Outrageous used pricing on older McIntosh

I  agree with Al on this, comparable performance and REAL value, not price which unfortunately is overlooked by some. 

I still have a pair of McIntosh MC-60 amplifiers that I paid $850.00 the pair for in 1989. The amps sold for 198.00 each new during the time of their manufacturer from 1955-1961. I had no objection paying more than double their original cost at the time simply because I liked them a whole lot more than the Threshold they replaced.   A restored pair will currently bring from 2.5K to upwards of 5K today. I've owned them longer than any other component and the reason I won't sell them is simply that I haven't heard anything that can replicate some of the things they do, I still enjoy listening to them. I only wish I had more space to set-up a vintage system using those amps! In any case, I'm stuck with them, listening occasionally and always thoroughly enjoying. 

A better question to ask is why does new gear lose so much of it's retail price? My thinking is that a properly restored vintage product can be a better long term value than buying new weighing in it's build quality and most importantly the quality of the transformers that weigh in heavily on their potential performance. With  the quality of current parts vintage can be a sound viable option to paying new and will surely compete and of course always maintain that vintage status and long term value. Others will disagree I'm sure.

 

I certainly understand your perspective Oregonpapa and while some of those audio products back in the 50’s and 60’s could be considered expensive they weren’t out of the reach of the middle class enthusiast what would and could purchase them. My parents paid 500.00 for a console stereo in 1960, many did. How many Kimball console pianos were sold in those times at from 500-800, of course if you had the resources one could purchase a Steinway either console or grand at considerably more and probably not affordable to most in the middle class.

Today there are STILL many affordable audio products for everyone, maybe even more so than back then. But there are ALSO many exorbitantly priced audio products that are strictly geared to the status of ownership, much like say a Rolls Royce or Ferrari or any product that is often geared to exclusivity and WOW rather than value. The premis that these products perform at a higher level than less ambitious products is debatable, at least in my experience, same as with vintage components. To ME it’s beyond "wishful thinking" that I BELIEVE that some properly restored vintage products can perform at a competitive level, that is, providing musical enjoyment AND most importantly to me with ANY audio product/system, engagement at a high level   and that their REAL value can be based solely on that fact aside from their vintage status and value as a collectable. It certainly is the case for me. I restored the amps to sell them. I’m keeping them because I enjoy listening to them on occasion, they’re that good. On the other hand I would acknowledge they would not be my first choice in all cases, what ever is in audio except for those that can make any choice of their desire :)