Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I bought my 5100 amp from ebay and paid $250 dollars for it. It was a great investment. Presently, I'm using it to drive two Infinity RS325s. I have a Music Halll turntable that I found languishing in an antique store. I restored and refinishe the table and put on a Goldring Electra cartridge. I also use a pair of AKG headphones for listening. As others have noted, there is some background noise in the amp's performance. Also the sound is not super detailed--which is good for my old LPs. But The sound is warm beyond compare. This is a forty year old amp, and it looks cool and sounds warm. I love it.

I had to replace some of the bulbs, and when I did, I accidentally cracked a corner of the black glass. I found out that I can get replacement glass for less than two hundred bucks, and I will, eventually. But that doesn't affect the sound. It sounds heavenly.

Price Paid:  $450.00 from Retailer Sacramento

Summary:
In 1968 I was an air force officer in navigator training at Mather AFB, CA when, to my wife's dismay, I bought a McIntosh MA 5100. It cost me a month's pay ($450) and it was worth every penny. The McIntosh factory used to send out a tech rep to their retailers who would test your amp, fix anything that was wrong then post the data sheet in the store window. Total Harmonic Distortion envy!

My MA 5100 drove a pair of AR-3As until the woofers dried out. A pair of Advents lasted about 15 years until 1997. Since, I have tried a number of speakers with disappointing results. This year I bought a pair of inexpensive ($69) headphones from a world class audio manufacturer - Grado Labs RS 60s - to use with my iPod. When I plugged them into my MA 5100, the MAC was back.

Today my McIntosh is connected to an old Technics direct drive turntable. After I converted my records to digital audio files, I still listen to classics - from Klemperer conducting Beethoven to CS&N "Suite Judy Blue Eyes". They just sound better.

Strengths:
1. Quality. The MA 5100 is a quality design built be a quality manufacturer. Mine has worked flawlessly for 38 years. After 20 years in the USAF operating and testing aircraft electronic systems, I managed a product line that supplied $15M to $25M annually to military users all over the world. The packaging is superb.

2. Beauty. The backlit black panel with tringular lights is just, well - cool.

3. Richness of sound. I have several digital audio/video control systems connected to CD players, but there is a depth of audio that McIntosh delivers beyond contemporary sound systems.

Weaknesses:
Who cares about speaker wires? Who needs speakers? Buy a set of Grado Lab headphones.

Similar Products Used:
Fischer
Marantz
Sony
JVC
Pioneer
Panasonic
Technics

Price Paid:  $300.00 from e-bay

Summary:
I've been using audioreview.com as a reference to help me understand charictaristics of various stereo equipment before I buy / bid. It is now my turn to return the favor ... I recently purchased a McIntosh MA5100 amp/preamp. In the past I've owned and loved Denon equipment (early 80's). But IMO Denon has sold out ... they don't make the equipment like they used to and you can buy it in Sears (I really like to buy my craftsman tools at Sears, not my audio equipment.) 3 years ago I sold my old Denon system and less than 1 year ago i got the bug to put together a really nice home theater / listening system for less than $3,000.00. Sparing you the details ... I bought Onkyo equipment (price / performance). Good equipment .. no where near the old Denon. I wanted power, simplicity, nostalgia, a warm tireless sound ... I wanted McIntosh. It is all of those things ... I too like the other reviewer would really like some good 'ol VU meters, 200+ watts per channel and those blue lights ... but I am on a budget. For the price I paid ... I don't think it can be beat.

Strengths:
Power, simplicity, nostalgia, a warm tireless sound.

Weaknesses:
none.

Similar Products Used:
similar? none. OTHER equipment used: Denon, Sony, Onkyo, Technics (old 4 channel), Kenwood (60's era).

Price Paid:  $200.00 from ebay

Summary:
First what we are reviewing is not an MC5100 but rather an MA5100 45 wpc circa late 60's-early 70's.This is a superb piece of vintage equipment which easily matches up to or exceeds other similar int.amps or stereo receivers I've heard.When I first bought this I intended to use it with DSS but tried it out with some vintage Pioneer CS-05 speakers I owned( sort of state of the art 1972, of course I couldn't afford state of the art back then)MY Adcom amp and NAD preamp went to live with the DSS.The warm open sound and detail which are never fatiguing of the Mac were too good to put in the tv room.This amp is equally at home with vinyl or disc whatever your musical taste,but at only 45 wpc cannot really drive some of the newer power hungry speakers.Match it up with the appropriate speaker and you won't be dissappointed.
As I mentioned the speaker connections are more than a tad awkward,so forget about your Monster cables,but that is a small price to pay for what was undoubtedly one of my best equipment buys ever.
I have no idea where that 1 star review came from.He certainly was not reviewing the MA5100.

Strengths:
warmly musical

Weaknesses:
speaker connections

Similar Products Used:
none(integrated amp)

Price Paid:  $400.00 from Circle Stereo

Summary:
Hi All,

First off this isnt as quiet as all the new equipment that is out there, I guess the word is background noise, you notice it when you listen to much newer stuff, but when you think about when this was built 1960 to 70's or so its understandable.

But for Jazz which seems to be what I listen too, ahh, fills up my house with warm sounds, Miles Davis sketches of spain. Dave Bruebeck, and more. My friend came over my house and said that on good recordings it sounds like we are at live/ good jazz club.

I like classical too, just sounds really nice, clear, dont feel like Im missing anything.

Every once and a while I can imagine that some people are playing in my living room. Not in the sound image but in the musicality of the piece.

I am begining to think that the more you spend/experient you get closer to that goal(that is the goal, yes??) of "being there" For me it happens maybee once a day for a couple seconds, I assume after you spend more time and money thats what it must be like all the time.

I havent had any problems, I leave it on most of the time. If you like to finesse about stuff, drums sound good, cymbals sound different, depending on how they were hit. Trumpets have a life to them, guitars on good recordings sound really nice, and the piano, is expressive.

You people who have those ultra systems that can here the air around the instrument, Im not there, and I know how cool that is to hear,along with a hundred other things, but for now this is close enough, it has enough that I dont miss what I dont have. Well, except blue dials :-)

I wont be buying anything for a while, happiness, hhmm I bought/got what I wanted, I suggest you do the same, based on what you like too.

Thanks for the eye strain.

MA5100
Cambridge Audio CD6
Nordost Red Dawn interconnect/ Flatline speaker wire
Book shelf homemade speakers (bought in Austin Texas) built by a sound engineer, a doctor and a guy who works at Dell. Sound way to nice for the price I got.

Strengths:
Jazz

Weaknesses:
I WANT the blue lights :-) With the sweeping power meters and the power.

Similar Products Used:
Tried to listen to as much stuff as I could, in my price range and WAY out of my price range.