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Help on Mcintosh MX-117 pending purchase

lakegville

lakegville

Active Member
Greetings to everyone and if you all could advise me a little i would thank you. This is the first time i have asked about advise for a purchase after many but i am a little shaky on pre-amps. There was a local listing for MC XR-19 speakers for $400 along with a MC 2300 and MX-117. I caught it only a few minutes after listed but, sent an e-mail rather than a phone call (i think that was a mistake) by the time the seller e-mailed me back (12 hrs after the posting) the MC 2300 had already been picked up and someone vouched to get the speakers within a week...WOW. I never found out the price of the 2300 but it must have been low. Anyway he says he has a MX-117 left for $600 he is the original owner and still has box and manuals, walnut case. I have three Mcintosh amps being serviced now that are new to me....the MC2300, 2200, and 2120. I saw a thread somewhere here that the reason a lot of first time MC amp owners are disappointed in the sound they produce is that they do not have it paired with a quality MC pre-amp?? Would this pre-amp/tuner be a good fit with these amps? How about the pricing...i felt like it was ok but, i am not sure how much original owner and boxes and manuals are worth. I only have 12hrs to respond to him so any input would help because i am on the fence on this one. Thanks in advance!!!!!
 
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Ask the same question in the McIntosh forum but keep the pricing out of it. For pricing look at sold listings on Ebay.

BillWojo
 
The 117 was one of the better of the early MX series imo. If one popped up local to me for 6 bills in the shape you're describing with a nice wood case I'd be writing a review on it rather than asking about it's worth. Yes that's a fair price on a very nice tuner-pre
 
I'm pretty new to McIntosh having had my MC2100 for only a few months, but IMHO the thought that you need a Mac preamp to make Mac amps sound good is hogwash. My MC2100 is paired with a Conrad Johnson PV12 tube pre and it's a fantastic sound, much better to my ears than any of the other amps I've used with the CJ.
 
Having owned a 117 for 7 years or so now, I can say it is a wonderful pre-tuner. Based on the MR75 tuner and C504 slim-line preamp separates. It does everything I need and does it well, it also has one of the better phono sections of the era, MM only but very good. At $600 I wouldn't hesitate.
 
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