MAC 4100 hit by lightning

[62caddy]

My good friend just reported that lightning recently struck a roof mounted FM antenna connected to his beloved MAC 4100. Some of you might recall that this unit was used in an A/B comparison with my own 4280 in an earlier post. The unit still fires up but is produces no sound whatsoever. His homeowner's insurance policy is willing to reimburse him $600.00 (after considerable bickering). Our question: Would you A: Use the $600.00 towards the purchase of another MAC receiver? or B: Use the money to repair the 4100? (With no guarantee of $600.00 covering the cost of repairs nor any guarantee that some other problems may develop later, unseen today) Frankly, the idea of having a lightning-damaged unit makes me uncomfortable. Before rendering any advice on the matter, I said I'd try to find what the members of AK feel on the subject. Thanks kindly.

 

[CountD]

Fix the 4100. If he likes it, fix it. If not, put a few hundred more in and buy another 4100, sell what he has for parts. It is unfortunate, but it may be a simple fix. No one knows until Terry looks at it.

 

[MX117.MC7150]

+1. Send it off to Terry DeWick. For the cost of shipping and a small fee he will tell you the real answer on whether or not it is worth fixing.

 

[dshoaf]

A couple of considerations re:lightening-hit gear based on 20+ years dealing with this sort of thing in the computer industry:

- Stress-related failures: A direct hit _will_ stress components that may fail at a later time. So, I'd recommend you allow any repair tech willing to take it on to keep it for a while and let it run, including power up/down, as a daily driver.

- Fickle hits: I've also seen components failed in ways that makes no logical sense. This, likely due to the item above, means that your repair bills are difficult to predict.

My suggestions:

- Take the best deal you can get from the insurance company.
- Include in the deal to keep the old carcass.
- Purchase another 4100 to replace it.
- Part out the old one for cosmetic items and other parts to offset the costs.

If you can do the work yourself, the above might not be the best arrangement but for those who cannot, I believe you'll be happier by abandoning the old unit. Lightening hits makes it _very_ hard to predict when you have a complete repair that will not cause more repairs later.

Hope that helps.

Cheers,

David

 

[KentTeffeteller]

Have Terry evaluate it first, it may be repairable to reliable standards. Around $900 would get you a nice 4100 in Excellent condition. www.mcintoshaudio.com has Terry DeWick refurbished McIntosh gear. Terry can advise you further.

 

[lissjw]

Have Terry evaluate it first, it may be repairable to reliable standards. Around $900 would get you a nice 4100 in Excellent condition. www.mcintoshaudio.com has Terry DeWick refurbished McIntosh gear. Terry can advise you further.

I think that Terry only refurbishes equipment on request. Not all the stuff there is refurbished, I think its just checked to be up to specs and cleaned. I could be wrong, but I believe that is what I was told.

 

[CountD]

I think that Terry only refurbishes equipment on request. Not all the stuff there is refurbished, I think its just checked to be up to specs and cleaned. I could be wrong, but I believe that is what I was told.

Terry fixes everything. And you don't need to request him to do so. Maybe if the 4100 was physically damaged by the lightning, and was a burned piece of toast, then maybe I would give him a shout on the blower to see if he could do something about it. Trust me, he does more than a McIntosh clinic 'up to specs' test and clean. He has restored fire damaged Mc30s that looked like slag and more...