McIntosh -- good for show, not for sound, says dealer

@oldhvymec "Mac is a lot of things but BAD or MidFi just isn't one of the things they are."  To suggest Mac is not even mid class is a bit unfair. It certainly is at level and not below.

@middlemass Thanks.

Let's move on to the poster below who said,

The point is he gave an honest opinion about McIntosh.

Sorry, but that’s not the point of what I have said or what his video was about. You have rendered an oversimplification, a deflection, and obviously so. If what he said was only about a brand, who cares. This is about audiophiles in general, not just about "McIntosh", pro or con. Because he bashes Wilson and Magico, too. Did you hear that part?

Here’s a post where I really try to help those not getting it:

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/mcintosh-good-for-show-not-for-sound-says-dealer/post?postid=2341061#2341061

Don’t believe me or my quotes from the transcript? Ok, go -- rewatch the video. You’ll see that McIntosh is just his main whipping boy. Sure, he thinks McIntosh is a very bad value and doesn’t sound good.

But his POINT is that the kind of people who like McIntosh are fooled by the looks, that they’re part of a whole world of audiophiles who think that bling = good audio. He has anointed himself to show people that there are two doors in audio, the "looks good" or the "sounds good" door. He has set himself up as the guru if you want to avoid the false audiophile "looks" door. (Oh, and of course he would never sell that stuff!)

Again, it’s not just about McIntosh. Because that other type of person -- the fool very often taken in by McIntosh, but sometimes by Wilson, Magico, and lots of other brands -- are not true audiophiles.

Lots of cognitive dissonance here for those who had a good experience with him. Mazel tov, bros. You got him on a good day. Not everyone has, as reported here.

Others who review this forum’s thread can make up their mind about whether they want to shovel thousands of $$’s his way. It’s clear he knows a lot about audio but he’s also a seller. He’s made other videos claiming to "just be delivering the truth" and that so many others in audio are just shilling, writing commercially motivated reviews, on the take. He has, in other videos, put himself *above* that. I reacted once on a thread to the conflict of interest he has in claiming that everyone else is just selling but he’s just speaking truth. He derided me, tried to say I was just another audio seller out to ding him. I’m not in the industry. I’m a freakin’ hobbyist. I have a day job completely unrelated to audio. But when people don’t have a real defense for what they said, they turn to attack. If you look at his responses, they’re frequently doing that. That means he has no real defense. Caveat emptor, folks.

@hilde45 - It was sarcasm. "Unvarnished" added to "truth" was hyperbole meant to convey irony. I have no "purposes." Sorry it wasn’t clearer. I'd hope that your reading of my other posts make the case (to you, to others) that the video is ridiculous, irresponsible nonsense. No way for a dealer to behave.

Thank you for that, I for one did take that statement literally. Savvy wordsmiths like yourself can be easily misread when applying sarcasm. And I do, from my perspective think that you have clearly defined your position on the dealer in question and the video. And I do apologize to being testy with you previously.

I still have the question in my mind though. Where does @hilde45 stand not on the dealer in question, his video or statements here; but McIntosh products themselves as well as their sound. I checked out the pics of your room and system, very nice by the way, and saw no Mac. With so many new and low post members like myself showing up here, I can't be the only one wondering where does the Op stand on the products in question? I would appreciate your elevated(being sincere, not sarcastic) position either way on Mac products and their sound.

i know @hilde45 personally, know him outside of this forum

i’m pretty sure he doesn’t have an opinion on mac gear from personal ownership or use, his op was to question the broader point which he just restated - as a high level educator professionally and a burgeoning hifi nerd personally, he is learning about this hobby, the people, the perspectives and attitudes they hold

i also don’t have a personal opinion on mac gear based on recent personal ownership, i haven’t owned a piece for quite some time, the brand, like all good brands, develop new products and move on, advance the gear, functionally, cosmetically and sonically to sustain success - but i know enough from 40 years dedicated to this pursuit where the brand and its products stand in the industry, with customers, and so on

as for mr ocd guy, i would hope that with (or in spite of) his disposition, business practices, commercial decisions on what he carries, and how he markets himself, that he has SOME following... the guy is trying to make a living, dunno how well he is doing at it -- as for the foundational premise @hilde45 is addressing with this thread, that ocd guy is presenting himself as the champion of those who just want pure sonic performance and not looks, frills, eye candy, i’d remind everyone that his main line of amplification is mark levinson... now THAT is truly dripping in irony (if not something much worse)...

as a useful contrast, another industry dealer is audio excellence in canada... for those who don’t know of adrian, vilip et al, i suggest you watch the following videos and others they post on youtube... to me, they are a model of class, likeability, earnestness, as well as deep knowledge (and successful salesmanship)... yes they meander a bit in their discussion, as most enthusiasts do, but i feel their content is always worth watching... to me they are a better, an alternative, and a much more successful way of handling well, just about everything...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nB4N_dfqAo

@jjss49 

+1 recommending the Audio Excellence Canada videos. Those guys are fantastic.