Old Mcintosh Vs New?

[maytagman]

Well having completed my home theater to an acceptable level I want to build a 2 channel system for music. I'm wondering here... I've long been a Mcintosh fan but lacked the second mortgage to pay for it all. Well, I finally have the ability to make the choice in this matter... and it comes down to this.

Mac's made some great products... and the vintage mac 60's can be had on eBay for a steal. The question is... I can get a mac60 or a new SP-3 from AV123 for around the same price... With the inability to buy both for listening I wonder if there's any significant difference between them? Their design appears nearly identical and I would guess the only notable change could be the tube character. Anyone have any wisdom on the matter?

Regards

 

[cornelius]

I have a solid state Mac amp that sounds great - but that's where my experience ends. Maybe you should try over at audiokarma.org under the McIntosh threads for advice.

 

[highfihoney]

When you say your thinking about buying a mac60 do you mean a Mc 60,if so what do you intend to run from this amp & are you aware that it is a monoblock single channel amp.

The most important thing is what your planning on doing with the amplifier,anybody who is familar with this amp would need to know what speaker or speakers you intend to run from this amplifier.

Also keep in mind that most likely these older Mcintosh tube amps found on ebay & audiogon are not plug & play type amplifiers,most of them need to see a qualified tech to be brought back up to spec as they are 40 years old or better & their values will have changed drastically over the years.

Im not trying to sour you on buying a vintage Mcintosh tube amp i just want you to be aware that a single Mc 60 in good shape will sell for atleast $800 & a pair will cost atleast $1,600 & more if both amps have consecutive serial numbers plus the costs of bringing them back up to spec,i own 3 Mc 60's & they are fantastic amps but for the costs involved there are alot better choices in amplifiers.

 

[maytagman]

Aye, aware of the differences of course. I know this ain't your big box from best buy and I do know they're mono amps vs onix's stereo design. I'm just talking about... do the tube offerings from modern companies match up to the craftsmanship?

I guess what I'm trying to get across is... are today's tube amps like everything built today? Crap?
I mean honestly, how much of my home theater setup would I enjoy listening to in 20 years? porbably none. I'm not a McIntosh nerd but I'm looking for a decent heirloom quality tube amp for a stereo system. Will likely be used wth a medium to large cabinet system, at the smallest Onix's Strata Minis and largest being some old klipsch monsters I stand to inherit. I'm leaning towards the strata Minis for now until I see the klipsch's condition.

 

[highfihoney]

Aye, aware of the differences of course. I know this ain't your big box from best buy and I do know they're mono amps vs onix's stereo design. I'm just talking about... do the tube offerings from modern companies match up to the craftsmanship?

I guess what I'm trying to get across is... are today's tube amps like everything built today? Crap?
I mean honestly, how much of my home theater setup would I enjoy listening to in 20 years? porbably none. I'm not a McIntosh nerd but I'm looking for a decent heirloom quality tube amp for a stereo system. Will likely be used wth a medium to large cabinet system, at the smallest Onix's Strata Minis and largest being some old klipsch monsters I stand to inherit. I'm leaning towards the strata Minis for now until I see the klipsch's condition.

Thats better,the info helps & i follow what your saying about throwing cash out the window & i agree,no matter how good a peice of gear sounds or how cheap it is i refuse to buy throw away gear,to answer your question about holding value most of the modern day tube amps especially the affordable ones loose value very fast,another concern of mine with fly by night new on the market tube amp manufacturers is the risk of repair parts becomming obsolete, all one has to do is look at one of the darlings of tube gear(golden tube audio)to see how these manufacturers leave buyers with unservicable & valueless gear when they go out of business,so to answer your question regarding long term value mcintosh has no equal.

As for craftsmanship between tube amps there is no affordable equal to a vintage mcintosh tube amp,most of the modern affordable tube gear is mass produced in order to keep costs low & quality takes a back seat to cost.

When you mentioned looking for an heirloom that will be a long term investment that will only gain in value mcintosh has no equal, i'd stick with the mac stuff.

 

[maytagman]

Many thanks for the response. Sorry if I came off a little vague or otherwise hopeless in my first post

I guess I'm just plain tired of the 'throw away' gear and your advice is certainly confirming my suspicions. The only modern application I'd probably consider is the Onix SP3 seeing as my personal experience has always been they prefer overengineering and overbuilding their components. It's like the difference of a Toyota and a Mercedes-Benz.
Toyota is cheap to buy and cheap to run, but in 20 years it will still be a toyota, but in the same years the Mercedes is a classic!

The other sway factor is that the SP3 uses regularly available fairly standard tubing.

 

[jcPanny]

Tube Amp.

Maytag,
If you plan on getting the Strata Minis then you get the SP3 for next to nothing and a free pair of Ref 0.5 to boot. The price for just the speakers will go up to $2k next year, same price as the current combo.
If you are not happy with the SP3, sell it on audiogon for a profit.

P.S. This is great advice so consider throwning the pair Ref 0.5s my way. They would work great as surrounds with my Ref 1's.