McIntosh Labs delivery issues

I ordered the MEN220 In January and got the MEN220 a month later, apparently they are on schedule now. Thx

I just placed my order with McIntosh for a pair on MC611 monoblocks and the C12000 (C12000C & C12000ST) preamp. I will keep you informed. 

For those in New England  Fidelis in Nashua NH has some models available.  It is a great store,  other great brands like Sonus Faber and Fyne speakers  too .  Fantastic McIntosh demo room.   

Go Luxman. Plus, Luxman have no meters on many models. My Luxman 595ase is the best sounding component i hsvevever had. Built like a tank

l just heard from my dealer and McIntosh that all their equipment is now 3 months out. They said they are getting better and opening a new plant or warehouse. 

I just checked with McIntosh, the MC611 expected delivery on new orders is 3 to 4 months and the C2700 tube preamp is 5 to 7 mos. 

I agree "saki70" very confusing. You would think during these difficult times obtaining their product they would relax that requirement.

I don't understand how a retailor can say "in store only" when they are 

listed on the manufacturers website as an "authorized online retailor" ?

I have called several stores listed as such and they act like they don't know !

"lewi28" your new system must sound outstanding. "Goofyfoot" I will let you know how it turns out. I appreciate everyones help.

I put together a similar system, but ended up bumping up from the MC611s to a pair of Mc3500s Mk2s.  For a streamer, I got the Esoteric N-01XD. Clarus Crimson cables to connect. 

@farne230 that should sound great, having a tube preamp. I don’t think they make tuners anymore but I do believe they make a digital streamer. Anyway please give us your impressions once everything is running!

It looks like I am going to order the 611's and  tube preamp C2700 and AudioQuest Niagara 5000, power conditioner from my local authorized MAC dealer. what is left:  streamer, cd. player, AM/FM receiver and cables ect...  Everyone has been a great help. I will keep you informed on my progress. 

FWIW, ordered my 611’s in late March of this year.  At that time, the factory said lead time on 611’s was shorter than on other models.  Their guesstimate was two months then.  Actual delivery time was just under 4 months.  Well worth the wait—they are spectacular.   I did get antsy waiting and started looking at other options, but ultimately decided to stay with the 611’s.  Glad I did!

They are a great match for my Vandersteen Treo CT’s.

roxy54 you don’t have to believe me just ask any of the McIntosh dealer store and they will tell you.

That sounds like a bad story. I don't believe it.

farne230 I was told by a few Mac dealer/store, that if you personally been to any legit store that sells Mac products, doesn’t matter where, then you can purchase or order any Mac product you want from that store that you visited in the past and they will sell and deliver it to you regardless where you live. For example, I live in CA. and five years ago I visited a McIntosh retail store in New York and since I was there in person, I can now order or buy Mac stuff from them from where I live in CA.

Hello "miketuason," your right.  I don't like the idea idea of driving four to 5 hours one way and another 4 to 5 hours back or obligating a friend to act in my place closer to the MAC retailer.  I just wish I could pay for it over the phone and have it shipped. THX

If you find the McIntosh model you’re looking for in stock somewhere else that’s not in your area, maybe, if you have a friend or relatives that lives near by that Mac dealership, you can ask them to buy it for you. By the way several years ago, I was comparing the Mac MC601 to the Pass Lab and after hours of comparing, I ended up buying the MC 601 and never look back.

Besides, you're looking for class D amps, right?

I may not of shared this but I am in San Antonio Texas, so Delaware is a little too far, although I appreciate the information "lewl28". 

Overture in Delaware has MC611s in stock.  
 

Thank you everyone, very helpful. 

@spearl8 

I concur with you on MC611s. I first had the MC462 for about a year paired with the C2600 tube preamp. I decided to go with mono blocks and traded for the 611's and could not be more pleased with their performance. There are a lot of McIntosh haters on this forum I have found and that's ok, each to their own. I had McINtosh many years ago and when I decided to get back into audio, I went with what I had known in the past. 

I recently got the McIntosh MC611’s paired with Revel Salon 2’s. I was initially planning on getting the mc462. At my dealer I did direct A/B comparisons of the mc462 with Parasound jc5 on Salon 2’s. The McIntosh I preferred because of a more natural midrange and larger sound. I ended up upping it to the 611’s and I’m absolutely thrilled. The propaganda of McIntosh not being real high end or having a veiled sound is completely outdated. $16,000 for a pair of awesome looking and built monoblocks with as sure a bet as anybody else on repairability and dealer support plus truly excellent sound is a better value than any other brand I can think of. 

@farne230 a friend of mine is refurbishing a pair of Levinson mono blocks. I'm still waiting to hear them with Quad 57's.

Your not the only one "goofyfoot". When I owned the ML product two decades plus ago, I ran the system with a two channel digital amp manufactured by Mark Leviston, it worked very well, a huge amp, with a line-stage Audio Research preamp. 

@roxy54 fair enough. I remember certain McIntosh Class A/B amplifiers but as I stated in the beginning, my familiarity with McIntosh goes back to the 60's and 70's. Not to mention I'm beginning to get senile.

@farne230 I had an acquaintance who owned Krell and absolutely loved them.

Why all of a sudden do they all need to be class D farne230?

Okay everyone, lets pick 5 mono-block brands, all digital which fall into the same price point new as MC611. That should narrow down my choices of other brands currently still produced. Look forward to your opinions. It would be nice if we could match these amps with currant preamps. I will set back and listen.

I thank everyone in advance.  

goofyfoot.

Just to let you know, McIntosh amplifiers are not class A designs.

@jheppe815 I made the statement that McIntosh equipment sounds sweet. I like the McIntosh sound, especially when I would go to a Grateful Dead or Jerry Garcia Band concert. I think many of us are just offering a different view than focusing totally on McIntosh. There are so many great options in your price range. My reason for bringing up other options is because my local two Mac dealers have very high price tags on their Mac pieces. And I just believe you may find another Class A amplifier that you'll like better for the same amount of money or less.

I guess my bias could come from when someone who had all McIntosh gear needed a turntable and spent a small fortune on a Mac turntable because it matched his other equipment. I had this conversation with the dealer and we both agreed that he would have been able to get a higher end table for the same price or less by choosing a different maker.

If you ask a friend for advice, do want your friend to share his/her honest opinion or do you want them to tell you want they think you want to hear? I'm honestly sharing my opinion and an opinion is all that it is. If you decide on McIntosh Mono blocks, I don't think you can go wrong and I wish you total happiness. I will add that I believe the best McIntosh combination would be a tube pre-amplifier with solid state mono blocks.

I can recommend the ASR Emitter II Exclusive. It's built to order with available upgrades (i.e. rhodium fuses). It's technically an integrated since everything is in one acrylic glass chassis but it actually operates as separates. The Exclusive runs off two power supplies and one battery. There's no need for a preamp and it's probably within what it would cost to buy McIntosh mono blocks.

Here's a Stereophile review;

https://www.stereophile.com/content/listening-188-asr-emitter-ii-exclusive

There is always something better. Let’s see, the Boulder 2150 mono block is $99k per pair, compared to the Macintosh 1.25kw mono blocks at $25k per pair. I would hope the Boulder would blow the Mac’s out of the water. Just depends on your price point. McIntosh might not be for everyone’s taste, but my 611’s mate well with my B&W speakers.

i have made a number of calls to many of the dealers mentioned, all comply with the in-person purchasing MAC requires and many do have stock. They also mention it will take some time to receive new orders, they said expect up to a year and tube units are even harder to get and may have issues with tubes coming from Russia.  I don't know how true all this is but it is for certain it will take longer than I would like, especially since my local dealer requires 80% of price upfront. 

 I will consider other brands before placing an order that may be easier to get and possibly a better choice. 

I want to thank everyone for your impute. I have a long way to go with just two speakers in their shipping containers. 

@bwguy and many of the models by those manufacturers blow McIntosh away. Just an opinion of a former McIntosh owner. It is good stuff but there is better out there, at a premium too. 

@roxy54 all-right, McIntosh amp prices aren't inflated.

Here are some specifics as to lead times on McIntosh that I ordered for my system:

Ordered an C53 preamp in spring of 2021.  It came 6 weeks later. 

Ordered an MC312 amplifier in mid July 2021.  Arrival: Oct 9, 2021

Ordered an MVP901 in late July 2021:  Arrival: Nov 18, 2021

Ordered an MEN220 on 09-24-2021.  Arrival: Feb 10, 2022

Ordered an MC462 on 01-27-2022.  Arrival: June 30, 2022 

Agree, the Boulder, Luxman, Pass, among others mentioned earlier, have models much more expensive than McIntosh.

Inflated compared to what. the hundred other brands that cost way more?

I’m going to chime in here please forgive me but McIntosh prices seem inflated. I had friends whose parents owned their equipment from the 60’s and 70’s and while they sound sweet, nowadays there’s better deals out there.

Overture lists MC611s as being in stock. 

I recently purchased a Mac MA 352 hybrid integrated amp. While I don't agree with the naysayers who claim that McIntosh's biggest selling point is the pretty blue meters (they are pretty) but the performance is only "very respectable" but not top level. My problem, and that of my local dealer, is not only the backlog but the quality of the delivery.  Unless the dealer orders a number at once, where they are placed on a pallet and remain so when unloaded, smaller orders are shipped without due care by the truckers and are damaged on delivery. Mine arrived damaged off the truck, despite the robust packaging, but the dealer let me take it home until a new replacement one arrived, months later

Why even buy McIntosh ?

ther meters and looks by far the best thing about them .

whe the owners btw were true Audiophile sold out to a foreign company they started taking shortcuts in build quality internally .i know 1st hand  for I sold MC for several years . It is still very respectable but sonically there is much better sounding gear for the same price point . For Example Pass Labs comes to mind, or Ayre,

Coda,Or Boulder, Gryphon, Naim,or Luxman just for example ,McIntosh does look nice and pretty dependable .my point is why wait ?

Let me say this about fine audio equipment....  It's always worth the wait !   

As you may know purchasing McIntosh products are sold within the stores only, meaning they have to be available in your local area, most people will not drive to another state to due business. I have heard 1 to 3 months as well as much longer, we could get a better idea from someone who has ordered a MAC product this year and will share with us how long it took to receive their order. My local Mac dealer requires 80% upfront, probably because they have doubts when it comes to delivery. I understand orders are not handled immediately by Mac rather they wait until someone decides it is time to produce a batch. Crazy times...

Thank you everyone who responded so far. 

See this ad for McIntosh MC611 amp for sale and in stock:

MC611 in stock ad

Supply chain, good grief it will never end. 

Bet they have components sitting on a boat waiting to get into a port. 

Please search for McIntosh MC611 amplifier for sale and see the results.  For example:

McIntosh Mc611 amp  

These retailers may, or may not have the amp in stock but you never know.  I hope this helps.  

+1, Please call the McIntosh Factory and ask them.  Or, as noted above, call Audio Classics in Binghamton NY.  I also suggest you call your retailer and ask them for delivery information.   

Unfortunately, many audio products are taking longer for delivery.  In most cases, there is a shortage of parts and a host of other reasons.   If delivery is really 6-months to a year, you might want to consider other amplifier options.