I worked for a guy that owned a complete Mac system, including these speakers. I have to say this much, it was breathtaking to listen to. Dark Side of the Moon, all master cut pressing LP's and Super Tramp - Breakfast in America, Steely Dan - Aja , and Dire Straights, that was the first and only time I heard this mind blowing HiFi rig. Thanks for the memories.
It just makes sense that in the world of audio, you should own these speakers. I think they might be your crowning achievement. Keep them and, when you do eventually expand, have that dedicated room for people to bring their absolute favorite record to listen to all the way through. But, you have to charge an admission. Kidding. But, seriously, you possess a pair of speakers unlike any other. Please keep them. You deserve them!
I truly appreciate you getting these rare monsters out and making a video to share with us all. As beautiful as they are and as great as they must sound, the size and weight make them too inconvenient to own for most people out there..Including myself! Thanks lots, Kevin..Enjoy the remainder of your Sunday!
I have 2 sets of XR-5 speakers. They're my favorite. I worked there in the 1980s. And thanks to these I am ANTI-SUB-WOOFER. Especially with ported speakers - the muddy sound sucks bad.
Roger Russell is smiling from above. I have the ML1C and though nobody else likes them, I do. I emailed him while he was alive and he was immensely gracious. I'm happy to see his Magnum Opus get this kind of respect. Gosh, I'd love to hear them.
I have a pair of XRT 20s I bought at a premium from a McIntosh dealer in Ohio. They blew me away with the “wall of sound”. They were spaced 40’ apart and just filled the whole store with sound. I have a c28 McIntosh preamp and MC402 powering them. They will rock my house no doubt. The tweeters is what blew me away. I think the mids and lows are lacking just a little bit. As a comparison I have a new pair of speakers the paradigm 120H which have amazing lows for 3 - 8” bass drivers in each with built in 1000w of power. Those are part of my home theater setup. Back to the XRT 20s. I did see a pair at a vintage shop in Houston on sale for $1750 and that was waaay cheaper than I paid for mine. Too me they were amazing the instant I heard them and never plan on getting rid of them.
Hey SA… I’m a lucky XRT-18 owner loving this one…XRT-20’s with an XR-19 hat…that’s crazy. You’ve almost got a XRT-30; (my Holy Grail set-up). Cool to see everyone’s reaction and a little McIntosh love. Kevin at 7:23…love the passion, that’s why we watch the channel. 🍻
The first time I felt that wall of perfect sound fog wave through the body experience was with my Polk SDA-SRS speakers. I will never sell them because they're perfect, and not only that, but they're really not worth anything close to what they are. They will also never be duplicated by anything that I can afford. I've never heard speakers that sound as good. I'm happy for you and your magic speakers. I'm sure they're amazing.
Being a speaker-freaker I was excited to sit down and listen to this video. I have been too busy to watch your videos for awhile, but this popped up on my feed, so thanks for doing the video! You need to KEEP these, and years from now you will be so glad you did !!! They will serve as a great reference for anybody claiming they have found the holy grail of speakers....
Just discovered this channel a few days ago. I'm not into vintage hifi but I love your videos. I have watched at least 20 of them over the past 4 or 5 days. You are a great guy to listen to. Great perspectives on audio.
As a XRT owner, my experience mirrors yours. They bring a 'live concert' experience to my listening. I think that for years (1970's-1980's) the unremarkable McIntosh traditional floor standing box speakers set the reputation for their speakers. The line array design was a game changer for them.
The Pass labs amp is a work of art. Nelson Pass wasn’t kidding around. I have his Adcom equipment in my stereo today (GFP-750 and GFA-5400). Absolutely love them, like Pass Labs for regular people.
I worked at a McIntosh dealer in the eighties and we sold a pair of these to the son of the owner of a now defunct shoe store chain. He invited us over to his home for a listening party. I thought they looked awesome and sounded pretty good, but not amazing, McIntosh speakers were not known to be amazing back then. The house was way too small for speakers like those, but he didn’t care, he had his toy. He even had a pair of Bozak Concert Grands in the master bedroom, there was almost no room for the bed, hilarious.
I’ve experienced what you are talking about , “ musical Scale “ is the word I used to describe them. I could be in any room of the house , and the scale of sound took the entire home over , and not in just volume . It is an emotional evoking experience. At any volume , Every song goes right through the homes foundation and into your heart and mind. Mine were the 180lb each Epicure M 1000s.
I still have my old magazine that have these featured in the advertisement section. Always wondered what it would be like to listen to them. Even 30 years later I still finally remember opening up stereo file magazine and a few others and seeing the advertisements inside for these speakers and I'm still amazed by them till this very day
I think I have an idea of what you were talking about with a wall of sound. I got a chance many years ago to listen to a set of Infinity reference standard 1 speakers at audio store (Pacific Audio I think.) At the time I was there they had it connected to a open reel tape deck playing at 15in per second. I listened to two pieces of music one was Toccata and Fugue in D minor and the other was some jazz piece I didn't recognize. With the organ piece, the whole room shook with the deep organ notes and was airy and detailed in the upper notes. With a jazz piece it felt like I was in front of a live orchestra. Overall, it just had this massive presence that made the music just come alive. It's one of my fondest audio memories I have.
Love seeing your videos for the variety of equipment you've shown us. Those Macs are worth hanging on to, I'd definitely regret letting them go before fully experiencing them.Thanks for sharing.
Damnit, good on you brotha! Nice to see the right things find the right people : D I have some flagship 80's speakers myself that have been waiting to finally be restored. I totally get it. Ive been dying to finally hear them for years and have been sitting patient waiting for the resources to have them done right. My hopes are that Ill have them working in the coming year.
Thanks for sharing Kevin, they sound like something that you have to experience to understand what “ wall of sound” is really all about. It definitely was a fun one and I wish I was there to hear them (or I should say experience them 😮) 🎶 with you guys!
As a collector of several sets of BAS (Big Ass Speakers), I can confirm they take up a LOT of space. There were some very cool, but large, speakers made in the late 70's and early 80's timeframe, but due to their cost, very few were sold. These are great examples of those TOTL speakers of that era.
I used to work at a loudspeaker in Rhode Island from 1978 to 1981. The company was called Avid Corporation. They manufactured acoustic suspension sealed cabinet systems. They had a comparison room from different manufacturers for the employees to listen to as a blind test. I always liked sealed systems better than ported or vented. It was definitely IMO a more realistic sound. The bass instruments sounded more natural. Play Sarabande (From "Barry Lyndon The City of Prague Philaharmonic Orchestra) and Sycamore Trees by Jimmy Scott on those McIntosh speakers. Sealed sounds so great. No low-frequency huffing.
Definitely fun to play with, but I agree. Keep them for a little bit and move them on. In general, I’ve ended up getting rid of all of my amazing vintage gear, especially speakers. I just find that with all the technology over the last 30 or 40 years even a nice set of mid range speakers will out perform the highest end speakers from 20 years ago except for very few cases.
Although I didn’t got to hear them, I believe I saw those McIntosh speakers at CES back when there was a June Chicago show. They were quite a sight to behold.
I have four pair of McIntosh XL10 speakers from late 70’s. I have reckoned and rebuilt the crossovers and the are still my favorites. I still use a M&K sub. Yamaha integrated amp. Never really cared for RX Line. For me the less crossover points the better.
What crossed my mind when I saw these is set them up facing each other with a chair in the middle, like giant headphones. Had a buddy in high school that had large speakers, can’t remember what they were but nothing like you’re talking about, but they where nice. He set them up on stands with a chair in the middle, his turn table in front of him, and he’d sit in the chair and listen like they were huge headphones. It was awesome. And, non-ported speakers always more punchy.
I've never quite understood why Mac speakers aren't more widely liked. A true industry giant, Roger Russell, made virtually all of them over decades, along with one other gentleman he collaborated with. He had entire facilities built in Binghamton for sound research and speaker tuning, eventually had control over every aspect of the materials used for their production down to the cabinetry, and was constantly focused on the best sound possible, until the time came to design the next speaker. And yet it seems their reputations are middling at best, with a couple exceptions. Great video about an important piece of audio history!
It's a shame he didn't stay a couple of years longer at McIntosh. I understand what it's like to be edged out by a narcissistic boss, but he could have bided his time.
I’ve never heard or seen a set of such speakers and I can only imagine what they sound like. I guess I’ll just have to enjoy my advent Legacy two speakers.😢
Please, please, please do a segment on ESS Heil speakers! The loud speakers were among the best I’ve heard, and the Transars, a science project in sound! The air motion transformers were amongst the absolute best! Thanks!
Thank you for another fantastic video! I heard these beauties a few years ago before they went into storage. I remember waggling my head around trying to define where each instrument was in the soundscape. Listening to these was like being at a concert in an amphitheater where the sound has no boundaries, high-low, left-right, and everywhere in between, they sound like they're outdoors where speakers can really sing.
Phil Spector..................What a piece of work. The sound would have to have strong similarity to being at a concert. Your talking about BASS that will literally change your heartbeat, have experienced at Car shows.
There's no replacement like displacement.... You can see the IRS V's are floor to ceiling so there is no "zone". I would think the best sitting area for the Mac's and level would be inline with the tweeters.
Oh wow, a Dynaco preamp in front of the Pass. Says a lot for the refurbished Dynaco (we love em!). I was interested to learn you had driven the Macs with more typical receivers but that big ol' amp must really love them, and vice versa. Thank your for sharing this experience with us!
I remember when these speakers were for sale. I used to pour over the stereo magazines, with ads for these, that never appealed to me, and the early Polk speakers. I think, even at that age, though I knew nothing about audio, I knew instinctively that this is just a weird way to approach stereo. For me, Soundstage and Imaging are king. And these designs can't do that.
The high-end shop where I worked for a while in the 70s, had a huge - but still far more practical than the McIntosh - set of GLi speakers connected to the HK rack system (Citation 11 preamp I think, Citation 16 power amp...) and when the trumpets came in on Steve Miller's "Swing Town" you could feel your shirt ripple.
@@skylabsaudio I wish I could remember the exact setup of the GLi speakers. Probably an 18" woofer, then a couple 10" above that, large horn, and maybe 5 piezo tweeters? Something like that.
If you EVER get a chance to buy a pair of 1980's Infinity 2.5's -- BUY THEM. The Watkins woofers will probably need to be re foamed but the EMIM's and forward and rear firing EMIT's are pretty amazing. Hard to drive - yes -- but 150 WPC with some current will do the job.About 5-6 feet tall, maybe 30 inches wide and 6-8 inches thick with woofer box area 2 feet thick.A usable IRS system.
@@bkd9909 I almost bought a pair for 1500 a couple years ago -- but the re foaming scared me off. I worked selling hi fi years ago and we would crank those 2.5 up with 200 WPC and the amazing sound stage was a thing of beauty.Steely Dan, Beethoven and Joanie Mitchell sounded SO GREAT I can almost hear them as I write this.
@@nyccollin A lot of people feel they lack in bass. Which is true but it isn't THAT lacking. I find them accurate speakers. They are on the floor up against the back wall. I got them for a decent price but they were painted black by the owner, he did do a good job with nice paint.
@@bertroost1675I bet they look really nice! I have had some cool receivers but never a proper set of speakers like yours. I wish I lived closer to Skylabs! One day I’ll get a good set.
I like the series 4. Besides, I am sure I have speakers others don't like. If we all liked the same thing there would only be 1 set of speakers to buy. I am in the minority on this one. No biggie. Enjoy them!
They remind me of the huge infinity towers of similar design. There is a guy selling a set of the "lower end" set of infinity with I think 2 towers of 6 12" woofers, another tower with like 12 EMIM ribbon mids, and 5 EMIT tweeters. FWIW, they are asking 3,850$. These are in the Sacramento CA area.
Wow, must sound phenomenal. I had vandersteen audio speakers in the past and thought,”this is heaven”. Martin logan electrostatic we’re bright but needed subs. Look forward to doing some business with you in the near future.
You should have "listening parties" at the shop. "Tea and Tweeters"...with Kevin & co. I'll bring some of my Grateful Dead Dead Dicks Picks & Daves Picks.
I sold these at a hifi store in Houston Tx in the 80’s. If you want to hear them really perform listen to the 1812 Overture and the cannon shots will blow a hole in your chest. Use the Pass Amp though.
Interesting... I did not recall that McIntosh built speakers. Perhaps the opposite experience is listening to Polk Audio SDA speakers; they are designed to both expand the soundstage beyond the speakers, as well as really pinpointing different instruments across the soundstage. I was listening last night to Thursday Night Football through my stereo, and the two announcers seemed to be off to the left of the rest of the sound - and to the left of the left speaker. My wife isn't sold on listening through the stereo when watching TV. I've got to tune in to a music awards show one of these times and see what that experience is like.
Roger Russell had wanted to make an all out exotic line array system for years and he was finally allowed to with this system. Have a look at his website. There is a lot written about how he developed these.
Thanks for sharing. Absolutely gorgeous! You'd mentioned you're working towards a listening room in an earlier video. I think these would be ideal as a reference set in it. Why sell them if you won't get what they're worth anyway?
Kevin, I don't know if you know, Paul M is selling those IRS speakers (the ones you see in the videos). He has spent at lot of additional money making them even better: all newer higher quality woofers, same with crossovers (external with the original still inside). Don't know if you want to spend the money and a way to transport them. I think he said 50 thousand. I think that's a very good price for them. I considered them but I'm not going to spend that much on speakers being almost 70. Plus I would have a long move getting them to Massachusetts. I would love to see you buy them so we can hear what you think.
Yeah, I am kinda bummed they are sold. I was actually in Colorado not too long ago. I thought about a small detour to hear them, but found out they were not hooked up at the time for demo:(
I have heard the Genisis 1 speakers in a large ballroom. Gary koe. Had them at 2023 seattle audio show. Best speakers i have ever heard period. My grandson works for Paul at P.S.Audio. He told me the Fr 30 and fr 20s sound better than the infinity irsv. They should they got 40+ years of tech over the 5s. Paul used to own Genisis and sold it. I have yet to here p.s. audio speakers on my list to do.
Really cool video man I enjoyed it I love the history of the Mcintosh or should I say "McBose-a-ton" As of the past week+ 😂 But no seriously really cool speakers and video 🇨🇦🍀 🫶
@skylabsaudio Do you plan to refinish the outside, or just leave as is? It would be really cool for someone to replicate these with today’s tweeters, woofers, and high-end crossover parts!
McIntosh is made here in my home town, my cousin has a Mac setup. He don’t have these 7 foot monsters. Think for speakers he has Pioneer HMP 100. You would need a big room for these monster 👹👹 Speakers to enjoy them.
Oh how I wish I had bigger rooms. Looks like a good big un will always beat a good small speaker. Mac gear in the USA is expensive, here in the UK it's even more so. The shipping costs for these monsters would be enormous.
I went to an estate sale of an heir to a wealthy local business. His mansion had shag carpeting on the floors and mirrors on most walls and a lot of marble. He had a full McIntosh system including these speakers. The drivers were all shot.
You’ve been listening near field. Maybe they aren’t that great in a large room. That line array tweeter at close range is why the wall of sound I bet. Would love to hear those
The Monitor style Macintoshes are superior. We pimped them as British-made back working for Radio Shack Canada. The BASS response on the XRTs is weak at best. Good to about 100hz. (closer to 104hz)
Hello my friend! I just recently discovered your channel and am really enjoying the videos I am wondering if you could recommend an online store where I could purchase a nice vintage receiver and have it shipped to me, I wasn't sure if your company does that? I'm from the Los Angeles area; thank you for any advice you could offer
Try them with McIntosh power and see what you think. I have an entry amp/speakers and they seem to have a synergy and sound terrific together. I dont think McIntosh speakers work well with other amps for the most part. Amps are a different story. But that is just me.
@Kevin. You definitely got a lucky strike here. I have heard of these speakers before and pretty much they are geared for those that are hemorrhaging cash out the anus. For starters, its the initial cost, then you need the room to put it in which most likely would be a large dedicated room, which is probably going to be in a fairly expensive home. Putting something like that in a small room will just choke the sound. As I said, given the space they take up, they are probably well suited for a ball room. Overall, it really isn't a practical speaker and as you said yourself, you will probably move them. I mean, if a wall of sound is something you are after, you could probably do it with something on a commercial / DJ level, and probably do it for far less cost and real estate. I had my big speaker moment when listening to a set of Altec Voice of the Theater speakers. Absolutely amazing and you certainly do feel it when you turn it up. Now they are probably not as accurate as the McIntosh, but if it is concert level, chest pounding sound you are after, they will do it for far less. Now getting more realistic on a home level, I am not sure if you have come across the Polk SDA-SRS line of reference speakers. They are old and from the late 80's and early 90's. polksda.com/pics/sdasrs2.jpg Definitely get the wall of sound from them as well. As with McIntosh speakers, they are suffering from a bit of an identity crisis as well and what was once multi-thousand dollar speakers, you can often pick up some of the smaller models for less than $1000 for the pair. The Polk speakers are cool because they have this VERY wide soundstage that is achieved electronically by feeding the opposite channel into the speaker, but at reverse polarity, or something like that. So you don't have to place the speakers very far apart to get a really big "surround sound" effect. If you ever come across those Polks (afforably), you should check them out. They certainly would take up less space than those Mac speakers! I agree as well, MacIntosh wasn't really big when it came to speakers. They were definitely mostly centered around amplifiers and pre-amps. That Pass amp you have there is exceptional, and there is no doubt that it is up there with MacIntosh on a build level, however, I just feel Pass amps are WAY overpriced. But then again, many things in hi-end audio are. Anyway, that certainly was a "different" one and it was a cool story how you came across those speakers. It has happened to me too and I did end up with equipment that I would have never been able to afford otherwise. I generally got it in broken and often fixed it for a customer and then for some absurd reason, or no reason at all, they just abandoned the unit in my shop. I ended up just paying for the cost in materials and took home a nice piece of equipment. One day I had a regular customer came in and he placed a Pioneer RT-707 in my arms and he said, "It has problems, I don't use it anymore, I know you are into these things, so this is a gift for you." Yeah, I have had many a piece of audio equipment fall in my lap that way. The Sansui Receiver I currently have in my living room I got that way as well. Sadly, I didn't often come across speakers that way, but the electronics teacher in high school had given me a pair of Electro Voice home speakers that had a woofer and a horn set up concentrically in the same driver. Already at that point in time (mid 80's) Electrovoice stopped making those speakers. Sadly, I ended up reselling them off because they were big and took up too much room. Bottom line is that having a shop generally yields some really nice finds and "scores". I doubt I would have something that tops those McIntosh speakers, though. But, there are definitely more practical, and probably cheaper ways to get a wall of sound. Enjoy!
I agree almost 100%. I have had several pairs of the Polk SDA speakers that use the interconnect cable. I agree they are great and different. These are still overwhelmingly big sounding. Thanks!
@@skylabsaudio I kind of figured that you might have come across the Polk SDAs. In fact, it were those speakers that introduced me to Polk and they quickly became a favorite of which I had put right under Klipsch. Sadly, as with Klipsch, those speakers weren't affordable, by a long shot. However, in recent years, I have seen some SDA's come up on Ebay and other used markets for pretty good prices. It is just that they are usually too far away and rarely someone wants to ship something that big. Fairly recently, I could have gotten one of the smaller models and the guy was asking a good price for them, but the shipping costs from Florida (to New York) was prohibitive. The much larger ones do give you that "wall of sound" and surprisingly, the cabinets weren't very deep and they didn't have a big footprint. But, I would think that from a sonic point of view, you would still need a fairly sizable room. However, a big problem with the used market on those speakers is that many don't come with the interconnect cable and I am not sure if you can still get replacements from Polk.
Oh I've been tempted to buy a pair of Sansui speakers on market place. This is after I saved a pair of cheap Sansui S-530 from the trash man. That started my curiosity of Sansui SP series speakers.
Kevin maybe you should see if there is a church you could rent out for a day to hook them up to listen. Like once a month deal. Then audiophiles could come and listen to them. They might not be the best speakers out there but i bet they will be the best that alot of people has ever heard.
I've had my XRT20's for 35 years. Love them.
I can see why
I worked for a guy that owned a complete Mac system, including these speakers. I have to say this much, it was breathtaking to listen to. Dark Side of the Moon, all master cut pressing LP's and Super Tramp - Breakfast in America, Steely Dan - Aja , and Dire Straights, that was the first and only time I heard this mind blowing HiFi rig. Thanks for the memories.
Thanks! Glad you got to hear them back in the day.
Wow, that's a hell of an experience! I'm envious--but glad you got to hear those monsters with really good source material. Must have been stunning!
It just makes sense that in the world of audio, you should own these speakers. I think they might be your crowning achievement. Keep them and, when you do eventually expand, have that dedicated room for people to bring their absolute favorite record to listen to all the way through. But, you have to charge an admission. Kidding. But, seriously, you possess a pair of speakers unlike any other. Please keep them. You deserve them!
Thank you :)
With the right house, I just might do that. Appreciate it!
@@skylabsaudio Excellent!
I truly appreciate you getting these rare monsters out and making a video to share with us all. As beautiful as they are and as great as they must sound, the size and weight make them too inconvenient to own for most people out there..Including myself! Thanks lots, Kevin..Enjoy the remainder of your Sunday!
Thank you, you too
I have 2 sets of XR-5 speakers. They're my favorite. I worked there in the 1980s. And thanks to these I am ANTI-SUB-WOOFER. Especially with ported speakers - the muddy sound sucks bad.
Roger Russell is smiling from above. I have the ML1C and though nobody else likes them, I do. I emailed him while he was alive and he was immensely gracious. I'm happy to see his Magnum Opus get this kind of respect. Gosh, I'd love to hear them.
Excellent!!
I had the ML1C 2 years ago, now I have the XRT20, they are incredible friend!!
Loved reading Rogers stories and had his website on my favorites list. iirc it's still available...
I have a pair of XRT 20s I bought at a premium from a McIntosh dealer in Ohio. They blew me away with the “wall of sound”. They were spaced 40’ apart and just filled the whole store with sound. I have a c28 McIntosh preamp and MC402 powering them. They will rock my house no doubt. The tweeters is what blew me away. I think the mids and lows are lacking just a little bit. As a comparison I have a new pair of speakers the paradigm 120H which have amazing lows for 3 - 8” bass drivers in each with built in 1000w of power. Those are part of my home theater setup.
Back to the XRT 20s. I did see a pair at a vintage shop in Houston on sale for $1750 and that was waaay cheaper than I paid for mine. Too me they were amazing the instant I heard them and never plan on getting rid of them.
Hey SA… I’m a lucky XRT-18 owner loving this one…XRT-20’s with an XR-19 hat…that’s crazy. You’ve almost got a XRT-30; (my Holy Grail set-up). Cool to see everyone’s reaction and a little McIntosh love. Kevin at 7:23…love the passion, that’s why we watch the channel. 🍻
Appreciate it! 👍
The first time I felt that wall of perfect sound fog wave through the body experience was with my Polk SDA-SRS speakers. I will never sell them because they're perfect, and not only that, but they're really not worth anything close to what they are. They will also never be duplicated by anything that I can afford. I've never heard speakers that sound as good. I'm happy for you and your magic speakers. I'm sure they're amazing.
Thank you. I am glad you found yours as well :)
Being a speaker-freaker I was excited to sit down and listen to this video. I have been too busy to watch your videos for awhile, but this popped up on my feed, so thanks for doing the video! You need to KEEP these, and years from now you will be so glad you did !!! They will serve as a great reference for anybody claiming they have found the holy grail of speakers....
Just discovered this channel a few days ago. I'm not into vintage hifi but I love your videos. I have watched at least 20 of them over the past 4 or 5 days. You are a great guy to listen to. Great perspectives on audio.
Really appreciate that! Thanks!
As a XRT owner, my experience mirrors yours. They bring a 'live concert' experience to my listening. I think that for years
(1970's-1980's) the unremarkable McIntosh traditional floor standing box speakers set the reputation for their speakers. The line array design was a game changer for them.
💯
The Pass labs amp is a work of art. Nelson Pass wasn’t kidding around. I have his Adcom equipment in my stereo today (GFP-750 and GFA-5400). Absolutely love them, like Pass Labs for regular people.
I worked at a McIntosh dealer in the eighties and we sold a pair of these to the son of the owner of a now defunct shoe store chain. He invited us over to his home for a listening party. I thought they looked awesome and sounded pretty good, but not amazing, McIntosh speakers were not known to be amazing back then. The house was way too small for speakers like those, but he didn’t care, he had his toy. He even had a pair of Bozak Concert Grands in the master bedroom, there was almost no room for the bed, hilarious.
Too funny!
Heck, the Pass Labs Amp was just as impressive. That thing is a monster! Great video.
Thanks! Yeah that x250 is something else for sure :)
I’ve experienced what you are talking about ,
“ musical Scale “ is the word I used to describe them.
I could be in any room of the house , and the scale of sound took the entire home over , and not in just volume .
It is an emotional evoking experience. At any volume , Every song goes right through the homes foundation and into your heart and mind.
Mine were the 180lb each Epicure M 1000s.
💯
I still have my old magazine that have these featured in the advertisement section. Always wondered what it would be like to listen to them.
Even 30 years later I still finally remember opening up stereo file magazine and a few others and seeing the advertisements inside for these speakers and I'm still amazed by them till this very day
Absolutely AMAZING!
Thanks!
I think I have an idea of what you were talking about with a wall of sound.
I got a chance many years ago to listen to a set of Infinity reference standard 1 speakers at audio store (Pacific Audio I think.)
At the time I was there they had it connected to a open reel tape deck playing at 15in per second. I listened to two pieces of music one was Toccata and Fugue in D minor and the other was some jazz piece I didn't recognize. With the organ piece, the whole room shook with the deep organ notes and was airy and detailed in the upper notes. With a jazz piece it felt like I was in front of a live orchestra. Overall, it just had this massive presence that made the music just come alive. It's one of my fondest audio memories I have.
Love seeing your videos for the variety of equipment you've shown us. Those Macs are worth hanging on to, I'd definitely regret letting them go before fully experiencing them.Thanks for sharing.
Those are a true treasure - unique, beautiful and functional. Love this story, thanks Skylabs.
Damnit, good on you brotha! Nice to see the right things find the right people : D
I have some flagship 80's speakers myself that have been waiting to finally be restored. I totally get it. Ive been dying to finally hear them for years and have been sitting patient waiting for the resources to have them done right. My hopes are that Ill have them working in the coming year.
Thank you! Hope the payoff is great for you too.
Uber cool Kevin! Also that you have kept them all this time and are intent on keeping till you can really enjoy them. Agree, money not everything !
Thanks!
Thanks for sharing Kevin, they sound like something that you have to experience to understand what “ wall of sound” is really all about. It definitely was a fun one and I wish I was there to hear them (or I should say experience them 😮) 🎶 with you guys!
As a collector of several sets of BAS (Big Ass Speakers), I can confirm they take up a LOT of space. There were some very cool, but large, speakers made in the late 70's and early 80's timeframe, but due to their cost, very few were sold. These are great examples of those TOTL speakers of that era.
Unbelievably fun "if" you have the space
@@skylabsaudio Yes, it is all part of having a balanced equation. BAS + BAR = BAF which is, of course, Big Speakers + Big Room = Big Ass Fun! 🙂
lol, thanks Scott
Finally, something worth every Penny and I love the Martin Logans as well. My Favorite is still the Cornwall's or the HPM 150/1500.
I used to work at a loudspeaker in Rhode Island from 1978 to 1981. The company was called Avid Corporation. They manufactured acoustic suspension sealed cabinet systems. They had a comparison room from different manufacturers for the employees to listen to as a blind test. I always liked sealed systems better than ported or vented. It was definitely IMO a more realistic sound. The bass instruments sounded more natural. Play Sarabande (From "Barry Lyndon The City of Prague Philaharmonic Orchestra) and Sycamore Trees by Jimmy Scott on those McIntosh speakers. Sealed sounds so great. No low-frequency huffing.
My first set of new speakers in 1981 were Avids.
Definitely fun to play with, but I agree. Keep them for a little bit and move them on.
In general, I’ve ended up getting rid of all of my amazing vintage gear, especially speakers. I just find that with all the technology over the last 30 or 40 years even a nice set of mid range speakers will out perform the highest end speakers from 20 years ago except for very few cases.
Although I didn’t got to hear them, I believe I saw those McIntosh speakers at CES back when there was a June Chicago show. They were quite a sight to behold.
Cool!
Welcome to the Club Kevin we had a Shop with those and Infinity IRSV...I would listen to both weekly
Wow! Both under 1 roof would be amazing
I have four pair of McIntosh XL10 speakers from late 70’s. I have reckoned and rebuilt the crossovers and the are still my favorites. I still use a M&K sub. Yamaha integrated amp. Never really cared for RX Line. For me the less crossover points the better.
Great video bro.. nailed it
Glad you got to hear them, dude :)
What crossed my mind when I saw these is set them up facing each other with a chair in the middle, like giant headphones. Had a buddy in high school that had large speakers, can’t remember what they were but nothing like you’re talking about, but they where nice. He set them up on stands with a chair in the middle, his turn table in front of him, and he’d sit in the chair and listen like they were huge headphones. It was awesome. And, non-ported speakers always more punchy.
Sounds like a Stanley Kubrick movie, lol
@@skylabsaudio …memories of listening to the Almond Brothers Live at Fillmore East album that way, great album to listen to loud.
Superb.
I had a pair of xrt 20s driven by an MC 2500 for years but finally sold them when I found some Genesis 2.0's locally.
Happy with the change? Thanks
Wow! Would love to hear these! I think these just hit my wish list!! You could charge admission to hear them!
Awesome story!
Thank you!
Man, I would love to blast Eruption and the intro to Mean Streets through those things!!!!
I've never quite understood why Mac speakers aren't more widely liked. A true industry giant, Roger Russell, made virtually all of them over decades, along with one other gentleman he collaborated with. He had entire facilities built in Binghamton for sound research and speaker tuning, eventually had control over every aspect of the materials used for their production down to the cabinetry, and was constantly focused on the best sound possible, until the time came to design the next speaker. And yet it seems their reputations are middling at best, with a couple exceptions.
Great video about an important piece of audio history!
It's a shame he didn't stay a couple of years longer at McIntosh. I understand what it's like to be edged out by a narcissistic boss, but he could have bided his time.
I’ve never heard or seen a set of such speakers and I can only imagine what they sound like. I guess I’ll just have to enjoy my advent Legacy two speakers.😢
Love those Legacy speakers.
Great Video
Thanks!
Totally understand. My wife & I listen through a pair of Polk Legend L800's and understand the part of losing track of time.
MAN !!! Imagine Pumping AC/DC- RIFF RAFF (Bon Scott Live version ) thru those speakers 😛👊👊
Please, please, please do a segment on ESS Heil speakers! The loud speakers were among the best I’ve heard, and the Transars, a science project in sound! The air motion transformers were amongst the absolute best! Thanks!
Thank you for another fantastic video! I heard these beauties a few years ago before they went into storage. I remember waggling my head around trying to define where each instrument was in the soundscape. Listening to these was like being at a concert in an amphitheater where the sound has no boundaries, high-low, left-right, and everywhere in between, they sound like they're outdoors where speakers can really sing.
Yup! That's it. Thanks Wayne
Phil Spector..................What a piece of work. The sound would have to have strong similarity to being at a concert. Your talking about BASS that will literally change your heartbeat, have experienced at Car shows.
There's no replacement like displacement.... You can see the IRS V's are floor to ceiling so there is no "zone". I would think the best sitting area for the Mac's and level would be inline with the tweeters.
Oh wow, a Dynaco preamp in front of the Pass. Says a lot for the refurbished Dynaco (we love em!). I was interested to learn you had driven the Macs with more typical receivers but that big ol' amp must really love them, and vice versa. Thank your for sharing this experience with us!
The quick cut to the trunk rattling was 💯
Lol
It's the first time I've heard of those. Never seen them
Yeah, they seem to be unicorns =)
@@skylabsaudiodefinitely cool tho..👍
Another great video
I appreciate that
I remember when these speakers were for sale. I used to pour over the stereo magazines, with ads for these, that never appealed to me, and the early Polk speakers. I think, even at that age, though I knew nothing about audio, I knew instinctively that this is just a weird way to approach stereo. For me, Soundstage and Imaging are king. And these designs can't do that.
welll congrats for priming the market.... would love to hear them
The high-end shop where I worked for a while in the 70s, had a huge - but still far more practical than the McIntosh - set of GLi speakers connected to the HK rack system (Citation 11 preamp I think, Citation 16 power amp...) and when the trumpets came in on Steve Miller's "Swing Town" you could feel your shirt ripple.
Good stuff
@@skylabsaudio I wish I could remember the exact setup of the GLi speakers. Probably an 18" woofer, then a couple 10" above that, large horn, and maybe 5 piezo tweeters? Something like that.
If you EVER get a chance to buy a pair of 1980's Infinity 2.5's -- BUY THEM. The Watkins woofers will probably need to be re foamed but the EMIM's and forward and rear firing EMIT's are pretty amazing. Hard to drive - yes -- but 150 WPC with some current will do the job.About 5-6 feet tall, maybe 30 inches wide and 6-8 inches thick with woofer box area 2 feet thick.A usable IRS system.
Thanks, will do
I’ve owned RS2.5s for 10 years now. And can concur they are awesome. Would love hear those Macintosh. Great video as always thank you
@@bkd9909 I almost bought a pair for 1500 a couple years ago -- but the re foaming scared me off. I worked selling hi fi years ago and we would crank those 2.5 up with 200 WPC and the amazing sound stage was a thing of beauty.Steely Dan, Beethoven and Joanie Mitchell sounded SO GREAT I can almost hear them as I write this.
I just got some Klipsch Heresy I speakers on Friday. I'm happy 😁
Hehe he doesn’t like those for some reason but I’d love to have a pair of those!
@@nyccollin A lot of people feel they lack in bass. Which is true but it isn't THAT lacking. I find them accurate speakers. They are on the floor up against the back wall. I got them for a decent price but they were painted black by the owner, he did do a good job with nice paint.
@@bertroost1675I bet they look really nice! I have had some cool receivers but never a proper set of speakers like yours. I wish I lived closer to Skylabs! One day I’ll get a good set.
@@bertroost1675 I’ll bet they look great! I need to get a set of some real quality speakers like those!
I like the series 4. Besides, I am sure I have speakers others don't like. If we all liked the same thing there would only be 1 set of speakers to buy.
I am in the minority on this one. No biggie. Enjoy them!
Monster's !!!👍👍👍
Thanks!
They remind me of the huge infinity towers of similar design. There is a guy selling a set of the "lower end" set of infinity with I think 2 towers of 6 12" woofers, another tower with like 12 EMIM ribbon mids,
and 5 EMIT tweeters. FWIW, they are asking 3,850$. These are in the Sacramento CA area.
I bet they sound incredible. Thanks
Looks like modern day venue sound system. Especially the line array of tweeters
Fun stuff. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching!
WOW! I've been near Altec A-7's before. I'm sure your's sound better than you can describe!
Wow, must sound phenomenal. I had vandersteen audio speakers in the past and thought,”this is heaven”. Martin logan electrostatic we’re bright but needed subs. Look forward to doing some business with you in the near future.
I would love to hear your take on how the PAS2 performed in this setting.
You should have "listening parties" at the shop.
"Tea and Tweeters"...with Kevin & co.
I'll bring some of my Grateful Dead Dead Dicks Picks & Daves Picks.
Lol, someday! Thanks
There goes the party
Anybody here enjoy Phase Tech speakers? I’ve had my towers for about 40 years. Replaced the woofers but they still sound amazing.
I have some phase tech 800s
@@raybudau9920 yes! That’s what mine are. A lifetime of great sound.
Would love to see you set up a brand new top end stereo and speakers and compare it to a great vintage stereo and speakers of similar adjusted cost.
Fun!
Thanks
I sold these at a hifi store in Houston Tx in the 80’s. If you want to hear them really perform listen to the 1812 Overture and the cannon shots will blow a hole in your chest. Use the Pass Amp though.
You are smart to post this and wait before posting for sale.
Interesting... I did not recall that McIntosh built speakers.
Perhaps the opposite experience is listening to Polk Audio SDA speakers; they are designed to both expand the soundstage beyond the speakers, as well as really pinpointing different instruments across the soundstage. I was listening last night to Thursday Night Football through my stereo, and the two announcers seemed to be off to the left of the rest of the sound - and to the left of the left speaker. My wife isn't sold on listening through the stereo when watching TV. I've got to tune in to a music awards show one of these times and see what that experience is like.
Interesting that McIntosh would even have speakers like that in their lineup. That's a VERY specific customer looking for those
Agree
Roger Russell had wanted to make an all out exotic line array system for years and he was finally allowed to with this system. Have a look at his website. There is a lot written about how he developed these.
Thanks for the infromation
My pleasure
Thanks for sharing. Absolutely gorgeous!
You'd mentioned you're working towards a listening room in an earlier video. I think these would be ideal as a reference set in it. Why sell them if you won't get what they're worth anyway?
Kevin, I don't know if you know, Paul M is selling those IRS speakers (the ones you see in the videos).
He has spent at lot of additional money making them even better: all newer higher quality woofers, same with crossovers (external with the original still inside).
Don't know if you want to spend the money and a way to transport them. I think he said 50 thousand. I think that's a very good price for them.
I considered them but I'm not going to spend that much on speakers being almost 70. Plus I would have a long move getting them to Massachusetts.
I would love to see you buy them so we can hear what you think.
Hello RichardMann: Paul actually SOLD those Infinity IRS's. Got $75,000.
@@dvdaudiogleno6540
I didn't realize they were already sold. Thanks for sharing.
Yeah, I am kinda bummed they are sold. I was actually in Colorado not too long ago. I thought about a small detour to hear them, but found out they were not hooked up at the time for demo:(
I have heard the Genisis 1 speakers in a large ballroom. Gary koe. Had them at 2023 seattle audio show. Best speakers i have ever heard period. My grandson works for Paul at P.S.Audio. He told me the Fr 30 and fr 20s sound better than the infinity irsv. They should they got 40+ years of tech over the 5s. Paul used to own Genisis and sold it. I have yet to here p.s. audio speakers on my list to do.
My stacked La Scalas with tube amps does it for mr all day long!
I bet that is fun
Really cool video man I enjoyed it I love the history of the Mcintosh or should I say "McBose-a-ton" As of the past week+ 😂
But no seriously really cool speakers and video 🇨🇦🍀 🫶
Ive heard that listening to Van Halen 1 on a McIntosh system on vinyl is like being in Sunset Studio when they recorded it in 1977
They must sound incredible. You're doing the right thing, enjoy them and then send them along to a new home.
Thanks
I want em and I want em now!
Kidding.
@skylabsaudio Do you plan to refinish the outside, or just leave as is? It would be really cool for someone to replicate these with today’s tweeters, woofers, and high-end crossover parts!
McIntosh is made here in my home town, my cousin has a Mac setup. He don’t have these 7 foot monsters. Think for speakers he has Pioneer HMP 100. You would need a big room for these monster 👹👹 Speakers to enjoy them.
My wife looking over my shoulder … “guys that own these don’t have wives” she said.
Lol! She's a keeper!
Sounds like a threat.
Oh how I wish I had bigger rooms. Looks like a good big un will always beat a good small speaker. Mac gear in the USA is expensive, here in the UK it's even more so. The shipping costs for these monsters would be enormous.
They really are something else. Thanks for watching
I went to an estate sale of an heir to a wealthy local business. His mansion had shag carpeting on the floors and mirrors on most walls and a lot of marble. He had a full McIntosh system including these speakers. The drivers were all shot.
You’ve been listening near field. Maybe they aren’t that great in a large room. That line array tweeter at close range is why the wall of sound I bet. Would love to hear those
Totally could be
Worth their weight in gold.
The Monitor style Macintoshes are superior. We pimped them as British-made back working for Radio Shack Canada. The BASS response on the XRTs is weak at best. Good to about 100hz. (closer to 104hz)
hang on to them and let people listen to whatever they want to listen to when they come into the store
I do believe I would make some room for them and keep them for the rest of my life lol
I could absolutely change my mind with the right house :)
I love my music but I don't know what a pre amp does or how it works. Maybe you have a video already out there...
Were Macintosh speakers designed and built to pair well with their amplifiers ?
I think you'd have to ask the designers that. Thanks
Hello my friend!
I just recently discovered your channel and am really enjoying the videos
I am wondering if you could recommend an online store where I could purchase a nice vintage receiver and have it shipped to me, I wasn't sure if your company does that? I'm from the Los Angeles area; thank you for any advice you could offer
Try them with McIntosh power and see what you think. I have an entry amp/speakers and they seem to have a synergy and sound terrific together. I dont think McIntosh speakers work well with other amps for the most part. Amps are a different story. But that is just me.
@Kevin. You definitely got a lucky strike here. I have heard of these speakers before and pretty much they are geared for those that are hemorrhaging cash out the anus. For starters, its the initial cost, then you need the room to put it in which most likely would be a large dedicated room, which is probably going to be in a fairly expensive home. Putting something like that in a small room will just choke the sound. As I said, given the space they take up, they are probably well suited for a ball room. Overall, it really isn't a practical speaker and as you said yourself, you will probably move them. I mean, if a wall of sound is something you are after, you could probably do it with something on a commercial / DJ level, and probably do it for far less cost and real estate.
I had my big speaker moment when listening to a set of Altec Voice of the Theater speakers. Absolutely amazing and you certainly do feel it when you turn it up. Now they are probably not as accurate as the McIntosh, but if it is concert level, chest pounding sound you are after, they will do it for far less. Now getting more realistic on a home level, I am not sure if you have come across the Polk SDA-SRS line of reference speakers. They are old and from the late 80's and early 90's.
polksda.com/pics/sdasrs2.jpg
Definitely get the wall of sound from them as well. As with McIntosh speakers, they are suffering from a bit of an identity crisis as well and what was once multi-thousand dollar speakers, you can often pick up some of the smaller models for less than $1000 for the pair. The Polk speakers are cool because they have this VERY wide soundstage that is achieved electronically by feeding the opposite channel into the speaker, but at reverse polarity, or something like that. So you don't have to place the speakers very far apart to get a really big "surround sound" effect.
If you ever come across those Polks (afforably), you should check them out. They certainly would take up less space than those Mac speakers!
I agree as well, MacIntosh wasn't really big when it came to speakers. They were definitely mostly centered around amplifiers and pre-amps. That Pass amp you have there is exceptional, and there is no doubt that it is up there with MacIntosh on a build level, however, I just feel Pass amps are WAY overpriced. But then again, many things in hi-end audio are.
Anyway, that certainly was a "different" one and it was a cool story how you came across those speakers. It has happened to me too and I did end up with equipment that I would have never been able to afford otherwise. I generally got it in broken and often fixed it for a customer and then for some absurd reason, or no reason at all, they just abandoned the unit in my shop. I ended up just paying for the cost in materials and took home a nice piece of equipment. One day I had a regular customer came in and he placed a Pioneer RT-707 in my arms and he said, "It has problems, I don't use it anymore, I know you are into these things, so this is a gift for you." Yeah, I have had many a piece of audio equipment fall in my lap that way. The Sansui Receiver I currently have in my living room I got that way as well. Sadly, I didn't often come across speakers that way, but the electronics teacher in high school had given me a pair of Electro Voice home speakers that had a woofer and a horn set up concentrically in the same driver. Already at that point in time (mid 80's) Electrovoice stopped making those speakers. Sadly, I ended up reselling them off because they were big and took up too much room.
Bottom line is that having a shop generally yields some really nice finds and "scores". I doubt I would have something that tops those McIntosh speakers, though. But, there are definitely more practical, and probably cheaper ways to get a wall of sound. Enjoy!
I agree almost 100%. I have had several pairs of the Polk SDA speakers that use the interconnect cable. I agree they are great and different. These are still overwhelmingly big sounding. Thanks!
@@skylabsaudio I kind of figured that you might have come across the Polk SDAs. In fact, it were those speakers that introduced me to Polk and they quickly became a favorite of which I had put right under Klipsch. Sadly, as with Klipsch, those speakers weren't affordable, by a long shot. However, in recent years, I have seen some SDA's come up on Ebay and other used markets for pretty good prices. It is just that they are usually too far away and rarely someone wants to ship something that big. Fairly recently, I could have gotten one of the smaller models and the guy was asking a good price for them, but the shipping costs from Florida (to New York) was prohibitive. The much larger ones do give you that "wall of sound" and surprisingly, the cabinets weren't very deep and they didn't have a big footprint. But, I would think that from a sonic point of view, you would still need a fairly sizable room. However, a big problem with the used market on those speakers is that many don't come with the interconnect cable and I am not sure if you can still get replacements from Polk.
Love'em. If you can't stack Marshalls. I want them.
I enjoy your videos Very good
Thank you very much!
Never seen or heard of these. But there is plenty of speakers i never heard of.
I've seen Marantz and Sansui speakers on marketplace. But I always thought of them as receivers, amps and preamps.
Agree, however all 3 companies did make a few stand out models of speakers.
Oh I've been tempted to buy a pair of Sansui speakers on market place. This is after I saved a pair of cheap Sansui S-530 from the trash man. That started my curiosity of Sansui SP series speakers.
Never in my life have I seen those
I have 26 speakers in my garage, it's like the garage sale wall of sound.
Kevin maybe you should see if there is a church you could rent out for a day to hook them up to listen. Like once a month deal. Then audiophiles could come and listen to them. They might not be the best speakers out there but i bet they will be the best that alot of people has ever heard.