Disappointing On Mcintosh......help


 3 Months ago  I went to NYC and stopped by the WOM  and auditioned several MCintosh gear...........and left a bit disappointed or not impressed...then I told myself   " lets give a second shot"  and went today to a  HIFI store and again Good room accoustics10K speakers , MC Preamp , MC Amplifier........ and again  the same disappointment I felt 3 month earlier.

Is that the "warm" sound people reffer to about Mcintosh?  
The sound is ample, base is powerfull  but the the sound is simply  not to clear, the hights are not too "crisp"  It sounds like the treble is set at 3 and needs to be adjusted at 9 or 10.
It seems like  the sound is  coming through a thin layer of paper ...that is the way I describe that sound.  

Then 20 minutes later I auditioned a Parasound A21+ and a JC5 and the sound was more clear and the highs were crispier

Whats your take on my experience?  or That is the MC "warm sound? 
128x128cydrone

Showing 2 responses by georgehifi

Delightful, about put me to sleep. A nice sound, relaxing,
i do not like shrill at all.

So is Mall and lift music.
Cheers George
cydrone
Is that the "warm" sound people reffer to about Mcintosh?  
The sound is ample, base is powerfull but the the sound is simply not to clear, the hights are not too "crisp" It sounds like the treble is set at 3 and needs to be adjusted at 9 or 10.
It seems like the sound is coming through a thin layer of paper ...that is the way I describe that sound.  

Then 20 minutes later I auditioned a Parasound A21+ and a JC5 and the sound was more clear and the highs were crispier

Whats your take on my experience? or That is the MC "warm sound?
It's why a tube amp's most challenging/degrading component is it's output transformer, (and why Mac's sound like that). Why OTL's kill them but also have their own problems

They're (Mac's) are soft and cuddly, dynamically challenged, and frequency extreme neutered.
Why someone would want to put an output transformer on a "perfectly good designed" solid state amp, is a wonder.
All it serves to do is make it sound like the above tubes, does make it bomb proof though, or it can also hide that the solid state amp is a bad design without the use of the transformer. 

Cheers George