EMBRACE AUDIO NIRVANA WITH THE MCINTOSH MAC1700

“Buy the Mac 1700 and enjoy the best!” That’s what the 1967 advert from McIntosh claimed. And boy, did they deliver. Almost sixty years later, vintage McIntosh amplifiers are still sought after and fought for. They’re worth their weight in gold and eye candy to anyone who enjoys vintage audio.

Why? Legendary performance is simply what’s expected of McIntosh equipment. And for a good reason! Ever since their start in 1949, McIntosh has been known for providing home audio systems that deliver the ultimate music-listening experience. The 1700 lives up to the MacIntosh name, so without further ado, let’s dive into what makes it so ridiculously cool.

HYBRID RECEIVER

The McIntosh MAC1700 is what’s known as a hybrid receiver. This means it uses a mix of tubes and solid state technology. This particular one is a two-channel hybrid receiver made up of three main stereo components: a solid state preamplifier, a solid state power amplifier, and a tube FM MPX stereo tuner.

The preamp section has 16 silicon planar transistors, which results in high thermal stability, low noise, and superior high frequency response. The amp section is actually two solid state 40 watt power amps, one for each channel. This helps make the MAC1700 fail safe, regardless of the speaker load. Then there’s the FM MPX tuner section, which consists of 8 tubes, 3 transistors, and 10 diodes (the tuner section uses six tubes while the MPX section uses two tubes).

Tubes are the hallmark of true vintage systems. When it comes to receivers, the use of tubes can create an enriched, colored tone that you would miss out on from a modern digital audio system. And you can hear the difference even in a hybrid system like this. It produces a warm, fluid sound that’s entirely unique. It turns simple music into a rich audio experience. If you ever get the chance to listen to a hybrid or tube amplifier, you should! It’s worth it.

FRONT PANEL

Let’s start with a bit of history. Backpedaling all the way to the 1960s, when McIntosh’s famous front-panel illumination was born. Gordon Gow, one of the founders of McIntosh, suggested the teal illumination, which would light up beautifully in a dim room. It was a design implementation that helped make the McIntosh name analogous with quality.

And it’s what the MAC 1700 boasts. Even if you knew nothing about McIntosh, your fingers would be itching to pick up and play with this receiver after seeing it lit up. Then when you add in the silver knobs for the input selector, tuner, and the bass, treble, and volume controls? You get an urge to be the one in control of this amp.

The front panel also features switches for mode (to set it to stereo or mono), filter in/out (to reduce high and low frequency noise), tape monitor, muting (to eliminate interstation noise), loud in/out (to compensate for low volume listening), and speaker on/off. It also has your headphone jack for hooking up a nice pair of stereo headphones.

Fun Fact! Did you know that McIntosh amplifiers powered Woodstock in 1969? This famous festival was one for the ages, featuring three days of peace, love, and music for the hundreds of thousands who attended.

REAR PANEL

The rear panel has everything you need in a vintage audio receiver! First, FM antenna connections to listen to your favorite FM radio stations. You can use an indoor FM dipole (300 ohm) antenna, an outdoor FM antenna, or an unbalanced 75 ohm FM antenna. You also have speaker terminals (to connect loudspeakers using speaker wire) and AC outlets. There are two black AC outlets and one red AC outlet; the power to the black AC outlets is controlled by the front panel switch (good for components such as a tape recorder) while the red AC outlet is on at all times (best for a turntable).

It’s also loaded with input terminals to connect the rest of your vintage stereo gear. This includes dual phono jacks (how cool would it be to hook up not one but two turntables?), a GND terminal to ground your turntable, a tape monitor input, an auxiliary input, and a tape HD input (which is for connecting a tape player with no self-contained electronics such as a preamp). It also has a tape output for recording. Lastly, there's a muting control, which determines the strength of signal necessary for a station to be heard with the tuner in the muting position (though casually adjusting this is not recommended as the muting threshold was adjusted at the factory during manufacturing).

SPECIFICATIONS

• Tuning range: FM
• Power output: 40 watts per channel into 8Ω (stereo)
• Frequency response: 20Hz to 20kHz
• Total harmonic distortion: 0.25%
• Damping factor: 100
• Input sensitivity: 2.4mV (MM), 300mV (line)
• Signal to noise ratio: 76dB (MM), 75dB (line)
• Speaker load impedance: 4Ω to 8Ω
• FM tubes: 8 tubes, 4 transistors, 10 diodes
• Tubes: 6DS4 (x2), 2-6HS6 (x2), 6AU6A, 6CS6, 6EA8, 12AU7
• 15.63" x 12" x 4.88" (Length x Width x Height)
• Weight: 34 lbs
• Manufactured: 1967-1973 in the USA

IN SUMMARY

McIntosh’s flexibility and commitment to excellence is apparent in the MAC1700. Vintage McIntosh receivers are special for a reason. They’re legends that are quite capable of outliving us when they’re taken care of properly. They’re pricey, but well-worth the investment considering how long you’ll have to enjoy the absolute best.

And if you can believe it, we actually got our hands on one of these! It’s super rare to find this model in full working condition up for sale, so if you’re interested in owning this legend (or simply want to check out more pictures of it), you’re in luck! You can find it on our website here.

Thanks for reading! Have a great day.

https://spencertified.com/collections/stereo-receiver-amplifiers/products/mcintosh-mac1700-rare-vintage-2-channel-stereo-receiver-1967-73