Just to comment a bit further on Blindjim's excellent editorial, I find that in snobbery (and this applies to any field, not just audio) there is an inverse relationship between name recognition/availability and exclusivity. As a brand becomes more widely known it begins to lose it's cache among the cognoscenti
One of my favorite stories is many years ago I was buying a suit in a wholesale type tailor in the garment district of my city. A fellow was also there buying a tux. After he got it selected and measured for fitting, the tailor looked at him and asked what brand label he wanted in the jacket. They then proceeded to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of brand recognition. The problem was the most expensive brand was a name that not many people recognized so it would fail at impressing ordinary folk. So, the tailor recommended a slightly less exclusive but more widely known expensive brand. That way the fellow would impress more people with his fine taste in clothing.
McIntosh is excellent gear. It is well crafted, has a depth of support that is unequaled, and I've certainly heard superb sound from many McIntosh powered systems over the years.
The question is: are you listening to music, or are you impressing people? If the former and you like your Mc gear, the question is settled. If you are impressing people, then you need the audio equivalent of the tux discussion. First you decide what audience you're impressing and then you select the brand that best does that.
One of my favorite stories is many years ago I was buying a suit in a wholesale type tailor in the garment district of my city. A fellow was also there buying a tux. After he got it selected and measured for fitting, the tailor looked at him and asked what brand label he wanted in the jacket. They then proceeded to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of brand recognition. The problem was the most expensive brand was a name that not many people recognized so it would fail at impressing ordinary folk. So, the tailor recommended a slightly less exclusive but more widely known expensive brand. That way the fellow would impress more people with his fine taste in clothing.
McIntosh is excellent gear. It is well crafted, has a depth of support that is unequaled, and I've certainly heard superb sound from many McIntosh powered systems over the years.
The question is: are you listening to music, or are you impressing people? If the former and you like your Mc gear, the question is settled. If you are impressing people, then you need the audio equivalent of the tux discussion. First you decide what audience you're impressing and then you select the brand that best does that.