Got my vintage McIntosh MC-30 monoblocks yesterday!

[Dean De Furia]

Not much time to talk now but, I got my Mac MC 30's yesterday off ebay. One in NM one is VG+ (small amount of lettering is worn from 2 spots and a couple of small scuffs). Chrome is excellent. Played them last night for a couple of hours- Woo Hoo!

More later........

[Steve Hoffman]

Glad they actually work.

Open the bottoms first (unplugged and after waiting for power discharge) and see if everything looks Kosher in there. There should be no weird wiring, cap leaks, etc.

Make sure you test the tubes too.

[Dean De Furia]

Yep, Opened up the bottoms last night. 95% clean and original. 2 coupling caps on each were nicely replaced with similar types. Very clean. I'm going to check the tubes tonight. They came with RCA 6L6's, I'm going to sub GE's and do an extended listening session.

The seller was tops... It took longer than he said to ship them so he refunded me 1/2 the sippping costs.

[Gary]

Congratulations!

Your mission, Dean, if you decide to accept it, is to give an opinion on the differences between the MC240 and MC30's.

I've always been tempted to hunt a pair of '30's but I need the extra 10 watts of power that the MC240 has to drive my speakers.

Well, maybe I'd rather not know.... :sigh:

Gary :)

[Steve Hoffman]

Mac 30's give off about 42 watts!

[Gary]

Fourty two!?!

And the 240 is 40 watts?

[Dean De Furia]

Originally posted by Gary
Congratulations!

Your mission, Dean, if you decide to accept it, is to give an opinion on the differences between the MC240 and MC30's.

I've always been tempted to hunt a pair of '30's but I need the extra 10 watts of power that the MC240 has to drive my speakers.

Well, maybe I'd rather not know.... :sigh:

Gary :)

Gary, Will do!

I'm going to cry when I sell the 240. As nice as the 30's are, the 240 is truly a museum piece. It's as perfect as it gets.

Man, If I only could keep both.......

[Ronflugelguy]

Originally posted by Gary
Congratulations!

Your mission, Dean, if you decide to accept it, is to give an opinion on the differences between the MC240 and MC30's.

I've always been tempted to hunt a pair of '30's but I need the extra 10 watts of power that the MC240 has to drive my speakers.

Well, maybe I'd rather not know.... :sigh:

Gary :)

Dean, please do let us know!!You sure you are gonna sell the 240?

[Dean De Furia]

A short update, I've been real busy the last couple of days (getting married in Oct) so I haven't had as much time as I would like with the 30's but I can say they are IMHO a notch above even the mighty 240 as far as midrange presence. Some of the vocals that come threw them are downright unreal. The live version of "Steamroller" from the latest James Taylor best-of gave me chills because his voice sounded so real.

Jazz is even better. The Jazz Samba LP was so stunning I sat and listened to it all the way through. Ditto for Dean Martin. 'Ole Dino was right here in my house singing to me!

The bass is a little mushy compared to the 240 and even more so when compared to the Marantz 8B. But it has the illussion of "more bass" so the sound is pleasing. Not accurate by any means but so sweet and enjoyable.
What did surprise me is that the highs don't appear to be very rolled off. I hear plenty of detail in the top-end.

All in all, I'm very happy I purchased these and look forward to some extended listening.

[Steve Hoffman]

Originally posted by Dean De Furia
A short update, I've been real busy the last couple of days (getting married in Oct) so I haven't had as much time as I would like with the 30's but I can say they are IMHO a notch above even the mighty 240 as far as midrange presence. Some of the vocals that come threw them are downright unreal. The live version of "Steamroller" from the latest James Taylor best-of gave me chills because his voice sounded so real.

Jazz is even better. The Jazz Samba LP was so stunning I sat and listened to it all the way through. Ditto for Dean Martin. 'Ole Dino was right here in my house singing to me!

The bass is a little mushy compared to the 240 and even more so when compared to the Marantz 8B. But it has the illusion of "more bass" so the sound is pleasing. Not accurate by any means but so sweet and enjoyable.
What did surprise me is that the highs don't appear to be very rolled off. I hear plenty of detail in the top-end.

All in all, I'm very happy I purchased these and look forward to some extended listening.
Like I always say, the Mac 30's resurrect the dead!

Try the GE tubes; even more midrange palpability.

Plenty of top end on the 30's; not rolled off at all.

Bass is mushier than the 240; that is the tube rectifier instead of the solid state in the 240, but that same tube rectifier brings you more of the "you are there" sound.

The Marantz 8B really has none of that 30 realism but has its own good stuff.....

[Dean De Furia]

Steve, I'm going to swap out the GE's from my 240 into the 30's next. Man, I can't imagine how great they will sound with them!

One more comment: I don't feel the 30's are really the best choice if you dig just Rock-'n-roll. They don't sound "right" with Led Zep, Nirvana etc. Just too slow. This is where the 8B shines. I find the 8B to be a perfect amp for such music.

[Steve Hoffman]

Originally posted by Dean De Furia
Steve, I'm going to swap out the GE's from my 240 into the 30's next. Man, I can't imagine how great they will sound with them!

One more comment: I don't feel the 30's are really the best choice if you dig just Rock-'n-roll. They don't sound "right" with Led Zep, Nirvana etc. Just too slow. This is where the 8B shines. I find the 8B to be a perfect amp for such music.

What are you using for 12AX7/12AU7/12BH7 input tubes? Some of that slowness can be fixed. And what brand of 5U4?

[indy mike]

So boss - what's the Marantz do differently/better in a head to head comparison with the Mac 30???

[Steve Hoffman]

Marantz 8B is brighter, faster and more dynamic. BUT, it doesn't have that Mac 30 "magic". The ability to resurrect the dead.

[indy mike]

Sounds like I'd haveta be a Marantz man (not that I'm gonna be snapping up an 8B anytime soon). My poor power hoggin' Dynaudio's need a slammin' quick amp to grab the mid woof by the boo-boo....

[Steve Hoffman]

Oh I don't know. Playing music through McIntosh MC-30's is like playback through a studio Fairchild stereo 670 or something. Quite an exciting sound; quite seductive. An uncanny ability to reproduce voices in real space that NO other amplifier has ever done for me. Truly 3D!

[indy mike]

Whoa dad - I don't believe the Fairchild amp has come up before - what's this beast???

[Steve Hoffman]

Indy,

I'm shocked at you. Haven't you been reading all of the recording threads over the years?

The Fairchild is the stereo compressor/limiter that every stereo mix was made with in history, including all stereo Beatles.

The Mac 30's have a similar sound. Breath Of Lifesville, pal. A pair of Mac 30's might cost $1,500.00 in great shape. The Fairchild 670 stereo limiter costs around $40,000.00 now, and even if you had the money you can't get one.

[Steve Hoffman]

I prefer the sound of these when actually using them to compress rather than just amplify:

Teletronix LA2-A tube leveling amps:

[Dean De Furia]

Originally posted by Steve Hoffman


What are you using for 12AX7/12AU7/12BH7 input tubes? Some of that slowness can be fixed. And what brand of 5U4?

Steve, right now using:

12AX7 Telefunken (of course!)
12AU7 Mullard box-plate (4003?)
12BH7 GE
5U4 RCA
6l6GC GE

Anything better out there?

[Steve Hoffman]

Originally posted by Dean De Furia


Steve, right now using:

12AX7 Telefunken (of course!)
12AU7 Mullard box-plate (4003?)
12BH7 GE
5U4 RCA
6l6GC GE

Anything better out there?

No, you've got it.

The Mullards might be giving you a bit more top than you might like. If you have any other 12AU7's, try them out. Everything else is in stone.

I've been playing my Mac 30's all day (without preamp, CD player plugged in directly) and it sure is fun. I have them hooked up to my Whatmough Leadlined monitors using the 8 ohm tap even though it's a 4 ohm speaker. Really nice sound.:love: The quick sound of the Wathmough speakers help the bass of the amps sound quicker....

[Dean De Furia]

Originally posted by Steve Hoffman


No, you've got it.

The Mullards might be giving you a bit more top than you might like. If you have any other 12AU7's, try them out. Everything else is in stone.

I've been playing my Mac 30's all day (without preamp, CD player plugged in directly) and it sure is fun. I have them hooked up to my Whatmough Leadlined monitors using the 8 ohm tap even though it's a 4 ohm speaker. Really nice sound.:love: The quick sound of the Wathmough speakers help the bass of the amps sound quicker....

That's a relief! I won't have to buy any tubes.

So, the 8 Ohm tap is the ticket, huh?

I'm using Legacy Focus speakers that are 4 ohm.

I tried the 30's with both a C22 and the VAC CPA-1 pres and prefer how they sound with the C22. Guess there is some kind of synergy going on.

[Steve Hoffman]

Dean,

You are using your 30's with the Legacy speakers full range? Wow. Try the 8 ohm tap for sure....

The VAC pre has a nice neutral sound, 'specially with Teles in there. The C-22 I've always found to be a bit grainer sounding, but I have not heard the reissue version....

Have fun. You have a lot of neat toys.

[Dean De Furia]

Steve, Yep full range! I guess I could try biamping one of these days.

As far as the C22 reissue, I also have Telefunkens in it. It has no grain at all, smooth and nice, Not too creamy. Really yummy with the 30's.

As for all the toys, yeah, too many. Time to do some downsizing!

[Steve Hoffman]

I've run my 30's with the Focus speakers before. Worked fine.

Have you ever tried the 8B reissue on the Legacy speakers? I have not, but I would imagine it might be a bit bright sounding.