McCormack (Conrad - Johnson) Micro Phono Drive Preamplifier RIAA Phono Preamp £990
Item History & Price
McCormack Audio Micro Phono Drive Preamplifier
McCORMACK MICRO PHONO DRIVE, phono pre amp
Pleases noted the open inside photos are from factory not my unit which I never open it up , just for your reference
Reasons to buy
(1) Solid-state RIAA phono stage with user adjustable gain for (2) use with either a moving magnet as MM or moving coil as MC phono cartridge(3) Input impedance: 47k(4) Output : 100 ohms(5) Inputs: One phono, one line level output(6) Exter...nal power supply. Non-inverting(7) Designed by famous & legend Steve McCormack and Joyce Dudney Fleming(8) dead quiet on all but the lowest output MCs and especially strong with MMs(9) adjustable MM (40dB) & MC (55dB) gain(10) can accommodate MM or MC cartridges with outputs of about 0.25mV and higher. (11) The higher the output of the cartridge, the better the signal to noise ratio.(12) Phono overload: 200mV
Dimensions: 9.5"w x 3"h x 9"d
You are bidding on a
McCormack Micro Phono Drive phono stage in excellent pre-owned condition.
with adjustable MM (40dB) & MC (55dB) gain and external power supply.
Designed by Steve McCormack and Joyce Dudney Fleming... a couple folks with really good ears,
the MPD is dead quiet on all but the lowest output MCs and especially strong with MMs, where it has a punchy, vivid sound that totally belies the price.
Original owner, always used in a smoke-free home, works and sounds as great as the day it was made.
Please note: the top panel is screwed down with two of the original six screws for faster access to the internal gain jumpers. In excellent condition with a few light scuffs on top and a couple very small nicks on the right side top edge of the front face. Functions perfectly.
I take immense care in packing and shipping to assure items arrive in the same condition pictured/described.
MCCORMACK AUDIO MICRO PHONO DRIVE phono preamplifier
From the manufacturer:
The Micro Phono Drive is one of a series of compact McCormack components
designed to deliver the exceptional levels of natural musicality usually found in much larger, more expensive products.The unit can accommodate moving magnet and moving coil phono as MM or MC cartridges with outputs of about 0.25mV and higher.The Micro Phono Drive uses high performance circuitry, and quality RCA phono jacks for input and output connections.
DescriptionThe Micro Phono Drive is one of a series of compact McCormack components designed to deliver the exceptional levels of natural musicality usually found in much larger, more expensive products.The unit can accommodate cartridges with outputs of about 0.25mV and higher. The higher the output of the cartridge, the better the signal to noise ratio.The Micro Phono Drive uses high performance circuitry, and quality RCA phono jacks for input and output connections.
So even at this point the McCormack piece is about many years old, it competes with $1200+ phono stages. I believe that Steve McCormack will still perform upgrades to this unit and I have heard from another asylum member that the power supply upgrade makes the unit even better. All these upgraded units sound so good because Steve McCormack doesn't just do design, he listens with his ears. He'll go back and forth for hours testing one capacitor against another, or one type of wire against another. His nerves and ears hold steady. I can only do that sort of thing for a little while and then my brain starts getting addled.
McCormack Audio, still headed by the very talented Steve McCormack which is now owned by Conrad-Johnson.) Now that I've had a chance to compare the two, I'd say the McCormack is the more attractive-looking phono section and physically better built—pretty impressiveAs internally mounted resistor sockets, its sound improved dramatically. It retained its impressive speed and detail, and everything else improved. Image specificity, focus, and three-dimensionality were noticeably enhanced, and, most important, music seemed infused with a rich harmonic "rightness." With its input impedance properly set, the McCormack Phono Drive offered well-balanced all-around performance. Control and extension of bass were reasonably good, and back-wall reflections, reverberant trailsthe McCormack in MC mode with 55dB of gain represents very good value for the money in terms of build quality and sound, though I was much more impressed by its richer, fuller, more nuanced performance as an MM phono section (+40dB of gain) when I listened via the Grado Reference. In MM mode it really shone.
SpecificationsInput: 1 x phono levelOutputs: 1 x line levelGain: user adjustable, set to low (+40dB) or high (+55dB)Input impedance: user adjustable, set to 47K ohms at factoryOutput impedance: 100 ohmsInput sensitivity: 5mV (low gain), 0.9mV (high gain)Signal to noise ratio: 80dB (low gain), 75dB (high gain)Phono overload: 200mVAbsolute polarity: non invertingDimensions: 9.5 x 9 x 3 inchesWeight: 8lbs
McCORMACK MICRO PHONO DRIVE, phono pre amp
Pleases noted the open inside photos are from factory not my unit which I never open it up , just for your reference
Reasons to buy
(1) Solid-state RIAA phono stage with user adjustable gain for (2) use with either a moving magnet as MM or moving coil as MC phono cartridge(3) Input impedance: 47k(4) Output : 100 ohms(5) Inputs: One phono, one line level output(6) Exter...nal power supply. Non-inverting(7) Designed by famous & legend Steve McCormack and Joyce Dudney Fleming(8) dead quiet on all but the lowest output MCs and especially strong with MMs(9) adjustable MM (40dB) & MC (55dB) gain(10) can accommodate MM or MC cartridges with outputs of about 0.25mV and higher. (11) The higher the output of the cartridge, the better the signal to noise ratio.(12) Phono overload: 200mV
Dimensions: 9.5"w x 3"h x 9"d
You are bidding on a
McCormack Micro Phono Drive phono stage in excellent pre-owned condition.
with adjustable MM (40dB) & MC (55dB) gain and external power supply.
Designed by Steve McCormack and Joyce Dudney Fleming... a couple folks with really good ears,
the MPD is dead quiet on all but the lowest output MCs and especially strong with MMs, where it has a punchy, vivid sound that totally belies the price.
Original owner, always used in a smoke-free home, works and sounds as great as the day it was made.
Please note: the top panel is screwed down with two of the original six screws for faster access to the internal gain jumpers. In excellent condition with a few light scuffs on top and a couple very small nicks on the right side top edge of the front face. Functions perfectly.
I take immense care in packing and shipping to assure items arrive in the same condition pictured/described.
MCCORMACK AUDIO MICRO PHONO DRIVE phono preamplifier
From the manufacturer:
The Micro Phono Drive is one of a series of compact McCormack components
designed to deliver the exceptional levels of natural musicality usually found in much larger, more expensive products.The unit can accommodate moving magnet and moving coil phono as MM or MC cartridges with outputs of about 0.25mV and higher.The Micro Phono Drive uses high performance circuitry, and quality RCA phono jacks for input and output connections.
DescriptionThe Micro Phono Drive is one of a series of compact McCormack components designed to deliver the exceptional levels of natural musicality usually found in much larger, more expensive products.The unit can accommodate cartridges with outputs of about 0.25mV and higher. The higher the output of the cartridge, the better the signal to noise ratio.The Micro Phono Drive uses high performance circuitry, and quality RCA phono jacks for input and output connections.
So even at this point the McCormack piece is about many years old, it competes with $1200+ phono stages. I believe that Steve McCormack will still perform upgrades to this unit and I have heard from another asylum member that the power supply upgrade makes the unit even better. All these upgraded units sound so good because Steve McCormack doesn't just do design, he listens with his ears. He'll go back and forth for hours testing one capacitor against another, or one type of wire against another. His nerves and ears hold steady. I can only do that sort of thing for a little while and then my brain starts getting addled.
McCormack Audio, still headed by the very talented Steve McCormack which is now owned by Conrad-Johnson.) Now that I've had a chance to compare the two, I'd say the McCormack is the more attractive-looking phono section and physically better built—pretty impressiveAs internally mounted resistor sockets, its sound improved dramatically. It retained its impressive speed and detail, and everything else improved. Image specificity, focus, and three-dimensionality were noticeably enhanced, and, most important, music seemed infused with a rich harmonic "rightness." With its input impedance properly set, the McCormack Phono Drive offered well-balanced all-around performance. Control and extension of bass were reasonably good, and back-wall reflections, reverberant trailsthe McCormack in MC mode with 55dB of gain represents very good value for the money in terms of build quality and sound, though I was much more impressed by its richer, fuller, more nuanced performance as an MM phono section (+40dB of gain) when I listened via the Grado Reference. In MM mode it really shone.
SpecificationsInput: 1 x phono levelOutputs: 1 x line levelGain: user adjustable, set to low (+40dB) or high (+55dB)Input impedance: user adjustable, set to 47K ohms at factoryOutput impedance: 100 ohmsInput sensitivity: 5mV (low gain), 0.9mV (high gain)Signal to noise ratio: 80dB (low gain), 75dB (high gain)Phono overload: 200mVAbsolute polarity: non invertingDimensions: 9.5 x 9 x 3 inchesWeight: 8lbs
