keep em on the straight n narrow @roxy54 !!!! 🤣
McIntosh -- good for show, not for sound, says dealer
More unvarnished truth from YouTube.
"real audiophiles...know it doesn't sound that good"
https://youtu.be/sMUQqAagKm0?t=181
Real audiophiles -- be aware. You've been read the Riot Act.
Discuss.
Showing 21 responses by jjss49
this is elitist b-s -- it is as intellectual dishonest as it is self-serving properly functioning mac gear of ANY generation is absolutely good enough to fulfill the audiophile pursuit - a garrard record player, a dynaco iv tube amp and a pair of jbls or bozaks from the 1960's do it... let’s get real -- we are here today because people 50-60 years ago desired and pursued great music played beautifully in homes for enjoyment - the fact that it has an aesthetic quality and looks cool too is totally besides this central point the gear matters (imo it is too strong to say it doesn’t, it needs to meet some suitable level of quality, in spite of what some here would like to think), and of course, so does the room, and most importantly, so does the attitude and willingness to desire it and pursue it, with time, effort, money -- these things need to come together harmoniously |
many people feel the way you do, but some don't - why do you state this like it is gospel? enjoying the finer things in life has many facets, different people with different tastes and different means weight those differently - if one can have their cake and eat it too, then why not? unless you have figured out a way to take your money with you ... |
if the discussion is about mcintosh’s recent/modern gear, i think a fair summary is it is very good looking and very good sounding gear - of course, different audiophiles may/will have preferences for or against mcintosh’s house sound -- which is somewhat warm and romantic with good bass foundation (this more prominent in its lower to middle ranges... transparency is quite good in their top tier stuff) of course, you are paying for having both the good sound and sexy looks there are brands that may sound subtly better, certainly many that offer more value... but for all premium, luxury gear, which mcintosh is today, it delivers to make their customers pretty darned happy |
separate point, mikey ocd is a long time audiophile, has strong opinions, is a blowhard when it comes to presenting them, even if some are right (but then again alot of what he says is really wrong), his opinions are also problematic because he is commercially conflicted on many levels so as with anyone spouting breathlessly on youtube, he may have a narrow fan base, but most viewers with brains and judgement take his schtick with major grains of salt for really good info on macintosh, pls refer to audio excellence canada - they post numerous vids on youtube also... sometimes meandering in their lead-ins, but stick to it, excellent info and listening impressions on macintosh gear, driving top flight speakers, fed by top flight sources, properly set up -- now they carry mcintosh as major dealers in toronto, but they also directly compare against meaningful competing gear (which they also carry)... and it is my feeling they are quite honest and balanced in what they report... adrian and vilip are real pros, high integrity, greater intellectual honesty, successful too as a business ... |
fascinating to me what transpires on this thread, not sure if this is what @hilde45 intended with his op there are mcintosh bashers whose bashing is repetitive, argumentative, unnecessary... but the defensive defenders can be just as obnoxious reality is, there are so many good choices for hifi gear, it is a wonderfully vibrant marketplace... good sound and good looks need not be mutually exclusive, some want both, some want good stuff, good brand recognition, are not 10-10ths hifi herds, others are... why do we care how other people choose to spend their money, pursue their happiness if it is not our own? some of us like this brand, the looks, so what, so what if we don’t? i feel so much of this stems from our base instincts... jealousy, envy, frustration with our own circumstances, shallow need for external validation of our own personal choices... we should rise above all of this... just enjoy the music, the fact that we all have the wherewithall to enjoy this hobby, participate in this forum, this discussion, and we should wish each other good luck in finding one's own version of happiness within it... |
since you asked, i speak three languages fluently but i don’t feel the need to advertise it and i suspect i am the same race you are you want to play here, grow some thicker skin @roxy54, long time contributor, good guy, makes joke about spelling error, that is because you repeatedly insult the brand of gear discussed here, bring wrong facts (international sales and following of the brand, where @stereo5 corrected you), then you keep arguing, being defensive, have to put people down every time... @roxy54 makes joke about another person misspelling too, a guy who owns mac gear... he is just poking a little fun, what is the big deal to you? i then make a little post, say i enjoy @roxy54 being silly, funny, i have a laugh, talk about spelling bee at his house, then you protest to mod and get that post removed, your name not even mentioned .. grow up, buddy stop being a child, deal with your own sense of inadequacy elsewhere, don’t wear it on your sleeve - this is an anonymous forum, but respect is still earned, and cannot be demanded, do you see the difference? you want people to be nice to you, you start by being nice yourself ... juvenile fools exist in all cultures races nationalities, as your case proves - your posts, just on THIS thread alone
we can’t see you in person, but we can see the sorry, argumentative, defensive attitude you bring |
i posted earlier my sense of the mcintosh sound, didn’t you see it? i also posted in another earlier post here about excellent youtube videos by audio excellence in canada on the brand, a rich treasure trove of info on mcintosh gear and their sound so, not sure a 3rd request was needed -- you just need to patiently read what has been already posted... (just ignore some of the petty meaningless threads with laoman and others, they are admittedly snippy and unpleasant, sorry) |
excellent, thoughtful post i too have found over the years that it is a smart move to determine what amplification is used by one’s favorite speaker maker for development and at demonstrations/shows, and then at least audition, if not outright emulate that setup stewart tyler’s using arc vt series tube amps for voicing his proac response series alan shaw using hegel 360/390 for his harbeths spencer hughes and terry miles using quad 66 and audiolab 8200 monoblocks developing spendor classic spendors more recently, clayton shaw using lta zotl tube amps for his spatial sapphires wendell diller using bryston, now pass labs for his maggies focal with naim, devore with line magnetic...and so on... not to say these are the only ones that work well, but it gives precious insight into what amps, or the nature of amps, that the makers themselves think will coax the best sound from their speakers
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i made the post below a few days ago on the thread that was started showing ocd hifi guy’s video about 1% etc etc... shortly after i made this post, the thread was deleted -- i don’t know if it was my particular post, or the comments made by others, that led to the thread deletion i have been asked to repost my experience by those who saw it the other day... and thus i do so here i make no further commentary, but wanted to share the experience i had, trying to make a small purchase * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * a month ago i got a set of maggie 1.7i’s... really enjoying them... read about the rear fuse bypass etc etc, figured i would try that, so i find this fellow’s site, with his jumper and fuse rod kit, $107... so i order it, pay at time of order (he is in texas or georgia i believe, i am in california) a week goes by, no update, no reply, no shipment progress, no tracking number, just silence i send him an email, hey there just checking in, here is my order #, did the order ship yet? silence wait couple more days, send him a second email (two email addresses are prominently shown on his site, on his order confirmation, rec’d at the time of my order and payment)... crickets three days later, given i had paid using paypal, i file a case to get the transaction reviewed... two days later, i get an email reply: Theres a backorder on pure silver from our supplier. My apology for not reading your email. Have you tried calling ? I know its an old technique but I dont sit at a desk any longer it makes me ill.. Call me old school but the phone is what works best for me. I have changed the website to no longer take orders for whats not in stock. The demand has fully overwhelmed my ability to supply based on the raw materials availability from my vendor, so I apologize. The silver jumpers should be here this coming week I hope. could be as much as 2 weeks. So let me know if youd like a refund now or can just be patient with all the others waiting for this product. It will be fulfilled for sure. Clearly you did not search the net to see if theres even one time in 23 years of doing this as a career that Ive stolen anyones money ... I dont do that ... I also am not Amazon with 24 hour delivery... But I think I will be now... This PP dispute will cause me to eliminate the possibility to order unless Ive got them in stock and Ill make them in batches from time to time and inventory will be listed on the site . Mike Powell my answer... Don’t mind waiting Mike. Just need communication. Most things are bought online these days, and order status, inventory status should be shown, along with leadtimes. Especially long lead-times. Yes Amazon Prime has spoiled us. And there is Covid and supply chain disruptions. But a vendor still needs to communicate. It isn’t on the buyer, it’s on the seller. So why do you imply it is my fault to not call you? The burden is misplaced. I am glad the dispute got your attention to even get a response. But why did it have to come to that? Steve it has been another 8 days, no reply paypal writes me, says they reviewed the case, issued me a refund i got other jumpers and solid copper rod to bypass the maggies, improvement is minor but noticeable no value judgments or commentary... just what happened... end of story |
i know @hilde45 personally, know him outside of this forum i’m pretty sure he doesn’t have an opinion on mac gear from personal ownership or use, his op was to question the broader point which he just restated - as a high level educator professionally and a burgeoning hifi nerd personally, he is learning about this hobby, the people, the perspectives and attitudes they hold i also don’t have a personal opinion on mac gear based on recent personal ownership, i haven’t owned a piece for quite some time, the brand, like all good brands, develop new products and move on, advance the gear, functionally, cosmetically and sonically to sustain success - but i know enough from 40 years dedicated to this pursuit where the brand and its products stand in the industry, with customers, and so on as for mr ocd guy, i would hope that with (or in spite of) his disposition, business practices, commercial decisions on what he carries, and how he markets himself, that he has SOME following... the guy is trying to make a living, dunno how well he is doing at it -- as for the foundational premise @hilde45 is addressing with this thread, that ocd guy is presenting himself as the champion of those who just want pure sonic performance and not looks, frills, eye candy, i’d remind everyone that his main line of amplification is mark levinson... now THAT is truly dripping in irony (if not something much worse)... as a useful contrast, another industry dealer is audio excellence in canada... for those who don’t know of adrian, vilip et al, i suggest you watch the following videos and others they post on youtube... to me, they are a model of class, likeability, earnestness, as well as deep knowledge (and successful salesmanship)... yes they meander a bit in their discussion, as most enthusiasts do, but i feel their content is always worth watching... to me they are a better, an alternative, and a much more successful way of handling well, just about everything... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nB4N_dfqAo
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without a doubt, but it isn’t just ALL about business... it’s also about envy, jealousy, misplaced need for self gratification thru lame ego-boosting, make self feel better by tearing others down internet forums like this are ’potshot heaven’ for all sorts of sad characters
i have been reminded/corrected... meant jeff rowland, not levinson... |
fair point -- we should be reminded that words are cheap many checks are written with words that cannot be cashed with actions like the wife beater who says honey can i come home, i’ll be different this time utter lack of self awareness is often one's greatest weakness, and source of one's undoing |