Well this is a little different from my usual projects. I found this unit at a very upscale estate sale and it was in near mint condition with the exception of some peeling vinyl veneer.. VINYL VENEER? On a McIntosh – I don’t think so. I always liked these units and I have to admit that the McIntosh separates I found back in December (and still refuse to sell) have really turned me into a Mac fan. The design, build quality and sound of everything I have encountered so far has been extremely impressive. Enough blathering… As mentioned, this had a factory supplied particle board/vinyl veneer cover on it and after 42 years it was peeling in the back corners. As luck would have it my neighbor across the street has taken on a new hobby of high end wood working and was looking for a reason to get back to the “wood store”. As you can see in the picture the MAC 4100 is now sporting a solid walnut cover with a beautiful oiled finish. This really makes this unit look like the upscale piece that it is. Beauty – Thanks Steve!
This MAC 4100 is absolutely clean and works perfectly so I decided to leave it completely untouched electronically. I read several reviews of this beast (and it is a beast at 50+ lbs) and it is very highly regarded and in my testing I was also very impressed. It has a fantastic EQ and also has a very unique variable loudness knob. It also has a a built-in waveform compare function that compares the wave shape of the input signal with the output signal. If the disparity between the two signals exceeds 0.5% a front panel signal illuminates in red at the top of the power output indicators, with any further increase in distortion the Power Guard circuit will operate. If you are considering a 4100 be sure to have a nice turntable as this is where this unit shines. It really does have a butter smooth sound that really can compete with my other Mac gear. Its for sale right now and it would fantastic in your office.. I have to get it out of mine or I may keep it… 🙂
