McCormack Advanced Rectifer Circuitry

Hey, my amp is getting better and better......

Howard, I changed the AC Mains fuse in my amp to Hi-Fi Tuning fuse. Very nice tweak!!! Definitely worth the $25(despite that it sounds crazy to pay this much for a fuse).

I want to try these fuses in my CD player next.

Zaikesman, I still haven't opened my ARC CD3MkII to see if there are fuses, but I plan on doing it this weekend.

Hi Guys -

As has been pointed-out by several posters, I am woefully behind in updating the information on my website. I do apologize for that, but will plead extenuating circumstances - I've got way too much work to do! Anyway, I promise I will try to get the website more up-to-date soon, and in the meantime you are welcome to call with your questions.

The "ARC" (Advanced Rectification Circuit) upgrade is a fairly new option, as I just finished the development early in the year. I don't want to give away too much , but it is a new approach to doing the DC smoothing following rectification (or a new twist on an old idea). It makes a very nice improvement in overall performance, PRAT, and individualization through the midbass and lower midrange. There are 2 variations: ARC-1 and ARC-2 (used at different points in the power supply system). The ARC-2 can be installed in any of the amps I currently upgrade, and the ARC-1 is applicable to the DNA-125 & 225 only. Cost (as part of an upgrade) is $250 for the ARC-1 and $500 for the ARC-2.

And finally, since Zaikesman asked about the DNA-500, I have (reluctantly) decided to drop this one from the upgrade list. It is simply too costly in terms of time, and I have been devoting most of my time (what little I've got left!) to finishing my new preamplifier (and it's getting close!).

Call me if you've got questions.

Best regards,

Steve McCormack
www.SMcAudio.com

Steve,

I remember reading here a couple years ago that folks were anticipating your new preamp design - can't wait to hear how it turns out!

Anybody with updates to report on this topic? I recently purchased a pair of used DNA-125 Platinum Monos and should receive them tomorrow. These were modified close to three years ago, so they predated the ARC options. Before deciding whether to send them back to SMC for any further work, I'll be comparing them against my stock DNA-500, which should prove interesting. (I also used to own a stock 125 stereo, which I compared against the 500 too, so I'm familiar with the sound of the starting point in this face-off. In that case, unsurprisingly, there was no comparison.)

Had the ARC-2 upgrade done to my Platinum DNA225 this past summer. Most noticeable effect has been additional clarity and information in the top end. Hope this helps.