The MR78 Arrives in New Zealand.....Wooooooo

[kevzep]

I got a phone-call from my shipping agent, my consignment had arrived......

I turned up and picked it up!! I couldn't get there fast enough...

So there it was on the floor in the lounge, a big box which said MC2505!!
Yep, that had me going for second haha....

So in we went to hatch a MR78......:thmbsp:
And there it was, or is, beautiful!!

This is why it is so nice to buy off a fellow AK'r, when they say its mint, oh my is it ever so mint!!
The counterweight on the tuning wheel is so gleaming!!
This could easily pass for brand new...

So anyway I went about taking it to my bench to do the 230V conversion and the change for 75µS to 50µS for the FM de-emphasis.
Snip snip the Black/red and the black/White transformer primary wires....
The join them together and replace the RF suppressors....

There we are, all done....:thmbsp:

New Polystyrene caps for the de-emphasis......

Old 75µS caps on the output board

Installed and in the main system, love the look of this tuner....

Right at home next to the MC452!!

First listening impressions.....
I've just been listening to it for the last hour or so, and coming straight from the MR80, Immediately the MR78 seems creamier, and the top end is silky smooth.....
It has amazing bass, very solid whereas the MR80's bass is more liquid if that makes sense....I love the authority in the 78's bass and low mids!! Kills the 80 in this area!!
The 78 feels more musical whereas the 80 feels more clinical especially in the top end? I think thats right....

Clinical is not a bad thing, the MR80 has astounding clarity up top, and the MR80 is staying with me for the "Hers" system as my girlfriend likes to listen to a few different stations and she does most of her radio listening in the bedroom....so the presets are handy......

What a killer tuner the MR78 is!! How cool does it look in the dark?? Too Cool...:thmbsp:

 

[clinic-audio]

Hello Kevin !

Very nice unit ! is it an AD or CG serial number ? :thmbsp:

 

[kevzep]

Hello Kevin !

Very nice unit ! is it an AD or CG serial number ? :thmbsp:

It has an AD serial number, which I believe is a later model....

Yes I am very happy with the condition, it looks like new inside...incredible condition...:yes:

 

[clinic-audio]

No Kevin , AD are the first serie !

CG are the last serie from CG1001 to around CG2900 I think .
The last one who came in France (from MCINTOSH LABS new) was the CG2796 THE MARCH 22th 1984 !

 

[kevzep]

No Kevin , AD are the first serie !

CG are the last serie from CG1001 to around CG2900 I think .
The last one who came in France (from MCINTOSH LABS new) was the CG2796 THE MARCH 22th 1984 !

Oh I see, I got it the wrong way around.......So mine could be as early as 1974 then?

Very interesting, hard to believe they made such a fabulous sounding tuner so long ago......

 

[seacliffe301]

Oh I see, I got it the wrong way around.......So mine could be as early as 1974 then?

Very interesting, hard to believe they made such a fabulous sounding tuner so long ago......

The CG are the last run, but only made up for a small percentage of units.
That unit is very late in the AD run. Overall, it's probably 2/3 to 3/4 of the entire run, maybe later.

Glad to hear you're happy with it. It does look awesome in your system.
Enjoy!

 

[62caddy]

The case of a 2505 morphing into an MR 78! lol

Your tuner looks magnificent. :thmbsp: Congrats and enjoy, Kev.

 

[squirrelnest]

Nice piece of gear....great it arrived in excellent condition....

 

[dewickt]

Looks like it has had a generous helping of Muse capacitors to bring out the real sound as it was when new... enjoy !!

 

[tuffstuff1]

Very nice! They have radio way down there? Can you tune into the states with that bad boy? Congrats!

 

[kevzep]

Looks like it has had a generous helping of Muse capacitors to bring out the real sound as it was when new... enjoy !!

Indeed it does Terry, I wonder who might have put those in there.....hmmmm....:scratch2:

It sounds beautiful!!

 

[kevzep]

The CG are the last run, but only made up for a small percentage of units.
That unit is very late in the AD run. Overall, it's probably 2/3 to 3/4 of the entire run, maybe later.

Glad to hear you're happy with it. It does look awesome in your system.
Enjoy!

Hard to say its exact year then, maybe around '76 perhaps, well its sure is an excellent example....

Yeah I think it looks cool, great how it can sit next to a brand new McIntosh amplifier and not look out of place....

Thanks Mike, again, couldn't be happier!!

The case of a 2505 morphing into an MR 78! lol

Your tuner looks magnificent. :thmbsp: Congrats and enjoy, Kev.

Yeah I got a laugh out of that, I was like

Nice piece of gear....great it arrived in excellent condition....

Indeed, always a relief to unpack it and find its all good form its journey...:thmbsp:

Very nice! They have radio way down there? Can you tune into the states with that bad boy? Congrats!

Haha, if it was possible, this would be the tuner for the job, its got pretty amazing selectivity.....

Wow, I got up for a midnight snack and had to reply......thanks guys!! Cant wait until the morning.....I think Breakfast may take longer in the morning...and its Saturday!!

 

[damacman]

Kev, you sir have inherited the McIntosh virus. Unfortunately, there is no cure. I had it from 1990 til . . . well, today.

 

[kevzep]

Kev, you sir have inherited the McIntosh virus. Unfortunately, there is no cure. I had it from 1990 til . . . well, today.

Yes, have I what!!! Its been a fun and interesting journey discovering McIntosh and putting these two systems together.....

But seriously, I have accomplished my goal for a while, we have nice McIntosh systems in both the main areas, and we have the MC2205 in our little studio...

I may look into another pre-amp next year, but it will be much later next year....I am entertaining the thought of a C2500, but I will have to see.....might end up going for a C48/50.....Not sure at this stage, but at the moment I am just enjoying these magnificent systems.....

Another couple of pics.....

 

[Bubo]

For some reason a tuner isn't the same unless it has a knob for tuning and analog meters..

Enjoy!

 

[kevzep]

For some reason a tuner isn't the same unless it has a knob for tuning and analog meters..

Enjoy!

And, enjoying it I most certainly am......:thmbsp:

On the second day I just like it more and more, strangely somehow it seems to feel more dynamic than the MR80, and its just so alive sounding...
I am so happy I got this tuner, its a keeper, mind you so is the MR80, but the MR78 certainly has its reputation for good reason.....

I know what you mean about the analogue tuning scale and meters, I'm a fan of the 78's look.....:yes:

 

[Hyperion]

What can I say? congratulations Kevin :thmbsp:

 

[kevzep]

What can I say? congratulations Kevin :thmbsp:

Thanks John, and with this arrival, so ends my buying of McIntosh for a while......

It's exciting getting up every morning knowing I will flick the switch on my system and enjoy a few tunes before I go to work....

 

[mdewire]

Congratulations on the MR-78. It sounds like you got one in mint condition with a good restoration. I debated getting a mint classic model like the 78 or the new MR88. Since I have many HD radio stations here in San Antonio including my favorite station KRTU 91.7 Jazz, I opted for the MR88. I am still waiting for it to arrive at the dealer I purchased it from.

Best,

 

[sKiZo]

Geodesic Survey shows your neighborhood to be about a foot lower than it was before you started collecting those Big Macs. Keep this up, and what with gravity distortion and all, you may have a black hole named after you ...

Of course, you'll be seeing it from the other side ...

Seriously ... is your house on a slab or have you at least done some stress testing on the floor joists? You're probably talking half a ton concentrated in a very small area ... I doubled the joists directly under my system and added a couple jack poles ...