C32 Ribbon Cables?

If you spend the time to pull the cap for proper testing why wouldn't you just replace it....a typical ukz is just a few dollars. The caps are 40 years old.

I just replace them all....

I would suspect, and past history bears this out, a fully updated unit's resale will cover the restoration cost a few years in the future.
 
If you spend the time to pull the cap for proper testing why wouldn't you just replace it....a typical ukz is just a few dollars. The caps are 40 years old.

I just replace them all....

I would suspect, and past history bears this out, a fully updated unit's resale will cover the restoration cost a few years in the future.


Does that smell fishy to you, then?

BTW, how is the tuner/phono stage in the 113?

bob
 
You ask a lot of questions on subjective topics........

At the end of the day, we don't really know what it is you are after, or what your interpretation of a "good sound" is.....

You can go on for months asking these questions and not get the answer you are looking for, or you can make a decision and take the plunge.....actually get one, a C29,30,32,33 MX113 or whatever it is you think you might like....

One thing we know, is a properly functioning McIntosh is a high end, high quality piece of audio engineering, they are all good, it just depends which road you want to go down, what your budget is....
I keep saying it, but seriously, to get into any of the Mc gear is not necessarily cheap, its false economy to think you can get into McIntosh for cheap as I have said before....

Its what I did, I asked a few questions, and just went ahead and bought something.....
Get the MX113 if you want, and try it out, if you don't like it, sell it and get something else, you wont lose money on it, and if you did, it wouldn't be much.

Remember I bought a completely refurbished C32 for $800, money well spent....

Some tips about buying McIntosh.

Be VERY careful buying off the auction sites, people don't care when they are selling, most often they are after a quick $$$.......

Do NOT allow the seller to ship it in anything except the proper McIntosh or Audio Classics Shipping carton, if you dont, you will have broken glass, and the whole experience will be disappointing.

Do NOT allow the seller to ship it in the Walnut Veneer case, the panlocks will not hold it in place and the unit will slide out, and yep, broken glass again.
They must ship it separately.

Do NOT accept anything less than the proper carton no matter how much they tell you they know what they are doing with the packaging.......
If they know what they are doing, it will be in a McIntosh box....
 
If you spend the time to pull the cap for proper testing why wouldn't you just replace it....a typical ukz is just a few dollars. The caps are 40 years old.

I just replace them all....

I would suspect, and past history bears this out, a fully updated unit's resale will cover the restoration cost a few years in the future.
Be careful. I completely recapped my C34V a few years ago. I tried to sell it recently on ebay and noted it was recapped assuming it raised the value. It did not sell (BIN) and the only two questions I got from potential bidders was who did the recap work. My assumption is that if it wasn't Terry Dewick or Audio Classics, they assumed it was butchered up by an amateur.
 
Be careful. I completely recapped my C34V a few years ago. I tried to sell it recently on ebay and noted it was recapped assuming it raised the value. It did not sell (BIN) and the only two questions I got from potential bidders was who did the recap work. My assumption is that if it wasn't Terry Dewick or Audio Classics, they assumed it was butchered up by an amateur.

Words of wisdom right here. A re-cap by anyone other than Audioclassics or Terry sinks the value, and if you do the recap yourself you minus well be polishing the brass on the Titanic if you want to get more money or even the same money than a stock unit.

Be careful about a total recap - some won't be leaking, and even Terry doesn't do a full recap on many pieces because the old ones are better off in there. I prefer the sound of a stock C22 with the old caps (power supply however, should be done) than one that has had everything replaced. I am not a believer that all caps should be scrapped based on age. Many will beg to differ but we will agree to disagree on this one.
 
Be careful. I completely recapped my C34V a few years ago. I tried to sell it recently on ebay and noted it was recapped assuming it raised the value. It did not sell (BIN) and the only two questions I got from potential bidders was who did the recap work. My assumption is that if it wasn't Terry Dewick or Audio Classics, they assumed it was butchered up by an amateur.

I don't necessarily subscribe to the philosophy of applying 'ebay standards' to the value of items after having a VERY bad experience on that site. Being a member for only ~3 months, a seller grossly misrepresented the condition of an item.. at the same time used a bidding scheme to run-up the price. When I entered a negative comment, it seems the whole site ganged up.. other sellers got in on the act, and admin did NOTHING! Well.. I pulled the plug on that noise faster than intel shuts down a compromised op! Lol

Owning McIntosh is not about buying and selling or making a profit. It's about owner satisfaction. I'd much rather do a recap at home and spend time futzing with and studying the unit. There's no intention of recapping to turn a profit. It's to keep the unit looking and running like new, and sounding great.


-Gregory
 
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I don't necessarily subscribe to the philosophy of applying 'ebay standards' to the value of items after having a VERY bad experience on that site. Being a member for only ~3 months, a seller grossly misrepresented the condition of an item.. at the same used a bidding scheme to run-up the price. When I entered a negative comment, it seems the whole site ganged up.. other sellers got in on the act, and admin did NOTHING! Well.. I pulled the plug on that noise faster than intel shuts down a compromised op! Lol

Owning McIntosh is not about buying and selling or making a profit. It's about owner satisfaction. I'd much rather do a recap at home and spend time futzing with and studying the unit. There's no intention of recapping to turn a profit. It's to keep the unit looking and running like new, and sounding great.


-Gregory
I don't want to go off topic but you have to look at a seller's rating, how long he/she has been selling, has he/she been selling the same level of merchandise (no baseball cards), lots of clear large pictures and promptly answering detailed questions. Selling an item on ebay does not automatically make you a con man.. You seem to have been permanently emotionally scared by your experience. I've had no big problems and actually just got my money back on a non-working KLH 18 tuner.

John
 
Are you really surprised the auction crowd does not perceive the added value of a better sounding, more reliable vintage unit?

How many in this forum have actually had a chance to A/B a restored vs. original vintage c33,32, or a mac4100,mac1900, c28 or whatever.

If the 30, 40.......100+ that post or lurk here have not experienced or recognize the improvement; how can we expect the other 400,000 Mac owners out there in the world to know the added value a restored unit offers?

Recently I invited the area Mac rep to visit my new digs. I asked him how many of his Mac dealers were offering service. He had to think about it......back in the day it would have been ALL of them.

If local Mac dealers are not offering service or the chance to hear the added value these restored units offer, how can we not be surprised the auction crowd does not get it.

I question if most current Mac dealers get it either.
 
Are you really surprised the auction crowd does not perceive the added value of a better sounding, more reliable vintage unit? I asked him how many Mac dealers were offering service. Back in the day it would have been ALL of them.

The new local AV store that carries Mc has no Tech service. The manager said he could refer customers for repair, but there doesn't seem to be sales and service like days of old. They're focused heavily on sales!

Back in the 60s and 70s.. Soundco had an excellent service lab. Hell.. they sold B&K, Hickok, Simpson and other first rate test gear and could basically get their test equip from inventory. Not only that.. Soundco was a regional parts wholesaler (like a small Mouser in brick and mortar) and could pull their replacement parts from stock too. EZ Teletronics in Chicago was run by sole proprietor named Hank who was also the Tech. That was the ultimate low overhead, high end Mc dealer. He'd always have a half dozen or more Mc trade-ins on the shelf. I bough 7 or 8 pieces from him.. in the south side of Chicago.

Recall the horrible pics of 2205's destroyed in shipping over the past 5 years. Have you ever wondered if they were set-up to take a fall, the seller expecting an insurance settlement, possibly because it needed a major output transistor overhaul? There's no way to prove anything.. but think about it! How could anyone be so incompetent to pack a 2205 in a cardboard box lined with foam peanuts? hah?


-Gregory
 
Recall the horrible pics of 2205's destroyed in shipping over the past 5 years. Have you ever wondered if they were set-up to take a fall, the seller expecting an insurance settlement, possibly because it needed a major output transistor overhaul? There's no way to prove anything.. but think about it! How could anyone be so incompetent to pack a 2205 in a cardboard box lined with foam peanuts? hah?

-Gregory
I think a vast majority of the terrible packing as well as rusty, terrible looking units come from storage and estate sales buyers who bought some china or furniture at the same auction. There seem to be a lot more of them now than there were a few years ago. Not only do they NOT know how to pack heavy, fragile items but beyond plugging in the line cord have no idea how it works or what it takes to to get sound out of it. Unfortunately, they still think they can strike it rich with an ebay sale. I have also seen some legitimate dealers sell beautiful trade in's at fair prices with return privileges, probably because they were not Mac dealers. I must admit if you live in California there is a lot more stuff to inspect in person.
 
John,

I see you have a Carver and an MX130. I realize they are in different setups but how would you describe the difference in their sound signature? Again, I have the CM-1090 as a pre right now. I am bouncing between the serviced MX-113 and s MX 130 at the moment. You don't have to reply if I am making you crazy, :)

bob
 
John,

I see you have a Carver and an MX130. I realize they are in different setups but how would you describe the difference in their sound signature? Again, I have the CM-1090 as a pre right now. I am bouncing between the serviced MX-113 and s MX 130 at the moment. You don't have to reply if I am making you crazy, :)

bob
First, I do not have a Carver. I have a C34V (actually two) and an MX130. I will be embarrassed to say I do NOT have golden ears and do not even know what sound signature means. They both sound very nice. I love tuners but think of them as very high end ham/communication receivers (picking up distant stations). The MX130 uses many low noise ICs whereas, I believe, the MX113 is mostly discrete. Sorry, I can give you more technical info but not subjective opinions about audio differences.
 
First, I do not have a Carver. I have a C34V (actually two) and an MX130. I will be embarrassed to say I do NOT have golden ears and do not even know what sound signature means. They both sound very nice. I love tuners but think of them as very high end ham/communication receivers (picking up distant stations). The MX130 uses many low noise ICs whereas, I believe, the MX113 is mostly discrete. Sorry, I can give you more technical info but not subjective opinions about audio differences.

Sorry, John!

Not enough coffee this morning !!
 
Are you really surprised the auction crowd does not perceive the added value of a better sounding, more reliable vintage unit?

How many in this forum have actually had a chance to A/B a restored vs. original vintage c33,32, or a mac4100,mac1900, c28 or whatever.

If the 30, 40.......100+ that post or lurk here have not experienced or recognize the improvement; how can we expect the other 400,000 Mac owners out there in the world to know the added value a restored unit offers?

Recently I invited the area Mac rep to visit my new digs. I asked him how many of his Mac dealers were offering service. He had to think about it......back in the day it would have been ALL of them.

If local Mac dealers are not offering service or the chance to hear the added value these restored units offer, how can we not be surprised the auction crowd does not get it.

I question if most current Mac dealers get it either.

I agree with this.....

The new local AV store that carries Mc has no Tech service. The manager said he could refer customers for repair, but there doesn't seem to be sales and service like days of old. They're focused heavily on sales!

Back in the 60s and 70s.. Soundco had an excellent service lab. Hell.. they sold B&K, Hickok, Simpson and other first rate test gear and could basically get their test equip from inventory. Not only that.. Soundco was a regional parts wholesaler (like a small Mouser in brick and mortar) and could pull their replacement parts from stock too. EZ Teletronics in Chicago was run by sole proprietor named Hank who was also the Tech. That was the ultimate low overhead, high end Mc dealer. He'd always have a half dozen or more Mc trade-ins on the shelf. I bough 7 or 8 pieces from him.. in the south side of Chicago.

Recall the horrible pics of 2205's destroyed in shipping over the past 5 years. Have you ever wondered if they were set-up to take a fall, the seller expecting an insurance settlement, possibly because it needed a major output transistor overhaul? There's no way to prove anything.. but think about it! How could anyone be so incompetent to pack a 2205 in a cardboard box lined with foam peanuts? hah?


-Gregory

I agree with this too.....

I think a vast majority of the terrible packing as well as rusty, terrible looking units come from storage and estate sales buyers who bought some china or furniture at the same auction. There seem to be a lot more of them now than there were a few years ago. Not only do they NOT know how to pack heavy, fragile items but beyond plugging in the line cord have no idea how it works or what it takes to to get sound out of it. Unfortunately, they still think they can strike it rich with an ebay sale. I have also seen some legitimate dealers sell beautiful trade in's at fair prices with return privileges, probably because they were not Mac dealers. I must admit if you live in California there is a lot more stuff to inspect in person.

And, I agree with this.......

As we have discussed before, recapping and updating, restoration of these units is essential to these units for their specified performance, and long term reliability. I think we can all agree on this......

But, when you are selling to the greater public who may not necessarily be as well informed as members on AK are, of course it will matter who does the work on the unit.
Who would buy a classic 1965 Ford Thunderbird which has been restored by the owner who is not a professional, and has just picked away at it in the weekends for the last 5 years?? I know I wouldn't, I want the best possible job done by a reputable expert.
The McIntosh, or whatever brand, is the same.
Perhaps the weekend hobbyist has done a great job and made well informed decisions and is a retired mechanic, but how do we know that??
Its all about street cred......


That auction site is a minefield and one simply cannot generalize about it. Personally, I have bought 2 Mc's and 1 Sansui G9000 off that place in ALL of the three cases I carefully selected 100% Positive feedback sellers, BUT, I was lied to, ripped off, and units damaged in all three transactions.
So I don't go there, but, hey maybe this is not always the case, but do you think for a second I will ever go there again, you know, once bitten, twice bitten, THREE times bitten, NO WAY, get the F@#$k outta here.....now that is not generalizing!!


Sorry, John!

Not enough coffee this morning !!

Now stop pussy footing around and go and buy your McIntosh and enter the world of high end audio, if you make an informed decision on you purchase (and there's plenty on info in this thread to do so), you will find audio nirvana....
Get the MX113 or whatever and enjoy it, then upgrade later.......:yes:

What a great place AK is........:thmbsp:
 
After reading the entire thread one thing puzzles me the most. You said you have a Carver preamp in that system already. So it's a working system correct? Then why not do it the old fashioned way? Pass on the gotta have it now mindset and save up for the newer mac preamp of your choice?

Nobody wants to read the old guys story in a post but it's my post so suffer along. :) I wanted to get into separates and didn't have a lot of disposable income. So I had to save for a year to do it but it was worth it.
 
After reading the entire thread one thing puzzles me the most. You said you have a Carver preamp in that system already. So it's a working system correct? Then why not do it the old fashioned way? Pass on the gotta have it now mindset and save up for the newer mac preamp of your choice?

Nobody wants to read the old guys story in a post but it's my post so suffer along. :) I wanted to get into separates and didn't have a lot of disposable income. So I had to save for a year to do it but it was worth it.

Might just do that, Mike.

Almost pulled the trigger on the 113 tonight but read that the loudness was not contoured and I am adamant about that feature. That's what killed the c 28 for me. So back to waiting for nice C3x or or a nice MX 130 which seems to be the lonely stepchild that doesn't command the premium equal to its' parts! Last of that series with a phono stage too, if I'm not mistaken?

bob
 
Pitch of FFC Ribbon cable

Would anyone know the pitch of the flat ribbon cable used in the C32. So much discussion about bad cables, it can't be that hard to replace if you can find the correct pitch? 2.54 mm, 2.00 mm ? I doubt it is 1.00 mm as this is small for that era. Certainly the pro Mac repair folks are getting these from a current source. A 10 pin can be snipped to a 6 pin ect. Is it that big if a deal if you are good at soldering and repairing ?
 
The ribbon cables carry no audio, just ps and switching voltages. The twisted 6and8 conductor cable with molex connection carry the audio and are known to cause audio issues due to cold solder joints at the pins.

The delamination can look ugly.......but does not affect the solid core wire it holds in place.

After chasing cold solder issues for the last twenty years the cosmetic ribbon "issue" just does not rise to a major problem.
 
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