McIntosh C1100 Preamp

I would be really interested in your thoughts after you try the phono on the C1100 with a couple hundred hours on it.  I was very disappointed with the issues with the Audia Flight, and did have some reservations before buying, but thought that their reputation in Europe would be worth the risk. I don't think it's an inherent issue with their products (the other two I had were flawless), but the lack of support I received here in the US when I did have an issue was very frustrating.

After that experience, I limited my search to more readily serviceable units and the C1100 turned out to be the best match in my system.  You are right that it's dead quiet and, if I hadn't heard the Audia Flight, I could be perfectly happy with the C1100 phono and fully expect it to get even better over time. I'm glad that your experience with Audia Flight has been good so far (knocking on wood) and even happier that there is someone else who can do a direct comparison.

Greg, I switched my VPI Classic 3 w/ Lyra Kleos cart over to the C1100 MC phono stage and gave it another try now that it has 100's of hours on it. My wife and I switched back and forth between the C1100 and the Audia Flight but it was immediately obvious to us that we both preferred the Audia Flight by a considerable margin. For me the C1100 sounds very good but with a direct  comparison the Audia Flight sounded more musical to me. I thought voices sounded more resonate and detailed, there was a wider soundstage and instruments were not overshadowed by vocals. So my conclusion is that I will continue to use the Audio Flight until something happens to it - hopefully not.

Thank you very much for going through that exercise.  I figured the Audia Flight would be tough to beat head-to-head and I'm sure I am going to miss mine.  Hopefully the C1100 will continue to improve and my memory will fade a bit :)  My system is still in an alcove in my bedroom until I get the study back next year when I youngest heads off to college.  I may re-examine the phono stage next year when I get my dedicated room back.   

If I hadn't done a direct comparison I am sure I would have been very happy with only the C1100 and I do love the sound of the AF going into the tube line stage of the C1100 with balanced cables. I also went a little tweek crazy this past year with Stillpoints under most everything - even under and between both of the C1100 boxes and upgraded cables everywhere. I have everything in a dedicated 2 channel room and that made a big difference also.

Luckily I'm good with power cords and cables, so can focus on listening for a while.  If I had to compare the C1100 phono to something, I would say that it's comparable to the JC3+ I had prior to the AF.  I'm breaking in an MCD550 at the same time, so my use of the phono will be split for the time being, but I'll keep going back to it to see how it goes.

I've also been going back and forth on amps to pair with the C1100, but my trusty old Mark Levinson 23.5 workhorse is turning out to be quite a nice match with the tubes.