1980 Vintage McIntosh XR5 Speakers

[WhiteSE]

Whats the scoop on these,,,Can you guys give me a headsup on their performance?

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-8/354094/mcxr5i.jpg

[Don C]

I was waiting for others who might know more than I to chime in, but in their absence I will put in just 2 cents worth. If I recall correctly, McIntosh speakers are similar to Bose 901 in the respect that they are designed to work with a specific equalizer. It would normally be installed in the tape monitor loop, or with the pre out main in jacks of an integrated amp, or the external processor loop, or between the pre amp and power amp. If you don't have that equalizer you will not get the sound that the speaker designer intended. And that's most of what I know about McIntosh speakers right there. I have not heard any of them, but I would like to. I think that you can write to the designer here (http://www.roger-russell.com/)

[McGlentosh]

The XR5's were my first speakers, way back in 1978. The "refrigerator door" grill and warning lights were unique. As I recall, these true four-way speakers sounded great for their size. As I traded up along the way, I gave them to my sister, who is still using them, although the woofer surrounds are showing signs of dry-rot. Ah, nostalgia...

[McGlentosh]

What Don C said is true, an equalizer is recommended (but not required) for top performance. All it did, really, was either boost or cut the bass. I still have it.

[Brad Muller]

I have a pair of XR-5's that I bought at a garage sale. I had to refoam the drivers and woofers. They sound great for their size. They really packed the cabinets with heavy insulation. I really like the sound that they produce. I'd rate them right up there with Pioneer HPM 100's if there was less hiss on the high range. Brad

[gonzothegreat]

Picked up a pair about a month ago and they will be my winter speaker projects. Midranges need refoaming and the cloth surrounds on the woofers looks a little tired.

If you dig into Roger Russell's site, you'll find out pretty much all you need to know about these guys.

The Reader's Digest version goes something like this. The XR5 was designed to be used with (iirc) the 101 or 102 EQ. Roger's design was a rather unique one in that the XR5 was an overdamped woofer design with an bass boost to counteract the 12dB/octave bass rolloff (starting around 50Hz I believe). This gave the XR5 decent response down to 20Hz without a sub (!!). It wasn't the success it could have been because the speaker and EQ were not sold as a package (as they should have) so most people never really heard what they were capable of.

If you don't have the special EQ, I'm sure you could fake it with a generic EQ and a close look at the EQ curves for the 101/102 Mac EQs. My Yamaha HT receiver has a bass boost setting that might even do the trick.

[BillH2121]

Yes, the speakers need the eq. I had XR 5s for approximately 30 years - just sold them early this year. The difference with and without the eq is very noticable. It shouldn't be hard to find the 101 or 102 on various used audio sites. The speakers are not the most efficient though - you need decent power. I relied on the trusty Mac 2125 for all those years. It may not sound all that "high-end" now, but believe me 30 years ago I thought I was in heaven!

[McGlentosh]

Brad/gonzo,

How do you "refoam" drivers? I thought that when the foam edges dried and flaked away, you had to replace the whole driver.

Glen

[CarlV]

Thatch Ear posted this (http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=16696) basic refoam on a sub driver in the DIY forum. There are quite a few projects documented too around the site if you care to do a search. :)

Carl

[macman007]

I have a 101 eq sitting around doing nothing at the moment..... :naughty:



Artie

[eedwards]

macman007: email me at edwards@mhcable.com if you're looking to sell that equalizer. I have a pair of xr-5's bought new in 1978, like the ones discussed on this thread. Mine, too, had rotted surrounds on the lower mids and woofers, which I re-did myself. In 27 years I haven't heard a more realistic sound, powered by all Mc, of course. My equalizer quit about 10 years ago but the speakers still sound fantastic without it... but to have them at peak again........ let me know.

[Dean P]

I just bought a pair of XR 5's on EBay. Since it's local, I will pick them up on Tuesday afternoon. Hope they work as good as he says they do. Now I need a tube receiver & an equalizer. I will go one step at a time! Hopefully without blowing my budget!
Here's the link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5815031175&

[Bigyank]

I think this is the one needed on Ebay right now.

HERE (http://cgi.ebay.com/McIntosh-MQ-101-Equalizer-No-Reserve_W0QQitemZ5820090162QQcategoryZ3271QQssPage NameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

Look nice!

Yank

[Dean P]

I think this is the one needed on Ebay right now.

HERE (http://cgi.ebay.com/McIntosh-MQ-101-Equalizer-No-Reserve_W0QQitemZ5820090162QQcategoryZ3271QQssPage NameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

Look nice!

Yank

Nice, but a little steep for me. I did pickup one last week on ebay but it's ugly as all get out. No cabnet, bubbles in the back of the glass. But, I did find another pair of XR 5s
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5817648957

GEE WHIZ they just came in by DHL & they look great. Just as nice as what the pictures show. The seller is out of the Denver area & looks like he has a pair of vintage JBLs up on ebay.

[macman007]

Good ones are going to be in the 230-275 range. I payed 250 for mine. It's in great shape but has no cabinet. Cabinets are available from Terry's website for a good price.

In the end you get what you pay for, but caution should be excersised when buying from ebay or any strangers that dont offer warranty, or a proven track record with high end audio equipment. Cheaper doesnt always equal better. Thats why collectors and places like Terry DeWick and Audio Classics are much more expensive than the average Joe.

Carpe Diem....... :deadhorse


Artie