McIntosh Oldies....

[damacman]

Originally Posted by 62caddy

Here's another oldie you may enjoy. Although no n specific McIntosh product is mentioned in the copy, it's pretty clear the MAC1500 was the unit being promoted.

As far as ads go, that one is pretty damn corny caddy ...

[MrG]

What are my vintage Mac gear and why do I keep them? As you can see I am a relative newbie when it comes to the forum, I hope I don't overstep my bounds as this question really hit home for me. I have a small collection of older Mac gear and each group has a personal story. I confess up front that I am a very sentimental person and that clearly comes into play when addressing this question.
I will start with the bedroom system. Back in the mid 70's a lot of Mac owners were trading in their tube gear for solid state. I had a dear friend, Owen Wheeler who worked for Hi Fi Hutch in the suburbs of Chicago. Owen would purchase the prime examples of these trade ins and amassed an amazing collection of tube classics. Owen brought over a mint MC240 and plugged in in. I was instantly convinced that the $200 price was going to well worth it. I bought the complete set, the C20 pre, the MR65b tuner and the 240.
Why do I keep it? First and foremost because of my connection to Owen and the role he played in my life, second the systems place in McIntosh history, each piece represents the first stereo component that McIntosh brought to market. Third, it still sounds great, I smile every time its on.
Next would be the office system. By this time I was an admirer of McIntosh. This system resulted from a friend who's name is Jeff. Jeff had lost his job and was selling his gear to get by. I offered to buy all his equipment at the price he wanted with the stipulation that when back on his feet he could buy it back for the same amount. Into my possession came a MC7150, C712, MC2505 and a C26. My office system runs the C26 pre with the MC2505 amp and a MR74 tuner. Why do I keep it? First, though years have gone by it represents a commitment to a friend, Second it represents a place in McIntosh development history with the 2505 the first product with the now iconic illuminated meters, the first solid state amp with autoformers, and first with full glass faceplate. The set from this time period established what is considered the classic McIntosh "look".
Last but not least it sounds great. When I am listening as I work I never wonder or worry about sound stage or countless audiophile issues, I simply enjoy the music. In some respects its more relaxing than the reference system.
Last would be the reference system. I have 8 amplifiers at my disposal for the main system, I know that may seem a bit much to some but who ever said this hobby is rational? I enjoy the option of listing through vintage amps from time to time and my vintage set up is all McIntosh. I use a MC2200 in mono for my sub, the 7150 is laterally bi amped, running the woofers of both speakers and a pair of MC30's put tubes on the mid and high frequency drivers.
Why do I keep these? The MC30's are simply stunning, ( oh, and one was a gift from Owen ) the 7150s do a nice job with the woofers and the 2200 reminds me of where SS has come from. ( its shows it's design age ) Some times I just like to turn the clock back a bit.

I have really taken up a lot of space and apologize if this is an inappropriate use of the forum. Jerome, thank you for posting this, I hope others can get as much fun and pleasure out of their vintage gear as we do.

[damacman]

Originally Posted by MrG

What are my vintage Mac gear and why do I keep them? As you can see I am a relative newbie when it comes to the forum, I hope I don't overstep my bounds as this question really hit home for me. I have a small collection of older Mac gear and each group has a personal story. I confess up front that I am a very sentimental person and that clearly comes into play when addressing this question.
I will start with the bedroom system. Back in the mid 70's a lot of Mac owners were trading in their tube gear for solid state. I had a dear friend, Owen Wheeler who worked for Hi Fi Hutch in the suburbs of Chicago. Owen would purchase the prime examples of these trade ins and amassed an amazing collection of tube classics. Owen brought over a mint MC240 and plugged in in. I was instantly convinced that the $200 price was going to well worth it. I bought the complete set, the C20 pre, the MR65b tuner and the 240.
Why do I keep it? First and foremost because of my connection to Owen and the role he played in my life, second the systems place in McIntosh history, each piece represents the first stereo component that McIntosh brought to market. Third, it still sounds great, I smile every time its on.
Next would be the office system. By this time I was an admirer of McIntosh. This system resulted from a friend who's name is Jeff. Jeff had lost his job and was selling his gear to get by. I offered to buy all his equipment at the price he wanted with the stipulation that when back on his feet he could buy it back for the same amount. Into my possession came a MC7150, C712, MC2505 and a C26. My office system runs the C26 pre with the MC2505 amp and a MR74 tuner. Why do I keep it? First, though years have gone by it represents a commitment to a friend, Second it represents a place in McIntosh development history with the 2505 the first product with the now iconic illuminated meters, the first solid state amp with autoformers, and first with full glass faceplate. The set from this time period established what is considered the classic McIntosh "look".
Last but not least it sounds great. When I am listening as I work I never wonder or worry about sound stage or countless audiophile issues, I simply enjoy the music. In some respects its more relaxing than the reference system.
Last would be the reference system. I have 8 amplifiers at my disposal for the main system, I know that may seem a bit much to some but who ever said this hobby is rational? I enjoy the option of listing through vintage amps from time to time and my vintage set up is all McIntosh. I use a MC2200 in mono for my sub, the 7150 is laterally bi amped, running the woofers of both speakers and a pair of MC30's put tubes on the mid and high frequency drivers.
Why do I keep these? The MC30's are simply stunning, ( oh, and one was a gift from Owen ) the 7150s do a nice job with the woofers and the 2200 reminds me of where SS has come from. ( its shows it's design age ) Some times I just like to turn the clock back a bit.

I have really taken up a lot of space and apologize if this is an inappropriate use of the forum. Jerome, thank you for posting this, I hope others can get as much fun and pleasure out of their vintage gear as we do.

Well, having traveled a similar path as you (I began with an MX110 / MC240 in 1990), owning hundreds of pieces of Mc since, and experiencing the very same results, I can relate. Thank you for sharing the story!

[Roni]

Originally Posted by MrG

What are my vintage Mac gear and why do I keep them? As you can see I am a relative newbie when it comes to the forum, I hope I don't overstep my bounds as this question really hit home for me. I have a small collection of older Mac gear and each group has a personal story. I confess up front that I am a very sentimental person and that clearly comes into play when addressing this question.
I will start with the bedroom system. Back in the mid 70's a lot of Mac owners were trading in their tube gear for solid state. I had a dear friend, Owen Wheeler who worked for Hi Fi Hutch in the suburbs of Chicago. Owen would purchase the prime examples of these trade ins and amassed an amazing collection of tube classics. Owen brought over a mint MC240 and plugged in in. I was instantly convinced that the $200 price was going to well worth it. I bought the complete set, the C20 pre, the MR65b tuner and the 240.
Why do I keep it? First and foremost because of my connection to Owen and the role he played in my life, second the systems place in McIntosh history, each piece represents the first stereo component that McIntosh brought to market. Third, it still sounds great, I smile every time its on.
Next would be the office system. By this time I was an admirer of McIntosh. This system resulted from a friend who's name is Jeff. Jeff had lost his job and was selling his gear to get by. I offered to buy all his equipment at the price he wanted with the stipulation that when back on his feet he could buy it back for the same amount. Into my possession came a MC7150, C712, MC2505 and a C26. My office system runs the C26 pre with the MC2505 amp and a MR74 tuner. Why do I keep it? First, though years have gone by it represents a commitment to a friend, Second it represents a place in McIntosh development history with the 2505 the first product with the now iconic illuminated meters, the first solid state amp with autoformers, and first with full glass faceplate. The set from this time period established what is considered the classic McIntosh "look".
Last but not least it sounds great. When I am listening as I work I never wonder or worry about sound stage or countless audiophile issues, I simply enjoy the music. In some respects its more relaxing than the reference system.
Last would be the reference system. I have 8 amplifiers at my disposal for the main system, I know that may seem a bit much to some but who ever said this hobby is rational? I enjoy the option of listing through vintage amps from time to time and my vintage set up is all McIntosh. I use a MC2200 in mono for my sub, the 7150 is laterally bi amped, running the woofers of both speakers and a pair of MC30's put tubes on the mid and high frequency drivers.
Why do I keep these? The MC30's are simply stunning, ( oh, and one was a gift from Owen ) the 7150s do a nice job with the woofers and the 2200 reminds me of where SS has come from. ( its shows it's design age ) Some times I just like to turn the clock back a bit.

I have really taken up a lot of space and apologize if this is an inappropriate use of the forum. Jerome, thank you for posting this, I hope others can get as much fun and pleasure out of their vintage gear as we do.

Thank you, I really enjoy.

[MrG]

damacman ( duh, I just got that ) Roni, glad you enjoyed the story, as you can tell I was a bit concerned about taking up forum space with some of my hi fi history.
Good listening,
G

[Jerome W]

Originally Posted by MrG

What are my vintage Mac gear and why do I keep them? As you can see I am a relative newbie when it comes to the forum, I hope I don't overstep my bounds as this question really hit home for me. I have a small collection of older Mac gear and each group has a personal story. I confess up front that I am a very sentimental person and that clearly comes into play when addressing this question.

I will start with the bedroom system. Back in the mid 70's a lot of Mac owners were trading in their tube gear for solid state. I had a dear friend, Owen Wheeler who worked for Hi Fi Hutch in the suburbs of Chicago. Owen would purchase the prime examples of these trade ins and amassed an amazing collection of tube classics. Owen brought over a mint MC240 and plugged in in. I was instantly convinced that the $200 price was going to well worth it. I bought the complete set, the C20 pre, the MR65b tuner and the 240.

Why do I keep it? First and foremost because of my connection to Owen and the role he played in my life, second the systems place in McIntosh history, each piece represents the first stereo component that McIntosh brought to market. Third, it still sounds great, I smile every time its on.

Next would be the office system. By this time I was an admirer of McIntosh. This system resulted from a friend who's name is Jeff. Jeff had lost his job and was selling his gear to get by. I offered to buy all his equipment at the price he wanted with the stipulation that when back on his feet he could buy it back for the same amount. Into my possession came a MC7150, C712, MC2505 and a C26. My office system runs the C26 pre with the MC2505 amp and a MR74 tuner. Why do I keep it? First, though years have gone by it represents a commitment to a friend, Second it represents a place in McIntosh development history with the 2505 the first product with the now iconic illuminated meters, the first solid state amp with autoformers, and first with full glass faceplate. The set from this time period established what is considered the classic McIntosh "look".

Last but not least it sounds great. When I am listening as I work I never wonder or worry about sound stage or countless audiophile issues, I simply enjoy the music. In some respects its more relaxing than the reference system.

Last would be the reference system. I have 8 amplifiers at my disposal for the main system, I know that may seem a bit much to some but who ever said this hobby is rational? I enjoy the option of listing through vintage amps from time to time and my vintage set up is all McIntosh. I use a MC2200 in mono for my sub, the 7150 is laterally bi amped, running the woofers of both speakers and a pair of MC30's put tubes on the mid and high frequency drivers.

Why do I keep these? The MC30's are simply stunning, ( oh, and one was a gift from Owen ) the 7150s do a nice job with the woofers and the 2200 reminds me of where SS has come from. ( its shows it's design age ) Some times I just like to turn the clock back a bit.



I have really taken up a lot of space and apologize if this is an inappropriate use of the forum. Jerome, thank you for posting this, I hope others can get as much fun and pleasure out of their vintage gear as we do.

Superb story ! Thanks a lot for sharing !! Fully appropriate to the thread !

[70sMac]

Man, I can't tell you what it means to find a thread featuring "the oldies"! The oldest MAC item we own is our MAC4100, which was followed by a MAC4200, which inspired us to seek "more power" in the form of adding an MC300 and, lastly, we invested in an MX130 when we first became interested in surround sound. We began buying this stuff because a friend my uncle went to high school with had a MAC4100 and a pair of Altec-Lansing studio monitors that would shake the walls of his duplex apartment (back in the mid- to late-70s). I can still hear that first demonstration ... "Ramble On" from Led Zeppelin II ... Anyway, the hook was set and has been there ever since. By the way, all of the items I listed herein are still with us and functioning very well. Thank you for creating this thread!

[jdcarlson]

I too cherish older Mac gear!
I have MC2255s(4) driving my KLH Model Nines at the office (using the "extra" amps fo each channel to drive Velodyne subs - using MEN200 as active crossover).
I have two MC2205s at home
As "spares" i have two MC7270s, two MC2500s, and a MC2505.
I cannot bring myself to sell any of them!
(However, my wife is starting to "fuss" about the room they take up.)
To me McIntosh makes the best gear in the world.
Thanks,
Jim

[W9TR]

I have some vintage McIntosh gear - nothing really too old. I use it every day when we're at our lake home in Wisconsin. Here is a pic of the MR 80, C2300 and MC 275. I also have an MR 77 and a MAC 4300V receiver that live in Colorado.

[vegaracer1]

I love my Mc 1700.