jdsalinger
Super Member
Last year, a retired neighbor & friend of mine, John, sold me his C 24 and a non-working MPI-4. I recently got the MPI-4 back from Audio Mart ( Kansas City electronics & audio repair ) and it isn't perfect yet, but most of the functions work well enough to use it.
Yesterday, I got more of the story behind it.
John worked as a manager in a local Sears department store. A new fellow named Jean Filon started work there as an appliance salesman. John was already a McIntosh owner, so he was just a little interested when Jean told him that he had previously worked as an engineer for McIntosh Labs. Not sure why or when Jean left McIntosh, but he moved to KC because he had family here. John became good friends with him.
On Jean's last day of work, he called John out to his car and presented him with the C 24 and the MPI-4 as a token of friendship. John said he couldn't accept, but Jean insisted. Jean told him this was a pre-production or prototype or some in-house test unit. He said, "that's why it doesn't have a serial number". Sure enough. I looked at the back and, no-serial number (see photo), but it does have a sticker with Jean's name and a date of 4-5-81. That added some legitimacy to that story.
I had researched Jean Filon months ago and could only find his obituary confirming that he lived in Independence, MO. This morning, I googled "Jean Filon McIntosh" and found him on the McIntosh Laboratory history page.
The caption reads:
Here is Jean Filon working on design of a new tuner. Jean was the rf engineer and designed several tuners and tuner sections including the MX112, 113, 115. He was also involved with the MR71. He had realigned my MR71 tuner when I first came to McIntosh. Jean had been working at McIntosh before I started in 1967.
Here is the MPI-4 showing Jean's name and a black Serial No.
Nothing like having gear with a story. Today, my MPI-4 just went from valuable to priceless.
Yesterday, I got more of the story behind it.
John worked as a manager in a local Sears department store. A new fellow named Jean Filon started work there as an appliance salesman. John was already a McIntosh owner, so he was just a little interested when Jean told him that he had previously worked as an engineer for McIntosh Labs. Not sure why or when Jean left McIntosh, but he moved to KC because he had family here. John became good friends with him.
On Jean's last day of work, he called John out to his car and presented him with the C 24 and the MPI-4 as a token of friendship. John said he couldn't accept, but Jean insisted. Jean told him this was a pre-production or prototype or some in-house test unit. He said, "that's why it doesn't have a serial number". Sure enough. I looked at the back and, no-serial number (see photo), but it does have a sticker with Jean's name and a date of 4-5-81. That added some legitimacy to that story.
I had researched Jean Filon months ago and could only find his obituary confirming that he lived in Independence, MO. This morning, I googled "Jean Filon McIntosh" and found him on the McIntosh Laboratory history page.
The caption reads:
Here is Jean Filon working on design of a new tuner. Jean was the rf engineer and designed several tuners and tuner sections including the MX112, 113, 115. He was also involved with the MR71. He had realigned my MR71 tuner when I first came to McIntosh. Jean had been working at McIntosh before I started in 1967.
Here is the MPI-4 showing Jean's name and a black Serial No.
Nothing like having gear with a story. Today, my MPI-4 just went from valuable to priceless.
