This is an older thread, but something that runs through most audiophile discussions is a certain viciousness against certain brands. Brand loyalty is akin to political party identity. For example, Apple is a religion in computer circles.
The statement that triggered this debate against McIntosh was:
... I’m not a believer in degrading the performance and putting an output transformer on a perfectly good solid state amp.
The only reason to me to do it, is if the amps solid state design is poor and needs it to make it stable, or to make it idiot/bomb proof against owners shorting out the speaker outputs.
Them there is fighting words. Inferring Mac owners "idiots" is not exactly friendly nor innocent. Poor design? Not "perfectly good"?
Where is the substantiation for these comments? It is one thing to share your opinions and preferences. It is quite another to insult an entire group of folks with ad hominem attacks.
I have Amati Traditions on a Mcintosh MC462 (C2700 tubed pre-amp). Sonus Faber Serafinos is what the original post was about, and the Amatis are the "big brother" in the same Sonus Faber Homage Family. Sonus Faber and Mcintosh engineers work closely together to form a "sonic family signature", to achieve a seamless sonic compatibility when matched.
Mcintosh amps in the context of any Sonus Faber speaker discussion makes perfect sense. In fact, it would do the original poster a disservice to NOT mention Mcintosh in the context of Sonus Faber. Present the facts and let them and their ears decide for themselves.
Audio Research amps also fall under the same cooperation of engineers as Mcintosh and Sonus Faber, and this brand was also mentioned by a poster here.
My feelings are not hurt by the negative analysis here. In fact, it confirms my choice in a sense. Here’s why: Mcintosh is the favorite target of those who have something to prove, it seems to me. They have been around the longest and hence become the "Establishment" in the mind of those who have a need to demarcate themselves. In other words, being "enlightened" is conflated to mean "cutting edge" which again is conflated to mean NEW. Or at least foreign. Or both.
This is what turns me off: the attitude in which an opinion is shared. The original post was asking for PREFERENCES--not insults. What we got was in large part political theater--not sound audio advice.
Thank you.
