McIntosh MX110 Tuner Preamp, All Tube with Custom Cabinet

**Please click here to check out our newly launched SkyFi Audio website with additional items for sale

For the first video on our new YouTube Channel, we thought we would start with the McIntosh MX110. One of our favorite vintage tuners.  

This one is in pretty sweet condition in a very nice black and champagne gold finish.

This particular sample is a later model "Z" serial number, which came after the "M" serial number from McIntosh.  The primary difference between these series was the style of the faceplate and the balance control.  Note on the earlier "M" series the balance control was a slider potentiometer that would fail over time.  For MX110's that we've had, we've always bypassed them.

This special MX110 comes in a custom made solid walnut cabinet made by a local cabinet maker, with a clear plexiglass top that is quite striking.  It allows you to see all the cool tubes, rectifiers, valves, and transformers inside.

Since this unit is in such good shape especially with regards to the chrome-work, it really shows off nicely.  The cabinet is solid walnut and looks like it's veneered at the edges as well, so it's about as high in quality as it gets.

It looks very similar to the original McIntosh cabinets, so you can mix and match with other Mc pieces even though this is a special one-off custom piece.

Let's talk a little bit about the features of the MX110, starting off with one of my favorite things the tuner section.  It's a vintage tube unit and the tuner uses this really neat indicator that's an actual tube with fluorescence inside (used often for either VU meters or signal indicators), so as you tune stations you'll see this tube react and give us our signal strength.

Other things to point out about this preamp tuner starting with the input selector - you will see that it has two Phono inputs, plus the FM, Auxiliary, and Tape inputs.  With turntables having made a comeback a lot of our clients have tablets with two arms, or the luxury of having two turntables.  This preamp will handle both scenarios.

Moving on you will see that it has independent bass and treble controls, and what's neat is that it's also independent for the left and right channels.  So in case you've got an oddly shaped room and you want to play around with the bass and table response, left vs right, this is the one.

For physical controls, in the center you'll see the power switch and the balance control which are pretty self explanatory.  There is a muting button for muting the tuner, filters for both low and high, loudness compensation, tape monitor, and a phase 0 / 180 switch.

Moving on to the mode function nowadays you are more likely to just keep this on stereo mode, but in the old days when you had your regular recordings and you wanted to play around with inverting left vs right, or sending one channel to both speakers, or vice versa, this was pretty versatile.  Especially when you had a mix of mono and stereo recordings.  Nowadays you kinda leave it alone in stereo mode unless you've got a mono recording, and you can then sum it up to L+R output.

Lastly the Panlocs allow you to lock the unit into the cabinet which is a neat feature of pieces from this era.  The Panlocs in conjunction with the wooden cabinet made a really nice solid fit. 

This particular sample has really clean front glass, all the writing and the lettering is intact, and the glass all around the meters is also in very nice shape with only very minimal bubbling in the upper left hand corner.

The metal champagne finish is in fairly good condition, but it looks like it has a rub mark below the balance/filter controls.  I believe someone told me that there was some writing on there, maybe a previous owner had written something, so when it was taken off it removed some of the champagne finish.  It is noticeable but only upon close-up.  I think you'll appreciate that at an average distance it looks pretty amazing. 

Flipping the unit around there is a Main Stereo output, Tape outputs, a Summed output, 3 convenience outlets for connecting a power amplifier/other components, and an Antenna connection with 300 and 75 ohms.  For inputs there are Tape Monitor, Auxiliary, Tape Head, Two Phono inputs, and then you can see the Panlocs in the corners.

Overall really really nice chrome work, usually they tend to rust as they were at some point kept in someones moist basement.  But this once seemed to escape that all together. 

This would pair nicely with a MC2125 or a MC2105 from the same era in a wooden cabinet.

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This item will be professionally packaged and insured for safe transit to your home. 

Please click here for detailed specifics regarding our specialized packing process that separates us from the rest.

If we don’t have the original manufacture's packaging, we use heavy duty double ply corrugated boxes with Instapak expanding foam custom inserts.  In many cases this has proven to be better than the original packaging.  We also use high quality fiber reinforced tape to seal our packages.  Lightweight items will be bubble wrapped and shipped in a high-quality box. 

This item is available for pickup in Ridgewood, NJ or Union Square, NYC (with convenient parking in the building).

NJ Residents or anyone picking up without a resale certificate will need to pay NJ Sales Tax.

Use the Buy It Now button and we will cover the PayPal fees.

Thanks for looking and be sure to call or text 646.852.2073 with any questions. 

Please also click here to visit our Audiogon store to see the rest of the items we have for sale.

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WHO WE ARE 

SkyFi Audio is a small startup business specializing in the purchase, reconditioning, and reselling of select high-end audio equipment.  We only buy equipment the we admire and are passionate about. No mid-fi, no gimmicks, no junk. 

Each piece of equipment is cosmetically restored and fully tested in our well-equipped lab by an engineer with 30+ years of experience in the HiFi world. If it does not meet or exceed the original manufactures specifications, it will not be sold.  We are very selective about the equipment we purchase, focusing on mostly analog, high-build quality, American, and European built units.

Through our sister company, which is an authorized dealer for McIntosh, Audio Research, Sonus Faber, ClearAudio, Pro-Ject Audio Systems, and Sony ES, we have access to OEM parts, service, and support.  If you are local and looking for new equipment from the above-mentioned manufacturers, please drop us a line as we can arrange both sales and professional installation in the tri-state area.

PURCHASING GUIDELINES

We do not accept or review any offers that do not go through the official Audiogon system. We have too many items for sale and it’s nearly impossible to keep track of offers outside of the official system. Please don’t message, email, or text any offers. 

If you do not see a “Make an Offer” button, it means we are not considering any offers on that item.   

PAYMENTS

We prefer working through PayPal which allows you to use a credit card or bank transfer. We do not charge extra for any payment fees if you purchase the item at the asking price.  You can also send us a personal check (which will need to clear before shipping), certified check, money order, or wire transfer. International clients without access to PayPal should use a bank wire transfer. 

If you are picking up an item we do not accept PayPal.  You must pay in person with cash, certified or bank check, or wire transfer.  If you make a PayPal payment and are picking up the item, it will be returned. 

TRADE IN POLICY 

We accept trade-ins of equal or lesser value under certain conditions.  Simply ask and let us know the exact model, condition, and the accessories that are included (such as the original box, remote, cables, manual, etc.).  We will only consider high-end equipment from mainstream manufacturers such as McIntosh, Mark Levinson, Audio Research, Krell, etc. and will typically pass on displays, projectors, receivers, dated surround processors, and mid-fi equipment of any type.  We will offer a fair value for your equipment, but keep in mind we are running a business and will need to be able to resell the equipment at a profit after investing a great deal of time and resources in testing, certifying, repairing, cleaning, and packaging the incoming equipment.  If you are looking for top dollar we suggest attempting to sell it directly to an end user on your own.

SELL US YOUR GEAR (Working or Broken)

We will also purchase your used or broken gear and arrange pickup if you are in our local market. Just drop us a note for a quote but be sure to include the condition and what is included. 

HOW TO VISIT US                                                                                                        

We are currently operating from a residence in Ridgewood, NJ.  You are welcome to make an appointment if there is a piece of equipment you would like to see in operation before or after purchase.  We have a well-equipped, dedicated listening room with tons of equipment of all makes and models.  We are not a store, so please don’t make an appointment if you are just curious as to how a speaker or piece of equipment sounds.  In essence, no tire kickers please.

If you are in NYC and cannot make it out to Ridgewood, we can arrange pickup in Union Square (14th Street) after the purchase.   You can call or text 646.852.2073 with any questions or to schedule an appointment.  We can also arrange to install, calibrate, and tune the gear in your listening room if you are local to the area.  This is super useful when purchasing large speakers or heavy amplifiers.  It is also great for ensuring your new turntable is setup correctly in its final resting place.  

Thanks for looking and please click here if you would like to receive a list of the equipment we receive from time to time.  We promise not to bombard you with junk email.

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