Broken McIntosh 2100 for 200 worth it?

Odizzieus

Member
craiglist ad says it’s “Not pretty, not trash either. It's blowing fuses. Does not power on. $200 firm.” These things hard to fix? Worth the chance? I have mild experience replacing filter capacitors and soldering. I have access to oscilloscopes and other equipment.
 
They aren't worth a lot even though they are great amps. People want meters. With that said, if you're electrically inclined (I'm not) and you can work on it and fix it, then $200 is worth it. If you have to send it out to be fixed then probably not.
 
It's worth it in parts, minus one transformer if it comes to one being bad as a risk of buying a non working example.
Otherwise, it could be a good rescue project entry to a Mac power amp.
 
craiglist ad says it’s “Not pretty, not trash either. It's blowing fuses. Does not power on. $200 firm.” These things hard to fix? Worth the chance? I have mild experience replacing filter capacitors and soldering. I have access to oscilloscopes and other equipment.
I would be in for $200 for sure!
 
If it's the one in Tampa, I looked at it. You'll be paying $200 for a doorstop or a boat anchor, take your pick. When I told the owner that I wanted to test the transformer for a short he basically told me to get lost.
 
To my small knowledge on these amps, almost everything except transformers can be repaired. And chance that transformer is bad is really small, as I have read in many threads here. But if amp was striked with lightning then transformer can be bad, or can be bad for some other reason, and owner is aware of this and wont allow testing for short. But chances for bad transformer are small. I would buy it if for this amount.
 
The amp I looked at was almost certainly more trouble than it was worth to fix. Every board inside look corroded.Corrosion on the entire chassis. It almost looked like it could have spend some time under water.
He had misspelled McIntosh in the ad, which may have been a shrewd attempt to make someone believe they had lucked into it before anybody else.
 
It's so rare anymore that anyone selling on ebay doesn't know exactly the value of something, or the highest dollar it could bring.
People who throw their arms up saying...gee I don't know what's wrong with it are most likely full of it.
They've already researched what's what, and know what it'll take to fix, and that's why they are getting rid of it, for the highest dollar possible.

My trust level in the human race goes to hell when I go to ebay or CL.
 
Yeah, anytime I see the line "should be an easy fix", I turn and run the other way. If it's such an "easy fix", why isn't it fixed and up for sale at full market value?--because you know it's toast and are just out for the cash-grab.
 
It's so rare anymore that anyone selling on ebay doesn't know exactly the value of something, or the highest dollar it could bring.
People who throw their arms up saying...gee I don't know what's wrong with it are most likely full of it.
They've already researched what's what, and know what it'll take to fix, and that's why they are getting rid of it, for the highest dollar possible.

My trust level in the human race goes to hell when I go to ebay or CL.

Sometimes you get lucky. I bought a 2100 for 300 and some change "not working" and a screw was loose inside and arching. I took the screw out, cleaned up the surface and applied some dialectic grease and it's worked perfect ever since. It's the thrill of the hunt and the luck of the draw. I got burnt a couple times too, but didn't lose out. I agree though, the good hunting becoming more scarce. 200.00's worth it. If nothing else a good tech guy will take it off your hands for at least 2 bills.
 
Id buy it in a second, never worked on any amplifier, power or otherwise that had a bad transformer. I have a 2100 I've used since high school & still use today, I blew out a channel a long time ago, my mistake, it was just a couple power transistors, plus a small transistor. I recapped it 2 months ago, I love the thing, it's been absolutely great for over 40 years! I also have a 2255 with meters & 2 Kenwood L07Ms. The McIntosh has served me well
 
Do not pass go, collect your $200 and go straight to the MC2100... unless someone else has first, while you were here talking about it :)
 
If any Mac gear isn't working then cosmetic condition becomes everything to me. As the electronics are repairable but a clapped out chassis plus the cost of electronic repair would keep me away unless it was dirt cheap.

^^^^^This! Cosmetics are key with Mac components, because they are so well supported and repairable. As long as it will clean up, then it's definitely worth 200 bucks and some time. If it looks like it was fished off the ocean floor, pass on it. 2100 amps are not rare. Decent condition units are easy to find as is the smaller MC250.
 
So I once got an MC2505 for $250 that had a busted face plate and a badly rusted chassis. Luckily the chassis was still solid and most of the worst rust was hidden (water was clearly flowing into the unit for years and the interior edges were terrifying. I felt like I needed a tetanus shot after cleaning it) but ultimately I got the rust clear and recapped the unit. After a new faceplate was installed it sounded like new and looked it as long as you kept it in the wood case. Even if its an ugly duckling since the MC2100 doesn't get a nice enclosure I'd say so as long as it can be picked up with the bottom cover off and it doesn't instantly bend in two you have something to potentially work with. Now if there is a fair chance one of the transformers is shot...that's when I'd walk away.
 
It's so rare anymore that anyone selling on ebay doesn't know exactly the value of something, or the highest dollar it could bring.
People who throw their arms up saying...gee I don't know what's wrong with it are most likely full of it.
They've already researched what's what, and know what it'll take to fix, and that's why they are getting rid of it, for the highest dollar possible.

My trust level in the human race goes to hell when I go to ebay or CL.

True, but I got my MX120 for $400 a year ago because it was "broken". Turns out they simply didn't understand that the thing wasn't designed to pass/decode certain HDMI audio signals from the source and it worked fine. Of course I proceeded to really break it a few months later myself out of stupidity but I fixed that.
 
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