Why so negative about McIntosh speakers?

I don't know about the later ones but the earlier ones were BAD. A friend of mine paid $1000 , then big money, for a pair to use with his Marantz 7C and model 9s. He kept them a few months and sold them for $500. He later admitted he never liked them but hated to admit he had been taken.

I have not heard anyone deny that the early Mac speakers were dogs. As they say, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. I think most of us just lost interest as it appeared that their speakers were simply there for those who wanted a full Mac system and not as a serious attempt to make good speakers. The person I mentioned from the late 60s was THE LAST person I knew who had Mac speakers and I was a dealer for years [still am] and saw a lot of systems. They just were not on the map. It well may be that their current speakers are fine but the market is so crowded with products and so shrunken in volume that there is little chance to reestablish a presence. I was talking to a high end manufacture yesterday and he said the market is now mostly in Asia.

I should have added that one of my friends has Mac amp and Pre Amp,Top SS Pre Amp, he just sold a 275 tube and bought a top end Mac SS amp. I don't think he has ever considered Mac speakers, had Quad 2905s and now has Martin Logan Spires. He certainly does not hate Mac but the Mac speakers are just not on the map for most.