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Disappointing On Mcintosh......help

 3 Months ago  I went to NYC and stopped by the WOM  and auditioned several MCintosh gear...........and left a bit disappointed or not impressed...then I told myself   " lets give a second shot"  and went today to a  HIFI store and again Good room accoustics10K speakers , MC Preamp , MC Amplifier........ and again  the same disappointment I felt 3 month earlier.

Is that the "warm" sound people reffer to about Mcintosh?  
The sound is ample, base is powerfull  but the the sound is simply  not to clear, the hights are not too "crisp"  It sounds like the treble is set at 3 and needs to be adjusted at 9 or 10.
It seems like  the sound is  coming through a thin layer of paper ...that is the way I describe that sound.  

Then 20 minutes later I auditioned a Parasound A21+ and a JC5 and the sound was more clear and the highs were crispier

Whats your take on my experience?  or That is the MC "warm sound? 
128x128cydrone
david_ten
5,480 posts
 
@cleeds  The attribution should be to the interpretation. 

A component amplifies, It does not Do Detail (to use one example from this thread).

"It is amazing how much detail a Mac has" 

The recording is the information. The system (NOT component) as a whole (and room) expresses it. 

Listener A loves the sound and proclaims it perfect.

Listener B hates the sound ("too harsh" / "too clinical").

Listener C finds the system too polite and lacking "detail."

The recording, system (and component) and room did not change. The listeners' interpretations are what are different.

Also note: I never made any claims regarding "So you can’t claim that the result of any given combination is:" in my post that you responded to. That interpretation is yours. : )

durkn
63 posts
 
I’ve owned it, I’ve tried it, I sold it and moved on.
Sounded good, but had bloom & a signature sound.

My VTL gear outperformed it in so many ways.

wrenth
26 posts
 
Heheh... i own MC1.25 with C1100 fed by Chord Blu+Dave with Giya G2 at the end and the shape of banana smile on my face every time I start music session. No more need for better, no endless chasing, just pleasure from music. You dont like MC’s then find sth else to gain your peace. This is the beauty of the choise we still have.

danvignau's avatar
danvignau
935 posts
 
To my ears, McIntosh sounds wonderfully lush, like a Sequerra tuner with rich harmonics and deep power.  Like many audiophiles, I greatly prefer accuracy and detail.
jordi's avatar
jordi
110 posts
 
Most overrated gear ever made....I live 2.5 hrs from a Mac superstore and I have auditioned their premier 300k + system as well as everything else they make and walked out after 1 song and ran home to my Atma-Sphere / Merlin system..... but I will say one thing about their stuff....the Mac Groupies who like to impress others about how much they spent on their systems love their blue lights....Mac like Wilson speakers is a very sterile un-involving  sound IMHO
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