Using Mac 1700 In Japan

[62caddy]

I just found it odd that it would have a transistor output stage from a company that marketed tube amps as superior. If I lived in the USA I’d love to have one because tube FM receivers are fun to align.

No, they never marketed any such thing. On the contrary, Mcintosh issued a lengthy statement in the late ‘80s why the suggestion of returning to tube equipment production was seriously misguided. This was in response to numerous customer requests (particularly from the Japanese) to do so. To satisfy them, the Gordon Gow Commemorative MC275 was reissued in 1993 with a limited production run of 400 - 300 of which were sent to Japan. They hoped this would be the end of it but it only ignited a firestorm of demand for more tube McIntosh. Ironically, Gow had been adamantly opposed to going back to tube equipment.

 

[VoltMan]

I don’t recall McIntosh marketing tube amps as superior. McIntosh migrated from tubes to solid-state in the ‘60s, just like everyone else, but has since added back several tube and tube-hybrid offerings mainly because the market is buying tubes as well as solid-state, but has never stated that they are superior just an alternative.

They certainly implied that their unity coupled tube amps were superior because of proprietary components. From the brochure for mc-240, in the same era as the Mac 1700 came out:

“Of all the good amplifiers built today, no other amplifier sounds as pleasing as a McIntosh. No other manufacturer can use the patented Mcintosh circuit. Because of this exclusive property (the patented McIntosh circuit), McIntosh Laboratory has a basic advantage. The patented McIntosh unity coupled circuit gives you lowest distortion performance from tubes and transformers.”

Of course, that was when I was 10 years old, so perhaps I’ve taken it out of context.

 

[62caddy]

They certainly implied that their unity coupled tube amps were superior because of proprietary components. From the brochure for mc-240, in the same era as the Mac 1700 came out:

“Of all the good amplifiers built today, no other amplifier sounds as pleasing as a McIntosh. No other manufacturer can use the patented Mcintosh circuit. Because of this exclusive property (the patented McIntosh circuit), McIntosh Laboratory has a basic advantage. The patented McIntosh unity coupled circuit gives you lowest distortion performance from tubes and transformers.”

Of course, that was when I was 10 years old, so perhaps I’ve taken it out of context.

Yes but that was in relation to other competing tube equipment at the time. Solid state was some years away from the time of that statement.

 

[SaturationPt]

Interesting perspective.

However, McIntosh has used the unity-coupled transformer design on all of their premium amplifiers, tube and solid-state, since the ‘50s.