Do true audiophiles own Mcintosh gear

J_stereo, I think the criticism is from there being better sounding and cheaper equipment, but I agree that many like it looks and sounds good and holds its money.

To me, it's a bit like the Rolex paradigm. The common person thinks Rolex is the best watch in the world because it's expensive and, if you're wearing a Rolex, you must have money. When I see someone wearing a Rolex, I assume the person is only wearing it as a status symbol and they're not really into watches. (I realize, of course, that this is not always the case.) There are far better watches and far more expensive watches but almost everyone knows the Rolex brand to be an expensive status symbol.

McIntosh doesn't have the same widespread brand recognition, so my comparison might be a bit off. On the other hand, I would hope that, if you're arbitrarily spending $5000+ on an Mac amp, you're at least mildly interested in listening to music and not just looking to impress a few friends who might know the McIntosh name.

I sure dig those blue lights, though... ;-)

Mcintosh has been making audio amps and speakers since Jesus was in diapers. I heard a very large and very expensive all Mcintosh system in a chalet on Red Mountain in Aspen where Dave Brubeck went to practice way back in the early seventies. The centerpiece was some monster midrange horn. This Mcintosh system is what audiophiles really crave but can never obtain or even hear anywhere. Lol

In the 40 odd years I've been at this I can't recall an instance of a famous company where ownership changed from the original owners where things went well.

I will cite Marantz as an example of Schubert's good point.
With the Superscope purchase profits went up but quality certainly went down.