McIntosh MAC 4200 User manual

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theServiceContractwiththeinstrumentforrepair.
Copyright1986© byMclntoshLaboratoryInc.

Contents
INTRODUCTION
INSTALLATION
HOWTOCONNECT
FRONTPANELCONTROLS
PERFORMANCELIMITS
PERFORMANCECHARTS
TECHNICALDESCRIPTION
BLOCKDIAGRAM
SPECTRALFIDELITY
3
4
5,6,7,8
9,10,11,
12,13,14,15
16,17
18,19,20
21,22
23
24
YourMAC4200Receiverwillgiveyou
manyyearsofsatisfactoryperformance.
Ifyouhaveanyquestions,pleasecontact:
CUSTOMERSERVICE
MclntoshLaboratoryInc.
2ChambersStreet
Binghamton,NewYork13903-9990
Phone:[phone]
TakeAdvantageof3 years
ofContractService...
FillintheApplicationNOW.
McINTOSHTHREEYEARSERVICECONTRACT
AnapplicationforA THREEYEARSERVICECONTRACTisincludedwiththismanual.
Thetermsofthecontractare:
1. Yourapplication forthe SERVICE CONTRACTmust be6. Alwayshaveservice done bya Mclntosh authorized
completelyfilledinandmustbepostmarkedwithin30
daysofthedateofpurchaseoftheinstrument.
2.ToreceivetheSERVICECONTRACT,allinformationon
theapplicationmustbefilledin.TheSERVICECON-
TRACTwillbeissuedwhentheapplicationiscom-
pletelyfilledinandreceivedbyMclntoshLaboratory
IncorporatedinBinghamton,NewYork.
3.ToreceivetheSERVICECONTRACT,yourpurchase
mustbemadefroma Mclntoshfranchiseddealer.
4.TheSERVICECONTRACTisissuedtoyouasthe
originalpurchaser.Toprotectyoufrommisrepresenta-
tion,thiscontractcannotbetransferredtoa second
owner.
5.AnyMclntoshauthorizedserviceagencywillrepair
Mclntoshinstrumentsatnormalservicerates.To
receiveserviceunderthetermsoftheSERVICECON-
TRACT,theSERVICECONTRACTCERTIFICATEmustbe
presentedwhentheinstrumentistakentotheservice
agency.
serviceagency.Iftheinstrumentismodifiedordamag-
edasa resultofunauthorizedrepair,theSERVICE
CONTRACTwillbecancelled.Damagebyimproper
useormishandlingisnotcoveredbytheSERVICE
CONTRACT.
7.Mclntoshwillprovideallparts,materialsandlabor
neededtoreturnthemeasuredperformanceofthein-
strumenttotheoriginalperformancelimits.TheSER-
VICECONTRACTdoesnotcoveranyshippingcoststo
andfromtheauthorizedserviceagencyorthefactory.
8.UnitsinoperationoutsidetheUnitedStatesand
CanadaarenotcoveredbytheMclntoshServiceCon-
tract,irrespectiveoftheplaceofpurchase.Norare
unitsacquiredoutsidetheU.S.A.andCanada,thepur-
chasersofwhichshouldconsultwiththeirdealerto
ascertainwhat,ifany,servicecontractorwarrantymay
beavailablelocally.
2

TheMclntoshMAC4200isa highquality,FM/AMStereo
Receiverwhosedesignhasbeengovernedbyinsistence
onhighperformancewithlonglife,greatflexibilityand
sensitivity.Theratedpoweroutputisa 75wattsperchan-
nelinto8 ohmsor100wattsperchannelinto4 ohms.
Youwillderivethegreatestenjoymentandmost
satisfactionwhenyouunderstanditsoperationsandits
functions.Yourtimeinvestednowwillreturnaddedvalue
toyoubecausethenyouwillgetthebestresultsfrom
yourMAC4200.
TheadvancedFM/AMtunerdesignoftheMAC4200
displaysthestationfrequenciesdigitally.Thedisplayof
frequenciesintheMAC4200servesa doublefunction.It
showstheinputselectedaswellasthefrequencyto
whichthetunerisadjusted.Stationsareselectedeaslily
eitherbyuseofthemanualtuningknob,orthescanup
ordownfeatureoneitherbandorbyuseofthepreset
feathertouch-buttonsineitherFMorAM.
Thelownoiseelectronicinputswitchingsystemusesin-
putleadsthatareveryshort,onetwentiethofthelength
ofothersystems.Thisprovidesforreducedhumand
noise,bettersourcetosourceisolation(lowercrosstalk),
lowerdistortionandfreedomfromhighpowerTVand
radarsignalinterference.
Theprecisiontrackingvolumecontrolallowscompletely
noisefreeperformanceandaccuracyofthechannelto
channelbalanceoverthefullrange.Itisa stepattenuator
whosechannelaccuracyiswithin1 dBthroughoutitsen-
tirerotation.Suchextremelyaccuratematchingisachiev-
edthroughelectronicallycontrolledtrimmingofthe
resistancematerialdepositedonpairsofprintedcircuits.
Usedoesnotaffectperformanceasinordinaryvolume
controls.
Theloudnesscontroliscontinuouslyvariable.It
operatesindependentlyofthevolumecontrol,andits
contourisaccuratelymodeledafterthefamilyof"Equal
Loudness"curvesdevelopedbyDrs.FletcherandMunson.
Loudnesscontrolsinordinaryequipmentareusuallysim-
ple,passivecircuitsconnectedtoa portionoftherotation
rangeofthevolumecontrol.Asa consequence,loudness
compensationaccuracyisdependentonmanyvariables
suchasspeakerefficiency,amplifiergainanddifferences
ininputlevel.
Afiveband programequalizerpermitsthevolumead-
justmentoffiveimportantfrequencyranges.Musical
balancecanbeadjustedtocompensateforlistener
preferencesorrecordinginaccuracies.Atthedetentinthe
centeroftherotationofeachcontroltheequalizercir-
cuitsaredisconnected,completelyremovedfromthe
operatingcircuits.
Frontpaneltaperecorderjacksmakeplaybackfrom,or
copyingto,a portablerecorderveryconvenient.Thead-
ditionaltaperecordermaybeconnectedtothe
MAC4200withoutdisconnectingyourregularsystem.
TheMAC4200switchingcircuitsallowtheACpowerto
theentirestereosystemtobecontrolledfromeitherthe
turntable'spowerswitchorthepowerswitchonthisex-
ceptionalreceiver.Connectedtoa specialpoweroutletis
acurrentsensingrelaythatwillbeenergizedwhenthe
turntableisturnedonorwhentheredpowerswitchis
pushedon.Therelay,inturn,controlstheACpowerto
therestofthestereosystem.
POWERGUARDdynamicallypermitsthepoweramp-
lifiercircuitintheMAC4200todeliverfullmaximum
powerwithoutthemusicdestroyingsoundsofhardclip-
ping;themusicyouhearisprotectedfromdistortionand
yourspeakersareprotectedfromdamage.
Electronicallyregulatedpowersuppliesmaintainstable
operationevenduringperiodsofloworchangingAC
powerlinevoltage.
INTRODUCTION3

TheMAC4200maybeusedona shelfortabletopin
theenclosureinwhichitcomesormaybeinstalledina
customcabinet.Inanymethodofuseprovideadequate
ventilation.
Thetrouble-freelifeofanyelectronicinstrumentis
greatlyextendedbyprovidingsufficientventilationtopre-
ventthebuild-upofheatthatcausesdeteriorationof
componentparts.Allowenoughclearancesocoolaircan
enteratthebottomofthereceiverandbeventedfrom
thetopandrear.Thefeetinstalledonthebottomofthe
receivermustbeleftinplacewhenusinga shelfortable
topinstallation.Thefeetraisethereceiverabovethe
mountingsurfacetoallowreasonableventilation.If
temperaturesincreaseduetorestrictedventilationor
speakermismatch,anautomatictemperaturesensing
deviceturnsofftheMAC4200.Thedeviceoperates
automaticallyata presettemperature.TheMAC4200will
turnonagainwhenthetemperaturehasreturnedtonor-
mallimits.Thisadditionalfeatureassurescomplete
reliabilityunderthemostextremeoperatingconditions.
INSTALLINGTHEMAC4200
INA CUSTOMCABINET
TheMAC4200isinstalledfromthefrontofa custom
cabinet.Thespaceneededbehindthecabinetpanelis
15"(38.1cm)deep,18-1/2"(47cm)wide,and6"(15.2cm)
highby17-9/16"(44.6cm)wide.Thecabinetpanelmust
becutout5-1/16"(12.9cm)high.Makethiscutoutcareful-
ly.Thereceiver'sfrontpanelhasa 1/8"(.32cm)overhang
onbothsidesanda 3/32"(.24crn)overhangonthetop
andbottom,(seeFig.1)
Theweightofthereceivermustrestona shelfinthe
customcabinetwitha 15"(38.1cm)x 8"(20.32cm)ven-
tilationholecutout.(seeFig.2)Inaddition,a single3/8"
to1/2"(1cmto1.3cm)diameterhole(seeFig.2 andFig.
3)mustbedrilledintheshelf.A screwinsertedthrough
thisholesecuresthereceiverafterinstallation.Thetopof
theshelfmustbeflushwiththebottomofthecustom
panelcutout.
Fig.1 CustomCabinetFrontPanelCutout
PreparetheMAC4200forcustommountingbyremov-
ingthewoodsidesandfeet:
1.Remove4 screws;twofromeachsidepaneland
removethepanels.
2.Onthebottomofthereceiverarethe4 plasticfeet
heldonbyscrews.Removethesefeet.Donotattempt
toremovethe4 plasticbuttonglidesastheserest
againsttheshelf,(seeFig.2 and3)Atthispointthe
receiverisreadytobeinstalled.
Fromthefrontofthecabinet,threadthepowercord
throughtheopeninginthecabinetpanelandslidethe
MAC4200ontotheshelf.Adjustthepositiontoevenly
coveredgesofthepanelcutout.Locktheunitinplace
witha screwandwasherinsertedthroughthedrilledhole
inthemountingshelf(seeFig.3).Usea 1-1/4"(3.2crn)
screwfor1/2"(1.3cm)shelfora 1-1/2"(3.8cm)screwfor
3/4"(1.9cm)shelf.Donotuselongerscrewssincethey
willcontactelectricalcircuitswhichcanleadtoequip-
mentfailureandpossibleinjury.
Fig.1 CustomCabinetFrontPanelCutout
Fig.2 CustomCabinetShelfMountingCutout
Fig.3 MAC4200CustomMountingProfile
4INSTALLATION

Useshieldedcablestoconnectthesignalfromthe
preamplifierorsignalsourcetothepoweramplifier.To
minimizethepossibilityofhumtheshieldedcables
shouldbeofparallelconstructionorlooselytwisted
together,locatedawayfromthespeakerconnecting
cablesandACpowercords.Becertaintousegoodquali-
tyshieldedcablesforallinterconnections.Yourdealer
canadviseyouonthekindandlengthofcablethatwill
bestsuityourinstallation.
Theappropriatelengthandsizeoftheloudspeaker
cableforyourinstallationwillhelptopreservethehigh
qualityofsoundforwhichtheloudspeakershavebeen
designed.Ifundersizewireisused,resistanceisaddedto
theamplifier/loudspeakerscombinationwhichadversely
affectstheperformance.Addedresistancereducesthe
dampingfactor,modifiesthefrequencyresponseand
reducesthepoweroutput.Yourdealer'sadvicewillserve
youbestforyourinstallation.Thecablestoandfromthe
speakershouldbeofparallelconstructionorbeloosely
twistedtogether.Thechartshowstherecommended
minimumwiresizeforthelengthofwirebetweenthe
amplifierandtheloudspeakers.
SPEAKERCABLELENGTHS
AMPLIFIERTOSPEAKER
For4 OhmLoadFor8 OhmLoadWire
Feet
15
25
40
60
100
Meters
4.6
7.6
12.2
18.3
30.48
Feet
30
50
HO
120
200
Meters
9.1
15.2
24.4
36.6
60.0
Gauge
18
16
14
12
10
Thesespeakercablelengthsrepresenta wireresistance
equalto5%ofa speakerimpedance,or97.5%transferof
power.
HOWTOCONNECTLOUDSPEAKERS
Rearpanelpushconnectorsareprovidedforthreepairs
ofstereospeakers.Thecorrespondingfrontpanel
pushbuttonsturnthespeakerpairsonoroff.
Connecttheleadsfromtheleftmain(1)loudspeakerto
the SPEAKERS L 1 and Common pushconnectors.
Connecttheleadsfromtherightmainloudspeakerto
the SPEAKERS R 1 and Common pushconnectors.Con-
nect a second and third pair of speakers tothe SPEAKERS
2and3 pushconnectorsina similarmanner.Tomaintain
frequencyresponse,poweroutputanddamping
characteristics,eachspeakerrequiresa separatecablebe-
tweenthereceiverandtheloudspeaker.
HOWTOCONNECTA TURNTABLE
ConnecttheleftchannelcableoftheturntabletotheL
PH1INPUTjack.Connecttherightchannelcableofthe
turntabletotheR PH1INPUTjack.Connecta second
turntabletothePH2inputjacksinthesameway.Con-
necttheturntable'sgroundwiretotheGNDterminal.
Automaticallyshortingphonojackseliminatethepoten-
tialforhumandcrosstalkandtheneedforshortingplugs.
CONNECTINGPROGRAM
SOURCEGROUNDS
Aground(GND)postisprovidedtoconnectthe
groundsfromrecordchangers,tapedecks,etc.Topre-
venthumpick-up,theleftandrightprogramcablesand
thegroundwirefromthatsourceshouldbewoundor
looselytwistedtogether.Makesurethegroundwiredoes
notmakeanycontacttotheshieldsoftheleftandright
programcablesastheyrunbetweenthesourceandthe
inputofthepreamplifier.
HOWTOCONNECTA CDPLAYER
Connecta cablefromtheleftchanneloutputofa com-
pactdiscplayertotheL CDinputjack.Connecta cable
fromtherightchanneloutputtotheR CDinputjack.
WhentheMAC4200inputselectorswitchisturnedto
CD/AU2(compactdiscplayerorauxilliarysource)thesta-
tiondisplayareawillshowAU2.
HOWTOCONNECTTVAUDIO
Audiofroma TVmonitororanyotherhighlevelsource
isconnectedtotheAUXINPUTS.Connecta cablefrom
theleftchannelaudiooutputofa TVmonitororother
highlevelsource,totheL AUXINPUTjack.Connecta
cablefromtherightchannelaudiooutputtotheR AUX
INPUTjack.
WhentheMAC4200inputselectorswitchisturnedto
theTVAU1 position(televisionsetorauxilliarysource),
thestationdigitaldisplayareawillshowAU1.
HOWTOCONNECTTAPERECORDERS
TORECORD:
Connecta cablefromtheMAC4200L TAPE1 OUTjack
tothelefthighlevelinputofa taperecorder.Connecta
cablefromtheR TAPE1 OUTjacktotherighthighlevel
inputofa taperecorder.Connecta secondtaperecorder
inthesamemannertotheTAPE2 OUTjacks.
TOPLAYBACKORMONITORTAPE:
Connecta cablefromtheleftchanneloutputofa tape
recordertotheMAC4200L TAPE1 INjack.Connecta
cablefromtherightchanneloutputofa taperecorderto
theR TAPE1 INjack.Connecta secondtaperecorderin
thesamemannertotheTAPE2 INjacks.
FRONTPANELTAPE2 RECORDERJACKS
TAPE2 inputandoutputconnectionsarealsoavailable
attheTAPE2 IN-OUTjacksonthefrontpanel.Metal
shielded1/4"stereophoneplugsareused.Theconnec-
HOWTOCONNECT5

tionsaretip:leftsignal;ring:rightsignal;sleeve:common
ground.
Whena plugisinsertedinthefrontpanelTAPE2
INjack,thecircuitstotherearpanelTAPE2 INPUTSare
disconnected.Insertinga pluginthefrontpanelTAPE2
OUTjackdoesnotdisconnecttherearpanelTAPE2
OUT.ItispossibletorecordfromthefrontpanelTAPE2
OUTjackandtherearpanelTAPE2 OUTjackatthe
sametime.However,itisnotpossibletolisten(or
monitor)fromboththefrontandrearTAPE2 INjacksat
thesametime.
THEELECTRONICMEMORYBATTERYPOWERSUPPLY
Averylonglife,rechargeablebatterypowersupplypro-
videstheenergyfortheelectronicmemorywhenthe
receiveristurnedoff.Whenfirstconnected,itiswiseto
assumethatthebatterieshavenotbeencharged.The
chargerateisdictatedbythe'on'timeofthereceiver.To
bringthebatteriestofullcharge,leavethereceiverturn-
edonfortwenty-fourcontinuoushours.Programmedin-
structionswillberetainedformorethansixmonthswith
thereceiverturnedoffifthebatteriesarefullycharged.
Afterthebatteriesarefullycharged,useforapproximate-
lyonehourperweek,willmaintainthebatteriesina fully
chargedstate.
HOWTOCONNECTACPOWER
ApolarizedACplugisusedontheMAC4200.Plugit
intoa 120volt60Hzwalloutlet.Theplugbladesmust
befullyinsertedintheoutlettopreventshockfromex-
posedblades.
CAUTION:TOPREVENTELECTRICSHOCKDONOTUSE
THE (POLARIZED)PLUGONTHISUNITWITHANEXTEN-
SIONCORD,RECEPTACLEOROTHEROUTLETUNLESS
THEBLADESCANBEFULLYINSERTEDTOPREVENTBLADE
EXPOSURE.
ThreetypesofACpoweroutletsareprovidedonthe
backpaneloftheMAC4200:2 black,2 greenandone
red.
Theblackoutletsareswitchedonoroffwhenthe
MAC4200isturnedonoroff.TheseareintendedforCD
players,equalizersorotheraccessories,whosetotal
powerrequirementis600watts.
Theredoutletisonatalltimes.Forexample,a VCR
(videocassetterecorder)canbepluggedintothisoutlet
forrecordinga TVprogramwhenthereceiverisnotturn-
edon.Neithertheredoutletnortheblackoutletsare
fused.
ACpowertothegreenoutletsarecontrolledbythe
AUTOMATICSYSTEMACON/OFF.
AUTOMATICSYSTEMACTURNON/OFF
ThePOWERONpushbuttonsharesACpowercontrol,
withtheACpowerswitchona turntable,througha cur-
rentdetectingswitchcircuit.Ontherearpanel,theTURN-
TABLEAUTO/MANUALswitchselectsthemodeofoperation.
WhentheswitchisintheAUTOpositionanda turn-
tablepluggedintooneofthegreenACpoweroutlets,
theACpowertothereceiverandtotheblackACpower
outletscanbecontrolledbytheturntableon/offswitch.
WhenACpowertotheturntableisturnedon,powerto
thereceiverandtheblackACpoweroutletsisturnedon.
Whenintheautomaticmode,thesystemwillremainon
untiltheturntableisturnedoff.ThePOWERONpushbut-
toncontrolstheACpowerwhenusinganysourceother
thantheturntable.
IntheMANUALpositiononlytheredPOWERON
pushbuttonwillturnACpoweronoroff.Powerfromthe
greenACpoweroutletscannotexceed100watts.
Someturntableshaveelectroniccircuitsthatdrawcur-
rentallthetime.Tousetheseturntablesthe
AUTO/MANUALswitchmustbeintheMANUALposition.
CONNECTINGANFMANTENNA
Provisionshavebeenmadefortheuseofoneofthree
antennasystems:(1)anoutdoorFMantenna,or(2)a VHF-
TVantenna,or(3)theindoordipolesupplied.
Anoutdoorantennaisrecommendedforoptimumper-
formanceinallareas.Infringe(outlaying)areas,best
resultswillbeobtainedwitha highlydirectionalFM
antennausedinconjunctionwitha rotator.Iftheantenna
usesa 300ohmlead,connectittotheANTENNA300ohm
FMpushconnectors.
Iftheantennausesa 75ohmcoaxialcable,connectitto
therearpanelANTENNA75ohmtypeFconnector.
Anoutsideantennasystemshouldnotbelocatedinthe
vicinityofoverheadpowerlinesorotherelectriclightor
powercircuits,orwhereitcanfallintosuchpowerlines
orcircuits.Wheninstallinganoutsideantennasystem,ex-
tremecareshouldbetakentokeepfromtouchingsuch
powerlinesorcircuitsascontactwiththemmightbe
fatal.
AVHF-TVantennacanbeeffectivewhenitisdesigned
forbothFMandTVreception.Connectthetwoleads
fromtheVHF-TVantennatotheANTENNA300FMpush
connectors.
CONNECTINGANINDOOR
DIPOLEANTENNA
Theflexiblefoldeddipoleantenna(300ohm)isforuse
inurbanorhighstrengthsignalareas.Connectthetwo
leadsfromthedipoletotheANTENNA300FMpushcon-
nectors.
Theflexibilityofthetwinflatwireassemblypermitsitto
beplacedundera rug,tackedbehindthestereo...orplac-
edinanyotherconvenientlocation.Insomecases,it
6HOWTOCONNECT

HOWTOCONNECT7

maybenecessaryto"position"theantennaforbestsignal
reception.Thisshouldbedonebeforeitispermanently
located.
Avoidlocatingtheantennanexttootherwiresormetal
objects.Anyindoorantennamaybeineffectiveinhouses
havingmetalsidingormetalfoilinsulation.
AMANTENNA
ForlocalandmostmoderatelydistantAMreceptionthe
built-inferriteloopstickantennamaybeused.The
loopstickismountedona swivelbaseandmustbead-
justedawayfromthechassisforbestreception.
Distancereceptioncanbeimprovedwiththeuseofa
copperantennawire50to150feetinlength.Suspend
thewire,horizontally,ina straightlineashighaspossible.
Attachthewiretoananchorateachendwithsuitable
glassorceramicinsulators.Connecta lead-inwireata
convenientpointontheantenna.Usea lightingarrester
forprotectionwithanoutdoorAMantenna.Thearrester
shouldbewellgroundedtoa groundrodorcoldwater
pipe.
HOWTOCONNECTA MclNTOSHEQUALIZER
POWERAMPINandPREAMPOUTjacksareprovided
ontherearpanelforconnectinga MclntoshEnvironmen-
talEqualizer,orothersignalprocessingequipment.Con-
necttheleftandrightshieldedcablesfromthesignalpro-
cessoroutputstotheLeftandRightPOWERAMPIN
jacks.ThenconnectshieldedcablesbetweentheLeftand
RightPREAMPOUTjackstotheequalizerinputs.
Theinputjacksareautomaticswitchingjacksthat
disconnectthepreamplifier'soutputsignalfromthe
poweramplifier'sinputandconnectsthesignal
processor'soutputwiththepoweramplifier'sinput.
HOWTOCONNECT
ADDITIONALPOWERAMPLIFIERS
Externalpoweramplifiersmaybefedfromthe
MAC4200intwoways:
1.Connecta shieldedcablefromtheLeftandRight
PREAMPOUTjackstotheLeftandRightinputofthe
poweramplifier.ThePREAMPOUTjacksareaffectedby
theVOLUME,EQUALIZER,BALANCEandLOUDNESScon-
trols.BoththeMAC4200amplifierandtheadditional
amplifierwillbefedfromthepreamplifier.IftheMAC
4200amplifierisnotgoingtobeused,inserta pairof
non-shortingphonoplugsinthePOWERAMPINjacksto
disconnectitfromthepreamplifieroutput.
2.TheTAPE1 orTAPE2 OUTjacksmaybeusedto
driveanexternalamplifierwhichhasitsowncontrols.The
outputofthesejacksisnotaffectedbytheVOLUME,
EQUALIZER,BALANCEandLOUDNESScontrolsonthe
receiver.A suggestedusewouldbetofeedanamplifier
ina remotelocationwherevolumeandtonere-
quirementsneedtobecontrolledattheremoteamplifier
Inthisconfiguration,theTAPE1 connectionscannotbe
usedfora taperecorder.
HOWTOCONNECTREMOTESCAN
Theremotescanswitch/cableassemblyplugsintothe
rearpanelREMOTESCANinputjack.Thecableassembly
isa Mclntoshaccessory(PartNo.045-515}availablefrom
yourdealer.
8HOWTOCONNECT

INPUTSELECTOR
UsethesixpositionINPUTSELECTORswitchtoselect
theprogramsourcetowhichyouwishtolisten.Thepro-
gramselectedwillalsobefedtotheTAPEOUTjacks.
TV/AU1:Tolistentoanyhighlevelsourcesuchasa TV
monitorortaperecorder.Thestationdisplayareawill
showAU1.
CD/AU2:Tolistentoa compactdiscplayerorother
highlevelsource.ThestationdisplayareawillshowAU2.
AM:TolistentoAMradiobroadcasts.Thestation
displayareawillshowtheAMstationfrequencyin
kilohertz.
FM:TolistentoFMstereoradiobroadcasts.Thestation
displayareawillshowtheFMstationfrequencyin
megahertz.
PH1:Tolistentoa recordplayerconnectedtoPH1in-
putjacks.ThestationdisplayareawillshowPH1.
PH2:Tolistentoa secondrecordplayerconnectedto
thePH2inputjacks.Thestationdisplayareawillshow
PH2.
EQUALIZERFREQUENCYCONTROLS
EachofthefiveEQUALIZERFREQUENCYcontrolsraises
orlowersthevolumeofa bandoffrequencieswhose
centeristhefrequencymarkedabovethecontrol.Both
leftandrightchannelsareaffectedbyeachcontrol.The
centerorflatresponsepositionofeachcontrolhasa de-
tentforeasyreference.Wheneachcontrolisinthede-
tentpositiontheequalizerisremovedfromthepre-
amplifiercircuitsandtheresponseisperfectlyflatwith
theequalizercircuitsremovedfromthesignalpath.
UsetheEQUALIZERFREQUENCYcontrolstomodifythe
soundandbalanceofprogrammaterial.Herearesome
suggestionswithwhichtostart.
ADJUSTMENTTO:
Makedeepbasslouder
Makeallbasslouder
Reinforcevoices
Brightenviolins
andtrumpets
Emphasizecymbals
EQUALIZERCORRECTION
Raise30
Raise30and150
Lower150andraise500
Raise1500
Raise10k
FRONTPANELCONTROLS9

USINGTHEPUSHBUTTONS
TAPEPUSHBUTTONS:
TheMAC4200isdesignedsoitmaybeusedwithtwo
taperecorders.FourTAPEpushbuttonscontrolthesignal
inputsandoutputsofthetaperecorders.Recordingscan
bemonitoredastheyarebeingrecorded.Tapescanalso
becopiedfromonerecordertoanotherwhilelisteningto
adifferentprogramsource.
TheMONITORswitchesaremechanicallyinterlockedto
preventsimultaneousmonitoringfromtwotape
recorders.IfonebuttonisattheINposition,itmustbe
pushedagaintoreleaseittotheOUTpositionbeforethe
otherbuttoncanbepushed.
WitheitherMONITORpushbuttonattheINposition,
theprogramheardwillbethatfromthetaperecorders
only.Signalfromanyothersourcewillnotbeheardfrom
theloudspeakers.Tohearanyothersource,makesure
theMONITORpushbuttonsareOUT.
MONITOR...TAPE1
PushbuttonOUT:Theprogramsourceselectedbythe
INPUTSELECTORwillbeheardthroughthespeakers.
PushbuttonIN:Programfroma taperecorderplugged
intoTAPE1 INwillbeheardthroughthespeakers.
MONITOR...TAPE2
ThefunctionsarethesameasMONITOR...TAPE1.Inad-
dition,itcontrolsthesignalfroma taperecorderplugged
into the frontpanel TAPE IN jack. A recorderplugged into
thefrontpaneljacksdisconnectstherearpanelTAPE2 IN
jacks,automatically.TheTAPE2 OUTjacksonbothfront
andrearpanelsarealwaysconnected.
TAPECOPY...T1->T2pushbuttonin:connectstheoutput
fromtaperecorder1 totheinputoftaperecorder2
withoutaffectingtheprogrambeingheardfromthe
speakers.Inthisposition,a copyoftheprogramontape
recorder1 canbemadeontaperecorder2.Tomonitor
theoriginal,useMONITOR...TAPE1 pushbutton.To
monitorthecopyuseMONITOR...TAPE2 pushbutton.
TAPECOPY...T2->T1pushbuttonin:connectstheoutput
fromtaperecorder2 totheinputoftaperecorder1
withoutaffectingtheprogrambeingheardfromthe
speakers.Inthispositiona copyofthetapeprogramon
recorder2 canbemadeonrecorder1.Tomonitorthe
originaluseMONITOR...TAPE2 pushbutton.Tomonitor
thecopyuseMONITOR...TAPE1 pushbutton.Whenboth
MONITORpushbuttonsareout,youheartheprogram
selectedbytheINPUTSELECTOR.
10FRONTPANELCONTROLS

MONO
TheMONOpushbuttonswitchestheaudiooutputof
thereceiverfromstereomodetoMONO.WhentheIN-
PUTSELECTORisintheFMpositionandtunedtoa stereo
broadcasttheFMMPXlightwillremainonregardlessof
thepositionoftheMONOpushbutton.Theprogram,with
theMONOpushbuttonin,willbeheardasmono.The
TAPE OUT jacks arenot affected bythe MONO or MUTE
pushbuttons.
WiththeMUTEpushbuttonin,andwhenusingthe
manualtuningknob,betweenstationnoiseandweak
noisystationsaresuppressed.FMmutingautomatically
eliminatesbetweenstationnoisewhenusingthepresetsta-
tionselectorfeathertouch-buttonsorwhenSCANtuning.
SPEAKERS1,2,and3
WheneachofthesepushbuttonsarepressedIN,the
outputofthereceiverisfedtothepairofloudspeakers
connected tothe corresponding rear panel SPEAKER push
connectors.SPEAKERS1,2,and3 maybeselectedsingly,
inanycombinationorallatonce.
POWERON
TheredpushbuttonturnstheACpoweronoroff.
Whenthepowerison,thedisplayareapanel
Illuminates.Theturntablecanalsobeusedasa power
switch.(See"HOWTOCONNECT""AUTOMATICSYSTEM
TURNON/OFF".)
BALANCEANDLOUDness:
TheBALANCEandLOUDNESScontrolsareconcentric.
AdjustingtheBALANCEcontrol(largeouterknob)adjusts
thevolumeofthechannelsrelativetoeachotherand
doesnotchangetheoverallvolumeofsoundinyour
listeningroom.
LOUDness:
AftersettingtheVOLUMEcontrolforthedesiredlisten-
inglevel,adjusttheLOUDnesscontrolforthepreferred
compensation.AdjustingtheLOUDnesscontrolwillnot
affecttheoverallvolumeofsoundinyourlisteningroom.
TheLOUDnesscontrol(smallcenterknob)contoursthe
frequencyresponsetocompensateforthehearing
characteristicofthehumanearatlowerlisteninglevels.
Thecontourisaccuratelymodeledafterthefamilyof
"equalloudness"curvesidentifiedby FletcherandMun-
son.Atthefullycounterclockwisedetentedposition,the
LOUDnesscompensationisoutofthecircuit,sothe
FRONTPANELCONTROLS11

responseiselectricallyflat.Asthecontrolisturned
clockwise,bothbassandtreblefrequenciesincreasein
thecorrectproportiontoeachother.Thecontourisnot
affectedbydifferentsettingsoftheVOLUMEcontrol.
VOLUME
TheVOLUMEcontrolisa precisionstepcontrol
manufacturedforMclntoshLaboratory.Ithas32steps
witha 70dBrange.Leftandrightchanneltrackingis
withina fractionofa dB.Thisextremeaccuracyisobtain-
edthroughspecialelectronicallycontrolledresistanceele-
menttrimming.
HEADPHONEJACKS
PlugheadphonesintothefrontpanelHEADPHONEjack.
AdjustthefrontpanelVOLUMEcontrolforcomfortable
headphonelistening.
Signaltotheheadphonejacksisconstantandisnotaf-
fectedbytheSPEAKERswitches.
ThecircuitsfeedingtheHEADPHONEjackshavebeen
designedtofeedlowimpedancedynamicheadphones.
Electrostaticheadphonesgenerallyrequirehigherpower
thandynamicheadphones.Connectelectrostatichead-
phonestotheSPEAKERpushconnectorsontherear
panel.
PRESETSTATIONSELECTING
FEATHERTOUCH-BUTTONS
Amomentarypressononeofthefeathertouch-buttons
marked1 through6,willrecallfromtheelectronic
memorythepresetAMorFMstationassignedtothat
feathertouch-button.Thecorrespondingredindicator
abovethedigitalfrequencydisplaywillthenlight.
ENTER
TheENTERfeathertouch-buttonandanyoneofthesix
momentaryfeathertouch-buttonsareusedtoinsertinto
theelectronicmemorythetunedFMorAMstation.Six
AMandsixFMstationscanbepreset.
Toentera stationinthememory,tunetothedesired
stationwitheitherthemanualtuningknoborSCANtun-
ing.Then,whilepressingtheENTERfeathertouch-button,
pressfeathertouch-button1.Releasebothfeathertouch-
buttonsandthestationtunedwillberecordedinthe
electronicmemoryforinstantaneousrecallwhen
feathertouch-button1 ispressed.
Thepresetmemorycircuitsaremaintainedbya special
longlifebatterypowersupplythatischargedwhenthe
ACpoweristurned"ON".Whenthereceiverisfirstcon-
necteditiswisetoassumethatthebatterieshavenot
12FRONTPANELCONTROLS

beencharged.Thechargerateisdictatedbythetimethe
receiveristurned'on'withoutregardtothemodeof
operation.Forinstancethebatterieswillchargeshould
youwishtoplayrecords,ortapeonFM.Tobringthe
batteriestofullcharge,operatefortwenty-fourcon-
tinuoushours.Whenfullycharged,andwiththereceiver
turnedofftheprogrammedinstructionswillberetained
formorethansixmonths.Afterthebatteriesarefully
charged,useforapproximatelyonehourperweek,will
maintainthebatteriesina fullychargedstate.
MANUAL
AmomentarypressoftheMANUALfeathertouch-button
willactivatethemanualtuningknobandtheredindicator
abovetheknobwillturnon.Rotatethetuningknobuntil
thefrequencyofthedesiredstationshowsinthestation
displayarea.
Astationiscorrectlytunedwhenthecentervertically
displayed( ) arrowatthebottomoftheSIGNAL/TUNING
display,lights.Oneachsideofthecenterarroware
horizontalydisplayed( ) arrows.Oneofthesewill
lightasa stationisapproacedtoindicatetuningaboveor
belowthecenterfrequencyoftheFMstation.FMstations
broadcastinginstereolighttheFMMPXbarindicator
abovetheSIGNAL/TUNINGindicator.
AnAMstationiscorrectlytunedwhenthecenter(ver-
ticallydisplayed)arrowatthebottomoftheSIGNAL/TUN-
INGdisplaylights.OnAM,thehorizontallydisplayedar-
rowsdonotfunction.
Amomentarypressonanyofthenumbered
feathertouch-buttonsorSCANactivatesthattuning
methodselectedanddeactivatesthemanualtuningknob.
SCAN
UsetheSCANfeathertouch-buttontoautomaticallytune
tothenextstationeitherupordownthebroadcastband
selected.Thearrowbesidethefeathertouch-buttonin-
dicatesthedirectionofthescan.Whena remotescan
cable/switchisinsertedintherearpanelreceptacle,a
momentarypressoftheremotebuttonwillactivatethe
tunerscan-upcircuit.Theremotescancable/switch
assembly,(MclntoshPartNo.045-515)canbeobtained
fromyourMclntoshdealer.
FRONTPANELCONTROLS13

SIGNAL/TUNINGINDICATOR
TheSIGNAL/TUNINGindicatoristotherightofthesta-
tiondisplayarea.TheverticalcolumnofLEDindicators
showtherelativesignalstrengthofanAMorFMstation
beingreceived.Thegreaterthenumberofdotsil-
luminated,thegreaterthereceivedstation'ssignal
strength.
AFL
Whiletuning,theautomaticfrequencylock(AFL)circuit
isdeactivated.Whenproperlycenterchanneltuned,the
centertuningarrowlightsandtheAFLcircuitactivatesto
lockontothebroadcaststationsprecisefrequency
preventinganydetuningordriftfromthebroadcaststa-
tion.ThelockingactionoftheAFLcircuitmakestuning
easy.MclntoshAFLwillgivethebestFMandAMrecep-
tionwithlowestbackgroundnoise,lowestdistortionand
highestFMstereochannelseparation.
Althoughthetunercanbetunedveryslightlyoffthesta-
tion'sfrequencywithoutdegradingtheprogrammaterial,
this"near"tuningcancausethestationtobe'lost'when
poweristurnedoffandthenturnedonagain.Toprevent
this,alwaysrotatethemanualtuningknobuntilthe
centertuningarrowonlyislighted.
TheMANUALAFLswitchisonthebackpanel,behind
theAMloopstitchantenna.SetthisswitchtoNORMALfor
mostlistening.Tomakeiteasiertotunea weakstation
nexttoa strongstationusethemanualtuningknobwith
theMANUALAFLswitchintheOUTposition.
POWEROUTPUTINDICATORS
TheamplifierPOWERoutputindicatorsaretotheleftof
thestationdisplayarea.Therearetwoverticalcolumsof
redLightEmittingDiode(LED)barindicators;oneforeach
channel.
Theleftcolumnrepresentstheoutputfromtheleft
channelandtherightcolumntheright.Eachrowisin-
dependentoftheother.Aspoweroutputincreases,more
barindicatorsareturnedon.Thepowerindicatorspro-
videconstantandinstantinformationontheamountof
powerbeingfedtoyourspeakers.
WhenthePOWERGUARD*circuitisactivated,thetop
baron eachsidewilllightandtheotherPOWERin-
dicatorsturnoff.
*U.S.Patent#408573
14FRONTPANELCONTROLS

POWERGUARD*
POWERGUARD*assuresthattheamplifiercannotbe
overdrivensoamplifieroutputclippingiseliminated.
Clippingiscausedwhentheamplifierisaskedtoproduce
morepoweroutputthanitcandeliverwithlowdistor-
tion.Amplifiersarecapableofdeliveringlargequantities
ofpowerwhentheyaredriventoclippingandcanhave
morethan40%harmonicdistortion.Theextraenergycon-
tentoftheclippedsignalwilldamagemostspeakers.A
Mclntoshadvancementhelpstoprotectyourspeaker
fromthiskindofdamage.ThePOWERGUARD*circuit
comparesthewaveshapeoftheinputsignalwiththeout-
putsignal.Ifthenon-linearitybetweenthetwosignalsex-
ceeds0.5%thePOWERGUARD*circuitoperates.
BALANCEYOURSTEREOSYSTEM
Theperformanceandenjoymentofa stereosystemis
greatlyincreasedwhenthesoundisproperlybalanced.
Thebalanceofthestereosystemisaffectedbymany
thingsincludingthephaserelationshipofthe
loudspeakers,roomacoustics,furnitureplacement,room
shape,smalldifferencesinloudspeakersetc.
TOADJUSTLOUDSPEAKERPHASE
PresstheMONOpushbutton.Playa familarrecording.
TurntheBALANCEcontrolto12o'clock.Standaboutten
feetinfrontofandmidwaybetweentheloudspeakers.
Thesoundshouldappeartocomedirectlyfrominfront
of you.If thesoundis notdirectlyin frontof you,reverse
theleadson oneof theloudspeakersonly.Whenthe
soundcomesfromthemidpointbetweenthespeakers
theyareinphase.
TOBALANCELOUDNESS
PresstheMONOpushbutton.TurntheBALANCEcontrol
tothe12o'clockposition.Whiletheprogramisplaying,
standbetweenthetwoloudspeakers.Foranydifference
inloudnessbetweenspeakers,turntheBALANCEcontrol
towardthespeakerthatisnotasloud.Adjustuntilthe
soundisequalinloudnessfromeachspeaker.
FRONTPANELCONTROLS15

PERFORMANCEGUARANTEE
PerformanceLimitsarethemaximumdeviationfrom
perfectionpermittedfora Mclntoshinstrument.Wepro-
miseyouthatwhenyoupurchasea newMAC4200from
aMclntosh franchiseddealer,itwillbecapableoforcan
bemadecapableofperformanceatorexceedingthese
limitsoryoucanreturntheunitandgetyourmoney
back.Mclntoshistheonlymanufacturerthatmakesthis
statement.
PERFORMANCE
MclntoshaudiopowerratingscomplywiththeFederal
TradeCommissionRegulationconcerningpoweroutput
claimsforamplifiersusedinhomeentertainmentproducts.
POWEROUTPUT
100wattsminimumsinewavecontinuousaverage
poweroutput,perchannel,bothchannelsoperatinginto
4ohms,20Hzto20kHz,withnomorethan0.02%total
harmonicdistortion.
75wattsminimumsinewavecontinuousaveragepower
output,perchannel,bothchannelsoperatinginto8 ohms
20Hzto20kHz,withnomorethan0.02%totalharmonic
distortion.
OUTPUTLOADIMPEDANCE
4ohms,and8 ohms
RATEDPOWERBAND
20Hzto20,000Hz
TOTALHARMONICDISTORTION
0.02%maximumharmonicdistortionatanypowerlevel
from250milliwattstoratedpowerperchannelfrom20
Hzto20,000Hz,bothchannelsoperating.
INTERMODULATIONDISTORTION
0.02%maximumharmonicdistortionatanypowerlevel
from250milliwattstoratedpowerperchannelboth
channelsoperatingforanycombinationoffrequencies20
Hzto20 kHz.
FREQUENCYRESPONSE
20Hzto20kHz+0-0.5dBatratedpower.
NOISEANDHUM
PowerAmp:100dBbelowratedoutput(85dBIHFA).
TapeandAUXInput:95dBbelowratedoutput(80dB
IHFA).
PhonoInput:90dBbelow10mVinput(80dBIHFA).
DAMPINGFACTOR
Greaterthan40
INPUTSENSITIVITYANDIMPEDANCE
PowerAmp:2.5V(280mVIHF);22,000ohrns
TapeandAUX:250mV(28mWIHF),35,000ohms
Phono:2mV(22µVIHF),47,000ohms47pF
TAPEOUTPUT
Tuner:1.0V at100%modulation(FM)
Tape:250mVwithratedinput
Phono:250mVwithratedinput
PROGRAMEQUALIZER
±12dBat30,150,500,1500,and10,000Hz
FMSECTION
SENSITIVITY
20µVacross300ohms1.0µVacross750ohms(11.25
dBF)
SIGNALTONOISERATIO
STEREO:70dBminimum
MONO:75dBminimum
HARMONICDISTORTION:
MONO:0.08%at100Hz
0.08% at 1000 Hz
0.12%at10,000Hz
STEREO:0.12%at100Hz
0.12% at 1000 Hz
0.50%at10,000Hz
FREQUENCYRESPONSE
20Hzto15kHz+0,-1dB
CAPTURERATIO
1.5dB
ALTERNATECHANNELSELECTION
65dB
SPURIOUSREJECTION
100dB
IMAGEREJECTION
80dB
STEREOSEPARATION
45dBat100Hz
55dBat 1000 Hz
35dBat10,000Hz
SCAREJECTION
65dBminimum
16PERFORMANCELIMITS

AMSECTION
SENSITIVITY
75µVIMF(Externalantenna)
SIGNALTONOISERATIO
50dBat30%modulation,60dBat100%modulation
HARMONICDISTORTION
1%maximumat30%modulation(0.3%typical)
FREQUENCYRESPONSE
-6 dB,at 3500Hz
ADJACENTCHANNELSELECTIVITY
30dBminimumIHF
IMAGEREJECTION
60dBminimum,540kHz1600kHz
GENERALINFORMATION
SEMICONDUCTORCOMPLEMENT
142SiliconDiodes
18TuningDevices
1SiliconControlledRectifier(SCR)
42LightEmittingDiodes
4SevenSegmentLEDDisplays
67BipolarTransistors
21FieldEffectTransistors
37IntegratedCircuits
ACPOWEROUTLETS
2Green,turntablecurrent-sensing,100watts
2Black,switched,1 Red,unswitched,1200watts,total
POWERREQUIREMENTS
120volts,50/60Hz,60to480watts
MECHANICALINFORMATION
SIZE
Width:18-9/16inches(47.1cm);withwalnutwoodsides
removed:17-9/16inches(44.6cm).Height:6-1/16inches
(15.4cm);withthefeetremoved5-1/4inches(13.3cm).
Depth:14inches(35.6cm)fromthemountingsurfaceto
therearpanel,includingconnectors.Knobandhandle
clearancerequiredis1-1/16inches(2,7cm)infrontofthe
mountingsurface.
FINISH
Frontpanelisbrushedblackanodizedwithgoldanodized
trim.Sidepanelsaremachinedsolidwalnutwithsatinlac-
querfinish.
WEIGHT
40pounds(18.1kg)net,54pounds(24.5kg)inshipping
carton.
PERFORMANCELIMITS17

FMHARMONICDISTORTION,100%MODULATION
1001k
FREQUENCYINHERTZ
INTERMODULATIONDISTORTION
VS.POWEROUTPUT
8OHMOUTPUT
INPUTFREQUENCIES60HzAND7 kH7
INPUTRATIO:4.1
110
POWEROUTPUTINEQUIVALENTAVERAGEWATTS
HARMONICDISTORTION VSPOWEROUTPUT
RL=8OHMS,BOTHCHANNELSOPERATING
110100
POWEROUTPUTINWATTSRMS
30
20
10
0
0.02%THDPOWERBANDWIDTH
BOTHCHANNELSOPERATING
FREQUENCYINHz
18PERFORMANCECHARTS
101001k10k 100k
90
80
70
60
50
40
140
130
120
110
100
POWEROUTPUT
IN
WATTS
RMS
1k
0.1
0.01
0
0.07
0.06
0.05
0.04
0.03
0.02
HARMONICDISTORTION
IN
PERCENT
0.10
0.09
0.08
100
0.1
0.2
0.1
0
INTERMODULATIONDISTORTION
IN
PERCENT
10k20k 20
0.2
0.15
0.1
0.05
0 HARMONICDISTORTION
IN
PERCENT