2. amps-preamps
  3. 181722-96

Don’t buy used McCormack DNA 1990s amps

This is a public service announcement.  There are some yahoos on other sites selling 1990s McCormack DNA amps, sometimes at ridiculous prices.  While they’re great amps, and I happily owned a DNA 0.5 RevA for 20 years, they’re all gonna fatally fail.  Why?  Because their input board is at the end of its useful life, and when it fails your amp is dead and not repairable by anyone — not even SMcAudio.  It’s a boat anchor.  The only option is to sell it for scraps or get an SMcAudio upgrade that’ll cost around $2000.  Given my love of my amp I chose to do full upgrades given what else I could’ve gotten for the same same price and just got it back and will forward thoughts if anyone cares.  But the purpose of this post is to warn off any prospective buyers of a circa 1990s DNA amp that it’ll fatally fail soon, so unless you get a great price and plan on doing the SMcAudio upgrades just avoid these amps on the used market.  You’ve been warned. 

soix
mitch2
4,315 posts
 

@paimei 

If I could have anything in audio,  a new Mccormack would be at the top of that list.  If it existed.

Yes it mostly does exist, as mentioned previously in this thread.  If a new McCormack amplifier is truly at the top of your list, then buy one (or two if you want monoblocks) of whatever model McCormack amplifier you want (DNA 0.5, 1.0, 125, or 225, but not the DNA 2) from the used market, send it to Patrick at SMc Audio, and he can create what is essentially a new McCormack amplifier for you, only better sounding than the original - no kidding. 

ram360j's avatar
ram360j
1 posts
 

to who it may concern did you realize that Conrad Johnson is the sister company and the cad repair that amp you can talk to them directly.

roxy54's avatar
roxy54
8,202 posts
 

Whom...

soix OP
10,260 posts
 

@ram360j CJ is not the sister company of McCormack.  They had a business relationship for a few models that CJ may support and that’s it.  There are decades of legacy McCormack amps that CJ has no relationship with nor responsibility for and likely will in no way support.  Not even McCormack will repair their legacy models, especially if the repair involves the critical input board.  Please don’t spread crap you have no knowledge of. 

vair68robert
645 posts
 

@soix 

Conrad Johnson manufactured the MF2250 & MF2275 solid state amplifiers ,

They are the same as the McCormack DNA-250 , which C.J. manufactured after buying the name and rights to McCormack ,  Steve McCormack makes no claim to designing the 250 ,

so C.J. will repair that model , at least when I contacted them a few years ago .

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