Disappointing On Mcintosh......help

zavato

McIntosh serviced my MC2250 amp, and my C28 Preamp,

but they do NOT support my mx110z in any way. Granted it’s from the 60’s, but still, If I was willing to wait .....

No parts, no service. I broke the face glass last year, no help. I found replacement glass online, but, decided to have a local shop make me a piece with two holes (half the price), I masked off the clear area and painted it black myself (as original). And renewed the dust seals around it’s inside edges.

They are making me a new factory box for it, $55. delivered, so if needing to ship it in the future ......

It's possible our taste in what we like to hear changes with time too.  Less detail and more musical midrange with full body sound is what I prefer too.  While I'm not a Parasound or Macintosh owner both offer great options. Good source and proper speaker matching can make a huge difference in preference one way or the other.  

It does not appear the OPs original post was really an apples-to-apples comparison anyhow jumping from one store to another with completely different setups over an extended period of time.  I've heard some crappy Mc systems and some really good ones all dependent on the room, component, and speakers chosen by the person giving the demo. Same setup can sound completely different when you get it home for demo too.  Lots of variables.  

Upgraded my C45 to C49 pre and Harbeth SHL5 to McIntosh XR100 speakers played with MC352 amp.  Really thought I was going to buy the Harbeth 40.2's but thought I would try the Mc's first to save money.  I bought them with 2 months to try them out and have owned them longer than that.  
To back track a little I have owned equipment from other companies (Krell, Cary, Magnapan) but have consolidated my system over the years because I believe you get great value and synergy from buying products from the same company. This takes the risk of disappointment to a low level.  Linn, Bryston, MBL, Burmester and others also make complete systems. The end of this post is to say that I am very happy with the C49, MC352 and XR100 sound quality.  Acoustic sounds are entirely natural and pleasing (same characteristics the Harbeth's are known for) and have a greater range and scale than my Harbeths (which I still own).  They shine reproducing Jazz and Classical and can Rock like crazy!  I only write about what I have had in my house.  Happy listening to all.

Just listened again to a Mac 462 connected to a pair of Sonus fabers. In a post above someone mentioned to be aware of cables, and I second that. We tried 3 different speaker cables and the worst pair caused the combination to sound muted, the Nordost Frey 2 brought everything up a notch or 10. Detailed, musical, nothing dry or clinical. Perfect for our ears. We liked the combo so much we bought them.

@stereo5 agree 100 percent.