[Seamaster]

Wow,thats interesting,and kinda heartbreaking at the same time...Ive always loved the look of the old McIntosh tube gear...In what ways does the Scott beat the Mac?

That is a pair of MC30 in the background, which is still the king in my house, MC60 are already gone. 222D has better vocal and musicality than MC60. MC60 has better HF extension but it is kind of Hi Fi ish sounding. 222D has better kick in the bass than MC30 but with little less definition and control, but wonderful in its own right. MC30's vocal is still unchallenged.

 

[Monsterzero]

That is a pair of MC30 in the background, which is still the king in my house, MC60 are already gone. 222D has better vocal and musicality than MC60. MC60 has better HF extension but it is kind of Hi Fi ish sounding. 222D has better kick in the bass than MC30 but with little less definition and control, but wonderful in its own right. MC30's vocal is still unchallenged.

Forgive the ignorant questions,but does the Mac have proprietary tubes,or are the tubes interchangeable like other tube amps?

 

[Seamaster]

Forgive the ignorant questions,but does the Mac have proprietary tubes,or are the tubes interchangeable like other tube amps?

Which Mac are you referring to? Power tube or signal tube?


Mac are not as flexible for tube rolling, you only can improve the house sound but can not alter the sound signature by rolling tubes. Also they have limited space for small tubes, so adapters are not an option in most the cases.

 

[PhoenixG]

Forgive the ignorant questions,but does the Mac have proprietary tubes,or are the tubes interchangeable like other tube amps?

While many (all?) original Mac tubes are screen printed with the McIntosh logo, they are commercially available tubes in standard sizes (12ax7, 12at7, 6l6gc, etc) made by major US manufacturers.

 

[Topspin70]

A sleeper amp that kicks McIntosh MC60's butt, awesome bass for a 52 years old! The headphone output is strapped to speaker tap with only one 150 Ohm resister per side.

Is that a D150 I see underneath your beautiful vintage Mc? If so it's new meets old. Best of both worlds.

 

[Seamaster]

Is that a D150 I see underneath your beautiful vintage Mc? If so it's new meets old. Best of both worlds.

Yes it is a D150, it sounds very neutral (to me). If you have a very warm front end, Scott 222D and MC30 might not work as good, especially 222D, it is quite warm.

 

[Seamaster]

While many (all?) original Mac tubes are screen printed with the McIntosh logo, they are commercially available tubes in standard sizes (12ax7, 12at7, 6l6gc, etc) made by major US manufacturers.

Original McIntosh tubes are nothing special, sonically.

 

[Monsterzero]

Original McIntosh tubes are nothing special, sonically.

thats where I was going with my line of questions....thanks!

 

[Topspin70]

Yes it is a D150, it sounds very neutral (to me). If you have a very warm front end, Scott 222D and MC30 might not work as good, especially 222D, it is quite warm.

Oh I see. That sure makes sense. Years ago I was in love with the D100 and I recall it was detailed, neutral yet has that beautiful McIntosh tone. In general, I'm like you, preferring neutral front ends, and let the amps add the magic touch to the music.

 

[93EXCivic]

So I am thinking about getting a vintage receiver to use in my living room at first to power headphones but at some point I am going to add speakers. I figured given the size of them I would look locally. What are good brands and/ or models to look for? I am assuming that I will probably need to replace the caps. How difficult is this? I have done a little DIY audio stuff so far. Basically looking for idea of where to start.

 

[Monsterzero]

So I am thinking about getting a vintage receiver to use in my living room at first to power headphones but at some point I am going to add speakers. I figured given the size of them I would look locally. What are good brands and/ or models to look for? I am assuming that I will probably need to replace the caps. How difficult is this? I have done a little DIY audio stuff so far. Basically looking for idea of where to start.

I just went thru the same process and got a lot of advice over on AK....
First you need to decide if you like the "west coast" or "east coast" sound...After you figure out what the hell that means it can help narrow it down.

I opted for east coast,even though im a native of SoCal,and got no less than 15-20 different suggestions on makes and models

 

[r2muchstuff]

... I am assuming that I will probably need to replace the caps. How difficult is this? I have done a little DIY audio stuff so far. Basically looking for idea of where to start.

Two schools of thought:

Replace all the caps and update other parts.

Or

Replace only out of spec, broken or dead stuff.

I prefer the latter, as it does not have as great of a potential to affect the sound.
However, I do plan to have one amp/receiver completely redone to see what these vintage units are capable of with some new parts

JMTC,
r2

 

[PhoenixG]

So I am thinking about getting a vintage receiver to use in my living room at first to power headphones but at some point I am going to add speakers. I figured given the size of them I would look locally. What are good brands and/ or models to look for? I am assuming that I will probably need to replace the caps. How difficult is this? I have done a little DIY audio stuff so far. Basically looking for idea of where to start.

If you post your local craigslist link, we can look at what's there now and make suggestions. Really takes it from the abstract to the concrete haha.

 

[Topspin70]

I just went thru the same process and got a lot of advice over on AK....
First you need to decide if you like the "west coast" or "east coast" sound...After you figure out what the hell that means it can help narrow it down.

I opted for east coast,even though im a native of SoCal,and got no less than 15-20 different suggestions on makes and models

What's the West Coast and East Coast sound? Or should I look it up in AK? Sounds very interesting.

 

[Monsterzero]

What's the West Coast and East Coast sound? Or should I look it up in AK? Sounds very interesting.

Essentially East Coast has one or no bass ports,for a tight relaxed sound,whereas West Coast has multiple ports and the bass is typically wilder and whollier,more v-shape.

You can see my thread here,perhaps it will help you.