Opinions needed - McIntosh MA5100 & MR74

[cwood74]

Hi everyone. I've wanted a McIntosh system since my dad showed me one when I was 10. I'm not what you would call an audiophile but I do have a deep appreciation for good sound and quality gear. I've lived in a condo for years and have benefited from the convenience of a Bose system (sounds great, zero footprint). Now, I'm moving into a house and will have some room and no neighbours who'll come knocking on my door when things get loud.

I'd really like to go old school. I want warmth of sound and performance and I have an opportunity to buy a McIntosh MA5100 amp and a MR74 tuner for $500. I know this isn't top of the line McIntosh equipment but I'm thinking it might be a good starting point to get my den set up with something strong without having to dump thousands into a new system. No?

Please let me know whether you think this is a wise choice. Will I be happy with it? Further, are there any recommendations on speakers?

[Mr Peabody]

That amp sold new for about $499.00 between 1966-72. It is hard to find Mac cheap though so both for $500.00 isn't terrible. It's only 45 wpc stereo so if your room will be medium to large I'd stick to a sensitive speaker, 89dB or higher. I don't know of any magic combo with Mac. Speakers vary in character. It's something you should listen and make a decision on. To get the benefit from the Mac though you want to roll with a quality speaker, Thiel, Dali, maybe B&W and the like. I normally recommend Paradigm as well, I like the sound and they are sensitive but the last couple times I heard them with Mac it wasn't great, not terrible, just left me thinking there has to be a better match.

[E-Stat]

I'd really like to go old school. I want warmth of sound and performance and I have an opportunity to buy a McIntosh MA5100 amp and a MR74 tuner for $500...
Please let me know whether you think this is a wise choice.
It would certainly meet your criteria, but I would be concerned about the integrity of a forty year old component - unless it has already had all of its capacitors replaced as they age over that span of time. There is, however, a place called Audioclassics (http://audioclassics.com/) that specializes in modernizing older Mac gear and sells refreshed units.

Just in case you are bored, you can literally find hundreds of other opinions over at AA here. (http://db.audioasylum.com/cgi/search.mpl?searchtext=5100+McIntosh&b=AND&topic=&topics_only=N&author=&date1=&date2=&slowmessage=&sort=score&sortOrder=DESC&forum=vintage)Good luck!

rw

[Feanor]

Hi everyone. I've wanted a McIntosh system since my dad showed me one when I was 10. I'm not what you would call an audiophile but I do have a deep appreciation for good sound and quality gear. I've lived in a condo for years and have benefited from the convenience of a Bose system (sounds great, zero footprint). Now, I'm moving into a house and will have some room and no neighbours who'll come knocking on my door when things get loud.

I'd really like to go old school. I want warmth of sound and performance and I have an opportunity to buy a McIntosh MA5100 amp and a MR74 tuner for $500. I know this isn't top of the line McIntosh equipment but I'm thinking it might be a good starting point to get my den set up with something strong without having to dump thousands into a new system. No?

Please let me know whether you think this is a wise choice. Will I be happy with it? Further, are there any recommendations on speakers?
If both components are working well and are in good cosmetic condition, they are certainly worth $500 -- likely more.

The MA5100 is from the late '60s-early '70s; the MR74 from the early to late '70s. Of the two, the tuner will be the more valuable and could be worth $500+ on it own if in excellent condition. By the way, tuners hold better over the years than amplfiers, and vintage analog tuners are highly sought after by FM aficanados.

As to whether you'll be happy with the combo, obviously it depends on the condition. It also depends on whether you have an esthetic admiration for vintage McIntosh, (as I do). Otherwise you can probably get as good performance for less money, for example, from a late '70s receiver from Marantz, Sansui, or Kenwood.

[Mr Peabody]

Feanor, did you mean to say receiver? Certainly the Mac integrated and tuner should out perform a receiver especially brands mentioned in all aspects.

[Feanor]

Feanor, did you mean to say receiver? Certainly the Mac integrated and tuner should out perform a receiver especially brands mentioned in all aspects.
Well ... I don't know about all respects, especially amplfier, and especially if more power than the Mac MA5100. However at $500 our OP can't go wrong if the Macs are operational and very good cosmetic condition -- yes, I'd recommend that option.

But bear in mind that for $500 you can get a near top-of-the-line receiver of mid-late '70s vintage. Something like this Marantz 2325, (1975; 125 wpc), is very nice indeed.

http://www.classic-audio.com/marantz/pics/2325.jpg

[Feanor]

Or again, in purely practical terms, a modern stereo receiver might be best of all. For example, this Harmon Kardon recommened by Blackraven in another, recent thread: see HERE (http://stereos.about.com/od/stereoreceiverreviews/fr/HK3490.htm).

It has features undreamt of in the '70s such as remote control and subwoofer output.

[Mr Peabody]

It would be up to the purchaser to decide but I totally disagree. The Mac integrated though 45 watts will outperform the modern HK and I'd be willing to say even the classic Marantz receiver. I sold Kenwood, Carver and HK and have heard plenty of Mac, it's two different things. Have you heard any Mac? That Marantz vintage receiver could possibly play louder with 125 watts but I'm talking just sound quality.

[Feanor]

It would be up to the purchaser to decide but I totally disagree. The Mac integrated though 45 watts will outperform the modern HK and I'd be willing to say even the classic Marantz receiver. I sold Kenwood, Carver and HK and have heard plenty of Mac, it's two different things. Have you heard any Mac? That Marantz vintage receiver could possibly play louder with 125 watts but I'm talking just sound quality.
Well, you would know better than me. In any case we both agree that our poster gets a pretty good deal on the Macs for 500 bucks assuming they're in decent condition.

[cwood74]

Thanks everyone for the advice. The Mac gear was snapped up but I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. I'm leaning toward Marantz (thanks Feanor). I'm in Toronto and there seems to be a few places that deal on this type of thing. The trick is finding something that's been serviced. Not sure if Audioclassics ships to Canada but I'll definitely look into it. There's another spot called classicaudio in California that has beautiful stuff but won't ship to the great white north.

[Mr Peabody]

You might also want to look for Sansui integrated amps. I had an AU9500 that I prefer over comparable Mac. The AU9500 with no filters on and tone controls set at zero (12 o'clock), it was more neutral and faster than comparable Mac. Mac lovers would most likely prefer the wwarmth and look of their gear though. The AU9500's knobs and switches were like industrial, more like good test equipment would have, really nice piece. This was Sansui's top integrated for a couple years in the early 70's. I'm not sure what other models were stand out.

Luxman may also be a possibility, but it is a different sound from Mac. The Luxman I've heard has been brighter, slightly better resolution and clarity, not as strong on bass. I'm talking each brands more entry pieces. And, of course, as heard by me :)

Also, unless your heart was just set on vintage, since the Mac is gone, Feanor had a good point about decent current models in the range you were looking to spend. Or newer used gear.

Have you listened to much gear to know what type of sound you like?

[harley .guy07]

I would agree with you Mr. Peabody on the old Sansui stuff I used to hear it when I was younger and my dad was into this hobby and he loved Sansui stuff and I liked the sound of their older stuff until the 80's when Sansui started to go downhill. We had a electronics store in Joplin called Rex electronics and they sold the cheap pioneer,jvc,and sony stuff in the 80's and when I seen Sansui among them in that store I knew that they were not the company they once were but their older stuff is built well and quite good.

[Luvin Da Blues]

You might also want to look for Sansui integrated amps. I had an AU9500 that I prefer over comparable Mac. The AU9500 with no filters on and tone controls set at zero (12 o'clock), it was more neutral and faster than comparable Mac. Mac lovers would most likely prefer the wwarmth and look of their gear though. The AU9500's knobs and switches were like industrial, more like good test equipment would have, really nice piece. This was Sansui's top integrated for a couple years in the early 70's. I'm not sure what other models were stand out.

Although I've never heard the AU9500 but will not part with my AU6900. Some day I will have to put it into service with some nice vintage speakers.

You have to love the look and feel of those vintage Sansui knobs.

[Mr Peabody]

Does the 6900 have the midrange tone control? The 9500 also had a separate bass/mid/treble turnover frequency setting and high/low filters.

I had this in my favorites, check it out: http://www.classicaudio.com/value/san/index.html

[Luvin Da Blues]

Does the 6900 have the midrange tone control? The 9500 also had a separate bass/mid/treble turnover frequency setting and high/low filters.

I had this in my favorites, check it out: http://www.classicaudio.com/value/san/index.html

Yes, the 6900 has the mid control but I use to run it with the tone controls bypassed. Found this pic O/L. It doesn't do justice to the knobs.

[02audionoob]

Or again, in purely practical terms, a modern stereo receiver might be best of all. For example, this Harmon Kardon recommened by Blackraven in another, recent thread: see HERE (http://stereos.about.com/od/stereoreceiverreviews/fr/HK3490.htm).

It has features undreamt of in the '70s such as remote control and subwoofer output.

On the Marantz 2325, I would think you could run a sub with the PRE OUT or the 2nd set of speaker outputs. The PRE OUT is not jumpered to the MAIN IN on that model.

[Feanor]

On the Marantz 2325, I would think you could run a sub with the PRE OUT or the 2nd set of speaker outputs. The PRE OUT is not jumpered to the MAIN IN on that model.
True. Of course there won't be a high-pass filter to control the mains unless the sub itself provides one which is not always the case. So it might or might not work well depending on the sub and/or the mains.

[E-Stat]

I'm leaning toward Marantz (thanks Feanor).
It all depends upon your priorities. If what you seek is best sounding bang-for-the-buck, I'd recommend getting a current NAD or Onkyo integrated. OTOH, if what you really want is the product legacy and unique cosmetics of a Mac, you'll likely not be satisfied with anything else.

rw

[Mr Peabody]

A modern receiver may have a remote but you are clearly not familiar with Mac or you wouldn't compare it to one.