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Classic gear from yesteryear; vintage audio standing the test of time.

RE: A new Mac in the house

I got curious about the 1700, so I looked up the schematic and specifications. Typical Mac, as it's pretty conservatively rated.
Given it's age, and the output transformers on the Mac power amps at that time, I was surprised to see a very straight-forward direct coupled output; but without the usual series inductor.

Damping Factor is listed at 100, for a 0.08 ohm source impedance, fairly low, and with low impedance cables won't interact audibly with 4 ohm speakers like the AR3 and 3a. Also, with no series inductor, the source impedance will stay low over the entire bandwidth, not rising as do many SS amps. I wonder if that's not part of the sound?

Some amps do not like the AR3/3a because of their 3.2 ohm minimum impedance. The comparison between a Sherwood S8900a and a Marantz 2270 was a real eye opener, and the Sherwood won that contest hands down. I expect the 1700 would be more like the Sherwood.

Jerry


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