McIntosh -- good for show, not for sound, says dealer

Nope.

Mac is sort of like the Rolex of audio...

That's putting the🔨down!

@oldhvymec  Apparently,  you're just one of those audiophiles -- or someone with a lawyer's office -- who is just looking to impress people with looks. 

I'm kidding you, of course. Totally respect your opinion and take your appreciation of Mac gear as something with serious substance. Just goes to show what people will say on the internet to get a following, to prove they're "honest," or a "truth-teller."

Most propaganda begins with the lie, "Let me be honest with you, here, if I may..."

When I worked at Magnolia they always had the KEF Blades paired with Mac electronics.  To me, when playing my reference recordings, it was like throwing a blanket over the speakers.  Blech!  Not my taste and not a good pairing IMHO.  I guess if you like warm and soupy sound it’d be good, but definitely not for me. 

Mike is not a mac dealer in fact he represents  very few lines at all 

and he is basically a hypopcrite he rails against the cost of an Innous server yet charges ludicris amounts of  money for his silver foil cables.

so how can a server be overpriced and his cables are not?

and he never had the actual server, he based his assertions by viewing the server on the internet and speculating on  on how much similar parts might cost.

as per macintosh the arguement should be about their amps using an autoformer which is a load matching device vs direct coupled designs

the arguement should be about their amps using an autoformer

I think that was the problem with my Mac amp. The output transformers killed the amp/speaker interaction and created a flat sounding speaker. Probably measures great and all but not to my taste. 

@hilde45 , you accidentally linked to a video from OCD hi-fi guy.

It should have come with the obligatory warning that you're about to have time sucked from your life without any meaningful benefit.

Consider a public health alert. 

Dave - chill dude ;-) All that venom no good for your great hearted soul. I got Tony Joe White swammmmmpy rock running thru my 1961 MC240 as i write this…toe tapping, surfer chicks out the window, California sunshine…all is well…

of course, the 240 are not autoformer….but perhaps the best transformers ever wound by the imperfect  hand of man….

Jealousy?

Wishful thinking but couldn’t be more wrong.

Well maybe, keep trying.

Although you ain't gonna get there with pathetic name calling.

I don’t get the McIntosh hate. I recently went from a Classe 2300 to McIntosh 611’s and I am very happy. I can’t understand why people say McIntosh sounds flat, or like someone put a wet blanket over their speakers. For me I get a warm, dynamic, sound, and almost 3D. I now hear things in music that I have never heard before. There are many great amps, and McIntosh is one of them. I really liked my Classe amp, but the 611’s have stepped it up,  a big improvement from the 601’s.

I can’t understand why people say McIntosh sounds flat, or like someone put a wet blanket over their speakers

Because that is what we heard? 

Well, I guess I'm not an "real audiophile," because of some random doorknobs opinion on Youtube.  😀

McIntosh makes some nice gear as do the folks at,Audio Research.

Is it for everyone?

Nope that is for sure, but neither is PL or Raven or Atoll. That is why there are so many flavors.

It’s like the Ford vs Chevy, MB vs BMW, Different stroke for different folks. Some are so blinded by brand loyalty that hey only live in the world of green meters.

I have had some MAC gear and it was not for me. Will never say they make bad gear though. Classic American brand.

@paradisecom "random doorknob" -- LOL. Stealing that one. 

Will never say they make bad gear though. Classic American brand.

Well said. Ditto.

Some people that have invested heavily in e certain make of equipment display a fierce brand loyalty that transcends logic in order to justify their outlay. Happens all the time: - human nature.

Brand X is always THE BEST.

Trusting that “You Tube guy” with anything audio is the same as people trusting the Facebook persons with their Covid information. I LOVE every piece of McIntosh equipment I own. It sounds fantastic with my speakers in my 2 rooms and that is all that counts to me. Resale value is off the charts, in 2017 I bought a used McIntosh MA6600 Integrated, it looked brand new and it could have fooled me. That same amp is selling on eBay now for $6500. I paid $3200 for my mint piece with the 2 shipping cartons and a brand new remote. I liked the amp so much I bought 5 more Mac pieces within a 6 month period, all from Audio Classics

Say what you want but I know I can always get my money back and then some should I have a desire to sell any of the Mac, which I won’t. Doubtful there are many other brands that will hold their value as well as McIntosh where you can double what you paid for it.  oldhvymec said it best though and I feel the same

Doubtful there are many other brands that will hold their value as well as McIntosh

No problem with you liking the Mac gear. But resale value has nothing to do with sound quality. Perhaps a relation to build quality but perhaps not the top tier of possibilities. 

Which would you and hvy say is their best preamp you guys have heard?

Wow...feel like I just walked in to the middle of a soap opera...

anyway, can anyone bottom line how McIntosh compares to Bryston in terms of sheer sound? Thank you in advance.

While shopping for a new preamp, I saw an interesting you tube discussion from two employees in a canadian audio shop I believe. Both were well versed in the PS Audio and Mc Intosh lines and were comparing a $9,000 Mc Intosh (forgot model #) vs. the $6,600 PS Audio BHK. They both thought the PS Audio was more musical and that 30 minute video was what put me over the top to buy the BHK. Coming in Thursday.

The brand image is still going strong, a buddy of mine either has his ears full of wax or is brainwashed deep down to his subconsciousness. He believes it's still super high end.

Oldhwy...your rude comments are uncalled for, yet again...

Jerryg123 ,

I agree. 
 
 McIntosh reminds me of W. C. Fields…”they’re nice to look at, but I wouldn’t want to haaaaavvve one…”
 

Like anything blanket statements like "good for looks, not for SQ" gloss over tens of thousands of counter examples. 

My case: I run an old McIntosh power amp (MC-2300) and I love it. It's perfect for my needs (driving old, power hungry speakers) and I think it sounds wonderful.

About eight years ago I picked up one of those C-22 commemorative preamps (came out in 1995 I think) and didn't really like it and sold it.

So I end up thinking they're a good brand but caveat emptor. You have to do your due diligence and listen.

@oldhvymec 

  Don't hold back, tell us what you really think.

"Mac is sort of like the Rolex of audio..."

russ69, 

How many times has that stupid, meaningless sentence been uttered here? And you have to do it once more...it's embarrassing.

Gotta order a pair of their new speakers 

This is either my first or second post here. Mostly, I just read but since I’ve got two vintage Mac amps, I decided to chime in. One has autoformers and one is direct coupled. I front one with a Mac preamp. The other with a Rotel preamp. Nothing sounds veiled to me. I truly don’t get where that comes from. As a matter of fact, the direct coupled MC2002 is quite lively. My MC2155 is smooth and warm and I anything but veiled. Speaker choice can make anything sound veiled or lively.

OD Mikey is an acquired taste  certainly.

I am considering a visit to hear his system.

Can the McIntosh critics list the Mac components they’ve owned or Legitimately evaluated themselves if they are going to make a blanket statement about the brand? For example, which McIntosh amplifiers sounded veiled with the KEF’s?  Which component sounded like syrup? What specific product did you find satisfaction with after you came to your conclusion about McIntosh? Would be interesting to learn which components and from which part of history or current they are evaluating with such a generic statement. Those details would actually be interesting.

I remember in the old days, Mac reps would come to local events to test their Mac equipment and compare the results to any who would bring their equipment in to compete.  My Citation amp and power amp had much better numbers by far than Macs.  ....don't know how that relates to the reproduced sound, but in the numbers game, their performance was far below my stuff.

ocdmikey is the same clown who lost out on distributing of Denafrips products and went on YouTube blasting the company and their products.  Really appeared to be sour grapes. Maybe he pissed of Mac as well.

Truth be told for the longest time I dismissed Mac as just high priced home theater gear. I finally heard a SS Mac rig paired with some big ass Electrostats and I woulda swore it was a tubed system. Impressive. 

I love my MA8900. Outperforms the Vintage Nakamichi I had before. Not saying much, but if you don't believe me, listen to my Belle Klipsch. They love it too.

I am running a McIntosh c53 preamp, mc452 amp NAD c658 streamer McIntosh mct500 sacd and KEF Blade speakers. The sound is absolutely amazing. The wet blanket analogy is just not right. This system is very musical and very non fatiguing. I have listened to these speakers on arcam amps and didn’t care for it. All I know is that when I put on whatever I’m in the mood for and turn it up, it makes me smile. Happy listening!😎🎶

McIntosh isn’t the only brand Mikey’s trashed. Audio Research and Magico are a couple of other brands he isn’t impressed with. His beef comes from when a company sells out to corporate buyers and take an iconic name and start watering down the brand to maximize corporate profits. It’s happened with a lot of brands including Marantz.

Mikey’s passionate about great sonics, that’s where his heart is. As a guy searching to improve the sonics of my system, I respect that about him.

Jay from Jay’s Audio Lab said flat out that Mikey’s system is the Formula One race car of HiFi rigs. Jay was really impressed and he’s had all of the ultra high end gear!

I bought Magico A3 speakers because I’d never heard anything like them. The sonics were overwhelming. However, so far I don’t think they’ve sounded as good in my listening room as they did during the demonstration at the high end store. I’m on my second amp within a year since buying them.

Mikey has already helped me with getting my system to sound better with my current amp. I’m upgrading my amp and preamp, going with NAT Audio gear from him. He brings tremendous value and only cares about helping people get the best sonics as they can. Anybody that can’t appreciate that has issues with hurt feelings.

@gregp858  MC452 dude I’m jonesing for that amp! Not looking to hijack this thread but one quick question, @ 450w it’s a beast, does it need a dedicated line?

No it doesn’t need a dedicated line, but I did rewire my entire house and the 20 amp line that it is on really does not have much else on it. 😎🎶

Surely everybody knows that MacIntosh products are significantly overpriced,  a friend has a Mac Dac and we compared to my Denafrips at 1/3 the price, no comparison on sound quality but if you want blue lights the Mac is better.