Mac4100 bookshelf Speaker recommendations

[Alfmonster]

LOL I hear you my friend!......Cornwalls are not for small spaces and soft music IMO....I had a pair of Heresy ll with Crites upgrades and I didn't dislike them, I found other speakers I liked better.....I would urge the OP to not dismiss Klipsch horns on sight without giving them a listen...they are very efficient and the Mac 4100 will serve them well if the Klipsch sound is in his wheelhouse....Klipsch has been around a LONG time for a good reason!

Oh for sure - I’m going to keep searching and hope that I’ll get to listen to a 4100 with some Klipsch speakers when I drop off the 4100 to get it restored at Audio Classics. Also maybe go through a little demo session with some of the speakers that were written about on this thread.

And to what @thevinoman wrote, I’m now just super curious about the Heresy IV. Maybe I’ll sell some furniture to make some room for them as that seems to be the only logical thing to do.

 

[Alfmonster]

No that cabinet was made by an independent woodworker which according the buddy who checked the MAC out on my behalf, is even nicer than the others that he's seen. I kind of wanted the original particle board cabinet to keep it 100% stock original but apparently it's been disposed of so I'll just have to "rough it" with the better cabinet!

As far as the speaker wiring goes, this table prepared by McIntosh Chief Acoustic Engineer Roger Russell is an excellent guide to cable gauge as a function of impedance and length. (Assuming copper conductor).

Lengths shown for 16 ohm speakers would be double that of 8 ohm (slightly less than double for 15 ohm).
For 18AWG the maximum length would be 64 feet with 16 ohm speakers; so probably safe to say you'll be perfectly fine with 18 gauge.

This was really helpful, I had some extra 18awg speaker laying around and finally get a chance to hook up the Falcon Ls3/5a to the 4100 and it sounds very nice.

Also at 15ohm is the 4100 giving off 50 watts per channel? Or is it less? I realized I wasn’t sure how the math worked for this.

That cabinet is really nice. I’m also with your statement about trying to keep things stock (aesthetically speaking) - there is something really perfect about original period appropriate pieces.

 

[motorstereo]

I've had my 4100 drive many different pairs of speakers from tiny ADS 200's to khorns. The 4100 has never disappointed but some combos do sound better than others. Currently it's paired up with a very small pair of Polk speakers which works well for a kitchen rig.

 

[62caddy]

Also at 15ohm is the 4100 giving off 50 watts per channel? Or is it less? I realized I wasn’t sure how the math worked for this.

Unfortunately no 16 ohm rating was provided since speakers with impedance that high had largely disappeared from the hi fi scene by the time the MAC4100 was in production. I also checked the closest comparable power amp, the MC752 but still no luck. 16 ohm rating was provided for the MAC1900 which is rated 55 wpc into 8 ohms and 30 wpc into 16 ohms. If that's any indication, it's probably somewhere in the range of 40 - 45 wpc for the MAC4100 but this is only a guess.

Keep in mind this only reflects the maximum output capability; average listening levels typically require only a small fraction of that.

 

[thevinoman]

Oh for sure - I’m going to keep searching and hope that I’ll get to listen to a 4100 with some Klipsch speakers when I drop off the 4100 to get it restored at Audio Classics. Also maybe go through a little demo session with some of the speakers that were written about on this thread.

And to what @thevinoman wrote, I’m now just super curious about the Heresy IV. Maybe I’ll sell some furniture to make some room for them as that seems to be the only logical thing to do.

Of course as you know, the heresy iv is a very different design than previous Heresys models, and in my opinion much for the better. A really stunning Progressive change in the model from Klipsch.

 

[monkboughtlunch]

Of course as you know, the heresy iv is a very different design than previous Heresys models, and in my opinion much for the better. A really stunning Progressive change in the model from Klipsch.

Have you had an opportunity to compare the sound of the Heresy III to Heresy IV? Did they add a port to the IV to extend the bass a bit more?

I saw some photos of the IV and I wish they hadn't thinned out the thickness the wood cabinet sides, and the riser is not as elegant as the the discontinued III.

 

[monkboughtlunch]

If interested, here's the review of the MAC4100 in High Fidelity in February 1979. Review begins on page 37 of the pdf file.

https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Audio/Archive-High-Fidelity/70s/High-Fidelity-1979-02.pdf

Love the cover story of the magazine: "Is Your Tape Deck Becoming Obsolete?"

 

[thevinoman]

Have you had an opportunity to compare the sound of the Heresy III to Heresy IV? Did they add a port to the IV to extend the bass a bit more?

I saw some photos of the IV and I wish they hadn't thinned out the thickness the wood cabinet sides, and the riser is not as elegant as the the discontinued III.

While the Heresy III is very good, the IV is terrific IMO. They did add the port in the rear to extend the bass, and it is very noticeable on the low end. The IV cabinet is actually taller than the III by about an inch, and with that increased cabinet size and the port, I think Klipsch did very well with the IV.