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Second trip to Binghamton was the charm!

When business takes you to Binghamton, NY, what would any audiophile like to do? Naturally, it would be to tour the McIntosh facility located there. I was there in November, but my tight schedule working with a prospect didn't allow for any time. This week, I returned and decided I would see if I could work a tour into the visit. Upon arrival on Tuesday, I stopped by the McIntosh facility and hoped for the best. With a smile, I was given the business card of Tony Frontera, the Brand Communications Manager. He was currently in a meeting, but I was encouraged to call him later to arrange the tour. I made connections and upon short notice, Tony was quite accommodating to arrange the visit for today.

Upon arrival, he greeted me and we proceeded with the tour. I was candid that I was not currently one of his customers and explained my less than stellar first exposure back in the 70s - but acknowledged what they've done recently to deliver some world class gear. I mentioned that a reviewer friend has the 2300/2301 combo presently and is very impressed with their performance. He very diplomatically acknowledged the notion that they had strayed a bit from the best sound for a while.

First stop was the administrative area. Not very exciting, but they have one of the Sidney Corderman designed tube amps in a display case. Next up was the cool stuff. The first production area is where Tony proudly showed their new (only 3 months old) surface mount IC pressing machine. It resembled a cryogenic crew pod from the movie 2001, A Space Odyssey with rolls of raw chips feeding it. Next up was one of the PC board assembly machines. A young lady was feeding glass epoxy boards into an automated machine that grasped a bare board and populated it with various axial lead components in steps where the board was rotated into the proper position until completion. I smiled when I noticed she had on headphones as she fed the machine.

Next up was the new RoHS compliant wave soldering machine. They retired their original lead based machine with this new one given half their business is for export where the EU in particular requires such. Nearby were a few stations where ladies were hand stuffing boards with other components like XLR connectors and radial lead caps where the high temp soldering machine was inappropriate. Next up was the glass fabrication area where cut blanks are precisely fashioned into a faceplate. They use an automated water injection cutter. Abrasive media is added to the high pressure water stream to precisely cut all the openings. Tony showed me a test sample where only water was used - the openings were all very jagged and imprecise. Water alone doesn't work. Every section begins with a pilot hole which is later extended to the full extent of the final opening.

Next up was the multi-step glass screening process. On the wall was a series of panels that illustrated the six step process used on all panels. There are two initial "inking" layers that establish the base black layer. A gold layer is added for showing the unit when powered off. Other color related layers are added for each production run. Today, they were processing CD player faceplates, but there was a single C-29 preamp faceplate in the mix. Nice to know they will happily reproduce a late 70s design if needed. The panel checkers use a black Sharpie marker to color the inside sections of all the panel openings.

The transformer area is staffed by several folks. While they source the power transformers from suppliers, they assemble all the signal transformers here. One lady who apparently has been doing this for some time is tasked for all production. Two other men handle the tar potting of all transformers here as well. One fellow showed me a toroidal tranny that is used in the 207 and 1.2 KW amp.

All sheet metal fabrication is performed on site. Visible was a stack of large 18 gauge metal sheets from which the chassis panels are cut. They also source stainless steel sheets for some panels. Adjacent was the speaker assembly area and then the parts and service area where units are repaired.

Then there are several assembly lines dedicated to different kinds of products: amps, integrated amps and source units. Tony told me that virtually all subassemblies along with finished product are tested for consistency. He also shared that they measure the light output of the current LED backlighted meters for consistent color. There are trim pots to make fine adjustments. After all the testing, there is one older lady who is the final white glove. She validates the illumination and either passes or rejects all production. If not rejected, she applies the serial number.

After viewing the production process, Tony took me to their auditioning "theater" where they demonstrate some of their best components. Although they support a full HT system, Tony gave me a two channel demo. He used their best CD transport / DAC into the 1000 SS preamp feeding the 2 kW amps into their large array speakers. Very impressive. While not the best sounding system I've heard, the image was huge and effortless. Even at generous loudness levels, we were rarely exceeding -20 dB output. He began with solo female voice / piano then moved to a male voice piece. Next up was Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall". I confess it was the first time I could clearly hear harmony of the kid's voices with one of the band. Another selection was pipe organ that delivered some very subtle, but powerful first octave pedals.

All in all, it was an enjoyable experience. You could sense the pride each worker took in the assembly process. I thanked my host and hurried to my flight home.

rw


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Topic - Second trip to Binghamton was the charm! - E-Stat 21:54:21 12/4/08 (4)

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