Why the hate for mcintosh amps?

If it was that stupid unsound, they wouldn't still be doing it after 50 years.

@roxy54 , 50 years is about the amount of time that transistors have been around as perhaps the most rugged of output devices. Other than one particular, rather unique First Watt ss amp that uses autoformers at the input rather than the output al la McIntosh, I know of no other ss amp manufacturer that uses autoformers. Are we to understand that all others have been wrong for the past 50 years?

I think the critical comments are coming from people who do not like the sound of Mac amps that have the big autoformers, which make the sound smoother than what they prefer.

I have a McIntosh MA252 integrated amplifier. It is solid state with a tubes preamplifier. It does not have the big autoformer transformer that Mac solid state is known for. Its damping is rated at 200, and it has good bass control. I added Mullard NOS tubes.

I just added a Cardas Clear USB cable a few days ago and a Pangea digital coax cable, which has Cardas copper, last week. A few weeks ago I added Pangea power cables for my DAC, reclocker and amplifier. My system now sounds amazing, whereas prior to adding these cables it was a bit edgy or harsh with a few songs. The new cables eliminated the problems with bad recordings and improved the sound of the good ones.

I will also note that I added about $3,500 in room treatment with skyline diffusors and absorption.

So, it took me a while to dial in my system, but I’ve got it now to the point that I am blown away by how good it sounds. It has even exceeded what I was hoping for. It is lively but never too bright, and it sounds full but not slow. Bells, chimes, cymbals, and brass are so beautiful that I shake my head and marvel at what I am hearing, like right now as I write this as I listen to "Alleycat" by Nucleus from its 1976 UK tour. Drum strikes have solid impact without going over the top. Acoustic instruments are sublime. Tone is exquisite. Clarity is stunning.

Out of the box, the McIntosh MA252 was good but a bit lacking at times, but I find it to be consistently very good now.

unsound,
Just because other manufacturers of SS amps don't use it doesn't make it wrong. It has practical advantages, and to some people, like myself, it sounds better than Mac amps that don't have autoformers.
There are many technologies that aren't widely used. It doesn't make them any less valid.

@roxy54 , Your points have merit. But, the only practical advantages were over 50 years ago when in the early days of ss amplification transistors weren’t very durable. Those days are long gone. Autoformers in ss amps for the last 50 years only serve to compromise one of the advantages of ss amps with typical dynamic speakers, that of adapting power requirements with impedance load. I wouldn’t dream of arguing with your preference,. But “in my humble opinion” such an application is just plain stupid.