McIntosh - is it that great?

I bought a pair of McIntosh 60's stock back in 1991 and still own them. They have been upgraded (modified) since then several times. They now sound much better (less of the traditional tube colorations) than they originally did, different caps and star grounding have been implemented. Bass performance is MUCH better now, definitely more slam and power. I am currently working on the high's to eliminate the rolloff these amps still suffer from. Virtues They don't run hot; tubes last forever; superb midrange; very dynamic when additional filter caps are added; reliable; hold their value and are a good investment Are they as good as current amps or even amps from the 1980's? No I can't say they are as neutral as the D series amps from ARC and they certainly aren't as neutral as the current crop of tube amps. Can I live with this amp in my current system? You betcha, more than I can most of the lower end solid state gear I've heard side by side with the McIntosh. Bottom line is that they are a very good investment, will hold their value, are very dependable and they have a very good midrange in the tradition of classic tube sound. If you like that sound, you can't go wrong and in the right system you won't miss much believe me.

Hornmeister Who wouldn't agree that objective evaluations are more consistent and represent truth within their parameters? The problem in audio is that the aural perception that each of value is different. It really isn't even an opinion, though that is often how we express it, so much as a value or taste. Take Mc2000 above, he likes ss because of its "crispness", the exact reason I don't like many ss products, go figure. What we hear as individuals and what each of us value can not be quantified or measured, it may at times be predicted by knowing the value and taste. Yes I suppose many of us are influenced by what the Hi-End Guru's fav, but not all of us by a long shot. Experience makes us trust our own ears more than others, especially the individuals who can never quite be pinned down. They can drive you nuts with their nebulous tastes. I certainly agree with most of your thoughtful comments. Now what is it about that world of tube lovers?