Mcintosh Mr-71-Speaker recommendations

rbtstock

New Member
Hello, I just picked-up a Macintosh Mr-71, and would like to know if I could get some opinions on speaker specs to look for as I shop for a pair for the 71, I know that speaker sound is really subjective, however if I can get some guidelines for sensitivity, etc that would really be appreciated, this unit will play in my home office about 14x12, so pretty small, i will listen mostly to a combination of jazz, classic rock
Thanks in advance to everyone.
 
The mr71 is just a tuner and not a ampifer you will need either a integrated amplifier or separate power amplifier and preamplifier to make it work.
 
A good tube tuner can have a smooth and rich tone, maybe more so than a solid state unit. Some people will write that off as a form of distortion and maybe it is but I think it makes my favorite music more lovable.

Assuming quality stations with content you enjoy, what do you want to listen to the most?

I've set my system up for female vocalists and jazz, small scale, intimate music. That's not to say I can't rock out sometimes but I chose intimacy over drive and excitement.

If you want the balance of your system to play to the MR71's strength then match with smoother, softer speakers. Vintage might be Large Advents or EPI. modern might be Spendors (like I have) or perhaps Sonus Faber.

If you want to contra-balance the MR71's tone, then get lively, crisp speakers like JBL, Klipsch, or Cervin-Vega.

Most modern speaker manufacturers will strive for a neutral balance, neither warm nor crisp. But careful listening can will reveal differences. But remember your tuner is but one signal source for your system.
 
I used a variety of amps and a variety of speakers.

Loved the tuner but lost it in a divorce.
 
The question is not so much what speakers work best with the tuner, but which speakers you like that will also work well with the amplifier.
 
Excellent point caddy, but the reason I’m asking the forum is , I’m fairly new at this and have not heard many speakers at this point of the journey
 
Excellent point caddy, but the reason I’m asking the forum is , I’m fairly new at this and have not heard many speakers at this point of the journey

Well, rbtstock, you have a very enjoyable journey ahead of you. May I suggest anything Rectilinear. They go well with tube and ss McIntosh. I personally like the III, both tall boy and mini. They can still be found on E-bay for a fair price.

My MR-71 is in need of a little attention, but the MR-65 and MR-7083 work quite well. Especially on the local college jazz station. They broadcast an excellent quality signal.
 
I have a very clean MR 71 FM tuner. Honestly, I'm not impressed. The output is fine on both channels. The tuner reception is excellent. However, the sound quality is rather disappointing. It's distorted, as in flat sounding. You don't get the crisp sound of individual instruments coming through as in a solid-state McIntosh tuner. I honestly thought this thing would impress me, but not so.

Maybe a better quality tube will crisp up the sound. I had the same experience with a Fisher 800 c. The output was fine, but the sound quality was distorted and muddy. There was no individual instrumentation shining through. My mcintosh 1900 blows this thing away by a country mile. Does anyone have any suggestions or light they'd like to shed?
 
I have a very clean MR 71 FM tuner. Honestly, I'm not impressed. The output is fine on both channels. The tuner reception is excellent. However, the sound quality is rather disappointing. It's distorted, as in flat sounding. You don't get the crisp sound of individual instruments coming through as in a solid-state McIntosh tuner. I honestly thought this thing would impress me, but not so.

Maybe a better quality tube will crisp up the sound. I had the same experience with a Fisher 800 c. The output was fine, but the sound quality was distorted and muddy. There was no individual instrumentation shining through. My mcintosh 1900 blows this thing away by a country mile. Does anyone have any suggestions or light they'd like to shed?
What you're describing is what I found to be typical of vintage tube tuners. In fact, I experienced that with a few early solid-state tuners too. Overly warm and veiled sound doesn't equate to good sound quality to me. It's one of the main reasons that I went all solid state in my systems in the late 70's.
 
Do you have other sound sources? Do you listen to CDs, streaming or a turntable also?

If you can find an actual hifi store in your town, go there! You aren't going to be able to do serious auditions in a big box store.

I only listen on Stax headphones and I miss my MR-71! Depending on your circumstances, headphones may be the way to go, or at least to start!

There are lots of good affordable headphones and amps. Enjoy that McIntosh!
 
I have a very clean MR 71 FM tuner. Honestly, I'm not impressed. The output is fine on both channels. The tuner reception is excellent. However, the sound quality is rather disappointing. It's distorted, as in flat sounding. You don't get the crisp sound of individual instruments coming through as in a solid-state McIntosh tuner. I honestly thought this thing would impress me, but not so.

Maybe a better quality tube will crisp up the sound. I had the same experience with a Fisher 800 c. The output was fine, but the sound quality was distorted and muddy. There was no individual instrumentation shining through. My mcintosh 1900 blows this thing away by a country mile. Does anyone have any suggestions or light they'd like to shed?
Your tuner requires service or your dial lacks non-compressed non-iHeart programming. The '71 is among the finest sounding tuners these ears have heard.
 
rbstock: I agree with damacman! I don't know where you are located, but the McIntosh forum would be a good place to find a tech who can bring your MR 71 up to snuff.

https://www.fmtunerinfo.com/index.html#repairs lists a number of service options; those are all good recommendations.

If you are in the Northeast or willing to ship, Audio Classics in Binghamton NY is also very capable.
 
What you're describing is what I found to be typical of vintage tube tuners. In fact, I experienced that with a few early solid-state tuners too. Overly warm and veiled sound doesn't equate to good sound quality to me. It's one of the main reasons that I went all solid state in my systems in the late 70's.
I guess it's the nostalgic value they carry and appearance that is the lure. I definitely have a pristine piece of history. Though some claim if they're recapped that they sound much better. Seems spending the money on a solid state tune would be a better choice instead of risking a recap investment.
 
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