[Oregonian]

   
There are remote upgrades that can be purchased for some of the vintage units - but very expensive (>$300).   Have seen them on that popular auction site a few times.

Like internal servo drives?  I've seen one Marantz that had a servo driven volume control installed...............uber spendy.
 
I'd like to know what type/brand you're referencing if you can.  Have a couple other systems (have 8 vintage systems in use) that I'd like to have remote volume capability.

 

[SpeakerBox]

It is called Audiocubics:
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Remote-volume-control-will-work-with-Kenwood-KR-8010-Audiocubics-Walnut-/191335794727?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item2c8c808827

 

[Oregonian]

By the way, I just found more of the Chase RLC-1 remote control systems for sale on eBay.  I bought one for $175 for my second system.  There are three more available from other sources from $189 - 300. 
 
I highly recommend this unit.  The only weakness to me anyway to vintage is having no way to adjust volume.  When listening in close quarters via headphones it isn't an issue but for my two main systems they are hooked to speakers and I listen to speakers 50% of the time so having adjustability from my recliner is sweet. 

 

[hojomojo96]

Hey all, its been a while since I've posted in the thread, although I've been dutifully lurking since my last appearance. After months of not using my MAC 1900 for fear of damaging the poor thing (overheating problems), I finally found the money to send it in for repairs. I get it back tomorrow and am incredibly excited to have it driving my LCD2's and bs22's again - my Aune T1 and Lepai T amp have done their best but simply can't put out the same quality and power. Thought I'd share the excitement before I burst - my next step will be building a wooden cabinet for it, so I'll be bothering you guys for advice once I get started on that.

 

[jgreen16]

While browsing that popular auction site, I came across a Pioneer SX-1050 that was listed for parts or repair. The description said the receiver powered up okay, and the lights all worked, but there was no sound. The seller had purchased it at an estate sale, and was told it was stored away for many years.
 
The seller had quite a few pictures, so I went straight to the shot of the rear panel. Sure enough, the jumpers for the pre-out to power amp in were missing. I sent a quick note to suggest that they use a set of RCA cables to make the connection, and then see if there was still no sound. I also told them if that worked, perhaps they could update the listing, and possibly get a higher winning bid. The seller replied "I don't have time to mess with it, selling as is, thank you."
 
A couple of things I 'm wondering now. Was I out of line contacting the seller about this? And, regardless of whether I should have contacted the seller or not, why would you not have the time to check it out, considering it may get you more money? It seems like not much effort would be required. 
 

 

[PhoenixG]

  While browsing that popular auction site, I came across a Pioneer SX-1050 that was listed for parts or repair. The description said the receiver powered up okay, and the lights all worked, but there was no sound. The seller had purchased it at an estate sale, and was told it was stored away for many years.
 
The seller had quite a few pictures, so I went straight to the shot of the rear panel. Sure enough, the jumpers for the pre-out to power amp in were missing. I sent a quick note to suggest that they use a set of RCA cables to make the connection, and then see if there was still no sound. I also told them if that worked, perhaps they could update the listing, and possibly get a higher winning bid. The seller replied "I don't have time to mess with it, selling as is, thank you."
 
A couple of things I 'm wondering now. Was I out of line contacting the seller about this? And, regardless of whether I should have contacted the seller or not, why would you not have the time to check it out, considering it may get you more money? It seems like not much effort would be required. 
 

You did the best you could. Maybe you'll get a good price for it if you really want it. Had the exact same problem with my realistic sta-2000D except all the lights were also out.
 

Hey all, its been a while since I've posted in the thread, although I've been dutifully lurking since my last appearance. After months of not using my MAC 1900 for fear of damaging the poor thing (overheating problems), I finally found the money to send it in for repairs. I get it back tomorrow and am incredibly excited to have it driving my LCD2's and bs22's again - my Aune T1 and Lepai T amp have done their best but simply can't put out the same quality and power. Thought I'd share the excitement before I burst - my next step will be building a wooden cabinet for it, so I'll be bothering you guys for advice once I get started on that.

Congrats! Always glad to see a worthy unit come back from the brink of death. I think my 1900 sounds nice, but the FM section (which I use most) let me down a bit. I could watch those blue dials like an oscar winning movie though... 

 

[Captain Howdy]

  While browsing that popular auction site, I came across a Pioneer SX-1050 that was listed for parts or repair. The description said the receiver powered up okay, and the lights all worked, but there was no sound. The seller had purchased it at an estate sale, and was told it was stored away for many years.
 
The seller had quite a few pictures, so I went straight to the shot of the rear panel. Sure enough, the jumpers for the pre-out to power amp in were missing. I sent a quick note to suggest that they use a set of RCA cables to make the connection, and then see if there was still no sound. I also told them if that worked, perhaps they could update the listing, and possibly get a higher winning bid. The seller replied "I don't have time to mess with it, selling as is, thank you."
 
A couple of things I 'm wondering now. Was I out of line contacting the seller about this? And, regardless of whether I should have contacted the seller or not, why would you not have the time to check it out, considering it may get you more money? It seems like not much effort would be required. 
 

 
You weren't out of line in contacting him. In this case, I would take him at his word: he doesn't have time to mess with it. He probably has a lot of other merchandise to sell and just doesn't feel it's worth his time to hunt up a set of RCA cables. And if he's like me, he has no idea what "jumpers for the pre-out to power amp" are, and if they're missing, how would I connect a set of RCA cables to them anyway? 

 

[jgreen16]

   
You weren't out of line in contacting him. In this case, I would take him at his word: he doesn't have time to mess with it. He probably has a lot of other merchandise to sell and just doesn't feel it's worth his time to hunt up a set of RCA cables. And if he's like me, he has no idea what "jumpers for the pre-out to power amp" are, and if they're missing, how would I connect a set of RCA cables to them anyway? 

I had actually sent him a picture of the back panel of a SX-1050 with the jumpers in place, and circled. It's the only item he currently has listed, and he has feedback in the mid-400's since becoming a member in '03. To each his own I guess. The high bid is currently at $260 with a couple of days left.

 

[Captain Howdy]

 
I had actually sent him a picture of the back panel of a SX-1050 with the jumpers in place, and circled. It's the only item he currently has listed, and he has feedback in the mid-400's since becoming a member in '03. To each his own I guess. The high bid is currently at $260 with a couple of days left.

 
Sounds like you did all you could to be helpful. Guess he's just lazy.

 

[hojomojo96]

Congrats! Always glad to see a worthy unit come back from the brink of death. I think my 1900 sounds nice, but the FM section (which I use most) let me down a bit. I could watch those blue dials like an oscar winning movie though... 

Thanks! Yeah, I love my 1900, although my opinion isn't much to go off of since its the nicest amp I've had/listened to. I don't really use the tuner myself, since the local stations are of no interest to me. Out of curiousity though, whats wrong with it? The icing on the cake is that the price of the repair wasn't too much so I'm still coming in at well under market value! Hopefully it should keep me content and fend off that little voice telling me to upgrade for a while!

 

[Oregonian]

I had actually sent him a picture of the back panel of a SX-1050 with the jumpers in place, and circled. It's the only item he currently has listed, and he has feedback in the mid-400's since becoming a member in '03. To each his own I guess. The high bid is currently at $260 with a couple of days left.

Class move on your part giving him the idea. Good job. If you can get it for that bid price of $260 that is a very very good unit. I have one which I paid $400 for and like it almost as much as my Spec system. In fact for what I'm using my 1050 for it's perfect as it's for my television system in the family room. Which now will have a remote control when I get my Chase RLC-1 unit Tuesday.

 

[PhoenixG]

Thanks! Yeah, I love my 1900, although my opinion isn't much to go off of since its the nicest amp I've had/listened to. I don't really use the tuner myself, since the local stations are of no interest to me. Out of curiousity though, whats wrong with it? The icing on the cake is that the price of the repair wasn't too much so I'm still coming in at well under market value! Hopefully it should keep me content and fend off that little voice telling me to upgrade for a while!

The amp sounds pretty nice, but the tuner is kinda kneecapped by a response limited to 20Hz-15kHz compared to the amp's roll-off at 35kHz. That gives a serious audible difference between different sections of the receiver. Also, the noise rejection is only ok, so you get more static and fewer channels than a really good tuner. 
 
I got the mac 1900 because I wanted it to be a one box solution that sounds just like the mcintosh separates units that I love (moody knows what I mean). To that effect, I had mixed results. It has the superlative build quality I have come to expect, but after listening and doing some more research, I figured out why it didn't quite meet my (really high, basically stratospheric) hopes. I think they used the front end from the mr-73 tuner, c-24 preamp board, and mc 250 outputs. Those are all good parts, but a few generations yet from their best work. I was comparing it to the MR-78 - C-32 - mc2125. It was never going to win, except in compactness. To be fair, even the MR-78 isn't as good as it can be without a few mods. It rolls off way too low, but I digress.
 
It might sound like I'm saying it wasn't good. I'm not. I really liked how it sounded (except on fm), but there are a few better receivers out there (and a few in my house haha). I wanted it to have the cajones to put out the deep bass (10-30 hz), but it wasn't quite viscerally there. I wanted the fm to have a higher roll-off. The human ear goes to 20kHz, so anything under that really is noticeable. Great tuners sample at 39kHz and you can really tell when you hear it.
 
For what I paid for mine, I'm happy with how it sounds. I'm glad you like yours. McIntosh is a great brand that is hard to go wrong with in the vintage realm. I think every vintage McIntosh is always worth fixing. I can't really say that for any other brand.
 
###
 
Just as a quick addition, I've only found two receivers ever that sound as good as a McIntosh separates system, but they are power limited and have their own drawbacks. I hope my sx-1980 will join their ranks after it comes back from its restoration.

 

[hojomojo96]

  The amp sounds pretty nice, but the tuner is kinda kneecapped by a response limited to 20Hz-15kHz compared to the amp's roll-off at 35kHz. That gives a serious audible difference between different sections of the receiver. Also, the noise rejection is only ok, so you get more static and fewer channels than a really good tuner. 
 
I got the mac 1900 because I wanted it to be a one box solution that sounds just like the mcintosh separates units that I love (moody knows what I mean). To that effect, I had mixed results. It has the superlative build quality I have come to expect, but after listening and doing some more research, I figured out why it didn't quite meet my (really high, basically stratospheric) hopes. I think they used the front end from the mr-73 tuner, c-24 preamp board, and mc 250 outputs. Those are all good parts, but a few generations yet from their best work. I was comparing it to the MR-78 - C-32 - mc2125. It was never going to win, except in compactness. To be fair, even the MR-78 isn't as good as it can be without a few mods. It rolls off way too low, but I digress.
 
It might sound like I'm saying it wasn't good. I'm not. I really liked how it sounded (except on fm), but there are a few better receivers out there (and a few in my house haha). I wanted it to have the cajones to put out the deep bass (10-30 hz), but it wasn't quite viscerally there. I wanted the fm to have a higher roll-off. The human ear goes to 20kHz, so anything under that really is noticeable. Great tuners sample at 39kHz and you can really tell when you hear it.
 
For what I paid for mine, I'm happy with how it sounds. I'm glad you like yours. McIntosh is a great brand that is hard to go wrong with in the vintage realm. I think every vintage McIntosh is always worth fixing. I can't really say that for any other brand.
 
###
 
Just as a quick addition, I've only found two receivers ever that sound as good as a McIntosh separates system, but they are power limited and have their own drawbacks. I hope my sx-1980 will join their ranks after it comes back from its restoration.

Yeah, I'm sure there are better receivers out there - in fact, the man who runs the repair shop I went to let me listen to a Sansui G-9000 today, and it was quite an experience. Every time I take another step in my audio journey I'm amazed that there is, in fact, more clarity and better sound to be had. I'll stop upgrading once the audible difference is gone, I suppose. For now though, I'm happy to report that I finally went and picked up my MAC 1900 and its working (and sounding) great! Here are some pictures:

 

[Oregonian]

Sweet!  Congrats on bringing home the baby...................

 

[BobG55]

 

When it comes to a McIntosh product it's like a beautiful woman, a Cadillac, etc.  Aesthetically appealing to the eye with a warm and pleasant feeling.