Inherited McIntosh equipment- speaker recommendations?

[Soli528]

Hello to all-
I recently inherited some Mcintosh equipment from my Granddad. I'm in the process of full restroration (testing all voltages, I/O, caps & resistors), but I don't really have much complimentary gear, namely speakers, to do justice once they're up and running. Are there any speakers on a modest budget that anyone would recommend for a mint MX110 driving a near mint MC240?

Thanks,
Soli

[JoeE SP9]

Hello to all-
I recently inherited some Mcintosh equipment from my Granddad. I'm in the process of full restroration (testing all voltages, I/O, caps & resistors), but I don't really have much complimentary gear, namely speakers, to do justice once they're up and running. Are there any speakers on a modest budget that anyone would recommend for a mint MX110 driving a near mint MC240?

Thanks,
Soli

It's more than likely that most of the responses you will get will recommend a particular brand or type of speaker. Planars, ported, electrostatic, acoustic suspension, transmission line and infinite baffle from a variety of manufacturers are what people will recommend. All those recommendations are based upon personal biases. I'm not going to recommend anything in particular. I will suggest this, listen to a slew of different speakers in different price ranges from different manufacturers. When you hear or settle on what YOU like, go to audiogon or another place that specializes in used gear and look for what you want. That wonderful Mac gear you now own can drive just about anything, so your choice is not restricted. By the way, what do you mean by modest budget.

[Soli528]

It's more than likely that most of the responses you will get will recommend a particular brand or type of speaker. Planars, ported, electrostatic, acoustic suspension, transmission line and infinite baffle from a variety of manufacturers are what people will recommend. All those recommendations are based upon personal biases. I'm not going to recommend anything in particular. I will suggest this, listen to a slew of different speakers in different price ranges from different manufacturers. When you hear or settle on what YOU like, go to audiogon or another place that specializes in used gear and look for what you want. That wonderful Mac gear you now own can drive just about anything, so your choice is not restricted. By the way, what do you mean by modest budget.

Thanks, Joe. A modest budget in my case is $500-$1000 bucks for a pair. I figured I'd go with something fairly small, just because I'm only putting out 40W/ch.

[Resident Loser]

Thanks, Joe. A modest budget in my case is $500-$1000 bucks for a pair. I figured I'd go with something fairly small, just because I'm only putting out 40W/ch.

...That's a quite reasonable figure I'd say...as was suggested, visit a few places and bring some music you are familiar with...listen within and slightly above your budgetary considerations(for comparison purposes)...Also 40 Wpc of Mac watts is probably sufficient for all but the most difficult loads...My speakers are relatively inefficient and require 2.5 watts on average to cruise at 80-85dB SPL...

jimHJJ(...good luck and good listening...)

[JoeE SP9]

Thanks, Joe. A modest budget in my case is $500-$1000 bucks for a pair. I figured I'd go with something fairly small, just because I'm only putting out 40W/ch.

How much area are you working with? What kind of positioning restrictions are you working with? If you have the space I think the smaller Magnepans at about $500 a pair are the best sounding inexpensive speakers out there. They do require positioning 2 to 3 ft. from the wall behind them. They are also light enough to move out of the way when not in use. Sorry to push a specific brand, but Maggie's to my ears walk all over everything else of comparable price until you start spending kilobucks. As you approach the kilobuck area boxes start sounding quite good to even me, a lover of panels. In any case, I urge you to listen to as many different speakers as you can before you spend a single cent. It is your ears that must be satisfied. I would not be to concerned about the power from your Mac amp as it is capable of driving just about any load known to man (1ohm Apogees excluded), unlike most receivers which generally don't like low impedence loads.

[Soli528]

Thank you, gentlemen. This info is truly helpful; it sounds like I have some critical listening to do. I'll post a follow-up once I've come to a decision.
-MS

[Brian Levy]

Don't let the 40 watts fool you. Few speakers and setups require more unless you are into entertaining the next door neighbor. You will need to look at speakers that do not need high DF. As for specific recommendations, well that's like asking what woman should you marry. The only 1 I could recommend is the 1 I already have. There are a lot to choose from and a lot of different approaches. If you have some friends who have say a set of Advents (originals of the Smaller Advents) and a set of Klipsch; either Heresys or Cornwalls, listen to both. Not suggesting you should go with either but these are fairly common and can help point you towards the path. 2 different approaches in engineering and each has some strong points. Maggies are good but I suspect with these based on others that the 240 may be too limited in power. Klipsch owners seem to find the Mc as a favorite at least for the Heritage series (K'horns, LaScala, Belles, Cornwalls and Heresy). Advents are representative of what was called the New England sound and are plentiful and cheap. Most need surrounds but that is not a big deal. They also appear with many long owned Mc systems as do KLH 5s and AR3 series and AR5 series speakers (all New England sound).