Well, I think that Audio Enthusiasts do indeed use McIntosh. McIntosh has it's unique sound just like (not that same as) Audio Research and others. Many really like the Mac sound. I have heard some wonderful sounding McIntosh equipment. As always, equipment interaction and speakers make a big difference. I have heard great McIntosh equipment through exceptionally bright speakers and it drove me out of the room. However, it wasn't the McIntosh electronics that was the problem. But, to elaborate, I have heard top of the line Krell equipment that was wayyyy too bright for me. Swapped the equipment with some other high end equipment through the same speakers and wow! great sound. So, in my experience, Krell is still too bright for my taste, but for some other people, they love the Krell sound. To each their own. McIntosh makes some really good/great equipment. But, as with any other manufactures, it has it's own "sound".
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