Mac 1700 Receiver -

 

If Sansui didn’t exist, this is the receiver that I would be using today.  Rated at 40 wpc into 8 ohms, it has plenty of power for all but “Live in Concert” rock arena volume.  Craftsmanship is first rate, especially from this era of McIntosh.  

The unit was built from 1967 - 1973, but available up until about 1979.  Targeted squarely at Sansui, Pioneer and Kentwood receivers from the mid to late 60’s, McIntosh was slow to adopt transistor technology.  Stories abound about Mac purchasing and testing other companies transistor receivers  and amplifiers to be sure that they were robust and reliable before committing resources to design one of their own are absolutely true.

McIntosh was never a ‘trendy’ company, (they are now I suppose), and the thought of the marketing technology that wouldn’t last decades was unthinkable.  I smile at the fact that until the late 70's the full McIntosh name was never mounted on the face of their receivers.  Just a silk screened Mac.  With the 4100, the McIntosh name finally appeared in the traditional McIntosh script.  This change was in part due to the pressure from customers who were often found to order the McIntosh script replacement badge from the the McIntosh service parts department and apply it to the front themselves.  This was especially true of Stereotech owners, who insisted on seeing the McIntosh name on their receivers.  

The Mac 1700 was built to run concurrently with, rather than replace the superb all tube 30wpc Mac 1500.  The 1700 sported a fully transistor amplifier, with Mac’s wonderful tube FM tuner section.  So, I suppose in a way we could consider this a hybrid design, but calling it a transitional piece is probably more accurate.

The silver and black face was a design cue taken from Sansui, with their very popular 3000, which was at the time the most popular hifi brand in the US, and priced below the mighty McIntosh offerings.

Like any McIntosh, the electronic architecture is full proof, utterly reliable and built to the highest attainable standards of the day.  Entirely handmade, everything was done in-house with absolutely no outsourcing whatsoever.

Google Roger Russel for any information that you may want on McIntosh.  I was sad to hear of Rogers passing a few years back, but so happy that his estate has kept up his legacy with his website. Roger was a true gentleman and talented engineer.  Visit his website to see the entire line of McIntosh receivers. 

The Mac receivers that are the “ones to have” are the Mac 1500, Stereotech 1200, Mac 1700, Mac 1900, and the Mac 4100.  Quality and design suffered on any receiver built after the 4100.  Don’t even bother with them, plug in sockets and ribbon cables abound.  Gone are the heavy duty circuit boards and hand soldering and the tested and listened too before packing and shipping.  How I miss the “old McIntosh” of the day.

The Mac 1700 is a wonderful receiver, with an excellent tuner.  The sound is period McIntosh, voiced to sound just right.  Good bass, wonderful midrange and a unoffensive high end.  It’s there, without exaggeration or harshness heard in much of today’s hi-fi.  Typical Mac sound.  

Sold with or without the fine Walnut veneer case, the 1700 offers excellent stereo, pride of ownership and understated elegance.

It certainly wasn’t as pretty as anything offered from Pioneer, Kenwood, or Sansui, but it has a look that lets you know “I’m expensive.. and extremely well built”.  In 1971, this receiver was listed at $599.00 without the wooden sleeve.  A Sansui 4000, which was its direct competitor was $380.00.  That s huge difference when shopping for hi-fi in the early 70’s.  So the Mac 1700 would be a $4900.00 purchase today, the Sansui would be $3100.00.

Still highly regarded today, the Mac 1700 is probably my favorite Mac receiver.  The Stereotech 1200 would be a close second. (Yes the Stereotech is a real McIntosh and we will cover that in another post)

Expect to pay $1200.00 for a clean example and up to $3000.00 for one that has been fully serviced and recapped.  

I am not a fan of recapping, unless it’s necessary.  Modern caps can dramatically alter the sound of an amplifier or preamp.  If the unit you’re looking at has been in continued service there is a good chance that many if not all if it’s original caps are just fine.  New caps, just don’t sound the same.   

My 1700 had all of its original components and sounded wonderful. My Sansui 4000 has all of its original components too. My tech wanted to replace the oil and paper caps on both of these and I refused. 

I eventually sold the 1700 to a local tech who had wanted one since he was a teen in the 60's.  

Highly recommended!  While I prefer the liquid lush sparkle of Sansui, I could live with Mac 1700 without issue.  Just a stellar piece of audio history that you can enjoy every day.  More to come!