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

Drop a large rock into a large fishbowl and watch the fish go frenzy...;)

Yup, Macs'/Rolex is 'bout right.  But that makes anything 'new' like the latest digi- wrist thing or cell...."Hot" with a tag to match, 'till it's not.

...of course, there's exceptional exceptions.

There's a lot between gold and crap.

I suppose D'Agostino is the Breguet of audio then. Watch/audio comparisons are utterly fatuous. In the context of this thread and the references to Fine Sounds, the Rolex comparison is particularly inaccurate seeing as Rolex is one of the few Swiss watch companies which is independent and not owned by a luxury goods conglomerate.

Over priced!!? Take a look at Boulder, Ayre,  Jeff Rowland,  

Mark Levinson,  Bryston,  AR, Gryphon. My 8900 

was half the price ot the Mark Levinson 585 5 

Have you listened to Mark Levinson?  Just saying

. So what are the recommendations./alternatives.  Haven't seen

any mention.  It's an acquired taste. I like Killians. 

Instead of Rolex or Harley Davidson, why not compare McIntosh to Lexus.

Like Lexus, McIntosh has:

1. Excellent longevity and good looks.

2. Top Tier resale value and brand recognition.

3. Competitive performance in each segment.

4. One of the highest rated customer satisfaction and ownership experiences.

5. Owners either trade for another Lexus, or keep it in the family and buy another.

I've noticed in the previous posts that if a McIntosh owner shares their likes, it's detailed and specific including models and supporting thoughts. However, the critics don't offer "the why" details to support their position other than generic blanket statements with no proof of ownership other than owned and didn't like, moved on, etc. Not that their position is not valid, but where's the what and why that we would like to read and learn about?

I've owned Jolida, Conrad Johnson, Hegel,  Cary Audio, and now I own a Mac MA5300. I do not regret it at all. I saw a comment about KEF's. I had a pricey pair of KEF Reference speakers that I lived with for a few years. They were pretty good but lacked in transparency. Some of the more recent offerings I thought were much worse (driven by Hegel H80). Lets keep it simple. To each his own.