2. amps-preamps
  3. 130893-102001

Inherited 21 piece of vintage McIntosh and need help building a system

Hello.  I was fortunate enough to inherit a huge collection of mac stuff from my uncle, but although an audiophile, I'm out of my element with vintage stuff.  Here is a list of what I have to work with:

C28 preamp

two C20, stereo tube preamp

two C8's mono tube preamp

MC2002, Solid state amp

MC2200, Solid state amp

MR67, FM Stereo Tube Tuner

MR 71, FM Stereo Tube Tuner

MR74, tuner

MX 112, tuner preamp

1700 tuner

1900 tuner

MA5100, integrated amp

two MC 60's, tube amp

MC 240, 40WPC amp

MC 250, 50WPC amp

Sansui 500A

Dynaco SCA-35

HK A220

 

Linn axis turn table

Technics SL-1950 turntable

Mac XL10 speakers

Utah A70-A speakers


Any suggestions on what the best pairing would be out of these?  I can't use all of it so some will be posted once I get a system built.

Thanks for the help,

Brent



128x128brenthardy
donvito101
278 posts
 
FYI: The 1700 and 1900 are receivers. They both include amp,preamp,and phono sections!
brenthardy's avatar
brenthardy OP
2 posts
 

Thank you all!  I'm starting to dig in and turn things on and see what functions as is and what needs some work.  I'm in Boise, ID and I haven't found any help from the high ends shops so I figured I'd start here.  Concerning the speakers, those are just want were passed on.  I can hook up to several different pairs of Martin Logans, Polks, or cheap Bose but I thought I would stay in era.  I have pugged in the XL10s and they still sound good. 

My goal would be to pair the best parts together for single system that I can play via cd or digital sources.  I don't have any records and am not familiar with the vintage equipment (run mostly anthem gear with the Martin Logans).  The music is main bands of the same era like Zeppelin, Floyd, GD, etc if that matters.

effisher: thanks for the suggestion.  I'll start playing with that.  I'm not sure if I know how to put the tubes in right so we'll see how that goes and hopefully I don't blow anything up!

Any special power considerations?


Thank you again...I'm sure I'll have more questions moving forward.  I'll check out audio classics and see what they say.  I also have boxes of parts, manuals, and marketing stuff that I don't even know where to start with.  Is that of any interest to mac enthusiasts?

Brent

mikirob
955 posts
 
Hi,
you are extremely lucky to have inherited this gear. Go to Jeff Day's Blog, he writes for Positive Feedback as well as 6 moons. Jeff has a lot of The McIntosh stuff you have and writes often about it. Jeff also have used audio classics as well as vintage tube amps.com. Again all your stuff is valuable. Lotta' good Mac restoration out their. Start with Jeff Day.
mikirob
955 posts
 
I meant to say, vintagevacuumtubeaudio.com above. Mikirob 
almarg's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
almarg
9,670 posts
 
I’m starting to dig in and turn things on and see what functions as is and what needs some work.
If any of the components have not been powered up in several years, and certainly if they have not been powered up in a decade or two, they should absolutely not be simply plugged in and turned on. The AC voltage that is initially supplied to them should be brought up slowly, over a period of perhaps 8 hours or so, using a Variac or other device that can provide variable AC voltage and that has an adequate current rating. That would allow electrolytic capacitors to "re-form" gradually, reducing the likelihood that you would be greeted with a lot of hum when you try to put the component to use. It would also reduce the likelihood of secondary damage occurring as a result of an existing defect, especially if you periodically check for signs of anything overheating as the voltage is brought up. Things to look for would include electrolytic capacitors or transformers that get hot, and power tubes whose plates glow red.

Also, as a general rule tube power amplifiers, tube integrated amplifiers, and tube receivers should not be operated without a speaker or equivalent load being connected, especially if the component is processing a signal.

Regarding your original question, many excellent comments have been provided above. While I’m familiar with just some of the components you’ve listed, I would particularly second Effischer’s singling out of the MC60 amplifiers and the MR71 tuner, which I know to be excellent performers if in top condition and/or well restored. And I and many others here can vouch for the vintage Grace cartridges he mentioned.

Good luck as you proceed. Regards,
-- Al

More to discover