Joining the McIntosh club

ajward549

ajward549

AK Subscriber
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after trolling Craigslist for years looking for a good deal, I finally came across one this morning; a digital MR 500 tuner with an asking price of $300! Agreed on $250, pic looks as though in great shape and I am scheduled to pick up after work on Tuesday (agreed to be a speaker at a community cancer support group after work tomorrow)! I can not wait!!!

This is going to look great with the Thorens 165 and my Dentons!!!

IMG_5879.JPG
 
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That's the MR500 tuner from Mc's slimline series of components.

Companion units would have been the MC502 power amplifier and C504 preamplifier (below).

Congratulations and welcome to the world of McIntosh.

389299-mcintosh_mc502_amp_and_c504_preamp.jpg
 
Both Companion pieces are real performers especial with efficent speaker models from Altec, JBL, Klipsch, etc. The 502 is a smooth sounding amp and it has power guard to protect those valuable HF drivers. WE used the amps to drive stage monitors, choir monitors, mid range and tweeter s in bi and tri- amped systems. In the future you could buy another and operate them as mono amps. I think they put out close to 150 watts across 8 ohms in that mode. I liked the little pre-amp with its mid range tone control. It keeps thing simple with high performance.
 
I like older Mac better than newer ones, I mean older than 80s', But also it depends on your interpretation of music.
 
I'm excited and pleased with the deal considering it is local and I do not have to have all of the concerns inherent with shipping! I may consider an integrated amp or amp/pre combo in the future. Though, I am pretty happy with my system now, I've been wanting to add a tuner for some time, but have just been patient about it. We have a great college station and NPR station here, but WDVX is also great. If you guys have never checked it out, do yourself a favor... they stream!
 
Another unit worth considering is the MA6200 integrated amplifier which also has PG plus 5 band EQ.

I see you're in Knoxville which is home to McIntosh Repairs and McIntosh Audio. You might want to consult with Tom Manley for other equipment purchases, possibly have Terry DeWick go through the tuner as well.

Here's some basic information on the MR500 from Berner's McIntosh site.

www.mcc.berners.ch/tuners/MR500.pdf
 
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Thanks! I've had long conversations in the past with Tom. I almost went with a vintage Mac integrated a couple of years ago and then chickened out... Went with a brand new integrated from NAD instead. Now I may reconsider...
 
Finally got an antenna connected (75 ohm), and a nicer pair of RCA connectors and the tuner it working great! I've never been able to get our local college radio station in ANY house I've lived in or on any tuner/receiver... until NOW! And such a strong signal too!

I know I'd be best off with a roof mounted antenna, but that just can't happen. Would I get more stations/better strength with a 300ohm antenna? It's fun to always tweak these things...

IMG_5935.JPG
 
If an indoor antenna is the only option, a pair of "rabbit ears" can provide good reception. I don't know 300 or 75 makes any difference.
 
Great, wonder if it's possible to still find rabbit ears? I had some in college, but they're definately not still just packed away somewhere...
 
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