McIntosh C22 Mk V Vacuum Tube Preamplifier

A McIntosh Classic, Reimagined for Today

Few components are as instantly recognizable as a McIntosh C22. The C22 Mk V Vacuum Tube Preamplifier carries one of the most celebrated model names in McIntosh history forward with modern performance while preserving the unmistakable look and feel of the original.

Based on the acclaimed C70 Limited Edition created for McIntosh's 70th anniversary, the C22 Mk V combines a six-tube analog circuit, dedicated Moving Coil and Moving Magnet phono stages, dual balanced outputs, adjustable tone controls, and High Drive headphone amplification in a design that looks equally at home beside vintage or current McIntosh components.

Six Vacuum Tubes at Its Core

The C22 Mk V uses one 12AT7 and five 12AX7A vacuum tubes, visible through a glass panel on top of the polished stainless steel chassis.

It's an intentionally traditional approach. There are no digital inputs or built-in DAC competing for space inside the C22 Mk V. This is a dedicated analog vacuum tube preamplifier built for listeners who want to choose their own turntable, phono cartridge, DAC, streamer, and other source components.

The result is a preamplifier that can anchor an entirely analog system or serve as the tube-based heart of a modern system with external digital sources.

Made for Serious Vinyl Playback

Vinyl receives the attention you'd expect from a preamplifier carrying the C22 name.

The C22 Mk V includes separate Moving Coil and Moving Magnet phono inputs, with adjustable impedance and capacitance available from dedicated front-panel controls.

That flexibility makes it easier to properly match the phono stage to a wide variety of cartridges rather than relying on a single fixed configuration.

Along with the two phono inputs, the C22 Mk V provides two balanced and three unbalanced line-level inputs, for seven analog inputs in total.

Hands-On Control

Part of the appeal of the C22 Mk V is its tactile simplicity.

Rather than burying commonly used adjustments inside menus, McIntosh provides traditional rotary knobs and rocker switches across the front panel.

Bass and treble controls can be adjusted in 2dB increments and bypassed completely when they're not needed. The volume control can also be used to adjust left/right channel balance, while LED indicators clearly display input selection and volume level.

It's a decidedly old-school interface backed by modern McIntosh engineering.

Built for One—or Two—Power Amplifiers

The C22 Mk V provides two pairs of balanced outputs and two pairs of unbalanced outputs, allowing the preamplifier to feed two separate power amplifiers.

For an all-tube McIntosh system, the C22 Mk V is a natural partner for amplifiers such as the MC1502 Vacuum Tube Amplifier. It can also be paired with McIntosh solid-state amplification or other high-quality power amplifiers depending on the speakers and desired system character.

McIntosh Power Control adds another layer of integration, with four ports capable of coordinating power with compatible amplifiers and source components. Data Ports allow basic functions of connected McIntosh sources to be operated from the C22 Mk V's included remote.

Serious Headphone Listening, Too

The front-panel ¼-inch headphone connection is powered by McIntosh's High Drive headphone amplifier and incorporates Headphone Crossfeed Director (HXD).

HXD is designed to make headphone listening feel more like conventional loudspeaker listening by introducing some of the natural acoustic relationship between the left and right channels that occurs when speakers play into a room.

So even though the C22 Mk V is primarily designed to command a full-scale two-channel system, headphone playback isn't treated as an afterthought.

Heritage Design Done Right

The C22 Mk V doesn't merely borrow a vintage model number.

Its retro black-glass and aluminum front panel, illuminated McIntosh logo, traditional knobs and switches, aluminum end caps, and mirror-finished stainless steel chassis intentionally connect it to generations of McIntosh equipment.

Look through the top glass and the glowing tubes reinforce exactly what this component is about.

It's one of those rare pieces of HiFi equipment that can sit beside a decades-old McIntosh amplifier or a brand-new one and look completely appropriate.

The Grid's Take on the McIntosh C22 Mk V

The C22 Mk V is for someone who wants a preamplifier to remain unapologetically analog.

Where a model like the C55 is designed to manage almost every conceivable analog and digital source from one chassis, the C22 Mk V takes a different approach. It gives you an exceptional tube-based analog foundation and lets you choose the rest.

We particularly like it for systems built around vinyl and high-quality separates. You get dedicated MM and MC phono stages, cartridge adjustment right from the front panel, tone controls when you need them, dual outputs, and six vacuum tubes—all without adding digital circuitry you may not want.

And then there's the design. If you're building a system where the equipment itself is part of the experience, the C22 Mk V paired with McIntosh tube amplification is about as quintessentially McIntosh as it gets.

At The Grid HiFi & Home Theater, we can help pair the C22 Mk V with the right McIntosh power amplifier, turntable, cartridge, digital source, speakers, and system accessories.