McIntosh C2700

McIntosh C2700: used price, what changed from the C2600, and what to check before you buy

By HiFi Registry Staff · Published November 1, 2026

In short: The C2700 is the fifth McIntosh C2x00 tube preamplifier, sold from August 2019 until the C2800 replaced it in March 2024. It launched at $8,000, ended at $8,500, and is the one with the DA2 digital module and an HDMI ARC input. Used examples have been selling at dealers for roughly $5,900 to $7,000, which is 70 to 82 percent of the final list price. HiFi Registry's recorded sales for this model are in the table further down the page. Prices checked November 1, 2026.

Versions and years

There is one version of the C2700. What matters is where it sits in the line, because the C2600 before it and the C2800 after it look nearly identical from the listening chair and sell for different money. Years are McIntosh's where given.

McIntosh does not print years on the C2700's legacy page. The 2019 start is from the What Hi-Fi? launch report; the end is inferred from the C2800's March 2024 arrival and the C2700's move to McIntosh's legacy list. The C2700 was the second McIntosh product with the DA2, after the solid-state C53.

Specs that matter

• Tubes: five 12AX7A, one 12AT7, visible through the top window, lit during warm-up
• Analog inputs: three balanced, four unbalanced, one MM phono, one MC phono. MM loading 47k ohms with 50 to 800 pF in 50 pF steps; MC loading 25, 50, 100, 200, 400 or 1,000 ohms
• Digital inputs (DA2 module): two coax, two optical, one USB, one MCT for McIntosh SACD transports, one HDMI ARC. Coax and optical to 24-bit/192 kHz; USB to 32-bit/384 kHz, DXD and DSD512; HDMI to 24-bit/192 kHz PCM with Dolby Digital and DTS decoding
• Outputs: three variable balanced, three variable unbalanced, one fixed unbalanced. Maximum 16 V balanced, 8 V unbalanced
• Headphone: 1/4 inch High Drive output for 100 to 600 ohm loads, with Headphone Crossfeed Director (HXD)
• Gain 15 dB line, 40 dB MM, 60 dB MC; signal to noise 100 dB line, 82 dB MM, 80 dB MC; THD 0.08 percent
• Bass and treble tone controls, Home Theater PassThru, HDMI CEC so the remote controls TV power and volume
• 29.5 lb, 17.5 x 7.625 x 18 inches
• US list: $8,000 at launch (2019), $8,500 when discontinued (2024). No longer sold new.
• Warranty: 3 years, original owner only, void if bought anywhere but an authorized McIntosh dealer. Tubes 90 days. Glass panels and trim excluded except for defects reported within 30 days.

The DA2 is a plug-in module that McIntosh says can be replaced by future modules. None has appeared as of this writing; the C2800 still ships with a DA2.

Used prices

HiFi Registry's recorded sales for the C2700 are in the table below this guide. What the wider market shows, as of this writing:

• Dealer certified units: The Music Room has sold C2700s at $6,999 (under a year old at the time, cosmetic 9), $6,799 (cosmetic 9), $6,299 (cosmetic 7 with faceplate scuffs) and $6,149 (cosmetic 9). Its current asking price is $5,949. That puts a clean example at roughly 70 to 82 percent of the $8,500 final list, with the price drifting down as the C2800 has settled in.
• SkyFi Audio has listed single-owner pre-loved units at cosmetic 8 and 9 and quotes $8,500 as the original price. It sells these by phone, so no asking price is published.
• C2600 for comparison: The Music Room's recent C2600 sales are $4,999 (cosmetic 9), $4,999 (cosmetic 9) and $4,799 (cosmetic 8), against a $7,500 final list. A used C2600 therefore runs about $1,000 to $2,000 below a used C2700. You give up HDMI ARC, DSD512 and the newer DAC, and gain a third optical input.

A private sale will usually land below the dealer numbers above, since those include a warranty and a bench check. If HDMI ARC and DSD512 do not matter to you, the C2600 is the value.

What to check before buying

1. Confirm the model from the rear panel. A C2700 has an HDMI socket in the digital input group. A C2600 has three optical inputs and no HDMI. The two share the six-tube layout and the same faceplate, so photos of the front do not settle it.
2. Tubes. McIntosh-branded 12AX7A and 12AT7 are the factory set. Ask whether they are original or replaced, and how many hours. The 90 day tube warranty expired long ago on any used unit, so a fresh set is on you.
3. Phono stage. Play a record on both the MM and MC inputs, then step through the loading values from the front panel or remote and confirm the display changes and the sound follows. Hiss that differs between channels points to a tube.
4. Every digital input. Feed the USB, both coax, both optical and the HDMI ARC input. HDMI ARC depends on the TV's ARC port and CEC handshaking, so test it with the TV it will live with if you can. A seller who never used the DA2 may not know whether it works.
5. Display brightness. SkyFi notes a slightly dim display on one unit from regular use. Ask whether the display is dimmer than the meters.
6. Chassis and glass. The usual dealer deductions are scuffs on the faceplate side columns and scratches on the top cover. Ask for photos under direct light.
7. Remote, manual and factory packaging. The HR085 remote and the carton with its end caps and foam pads are what certified dealers list as complete. Shipping a 45 lb preamp without the factory carton is how glass gets broken.
8. Warranty. The 3 year coverage was for the original purchaser only and ended on resale. Any used C2700 is sold without McIntosh warranty; a dealer may add its own.

Who it is for, and what else to consider

The C2700 is for the buyer who wants one McIntosh box to take a turntable, a transport, a streamer and the TV, and who prefers a tube line stage to the solid-state C53 or C55. Positive Feedback's Gregory Petan called it "a connectivity monster" and said the phono stage, headphone output and DA2 all "sound phenomenal." Home Theater HiFi's Taps Das reviewed it with the MC462 and found the pairing clean enough that he reached for the tone controls to warm it up, which tells you the house sound here is not the soft tube cliché.

Within McIntosh, the C2600 is the cheaper way into the same chassis if you do not need HDMI. The C2800 is the current product at $10,500, with four tubes and two phono inputs, and its arrival is what has been pulling C2700 prices down. The C22 Mk V is the all-analog alternative if you already own a DAC, the C8 is the smaller tube preamp below both, and the C12000 is the two-chassis flagship. McIntosh's brochure names the MC275 and MC2301 as companion amplifiers; a MC312 or MC462 is the common solid-state pairing.

Frequently asked questions

What is a used McIntosh C2700 worth? Dealer certified units have been selling for about $5,900 to $7,000 against an $8,500 final list price. Private sales typically land below that. See the recorded sales table for what has actually changed hands on HiFi Registry.

What is the difference between the C2600 and the C2700? Both have six tubes, 16 inputs and the same chassis. The C2700 has the DA2 digital module with a Quad Balanced 8-channel 32-bit DAC, DSD512 support and an HDMI ARC input. The C2600 has the DA1 module, tops out at DSD256, has no HDMI, and has three optical inputs instead of two.

Does the C2700 have HDMI? Yes, one HDMI ARC input. It is audio only: it takes sound from a compatible TV and will not pass video or accept audio from a non-TV HDMI source. CEC lets the C2700 remote control the TV's power and volume.

Can the DA2 module be upgraded? McIntosh designed the DA2 as a replaceable module and says future modules can take its place. None has been released as of November 2026, and the current C2800 still uses the DA2.

Is the C2700 still made? No. McIntosh moved it to its legacy list after the C2800 launched in March 2024. The C2800 lists at $10,500 in the US as of November 2026.

Does the McIntosh warranty transfer to a second owner? No. The 3 year warranty covers the original purchaser only, requires purchase from an authorized McIntosh dealer, and ends when the unit is sold.

Related

• A Buyer's Guide to McIntosh
• McIntosh comps: C2600, C2500, C22, C53, MC275, MC462
• Live McIntosh listings on HiFi Registry
• Sell your C2700 on HiFi Registry, $25 flat, no commission

Written by HiFi Registry Staff. Not a review: HiFi Registry has not owned or auditioned this unit unless the text says so. Price ranges describe open-market sales and dealer asking prices observed on the review date and are not offers to buy or sell. How we research these guides