Buy MacIntosh gear w/o auditioning?

As a current and long time Mc owner I can only say I keep coming back. Recently I listened to BAT ampos and decided that they sound better. But I cannot and have decided will not trade away from Mc. Not only is it great and dependable gear. I am a sucker for the Mc look. One other point is McIntosh Laboratories in Binghamton NY have been more than great in service and help through the years. They really care about their customer and possess a pride in maintaining all McIntosh equipment. They recently proved it again to me by replacing not repairing a PC lamp board I had ruined at the cost of a repair. BAT may sound better but I am home. One minor note: I see threads about McIntosh spelled Mac instead of the Mc spelling. This is not the computer company. Just a peeve of mine rooted in pride.

Mac is great stuff. Their MC 1201 solid state amps are the ultimate weapon.

Creamy smooth,...thats for ice cream...I had ss and now have vintage MC40;s and they sound just right to me...maybe people who had Krell's may think they are creamy..lol

there is a saying...once you go Mac you never look back.

Do some research here, read reviews etc. You can google the model number . And if you buy it right you can resell it if it's not your style. The sound will vary depending on other gear, cables, source material and the room. good luck! My friend Loves his Mac gear and they hold their value. Couple of other ints to look at include Krell ix400, ARC 50 and CJ CAV 50 , the last two are tube units!

A few weeks ago I bought a MA6900 here on agon. I could not be more happy. I did not audition it before hand. IMO the only audition which is worth it is in my system/room. And there is not dealer who lends me several amps for auditioning. The same is true for other gear, like speakers or turntable. So I rely on what is said on agon and others boards. And if I would not like the amp I would sell it on agon. McIntosh don't depreciate as fast. I love the sound. IMO the sound is between a tube and a SS.

Some said that Mac is too smooth and creamy.
I think that's a good thing.
However, personal taste is everything, therefore, IMO you must audition prior to jumping in head fist.
Tim

I own plenty of mac gear and I think it is terrific, I own both their tube and solid state stuff. Most people whin they dive into mac say why did i wait so long...I know I did. BUT there is no substitute for your own ears, basically all of audiogon is buying unheard. My guess is for some reason you dont like it you can get your money back. I have heard lots of things and mac is right up there with anything...personally I love it.

A "Can't miss" proposition will depend on how extensively you have reaserched the product (and its interaction with other components in your system), how well you know the reviewers or the person's opining, and how well you can evaluate the need of your system to reproduce the sounds you want to hear. For the inexperienced it can be a crap shoot. I would suspect there is enuf info on the net about the 6900 (I assume that the amp you're talking about) that you could make an educated guess - but you could always ask members here and on AA for their experience with this unit when coupled with your speakers.