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.
525 responses Add your response
MacIntosh equipment is extremely well built high end equipment with a very specific sound. It is very much worth the money. I personally do not like the sound… I can appreciate it for what it is. Their built quality is top notch, resale value is outstanding as is there reliability. I have a dealer friend who has been in the business for thirty years and frequently sees thirty year old equipment in perfect working condition. There is a carefully crafted house sound to them. Buy Mac and you know what you are getting. |
@rman9 Hear Hear |
Some folks make a living providing honest information, and some make a living by misinformation.. I have a bin called garbage and the latter half goes straight into that. Youtube provides an avenue to get some exposure to products good or bad. But I'll never plop huge dollars without consulting with my ears.. Thank goodness I have two of them. |
@overthemoon It's safe for me to say that "this forum causes drinking." |
@hilde45 I may be guilty of drinking will perusing this forum🤓 |
I think some people on here need to take a deep breath and a step back. A sales guy on YT says he does not like some brands of HiFi equipment and calls them MidFi. That triggers what I assume to be grown men to loose their effing minds! Don't get me wrong, I love you all, you take time to help others and exchange ideas! There's a goldmine of worthy advise in these digital pages that you made happen! 😍 But, why the hell do care about the opinion of one person on YT? I mean, come on, @stereo5 you're trying to associate a person who you disagree with as being some right-wing nutjob. Why not go the whole hog and accuse the guy of being a racist, holocaust denier who possibly eats babies? I don't agree with what he says but also I don't agree with these totally out of proportion responses either. If you ever want a 101 on how the Salem Witch Trials got going, here's your perfect example. The vast majority of us are here because we love music and are willing to invest what 99% of the population would consider stupid amounts of money in making it sound better. Let's concentrate on what's really important to us, getting those goose bumps, rising the hairs on our necks, the shivers, the stupid grins as we delight in what we hear. And even the soul jerking pain as we listen to a song that reminds us of those no longer with us. Love, Dagda
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@hilde45 Quite disgusting!! surprised anyone follows him.. |
@rman9 You did the right thing by switching off. Notice on the threads (here and on his own youtube channel) how he calls people who disagree with him a "shill"? Conspiratorial, name-calling, angry, mean guy. Whatever he knows about audio, he behaves execrably online and there are way too many better places and people to spend money on audio. I would never recommend anyone buy anything from this guy. |
@jmeyers I am running Magico A3 pair with Kimber Kable 12TC. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have anything negative with the MC462, I had it for less than six months since I bought it. The dealer was kind enough to bring their demo model of the M10X and let me have it for a weekend. I don’t exactly know if it is because the M10X operating in Class A up to 12W before it switches to AB, it is just so clear and beautiful dynamics from lows to highs at lower volumes. Even at low volumes, you hear the punch of the bass and the hush silence. At higher volumes, the MC462 is very comparable.. But I tend to listen at lower level.. Also I prefer the Meters color of the Luxman over the Mcintosh big blue meters.. The dealer was able to get me a M10X within days of ordering it.. On the other hand I have to wait till June to get the C900U. Between the C900U and the C53, there is no comparison.. I had a demo model from the dealer again at home on that. The C53 simply does not posses the same dynamics as the C900U. I have paid for the C900U and anxiously waiting.. Luxman has been putting several of their models end of life.. I love the C900U a little too much and hence the anxiety |
@bugsnest - top notch! |
Mac is damn fine gear! if you think its over rated, or not good, your ears are messed up.
Will i ever be able to buy Mac,....prob not, but t here is a ocean of amazing amps, preamps out there, just as good if not better (some) Mac has the sound and looks for another 75 years............ if they do it properly!~ |
I think that maybe I was unclear in the meaning of my comment earlier. I was actually talking about folks who have a problem with pcb’s in hifi gear, and think that point to point wiring is better. That belief is silly, and I think those folks have never lived in the world of current day electronics and technology, where pcb’s are essential to world class manufacturing and mass production at scale with top flight quality control. |
You absolutely nailed the point of music. If I want to be blown away by an intense music experience, I'll go to a live show. If I want a purely analytical representation of music, I'll go the studio where I work and visit the mastering suite down the hall. Between sitting behind the console and sitting in on mastering sessions to check mixes, music being analytical to hear everything is not the point for me because I just want to relax with the music, not hear someone's hair grow through the speakers and celebrate that as a metric in audio quality. |
Some people have hearing that is less sensitive than they'd like to admit. Couple that with the subjective nature of sound quality - you've got a recipe for an argument topic that has NO end. |
"real audiophiles...know it doesn’t sound that good"... Sounds like some people want to gatekeep what a "real audiophile" is when the term is based on sound preference. To push that exclusivity is pointless because all you have are a bunch of farts chasing what their own idea of "good sound" is while arguing a point that isn't really wrong or right. It is a stupid statement so I wouldn't even bother with entertaining the OCD guy's input because it is like saying what is the best guitar, car, recording console etc... From observation, Macs appear overpriced to folks who can't afford it much of the time which I find baffling since that drives much of the vitriol against a brand that holds its value well AND sounds good. |
@troidelover1499 ,99% of solid state gear regardless of price uses PCB. FYI, not everyone embraces tubes. What high quality equipment do you have? |
@schw06 I think your post is spot on. I also think 'awesome' is subjective and changes over time. I've had McIntosh gear and while I have moved on to other brands it was because i was looking for something I found during auditioning for an upgrade. My McIntosh stuff sounded great, brought me hours (perhaps months, or years) of listening pleasure. I get the same joy with my new gear and also visiting a friend who has a nice system. I salute everyone who enjoys music and think there are many great manufacturers and DIY kits for every type of music fan, listener and audiophile. |
Well said @arafiq
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@schw06 You hit the nail on the head. Like you, I'm also in my late 40's and I can certainly relate to building a music system where the ultimate goal is to relax and destress after a long, often hectic, day. Perhaps, once I retire and have more time on my hands, my goals might change. But as of now, for me tube-based amplification is what brings me closer to my desired goal. This is what some dealers, including the subject of this thread, keep forgetting. Music lovers can achieve nirvana at any budget with any gear, as long as they know what they want and use a holistic approach when building a system. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. |
@schw06, nice post! I'll be driving to pick up some gear from Mikey soon. I'm not looking forward to the many hours-long drive. To be only 10 minutes away would be convenient! I concur with everything you said about Mikey. I've gotten to know him very well over the last couple of months and am really looking forward to hearing his system! Any time you have the opportunity to hear another system I think it's a great experience in relation to your own to help figure out what you might seek or confirmation of things you like about your own system. There is no doubt that Mikey has already helped to make my existing system sound much better with his advice. The new gear will take my rig to another level in sonics and I'm very excited about that! I've spoken with a couple of long-standing dealers/manufacturers that have also confirmed that Mike Powell has an outstanding reputation in the industry. They also confirmed that the NAT gear I'll be putting in will be a dramatic improvement in my rig! |
@schw06 You nailed it, your testimony is appreciated. But I must add a caveat. As a small business owner myself (not the audio industry) My employees and I abide by the rule that to insult or belittle the competition or their products shows fear, intimidation, and/or resentment. I have heard more times over the last 20+ years from customers who visited another shop in town and were put off by the staff insulting my shop or my brands. So from where I sit, Mike is extremely unprofessional, and a few of the commenters on this thread confirm that. Maybe I just expect more ethics in a small business? |
@schw06 +1 for a very thoughtful post. And I’ve said this many times on this thread, but I’ll say it once more: the main issue for me is not about McIntosh or Wilson or Magico or any specific brand. It was his presumption that he could divide those who like what they hear from those brands from "genuine" audiophiles. Remember, that was the point of bashing McIntosh -- to say that it has fooled people (e.g. with its reputation, blue lights, etc.) who don’t really know how to listen. The other brands fool people in other ways. You cut through all that malarkey when you say,
And there we have it. There are *multiple* goals a music system can fulfill. And your goal -- and the goals of many others -- are fulfilled for you in a way which makes this youtubber’s system unsuitable. And it also proves his divisive dualism false. Q.E.D.
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@schw06 you articulated it best. I “feel” the same with my Mac gear in the few days I’ve had it. It calms my soul :) |
I hadn't looked at the Audiogon forums for many months(because it's typically an exercise of self flagellation) but had a specific question and stumbled across this thread. I'm in a unique situation to both live about 10 minutes from Mike Powell and be a McIntosh owner. Mike is zealous, has firmly held beliefs, and is passionate/intense. His system sounds absolutely phenomenal and he's a gracious host. I can confidently say that I believe he's a good guy in his heart. Hearing his system was an invaluable experience of knowing what is possible and it really helped me understand my own motivations for my system. His system reminds me very much of the old Maxell "blown away" poster. It's an intense experience and one that is highly recommended. That being said, I learned that his system was not the direction for me because it actually was too stimulating to my central nervous system. I'm in my late 40's with a stressful career, kids etc... and the experience I'm looking for in music is to turn my left brain off and get lost in the music and his system didn't do that for me. I happened to hear a system with Mcintosh separates by complete chance. I sat down and ended up getting lost in the music and after 30 minutes the owner came up behind me and squeezed my trapezius muscles (neck/shoulder) to find they were both relaxed and my jaw was not clenched. I had absolutely zero interest in McIntosh as an audiophile of 20 years thinking it's mid fi overpriced snake oil based on forums (not direct experience). At that moment I knew it was for me. Bottom line: You have to figure out your "Why". What do you want to get from your audio system? If your motivation is to release a day/week/month's worth of assault on your senses and get lost in the music, it's worth an hour or 2 of your time to go have a listen and judge for yourself. Don't be swayed by the McIntosh haters or the fan boys. For me, the Mc2700/MC312 combination just "does it". I don't think the source components (turntables/dacs/servers) are up to the standard of their preamps and amps but again let your ears decide. Figure out your motivation to listen to music/build a system. You may find your motivations line up more with Mike and he can help you achieve your goals. Or your goals may be more like Herb Brooks (USA Hockey gold medal coach 1980) where he wasn't looking for the best players(components). He was looking for the "right" ones. David P.S.-It's not the blue meters. I listen with them off at all times |