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Buying a McIntosh 1500 Sept. 15 and need advice

Yeah,
I'm with Eric.
I think the hum is TT related .
That said, based on the age , it really is due for new PS caps sooner than later even if it
works fine
 
sberger said:
What kind of Dual? If it's one that has a cartridge sled the contacts need cleaing to get rid of corrosion. Also could be the cartridge, what do you have on there? How are you grounding the table. Like I said, so many different, and possibly very simple, issues that might be causing this. Also try flipping the power cord if you are getting hum, and keeping interconnects and speaker wires as far away as possible from other power cords/gear.
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Sorry, I missed these most recent messages. But, yes, flipping the interconnects and speaker wires as far as possible from the other power cords did it. Thanks for the advice. The Mac sounds great!
 
Beeb said:
Sorry, I missed these most recent messages. But, yes, flipping the interconnects and speaker wires as far as possible from the other power cords did it. Thanks for the advice. The Mac sounds great!
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Great!
 
Beeb said:
Sorry, I missed these most recent messages. But, yes, flipping the interconnects and speaker wires as far as possible from the other power cords did it. Thanks for the advice. The Mac sounds great!
Click to expand...

Wow I didn't even think of this. When I first brought mine home a few days ago I had tested it at my kitchen table. All components spread out nicely. Phono and Aux sounded very nice...little to know hum. I was soo happy.

Moved it down to my basement for further testing...crammed quarters...wires / rca cables near each other etc. Lot's of hum all of a sudden.

Location Location Location I guess.
 
Yes ...$850 was a absolute steal even 4 years ago. Two for sale now at AudioClassics...$2499 and $2999. I tried to price mine to leave room for service. I wont say any more as I dont want to break rules.
 
What I found interesting in the article "...However, with a transistor upgrade on the solid state preamp the performance can be enhanced greatly, even to the point of outperforming a Fisher 500C. "
 
Yes, I saw that too, but I didn't see any further explanation.

There are always tweaks that can be done. For instance my 500b received new coupling caps and new phono caps.

Not sure what improvements can be made to the solid state pre amp of the 1500 though.
 
Good read and is exactly what we're talking about. I have to agree about the sound signature of the 1500 amp section. It sounds similar to my 500b. Interesting what the Mac folks said too. They are pretty forthcoming though so not too surprised.
 
I've used every combination of MX110Z, MX113 with MC240, MC2505 and even a pair of the much adored MC30. All have been through Audio Classics with a clean bill of health. Not a single combination of them have a thing over the MAC1500 and that even includes the tuner section. Even the MAC4100 tuner section falls short of that of the MAC1500 which has us completely baffled.
 
Wow...that says a lot. I've only had a 1700...ehh...it was fine but I sold it. I have a fully restored 4100 that I'm fond of too. I'd love to hang on to the 1500 but I have soo much gear and I'm not getting any younger...lol
 
The MAC1500’s silver bullet is its loudness comp. It makes the sound come to life like nothing else. They ruined it on the 1700. Only MX110 is close; the MA230 maybe. The 1500s tuner flywheel action is by itself in all of McIntosh, even the standalone tuners don’t have the same heavy feel.
 
62caddy said:
The MAC1500’s silver bullet is its loudness comp. It makes the sound come to life like nothing else. They ruined it on the 1700. Only MX110 is close; the MA230 maybe. The 1500s tuner flywheel action is by itself in all of McIntosh, even the standalone tuners don’t have the same heavy feel.
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Just curious, how did they ruin the loudness comp on the 1700? I've never had any experience with the 1500 and am unfamiliar with it's characteristics.
 
seacliffe301 said:
Just curious, how did they ruin the loudness comp on the 1700? I've never had any experience with the 1500 and am unfamiliar with it's characteristics.
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Loudness on 1700 affects LF only and makes the bass sound bloated. It’s the same on the MX113 so I never use it on that either. Just not a pleasant sound at all.
 
seacliffe301 said:
I can appreciate that. I never use the loudness comp on my 1700/L166 combination, always seemed excessive.
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If you ever get the opportunity to do so, try a MAC1500 with those speakers. You will be amazed. I just picked up my 1500 from Audio Classics for a hiccup that turned out to be nothing. I had Ryan keep it for several weeks just to be certain all was well where he was using it daily in the shop. When I suggested he try the loudness he said he had been already running it on and that it sounded fantastic. He also said that my 1500 was the quietest one he'd ever heard.
 
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seacliffe301 said:
I can appreciate that. I never use the loudness comp on my 1700/L166 combination, always seemed excessive.
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The JBL L166’s are killer speakers. I have a pair with my Scott LK-150 amp- LC-21 pre.

Everyone likes to focus on the L100'S, but the 166's are a better speaker by a good margin imo. I laid mine on their sides...it helped tame the hf in my space...go figure.

I'm going to re test my 1500 today in a larger area. Hopefully some of hum goes away. The first time I tried it phono and aux were dead quiet. Fingers crossed. I want to add any good results to my listing.
 
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