L (Left)
channelVIDEOINPUT.Connecta cablefromtherightchanneloutputtotheC36R (Right)
VIDEOINPUT.
7.TAPE1,2 and3
Connecta cablefromtheleftchanneloutputofa taperecordertotheC36L (Left)channel
TAPE1,2 or3 INPUT.Connecta cablefromtherightchanneloutputtotheC36R (Right)
TAPE1,2 or3 INPUT
AtotalofthreetaperecorderscanbeconnectedtotheC36.TheTapeinputscanalso
beusedforotheraccessoryequipmentwithsimilaroutputlevels.
IF MORE THAN ONE TAPE RECORDER IS CONNECTED TO BOTH RECORD AND PLAY,
MAKE CERTAIN THAT THE INPUTS AND OUTPUTS ARE CONNECTED TO THE SAME
MATCHING NUMBERED JACKS.
8.TUNER
Connecta cablefromtheleftchanneloutputofa tunertotheC36L (Left)TUNERINPUT.
Connecta cablefromtherightchanneloutputtotheC36R (Right)TUNERINPUT.
9.CD1and2
Connecta cablefromtheleftchanneloutputofa CDplayertotheC36L(Left)CD1INPUT
Connecta cablefromtherightchanneloutputtotheC36R (Right)CD1INPUT.Connecta
secondCDplayertotheC36CD2inputsina similarmanner.
HOWTO
MAKE
CONNECTIONS
ONTHE
REARPANEL
10

Forexample,CD1inputscouldbeusedfora singleplayCDplayer,andtheCD2inputs
fora CDchanger.
10.and11.AUX(Auxiliary)/PH(Phono)
BoththePHonoandAuxiliaryinputjacksareselectedbythesamepositiononthefront
panelLISTENknob-Oneortheotherinputcanbeused,butnotbothsimultaneously.
ConnecttheleftchannelhighleveloutputofanyaudioaccessoryunittotheC36L (Left)
AuxiliaryINPUT.ConnecttherightchannelaccessoryoutputtotheC36R (Right)Auxiliary
INPUT.WhencablesareconnectedtotheAUXinputjacks,thePHonocircuitisautomatical-
lybypassed.
To connect a recordplayer with a magneticphono cartridge, FIRST, remove any con-
necting cables from the Auxiliary input jacks.
Connecta cablefromtheleftchannelturntableoutputtotheC36L (Left)PHonoINPUT.
Connecta cablefromtherightchanneltotheC36R (Right)PHonoINPUTIfthereisa separate
groundwirefromtheturntable,connectittotheGNDterminal.
TheC36phonoinputcircuitisdesignedtoacceptthesignalsfroma standardmoving
magnetphonocartridge.
ACPOWER
12.SCR(OptionalAccessory)
TheSPEAKERCONTROLRELAY,ModelSCR3isdesignedtoprovideswitchingfortwo
pairsofspeakersusingtheC36frontpanelSPEAKERSpushbuttons.
TwohighcurrentACreceptaclesarealsoprovidedwith1800wattscurrentcapacitytosupply
othercomponentssuchaslargepoweramplifiers.TheseoutletsturnonandoffwiththeC36
powerswitch,andaretobeusedwhentheaccessorycomponentsdemandmorecurrent
thanthe1500wattratingoftheC36powerswitch.
PlugthecomputertypeconnectoronthecablecomingfromtheSCR3intotheSCRsocket
ontheC36rearpanel.PlugtheheavyACcablefromtheSCR3intoa walloutlet.
DO NOTPLUG THIS HEAVY CABLEINTO ANY OF THE C36 REAR PANEL AC SOCKETS
13.SWITCHEDACRECEPTACLES
EightACreceptaclesareprovidedforaccessoryequipment.Thesereceptaclesturnon
andoffwiththeC36Powerswitch.
14.UNSWITCHEDACRECEPTACLE
ThisACreceptaclewillstayonatalltimesaslongastheC36powercordisconnected
toa live60Hzpoweroutlet.Forexample,thisoutletcouldbeusedfora VCRthatisprogrammed
forfuturerecordingofa TVshowwhenthemainstereosystemisturnedoff-Youcanalso
usethisoutletfora recordchangerthathasitsownautomaticshutofffeature.
THE TOTAL POWER CONSUMPTION OFALL THEACCESSORIES CONNECTED TO THE
C36 BACK PANEL OUTLETS MUST NOT EXCEED 12.5 AMPERES OR 1500 WATTS.
15.ACPOWER
PlugtheC36ACpowercordintoa 120volt60Hzwalloutlet.Theplugbladesarepolariz-
ed;sobecertaintheplugisfullyinsertedintheoutlettopreventbladeexposure.
CAUTION: TO PREVENT ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT CONNECT THE POLARIZED AC
PLUG ON THIS UNIT TO AN EXTENSION CORD OR OTHER AC OUTLET THAT IS NOT
DESIGNED TO ACCEPT POLARIZED PLUGS. THE PLUG MUST BE FULLY INSERTED
TO PREVENT BLADE EXPOSURE AND MAINTAIN LINE POLARITY.
HOW TO
MAKE
CONNECTIONS
ONTHE
REARPANEL
11

PERFORMANCELIMITS
Performancelimitsarethemaximum
deviationfromperfectionpermittedfora
Mclntoshinstrument.Wepromiseyouthat
whenyoupurchasea newC36froma Mcln-
toshFranchisedDealer,itwillbecapableof
performanceatorbetterthantheselimits.
FREQUENCYRESPONSE
+0,-0.5dBfrom20Hzto20,000Hz
RATEDOUTPUT
2.5VatMAINandSWITCHED1 and2
Outputs
MAXIMUMVOLTAGEOUTPUT
8Vfrom20Hzto20,000HzatMAINand
SWITCHED1 and2 Outputs
TOTALHARMONICDISTORTION
0.002%maximumfrom20Hzto
20,000Hzatratedoutput
SENSITIVITY
Phono:2.5mVfor2.5Vratedoutput,
(0.5mVIHF)
HighLevel:250mVfor2.5Vratedoutput,
(50mVIHF)
SIGNAL-TO-NOISERATIO.A-WEIGHTED
Phono:90dBbelow10mVinput,
(84dBIHF)
HighLevel:105dBbelowratedoutput,
(95dBIHF)
MAXIMUMINPUTSIGNAL
Phono:90mV
HighLevel:10V
INPUTIMPEDANCE
Phono:47Kohmsand65pFCapacitance
HighLevel:22Kohms
VOLTAGEGAIN
PhonoToTape:40dB
PhonoToMain:60dB
HighLevelToTape:0dB
HighLevelToMain:20dB
TONECONTROLS
BassandTreblevariable12dBboostto
12dBcut
ACPOWEROUTLETS
8switchedand1 unswitched
Totalcurrentcapacity12.5amperes,
(1500watts)
POWERREQUIREMENTS
120Volts,50/60Hz,15watts
MECHANICAL
SIZE
FrontPanelmeasures17-1/2inches
(44.5cm)wideby5-3/8inches(13.7cm)high.
Chassisdepthbehindthemountingpanel,
includingclearanceforconnectors,is15-1/2
inches(40cm).Knobclearancerequiredin
frontofmountingpanelis1-1/2inches
(3.8cm).
FINISH
Topsectionoffrontpanelisglasswith
gold/tealnomenclatureillumination.Bottom
sectionisanodizedaluminum.Thechassis
isblack.
MOUNTING
ExclusiveMclntoshdevelopedPANLOC.
WEIGHT
14.5pounds(6.6Kg)net,26.5pounds
(12Kg)inshippingcarton
12
SPECIFICATIONS

13
PERFORMANCE
CHARTS

LOGICDRIVENCONTROL
Allinputs,outputsandmodeswitchingontheC36arecontrolledbylogiccircuitsthatdrive
theelectromagneticswitches.ThefrontpanelRecordandListenswitchesfeeda pulseto
abinaryup-downcounter,thentoa binarydecimaldecoder,andfinallytoa transistorarray
thatcontrolssignalsto theelectromagneticswitches.TheC36pushbuttonswitchesfeeda
momentarypulsetocontroltheelectromagneticswitchesfortheirspecificfunctions.
ELECTRO-MAGNETICSWITCHING
AllsignalswitchingintheC36isdonebyELECTRO-MAGNETICmethods.ELECTRO-
MAGNETICswitchingisanoldandproventechnologythathasbeenblessedwithmodern
materialsandmanufacturingmethods.
Eachswitchconsistsofa sealedglasstubethatisfilledwithaninertoxygenfreeat-
mosphere,andsealedwithtinyleadsprotrudingfromeitherend-Theseleadsextendinto
thetubeandoverlaponeanotherwitha separationofa fewthousandthsofaninch.The
leadsaremadefroma ferrousmaterialthatisinfluencedbya magneticfield.Theyarefirst
platedwithgoldasa basematerial,thenwithrhodiumandruthenium.Rutheniumisthebest
contactmaterialknown.Theglassassemblyisthenplacedinthecenterofa multi-layercoil
ofcopperwire.Theentireassemblyismoldedtogetherina toughshockabsorbingplastic.
Theswitchandcoilconnectionsextendfromthebottomintheformofprintedcircuitboard
terminals.
Whena DCvoltageisappliedtothecoil,currentflowsandcreatesa magneticfield.The
forceofthefieldcausestheleadstobendandcontactoneanotherinsidethesealedglass
tube.Theinertoxygenfreeatmosphereeliminatescorrosionofthecontacts,insuringa low
resistance,distortionfreeswitch.
PHONOPREAMPLIFIER
Thephonopreamplifierusesa hightechnologyintegratedcircuitoperationalamplifierthat
hasanextremelywidefrequencyrangecapability.Itsdifferentialinputstagehasbeenop-
timizedforlownoiseandlowdistortion.Theopenloopgainforthiscircuitis100,000.With
highopenloopgain,a largeamountofnegativefeedbackcanbeusedaroundthispreamplifier
sectiontoreducenoiseanddistortiontoanextremelylowvalue.Thefeedbacknetworkalso
providesprecisionRIAAfrequencyequalizationwhichfollowstherequiredresponsecurve
veryaccuratelythroughouttheentireaudiorange.Thenetworkuses1%tolerancemetalfilm
resistorsand5%tolerancepolypropylenecapacitors.
Toachievelow-noiseperformance,itisessentialthatthefeedbacknetworkhaveverylow
impedance.A circuitdesignofthistypeactsasa smallpoweramplifier.Thispreamplifier
sectionwillactuallyproducemorethan100milliwattsoutputpower.Thisextramarginofper-
formanceresultsina phonopreamplifierwithextremelylowdistortionandnoise.
Thispreamplifiercircuithasa verywidedynamicrange.Itwillacceptupto90millivolts
ofinputsignalwithoutoverload.Thisisfargreaterthanthemaximumoutputvoltagecapability
ofanycurrentmodelmagnaticphonocartridge.
Thesensitivityofthiscircuitis2.5millivoltsfor2.5voltsatthemainoutput.Thegainis
40dBat1000Hz.A signalinputof10millivoltsresultsin1 voltattheTapeOutputs.TheTape
Outputsourceimpedanceofthephonopreamplifieris100ohms,andwilldrivea loadim-
pedanceof10,000ohmsorhigher.
LOUDNESSAMPLIFIER
Highlevelsignalsfeedintothepreamplifierpasttheinputandmodeswitching,through
thevolumecontrolandthenintotheloudnessamplifier.TheC36usesanactiveloudness
14
TECHNICAL
DESCRIPTION

controlcircuitdesign.Anintegratedcircuitoperationalamplifierisusedwithtwoseparate
feedbackcircuits.Onefeedbackloophasflatfrequencyresponse,andtheotherloophas
loudnesscompensation.A potentiometerplacedbetweenthesetwofeedbackloopsmakes
itpossibletoselectanydegreeoffrequencyresponsefromflat,tofullloudnesscompensa-
tion.Theoverallgainoftheloudnesscircuitis20dB,whichremainsconstantatmidfrequen-
cies,regardlessofthepositionoftheloudnesscontrol.Thebassandtreblecompensation
increasefromthereferencegain,andthedesiredamountofloudnesscompensationcan
beselectedatanyvolumecontrolsetting.
TONECONTROLAMPLIFIER
Thetonecontrolamplifieruseshightechnologyintegratedcircuitoperationalamplifiers.
Theoutputstageshavebeenoptimizedforoptimumtransientperformanceandminimum
distortion.Anothersetofoperationalamplifiersarearrangedina circuitconfiguration
equivalenttoseriestunedcircuits.Theseriestunedcircuitscanbeinsertedintoeitherthe
input,orthefeedbackloopbymeansofa potentiometer.Theproperchoiceofcircuitcom-
ponentsresultsina 12dBboostorcutatthedesiredbassandtreblefrequencies.Whenthe
tonecontrolpotentiometersareattheircenterordetentpositions,alltonecontrolelements
areremovedfromthesignalpath,andthefrequencyresponseisperfectlyflat.
15
TECHNICAL
DESCRIPTION

16
BLOCK
DIAGRAMS

17
BLOCK
DIAGRAMS

18
BLOCK
DIAGRAMS