McIntosh MA5100 Vintage Solid State Integrated Amplifier

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If you're looking for a vintage McIntosh integrated, there are only a few choices.

The premier piece is the MA230 which runs on tubes. If you don't want to fuss around with tubes or you have a space with limited airflow, this MA5100 might be a great alternative.

Same look, feel, and features, with the great McIntosh sound you expect.

As you can see from the pictures it's in wonderful survivor condition with only a few signs of wear.

In the lab it tested as it should after performing a light service. Bellow is the full report.

Initial testing showed that all functions worked as they should, but most if not all controls were extremely dirty. Some lamps out.
• Replaced burnt out lamps
• Cleaned and detailed chassis, face plate, and knobs.
• Inspected capacitors for signs of obvious failure
• Cleaned and lubricated all controls
• Swapped old tarnished screws for stainless screws
• Bench Tests
• Clean to 50W per channel into 8 ohms
• Equal channel balance
• Good Frequency Response
• Phono Listening Test PASS
• Line Level Listening test PASS

This unit has a McIntosh clinic sticker on the transformer case. It looks like some of the transistors on the amplifier boards were replaced during this service. All other parts appear to be original.

McIntosh MA5100 Vintage Solid State Integrated Amplifier - Manual

The SkyFi Testing Process for Solid State (Integrated) Amplifiers:
We start with a visual inspection of all internal components to make sure there are no signs of stress or aging. Capacitors are checked for telltale sings of bulging or leaking, resistors are checked for signs of overheating or cracking, and transistors are checked for signs of stress or damage.

We then power up the unit carefully and run a simple 1k sine wave while monitoring the output on an oscilloscope for signs of distortion or noise. Finally, we run the amplifier to its full rated power into the appropriate resistive load provided by our Sencore amplifier tester. If there is an issue, it will usually be noticeable at this point. If everything reads clean, we will often test for THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) measured by our Keithley distortion meter, and compare it against the original manufacturers specifications. The amplifier then remains powered on to "burn in" on our test bench for a few hours to make sure there are no heat related issues. If there are balanced inputs available they will be also be tested.

Final testing involves pushing actual music thorough the amplifier. We've learned over time that some issues are only noticeable to a trained ear while listening to familiar source material. Our test bench has reference vintage KEF speakers that we're very familiar with which quickly reveal any discrepancies. Some amplifiers will then move into our listening room where they are tested with our in-house reference speakers of choice.

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