asanders@decwrl.dec.com (11/15/90)
I am interested in knowledgeable opinions of older McIntosh amps and tuners--especially the tube gear. Do people think this equipment has merit in comparison with today's entry-level high-end gear? Information very much appreciated? Alan
lrb@rrivax.rri.uwo.ca (Lance R. Bailey) (11/16/90)
In article <7664@uwm.edu>, adobe!!asanders@decwrl.dec.com writes... > ... request for macintosh info.... I have a pair of 50W2 mono tube amps built sometime in the late forties that i acquired off the net. They replaced my old transistor integrated amp and drive a pair of ESL. If you want a nice old 'curl up and wrap around you' sound, then this equipment is great. I really find it great for background music &c. because details that would draw my attention from a book are not present. The exception to this rule is strings. These old monsters really handle strings well, especially cellos and violas (violi? hmmmm.) the 'throaty sound' that really appeals to me from the middle strings is reproduced better from them than anything else i have heard. The other aspect i like about these amps is that both the input and output have a number of configurations that are available by jumpering solder points. the outputs, for example, can drive 2,4,8,16,32 or 200 ohms depending on which of the 8 leads you jumper/use. Lance R. Bailey, Systems Manager ================================ box: Robarts Research Institute email: lrb@rri.uwo.ca Clinical Trials Resources Group fax: 519.663.3789 P.O. Box 5015, 100 Perth Dr. vox: 519.663.3787 ext. 4108 London, Canada N6A 5K8
mikes@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu (Michael Squires) (11/19/90)
In article <7664@uwm.edu> adobe!!asanders@decwrl.dec.com writes: > Do people think this equipment >has merit in comparison with today's entry-level high-end gear? MacIntosh made several different lines of tube amplifiers. I used one of their instrumentation amps (previously used in Caltech's analog computer, and then surplused when the IBM mainframe came in) in my first stereo system alongside an Eico HF-89. It was a very good amp. The C-20/22 premap and the MC-30/60/75 power amps sounded worse to me than comparable Marantz gear (7 premap, 10B tuner, 8B or 9 power amps). Given that the 7/8B combination sounds quite colored today I would be very surprised if a C-20/MC-275/MR-67 combination (for example) would be competitive with current high end products, or even good middle brow components. There is certainly great demand for these things, but I've never figured out why. The instrumentation amp was interesting in that it was DC coupled from input to the output transformer and used a servo amplifier to control bias - all with tubes. -- Mike Squires (mikes@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu) 812 855 3974 (w) 812 333 6564 (h) mikes@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu 546 N Park Ridge Rd., Bloomington, IN 47408 Under construction: mikes@sir-alan@cica.indiana.edu
randy@uutopia.dell.com (Randy Price) (11/19/90)
-- Here is the second attempt.
As a former employee of a McIntosh store, and a tube lover, here's my opinion:
The Mac 275 adn 240 amps will give most modern tube equipment a run for its money unmodified. The 275 especially is wonderful. I wish I had one again now that KT88's can be found in quantity with quality.
The C-22 preamp has one of the most musical phone preamp around, even though it's background noise level is higher than modern preamps. This can usually be reduced by a thorough cleaning and "no-brainer" mods like new rca jacks and such. Also keeping the pots clean is recommended.
If someone wants to send me a C-22 and 275, I promise to never ask for amplification equipment again.
My experience with Mac tube tuners is limited, but the solid state MR-78 remains the best tuner in terms of acuracy (ability to pick stations without trouble) and musicality. You may include one with the above system.
Randy
________________________________________________________
Randy Price randy@uutopia.dell.com
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