McIntosh MAC 1700 (1967–1973)
McIntosh's first transistor receiver is also its most argued-about one. It is a 40-watt hybrid whose circuit type nobody can quite agree on.
Overview
Collectors can't pin down the MAC 1700. Ask three owners what's inside and you get three answers: a solid-state receiver, a tube receiver, or a hybrid with a tube tuner feeding a transistor preamp and amp. The dealer listings split the same way. One calls it "the only receiver they ever made with tube amplification," another calls it "one of McIntosh's first solid state designs," and a third describes a solid-state amplifier paired with a tube tuner section. The service documentation that survives is titled for the "solid state amplifier section." That is the strongest single piece of evidence in the record, but it doesn't settle the tuner question. The circuit topology is unsettled, and it isn't just a marketing quirk.
The power isn't in dispute: 40 watts per channel into 8 ohms, a figure that appears across multiple listings and the research record. One spec list adds 58 watts into 4 ohms, a number that turns up nowhere else in the documentation, so treat it as a single-source claim. Frequency response is quoted at 20 Hz to 20 kHz, THD at 0.25% (or "less than 0.25%" in one dealer's phrasing), and damping factor at 100 across an 8-ohm load. Input sensitivity is 2.4 mV for moving-magnet phono and 300 mV for line-level sources.
Production dates are as contested as the circuit. Two dealer sources say 1967 to 1973. The research record says introduced around 1968 and gone by roughly 1969. The 1967-1973 window has more backing. A period review in Audio (September 1969, p.44) included the MAC 1700 in its receiver roundup, which fits a run that went past 1969. The original retail price is split too: $599 from two dealer sources, around $549 from a single 1968 owner's recollection.
Key Features
40 Watts per Channel into 8 Ohms
Forty watts is modest by modern standards, and modest even next to McIntosh's bigger amplifiers, but it's the number the MAC 1700 was built around. The 4-ohm figure of 58 watts appears in one spec list and nowhere else, so owners shouldn't count on it as a documented rating. In practice the receiver drives efficient speakers comfortably and runs out of headroom on inefficient ones. Owners report this openly.
Two Phono Inputs with Moving-Coil Step-Up
The rear panel carries two phono inputs, and they're not identical. Phono 1 is set up for moving-coil cartridges through a step-up transformer, while phono 2 handles moving-magnet. That was a useful arrangement for the period, since it lets an owner run a low-output MC cartridge without an outboard head amp. The phono stage uses both NPN and PNP transistors, an unusual choice at the time. The preamplifier is built around 16 silicon planar transistors, a count the dealer literature advertises for low noise.
All-Discrete Construction, No ICs
There are no integrated circuits in the amplifier or preamplifier sections. Everything is discrete, which helps serviceability decades later, because individual transistors can be tested and replaced rather than a sealed chip swapped. The amplifier section is closely related to the separate MA-5100 integrated amplifier, sharing chassis and circuit lineage, so service knowledge for one transfers substantially to the other.
Thumbwheel Tuning and Black Glass Faceplate
The front panel is the classic McIntosh black glass with the script logo. Tuning is done with a precise thumbwheel rather than a conventional knob, and the dial scale styling is unconventional enough that it takes a moment to read. The panel also carries a loudness contour switch, a high filter, and a front-panel headphone jack. The rear panel adds tape monitor jacks, main preamp output and power amp input jacks, a three-way speaker selector (Main, Remote, or both), and two AC outlets.
Compact Chassis by McIntosh Standards
At 5-1/2 inches high, 16 inches wide, and 14-1/2 inches deep, the MAC 1700 was a compact unit by the standards of McIntosh's era. The single documented weight is 34 pounds. Dealers also list shipping weights of 40 pounds for the receiver and 10 pounds for the cabinet. Those are freight figures, not the unit itself.
Historical Context
The MAC 1700 is the successor to the tube-based MAC 1500 and the predecessor to the MAC 1900. The research record describes it as one of the company's earliest solid-state receivers. The model arrived while McIntosh was moving between technologies, and the documentation reflects that confusion rather than resolving it.
Period press coverage was thin. Audio (September 1969, p.44) ran the MAC 1700 in a receiver roundup alongside contemporary models, but the detailed measurements from that review have not survived in the record. The original price is similarly soft: two dealer sources cite $599, one 1968 owner recalls roughly $549, and no official price sheet appears in the available documentation. One dealer's conversion puts the $599 figure at over $5,100 in today's dollars. That is the seller's arithmetic, not an independent calculation.
Collectibility & Value
Observed eBay listings for the MAC 1700 have ranged from $275 for a factory walnut cabinet alone up to $1,295 for a complete receiver. Units including a wood cabinet landed around $912 and $1,200. One listing title calls the unit a "Tube" receiver despite the solid-state description elsewhere, so seller titles on this model are unreliable and buyers should verify the circuit type before bidding. No confirmed sold prices appear in the record, so the listing figures are asking prices, not market clearing prices.
The usual age-related failures apply: noisy controls, drifted electrolytic capacitors, and tuner alignment drift. Recapping is near-universally recommended for units now over fifty years old, and a filter capacitor rebuild kit has been offered in the restoration market at around $176. A faceplate LED lamp upgrade kit and a reproduction 1968 brochure also circulate. The black glass faceplate is fragile and prone to cracking, so shipping damage is a real risk. The L19WVO cabinet, designed for both the MAC 1700 and the MAC 1900, is described by dealers as rare and very hard to find. That explains why a cabinet alone can command $275.
Owners describe the sound as musical and warm for solid-state, note that the FM tuner is less sensitive than modern units, and acknowledge that 40 watts is modest today. All the positive reception language in the record comes from dealers rather than independent reviewers, and no negative owner complaints beyond the standard maintenance items appear in the available documentation. The MAC 1700 is a genuinely interesting piece of McIntosh's transition history — but the circuit-type confusion means buyers should inspect carefully and confirm what's actually inside the chassis before paying collector prices.
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Related Models
- McIntosh 1900
- McIntosh 4275 (late 80’s)
- McIntosh MAC-1500 (1965–1967)
- McIntosh MAC-4200
- Marantz 2226 (1974-1976)
- Marantz 2226B (1979-1980)
- Marantz 2235 (1974-1977)
- Marantz 2238B (1978-1980)
- Marantz 2250B (1978-1980)
- Marantz 2252 (1974-1977)