Is there a value in this auction gear?

opusarlo

Active Member
I am attending an estate auction of a local family today. He was an audiophile, but he died about 10 years ago. it looks like they are just getting around to selling some of his gear. I am sure it still works, but man is it ever dusty. I would have it all professionally refurbed, but I am very new to the audiophile scene and am unsure how much cost I could incur refurbishing these items. Here are the contents of the lot:

McIntosh C-22 preamplifier
McIntosh MR - 71 Tuner
McIntosh 240 amplifier
Elac miracord turntable
 
Several thousand dollars there.
I guess I am most curious about how much it might set me back to have it all refurbished. Right now, I have set $2000 as my bid limit. If the refurbishing costs more than that, though, I will certainly have a frowny face.
 
I guess I am most curious about how much it might set me back to have it all refurbished. Right now, I have set $2000 as my bid limit. If the refurbishing costs more than that, though, I will certainly have a frowny face.
Depends on what service needs to be done to the gear but full restoration could certainly run $2000 or more for the gear.
 
those are not the words I want to hear...shoot. I will just play it by ear then. I need to also take into consideration how this would limit my selection of speakers. After following this forum for a long time, I had pretty much come to the conclusion I would be getting an SX 1250 and run some KLH's. WIth this gear, I would likely have to step up to something nicer like Khorns or Legacy, and that squeezes my budget. Maybe I need to calm down a bit. How much better could the sound from this system be than from the sx 1250? (Easy please if that was a dumb question)
 
those are not the words I want to hear...shoot. I will just play it by ear then. I need to also take into consideration how this would limit my selection of speakers. After following this forum for a long time, I had pretty much come to the conclusion I would be getting an SX 1250 and run some KLH's. WIth this gear, I would likely have to step up to something nicer like Khorns or Legacy, and that squeezes my budget. Maybe I need to calm down a bit. How much better could the sound from this system be than from the sx 1250? (Easy please if that was a dumb question)
The McIntosh tube gear is legendary for a lot of very good reasons. I love my C22 and MR71 and I wish that I had a MC240. I also really like both of my Elac Miracord turntables.
As for the sound differences, put it this way, there are fan clubs around for the SX1250 but the McIntosh tube gear is not only in the Hall Of Fame, it has it's own entire wing devoted to it.
 
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Tube gears are usually easy to restore. I would say you will spend at most $100-200 in average for each piece to be restored functionally. However, if the faceplate is broken or missing some knobs etc, the restore cost will sky rocket.
 
Tube gears are usually easy to restore. I would say you will spend at most $100-200 in average for each piece to be restored functionally. However, if the faceplate is broken or missing some knobs etc, the restore cost will sky rocket.
All pieces are there and undamaged. There is no cabinet on the preamp, and everything is covered in dust and webs.
 
That's about $7k worth of gear on the auction site. For your sake, I hope nobody else is bidding. ;)

I don't think people really go after the big receivers like that Pioneer for the quality of the sound. Personally, I find them a waste of space. McIntosh tubes on the other hand, whole 'nother deal...
 
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Tube gears are usually easy to restore. I would say you will spend at most $100-200 in average for each piece to be restored functionally. However, if the faceplate is broken or missing some knobs etc, the restore cost will sky rocket.
Maybe for a skilled do-it-yourselfer but not for a professional technician doing a proper job. Tuner alignment is not a DIY job and requires special skills and tools.
 
That's about $7k worth of gear on the auction site. For your sake, I hope nobody else is bidding. ;)

I don't think people really go after the big receivers like that Pioneer for the quality of the sound. Personally, I find them a waste of space. McIntosh tubes on the other hand, whole 'nother deal...

Thanks for that. I was hoping it was the case. I remember going over to this guy's house to listen to this system. It was in a room with one chair in a recessed section of the floor - there was nothing else in the room . I do not remember what speakers he had, but they had many many many drivers each. He played pipe organ on that system, and I remember thinking how warm and rich that sound was. I was tasting it even - if that makes any sense.
 
Completely refurbished, the C22 alone sells for $3,000 to $6,000 depending on cosmetic condition. The most obvious cosmetic demerit of this particular example is the grungy dial glass which will not be easy to clean without destroying the lettering. Fortunately, replacement glass does exist for this model. If the chassis paint, rear panel and aluminum faceplate and all lettering (front and rear panel) are otherwise intact and excellent, well that's 90% the battle.

MC240s typically change hands for $2,000 - $3,500, again depending on condition and assuming working reasonably well.

MR71 is the least valuable of this lot. Unrestored as it sits, probably worth $400 - $600.

That said, $2,000 is pretty much a no-brainer for the package, regardless of what electrical restoration may be needed. You could easily double or triple your money without touching a thing.

Good luck and happy bidding.
 
Completely refurbished, the C22 alone sells for $3,000 to $6,000 depending on cosmetic condition. The most obvious cosmetic demerit of this particular example is the grungy dial glass which will not be easy to clean without destroying the lettering. Fortunately, replacement glass does exist for this model. If the chassis paint, rear panel and aluminum faceplate and all lettering (front and rear panel) are otherwise intact and excellent, well that's 90% the battle.

MC240s typically change hands for $2,000 - $3,500, again depending on condition and assuming working reasonably well.

MR71 is the least valuable of this lot. Unrestored as it sits, probably worth $400 - $600.

That said, $2,000 is pretty much a no-brainer for the package, regardless of what electrical restoration may be needed. You could easily double or triple your money without touching a thing.

Good luck and happy bidding.
Wow...Thank you for the in-depth parsing. This makes my choice a lot easier. I am pretty sure I would not sell it, though. I still remember how awesome it was to hear it 25 years ago.
 
Wow...Thank you for the in-depth parsing. This makes my choice a lot easier. I am pretty sure I would not sell it, though. I still remember how awesome it was to hear it 25 years ago.

Glad if it helps.

My advice is buy and lock in value based upon the figures provided. Refurbishing the equipment can always be done at later date when you get the scratch saved up. It would be foolish not to take advantage of the opportunity simply because you can't have it all restored right now.
 
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