Need quick input from the herd...

nooshinjohn · July 30

I have an opportunity to snap up the last Mcintosh C2800 for dead cost from my nearest Magnolia store. as you guys already know, BB/Magnolia lost the brand several months ago and is now not an authorized reseller for the Mcintosh brand.

I called Mcintosh this morning and they informed me there would be no warranty support for any product purchased from BB/Magnolia after the end of May, 2025... There is no way possible to have that warranty reinstated.

In my research, I have found these new Mac preamps have had their fair share of issues early on, including firmware failures that brick the preamp, among other issues thar are very similar to what I went through with Arcam. I love my current setup with the C2300, and the chance to move up to the new current model for not much more than I can sell my preamp for is very tempting. I can even sell my Simaudio DAC and end up putting money back in the bank, but the lack of warranty on a purchase like this scares me a bit.

What do you guys think?

pearsall001 · July 30

Me personally I wouldn't do it with knowing there is zero warranty support. That's a lot of coin to shell out knowing that particular unit has confirmed issues.

It sounds like you're very happy with your current setup & unless you're ok with a roll of the dice I would steer clear of this one.

And really what's there to gain over your current Mac pre? I would bet nothing to be honest with you.

treitz3 · July 30

I would personally pass.

Tom

VR3 · July 30

Are you asking us whether or not you should spend money?

Like an addict asking another addict if they should do drugs!

Do ittttttt!

nooshinjohn · July 30

VR3 wrote: »

Are you asking us whether or not you should spend money?

Like an addict asking another addict if they should do drugs!

Do ittttttt!

LOL!!! actually, the only reason I am considering it is to save money. Being able to sell my curent preamp/DAC puts 4k back in the bank

heiney9 · July 30

If it's not a huge improvement over the current Mac, then I would pass too. That's a lot of $$$ for no warranty. What was their explanation?

Many high end companies even allow for transfer of warranty. My Pass amp has/had the remainder of it's factory warranty even though I'm the 2nd owner.

I'd say that's a "point" against owning Mac gear if that's their position. At the very least they could honor the warranty for anything that was NOT caused by the end user(s), especially knowing they have some common issues.

H9

pitdogg2 · July 30

No warranty, no buy

SIHAB · July 30

My first thought is that is a lot of inputs! Would I need them?
The second is, why ruin a perfectly good Pre with a DAC...

F1nut · July 30

That's an unbelievable stance from McIntosh. I'd tell them due to their stance you're going to take your current Mac outside and pulverize it with a sledge hammer while filming, then post the video online explaining the reason. Guaranteed to lose them business.

nooshinjohn · July 30

Many manufactures restrict warranties when purchased from non-authorized channels as a way to protect those that are legit. I have no problem with that. If I purchased it on the used market, y=they would cover it if I had a copy of the original purchase invoice. Bottom line is Best Buy screwed themselves over when they chose to not train associates properly on the gear the sell. Mac/Bose pulled the brand and support as they are no longer authorized to sell.

I am going to Best Buy now to see what their response is, and get my deposit back if there is no other resolution.

heiney9 · July 30

nooshinjohn wrote: »

Many manufactures restrict warranties when purchased from non-authorized channels as a way to protect those that are legit. I have no problem with that. If I purchased it on the used market, y=they would cover it if I had a copy of the original purchase invoice. Bottom line is Best Buy screwed themselves over when they chose to not train associates properly on the gear the sell. Mac/Bose pulled the brand and support as they are no longer authorized to sell.

I am going to Best Buy now to see what their response is, and get my deposit back if there is no other resolution.

Still a piss poor policy for such a high end company. Pass Labs wouldn't blink an eye to fix something under warranty regardless of the owner or if their dealer it was originally bought from doesn't carry them any longer (for whatever reason).

I'd say Mac made a huge mistake using BB/Magnolia as a distribution partner, not the other way around. Mac has to take a good portion of the responsibility for all that happened.

In the end you (or whomever) is the final purchaser should be able to rest easy knowing no matter what went on between BB and Mac you as valued customer of the brand should have a warranty/remainder of warranty, etc.

But then really, Mac isn;t Mac any longer now that they are under the control of Bose, etc. Maybe all the past "goodwill" is no longer.

H9

nooshinjohn · July 30

According to Best Buy, the end agreement with Macintosh stipulates that if the product comes through a Best Buy Service Center, Macintosh will repair the product, but I can’t send it directly myself

heiney9 · July 30

nooshinjohn wrote: »

According to Best Buy, the end agreement with Macintosh stipulates that if the product comes through a Best Buy Service Center, Macintosh will repair the product, but I can’t send it directly myself

Atleast that's a little better than zero warranty.

I guess you just need to decide if the new pre is a jump up enough to your current pre and just knowing it might be a bit of hassle to get something fixed if there's an issue.

Is this a NIB unit or a demo or floor model?

H9

nooshinjohn · July 30

heiney9 wrote: »

nooshinjohn wrote: »

According to Best Buy, the end agreement with Macintosh stipulates that if the product comes through a Best Buy Service Center, Macintosh will repair the product, but I can’t send it directly myself

Atleast that's a little better than zero warranty.

I guess you just need to decide if the new pre is a jump up enough to your current pre and just knowing it might be a bit of hassle to get something fixed if there's an issue.

Is this a NIB unit or a demo or floor model?

H9

New in box. It was to be their floor piece but never made it to the showroom.

motorstereo · July 30

I was originally going to go with the popular vote here of not making the deal. But now with the warranty in place I say go for it. It's an ultra rare opportunity to get a brand new Mcintosh piece at a significant discount. That never happens and you'll be kicking yourself if you let this one slip away.

VR3 · July 30

Circling back..

YOU CAN DO IT!

nooshinjohn · July 30

motorstereo wrote: »

I was originally going to go with the popular vote here of not making the deal. But now with the warranty in place I say go for it. It's an ultra rare opportunity to get a brand new Mcintosh piece at a significant discount. That never happens and you'll be kicking yourself if you let this one slip away.

I am listening to my rig now and simply cannot imagine it getting that much better. Two dealers have already told me to stand pat with what I have as the DAC is far superior and the preamp is at least equal to the new one if not better by not having a computer built in. They said the real upgrade would be the C12000.

tratliff · July 30

Hey John. Go buy it if at a good price. Less than 50% of retail is what I would be looking for.
BB is a great location for Mac gear when the price is right.

I doubt the built in DAC is better than yours.

nooshinjohn · July 30

tratliff wrote: »

Hey John. Go buy it if at a good price. Less than 50% of retail is what I would be looking for.
BB is a great location for Mac gear when the price is right.

I doubt the built in DAC is better than yours.

I am going to take a pass on this one and hold out for the C12000 or maybe a C1100 some day in the future. I do have a deposit on the C2800. If anybody wants a crack at it for the bargain price of $5500 bucks, let me know by Monday. This is a rare opportunity for someone to get into the deep end of the pool for a decent price. I will be happy to coordinate the details on my end if shipping is required.

gmcman · July 31

Maybe if BB was never an authorized retailer, but since they were when they acquired the component, you would think McIntosh would see that it was a legit inventory item and not much time has passed. Add in it's still NIB, I'm surprised McIntosh cannot see that and honor a warranty to the first owner.

invalid · July 31

gmcman wrote: »

Maybe if BB was never an authorized retailer, but since they were when they acquired the component, you would think McIntosh would see that it was a legit inventory item and not much time has passed. Add in it's still NIB, I'm surprised McIntosh cannot see that and honor a warranty to the first owner.

I would think they would have to by law, it's not like it's a grey market item.

BlueBirdMusic · July 31

nooshinjohn wrote: »

motorstereo wrote: »

I was originally going to go with the popular vote here of not making the deal. But now with the warranty in place I say go for it. It's an ultra rare opportunity to get a brand new Mcintosh piece at a significant discount. That never happens and you'll be kicking yourself if you let this one slip away.

I am listening to my rig now and simply cannot imagine it getting that much better. Two dealers have already told me to stand pat with what I have as the DAC is far superior and the preamp is at least equal to the new one if not better by not having a computer built in. They said the real upgrade would be the C12000.

^^^^ I think you answered your question with this reasoning.

skipshot12 · July 31

If the C2800 is not a big difference in an upgrade in sound then I would pass.
Especially if the end goal is the 12000 sometime in the future.

The warranty thing would be another mark in the wait for the 12000 box.

HzTweaker · August 2

nooshinjohn wrote: »

heiney9 wrote: »

nooshinjohn wrote: »

According to Best Buy, the end agreement with Macintosh stipulates that if the product comes through a Best Buy Service Center, Macintosh will repair the product, but I can’t send it directly myself

H9

New in box. It was to be their floor piece but never made it to the showroom.

Are the repairs for what was mentioned in OP expensive? Could you possibly do the repairs yourself?

treitz3 · August 2

nooshinjohn wrote: »

In my research, I have found these new Mac preamps have had their fair share of issues early on, including firmware failures that brick the preamp.

This was the only thing I needed to know. 12K is a heavy brick.

Tom

HzTweaker · August 2

Buy the part that fails and shelf it. You'll still have less than $12k in it. I'm with VR3, DO IT!lol

mhardy6647 · August 2

Mac stuff nowadays seems kind of shaky in terms of long-term reliability -- especially anything related to firmware/software/'computerized' stuff, which is all third-party any way.

As an aside, and strictly FWIW, my very long term experience with Mac's legacy hardware is that, 20 to 30 years in, it gives way more nagging little problems (lousy quality pots and switches, especially) than even the modest Asian brands (to say nothing of other US or Canadian brands of the '60s-'80s).
Not as bad as NAD, but, still, for the cost, kind of high maintenance.
Absent a warranty, I'd avoid any Mac product with any sort of built-in intelligence.

SCompRacer · August 2

If BB/Magnolia purchased it when they were authorized, you'd think Mac would be obligated to honor the warranty.

nooshinjohn · August 2

McIntosh director of marketing called me yesterday and told me there is no warranty on it. Best Buy will need to assume it or provide one…

HzTweaker · August 2

edit: for the forth time

I can't get the meme to work.

nooshinjohn · August 2

They are trying hard not to lose the sale on this… been at the store for a hour now while they look for a solution

Need quick input from the herd...

Comments