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McIntosh Tuner Alignment

I have a McIntosh MR-71 tube tuner that I dearly love, but at the low end of the dial the channel selectivity stinks. I am presuming it is in need of an alignment since it hasn't been done in the ten plus years I've owned it. I checked into getting it aligned locally (Detroit area) and they estimate $100, but I was told by someone else not to trust these guys. I could attempt to do it myself (I have some test equipment) but have not done an alignment before and don't have the written procedure so I think I'll do more harm than good, though, if someone has the procedure I'd be very interested in seeing it. My other option is to go the distance and have Audio Classics do the Modaferri mod to it to the tune of about $500, but that involves shipping which I'm not real keen on. Also not sure if the improvements are worth $500. Comments and/or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
pmotz
josephaud
41 posts
 
While some mods will diminish the value of a MR-71,
having Richard Modafferi work on it will INCREASE its value among some collectors.

Getting the most out of a high-performance analog tuner is not a DIY job, and few techs still living are qualified to do the work.

You can also send your unit to McIntosh Labs, and guess where they'll send it?

Yep, to Richard.

Jeff Joseph
khaki8
206 posts
 
Get the Modafferi Mod!!. My MR71 is my favorite piece of equipment. The mods make a huge difference. After you have it done get some Golden Sound ceramic cones and put their DH squares underneath. This will make you tuner about 50% better. No kidding.
sc53
722 posts
 
If you just get an alignment done at Audio Classics (which I did instead of the Modafferi mods) Richard aligns and cleans it and checks out all the tubes etc. and it "only" costs $300. I went that route instead of the mods and the tuner really tunes in now, plus the stereo stations come in lots better. You can always go for the mods later if you want, but like others I was afraid of decreasing the tuner's value, though the mods are nice.
pmotz OP
412 posts
 
Thanks for the recommendations! I travel around frequently, so I'll keep all of the recommended service locations in mind and will try to hand carry it to one of them in the next few months. May still have to have it shipped back (not the sort of thing they service while you wait) but it's one less opportunity for shipping damage.
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