Vintage McIntosh System

[smollett5]

I recently acquired an MC225 and a C11 from the original owner, both 1961 components purchased at the same time in early 1962. The MC225 has all of the original tubes, including the Westinghouse made, McIntosh branded 7591As, two RCA made, McIntosh branded 12BH7s, two Telefunken made Mc branded 12AU7s and one 12AX7. The MC225 does not have one spot of rust, no dings or scratches on any of the transformers, and only has slight fading on a few of the silk-screened letters. The C11 is in the same superb condition, its cabinet having absorbed a few scratches. It had only one of its original Telefunken 12AX7s, so I installed a full set of six Telefunken 12AX7 smooth plates. They work perfectly and look and sound wonderful. These two pieces have now joined my MR67, which rates about an 8.5 out of 10 with most of its original McIntosh tubes remaining.

I waited a long time to come across the right MC225/C11 combo and it seems worth it.

 

[rhkwon]

Very nice vintage set!

 

[WhiteSE]

Very Nice indeed!

 

[junkaudio]

45 years old and still going strong ,a very nice system

 

[Big Mac]

Sweet beyond belief!:thmbsp:

 

[von.ah]

ill

I seem to lately have an unhealthy physiological response to threads like these. :drool:
Theory #1: green with envy
Theory #2: if i succumb to pursuing anything McIntosh I will most surely be dead soon after purchasing :nono:

 

[www.records]

Very very nice. I bet it sounds wonderful.

What speakers are you using?

 

[smollett5]

Speakers with Vintage McIntosh System

Well, they vary. Currently, I have three pair attached via an Adcom GFS-6 speaker selector. The system (which also includes an absolutely mint Fisher 500-C, a similarly preserved MA6200 - for those days when I want the McIntosh sound but do not want to waste tube hours - a Fisher 800-T for DXing and the occasional use as an amp, a great Fisher FM-1000 Broadcast Monitor, and an Arcam CD73) powers a pair of completely unblemished Mission 761i speakers in the kitchen, and a pair of single driver Omega Grande 6 speakers and, just added, a pair of KEF C30 speakers in my home office. I just moved a pair of Bozak LS-250s out of the system. In a few weeks, I will move a pair of Klipsch Heresies, original series with the riser bases, into the system and the KEFs out.

They all sound pretty good so far. None of the speakers has exceptional low bass performance, but that really does not bother me too much. I really concentrate on the mid-range and higher frequencies.

 

[skippy_ps]

Excellent McVintage setup. :tresbon:

Murray

 

[ron-c]

Cool. Nice condition for sure!

Thanks,
Ron-C

 

[CarlV]

Very sweet setup indeed. I wish my MC225 looked that nice. It's not too bad
but not that nice. Enjoy!



Carl

 

[wajobu]

Beautiful equipment--especially that MC225!

 

[smollett5]

Vintage McIntosh

Carl,

Thanks for the kind words. I've attached an oblique photo of the MC225. The few dots you might see on the black painted chassis are bits of dust captured by the photo and the contrast of the light. This photo shows the amp with a quad of NOS Sylvania 7591As. Today, my replacement NOS signal tubes arrived so I replaced the factory installed originals for posterity.

I must confess that the system sounds just as good now as when it had the factory originals. The appearance of the components simply delights the eye. Why, even my daughter, no tube-o-phile she, thought the MC225 looked neat.

Gary

 

[radioactive]

nice set of mc gear Gary :thmbsp: but you also spiked my interest with the fisher fm1000 tuner that you're using.being a tuner guy myself i would'nt mind seeing a picture of it and im sure Carl would'nt mind it either in the mcforum .i'm curios also does the fisher 800-T have a nuvistor tube in the fm front end?i have myself a rare fisher r200b am/fm/sw tuner that uses one in it and it's suppose to be a excellent tuner. unfortunately mine needs some attention so i cant say i've had a chance to use it .hopefully one day i'll send it in to get fixed but like alot of people here i've gott alot more projects ahead of it .

chris

 

[chrisf]

That is one of if not the best looking MC225 I have seen.Great buy.




chris

 

[smollett5]

Vintage McIntosh & a couple vintage Fisher pieces

Once again, thanks to everyone for the compliments.

Chris, the Fisher FM-1000 rates about a 9/10, and I have attached a photo. I also have attached a photo of my 800-T which, unlike your R-200B or my TFM-300, also with an attached photo, does not have a tube front end. The first generation Fisher "transistor" tuners, in fact, had the "exclusive Nuvistor-Golden Synchrode front end." Typically, the Fisher installation had two 6CW4 nuvistors (very similar to the two 6DS4 nuvistors in the front end of the MAC1700 receiver, which I also have, and the MR67) and a glass 6HA5 tube.

The 800-T, on the other hand, has no tubes whatsoever. I got interested in this as a result of buying two Fisher 250-Ts ( a slightly less deluxe receiver) for $9.95 for the legendary Tune-O-Matic feature. Much to my surprise, the tuning section in the 250-T beat everything else I have, including the MR67, the MR7082, Pioneer TX-130, and every receiver in selectivity. It can find FM stations the others cannot detect.

Inspired by that performance, I bought the TFM-300 thinking that it would have even better selectivity and DXing performance as Fisher's top "transistor" tuner in 1964. Sorry - no such luck. It works all right, but no miracles. The quality of the audio falls short of the McIntosh tuners and the receivers from McIntosh, Fisher, Pioneer, etc. I paid $7.95 for it - before expensive repairs.

The search for cheap DXing capabilities led me to the 800-T, as the most expensive Fisher receiver of the 1969-72 time frame. I paid $10.50 for this one, prior to repairs. Its FM selectivity actually compares favorably with that of the 250-T. However, the complexity of the tuning section and the Tune-O-Matic feature, in particular, can give rise to repair bills in the hundreds of dollars. Simply not worth it unless you have a special attachment to the receiver or money to burn. Currently, my tech has it to fix a MPX problem and I will have spent at least $225 on repairs.

I also attached a front photo of the MC225. The "stuff" you see on the front is dust that reflected the odd light coming in from the window. So far the sound from the MC225 and C11 meets all the expectations.

 

[rhiohki]

here's another compliment your way. That is a very clean and clear McIntosh you got. sweet

 

[Number 9]

I'm amazed that the chrome is in such good condition. You don't see that often.