MX150 rebooting itself regularly

[W9TR]

Not bad....I have only one 4K source so I am using my PJ to switch video: 4K from the OppO, MX 151 for all 1080p. Works fine, so I’ll stick with it until I add height channels.

[jr_spyder]

Ron, I agree with you that this time for repair is very disappointing and McIntosh should do much better. There really is no excuse for it. If they warn ahead of time that it's going to be at least six months it means they have a big stack of a backlog. Call HR - hire more techs! The backlog won't go away by itself, and they are releasing new gear regularly which is getting more and more complex. Repair/support demands, even under warranty, are sure to increase.

The MX150/151 seems particularly complex. I called my local authorized repair shop (near Boston), one in Connecticut, and even Audio Classics, and none of them touch this component. They all said send it back to the factory.

A positive thing I'll say however is that it is always easy to reach the support guys by phone and email, it's always free even for old gear, and they really try to help. Of course there is only so much they can do remotely.

I'm not ready to change away from McIntosh anytime soon, which might be part of the problem. Maybe they need to start losing loyal customers like me because of their repair times...

[Poppyhome]

Originally Posted by jr_spyder

Ron, I agree with you that this time for repair is very disappointing and McIntosh should do much better. There really is no excuse for it. If they warn ahead of time that it's going to be at least six months it means they have a big stack of a backlog. Call HR - hire more techs! The backlog won't go away by itself, and they are releasing new gear regularly which is getting more and more complex. Repair/support demands, even under warranty, are sure to increase.

The MX150/151 seems particularly complex. I called my local authorized repair shop (near Boston), one in Connecticut, and even Audio Classics, and none of them touch this component. They all said send it back to the factory.

A positive thing I'll say however is that it is always easy to reach the support guys by phone and email, it's always free even for old gear, and they really try to help. Of course there is only so much they can do remotely.

I'm not ready to change away from McIntosh anytime soon, which might be part of the problem. Maybe they need to start losing loyal customers like me because of their repair times...

I may be hearing Bryston calling me.

Wonder if James would allow a 9 month turnaround time.

Ron

[jr_spyder]

A reality about electronics repairs these days is that it really is almost entirely a job of swapping PCB boards out/in. My MX151 needed three boards replaced, and a couple connecting cables. Techs hardly ever get out a soldering iron and remove a resister or cap, etc. anymore, but just disassemble a bunch of wires/connectors, unscrew and unsnap the boards, then put it all back together. There is some chance they put an oscilloscope or other tester on the boards to diagnose the problem, and that would take a little more training, but the guy who designed/built the unit is in the building so help isn't far away.

Finally if you want a really sophisticated electronics tech these days hire a veteran who spent his or her career on far more complicated systems with life or death consequences. (Yes, I'm a veteran).

Okay, I'll stop trying to run McIntosh from home now...

Well wait, I'm writing this in my office happily listening to my vintage MX110 and MC225 (not in my signature). Nearly 60 years old and still a wonder to listen to. McIntosh did/does a lot right.

JR

[Masterlu]

Originally Posted by Poppyhome

I may be hearing Bryston calling me.

Wonder if James would allow a 9 month turnaround time.

Ron

I sell a Ton of Bryston SP3’s/SP4’s, not a single service related issue ever.

[Poppyhome]

Originally Posted by Masterlu

I sell a Ton of Bryston SP3’s/SP4’s, not a single service related issue ever.

Thanks for the feedback Ivan.

Ron

[jr_spyder]

Well, after all this consternation from me I just got the RA from McIntosh and expected turn around time of 2 months. Sounds darn good compared to 9 months.

[djwhog]

Originally Posted by jr_spyder

A reality about electronics repairs these days is that it really is almost entirely a job of swapping PCB boards out/in. My MX151 needed three boards replaced, and a couple connecting cables. Techs hardly ever get out a soldering iron and remove a resister or cap, etc. anymore, but just disassemble a bunch of wires/connectors, unscrew and unsnap the boards, then put it all back together. There is some chance they put an oscilloscope or other tester on the boards to diagnose the problem, and that would take a little more training, but the guy who designed/built the unit is in the building so help isn't far away.

Finally if you want a really sophisticated electronics tech these days hire a veteran who spent his or her career on far more complicated systems with life or death consequences. (Yes, I'm a veteran).

Okay, I'll stop trying to run McIntosh from home now...

Well wait, I'm writing this in my office happily listening to my vintage MX110 and MC225 (not in my signature). Nearly 60 years old and still a wonder to listen to. McIntosh did/does a lot right.

JR

Agree but also seems like guess work that 3 entire boards are bad, could not it have been just one, and they guess wrong twice? Just saying... no more or very few techs left in the planet these days, just parts changers as you say.


Same as the automotive world. All the people like me that can rebuild and fix crap are gone... sad

[W9TR]

JR,
That’s good news, 2 months seems more reasonable. Good luck!

Like a lot of other digital McIntosh stuff , a lot of the internals are designed and built by third party companies like Momentum Data Services.

This allows McIntosh to get to market with complex units but makes service problematic on the back end. I think this is also why repair service for these units has stayed with the factory.

[Masterlu]

Originally Posted by jr_spyder

Well, after all this consternation from me I just got the RA from McIntosh and expected turn around time of 2 months. Sounds darn good compared to 9 months.

That’s great news; McIntosh does in fact read AA.