Mcintosh 1700

Those things have eight tubes in them that should be tested at least. Buying a new set may be easier and will give you more of a guarantee that you are getting the most out of it, since it is more than 30 years old now. I heard a restored Mac1500 that sounded great but that is quite a different design than the 1700.

Hooking speakers in parallel on a 40W amp could be a real problem - I don't recommend it. Your speakers may have a low impedance to begin with which would overstress your amp.

I think it would be worth new tubes at least. Check to see if any of the caps have leaked at the base (brown goo). They may need replacing too. That said, I have seen several really old Mcs that really needed nothing done to them. It is up to you. Good luck!

You can use 4 speakers (2 pairs) on the Mac. It has Main and Remote sets of binding post. Impedance is not a problem for most Macs have an autoformer so it doesn't matter if your speakers are 4/8/16 ohms. Just like Aball said, you might want to check the tubes. Although most of the original tubes in the Mac 1700 were Telefunkens (including my Mac 1700), which are known to last a very long time it is better to check them to be safe.

The best thing about the Mac 1700 is that, 40 watts sounds bigger and more powerful than it seems, and it has a very good tuner section. On mine, I replace all output transistors with newer Motorola parts (Q36-Q39)and in my ears was the biggest improvement I did better than replacing all tubes. Do some experimentation, you will love this receiver. Enjoy.

If there are two sets of outputs, you will be fine. Otherwise, you will halve the impedance which will be a tough load regardless. Arthur

Thanks I really appreciate the feedback....

I finally have this thing all hooked up ....I listened to it for a while and i noticed that the left channel is much more quiet than the right.....so I am thinking i need to have this thing checked out....i was thinking about sending it to audioclassics in binghampton....Any idea of the cost range i am going to pay to get this thing going....should i just start from scratch and buy a new recevier or int amp

I forgot to mention I have a rel strata sub woofer that i would like to hook up......

It is probably worth fixing if it is in good cosmetic condition. Audioclassics will do a 1st class job but the bill may reflect that too.... Good luck!

i found a guy locally to fix it for 340 ....turns out that a lot was going on ....and it had never been worked on simce it was new....will let you all know how it sounds...

Hook up the REL to the speaker terminals of the 1700. BTW; the 1700 is tube powered for the tuner only. The amp and preamp are solid state. The only all tube receiver McIntosh offered was the MAC1500 and those rarely are seen for sale.

I'd buy one!