Is McIntosh a stepping stone into HI/FI?

Mac makes some very nice equipment. Like everything else, the end result is how happy are you with what's coming out of your speakers. I own all Ayre equipment with Vandersteen 5A's, but just recently heard Vandersteen 5A's driven with Mac, and it was very pleasant indeed.

Stringreen please do elaborate on the Mac gear compared to the Ayre. I've found Ayre to be a little more focused and clear while retaining the musicality if that makes sense.

FWIW I haven't heard Mac beyond the 352 and similar pre.

I listened to Mac gear all through childhood and love it but find Joule, Ayre, and many more terribly expensive brands to be great as well.

Bj...what I heard with the mac was that the highs particularly were more rounded off...seductive... It was like sitting in back of the hall rather than the mid hall presentation of the Ayre. I guess I hear more music with Ayre, the Mac seemed slower...Ayre had more rosin on the bow, however, I could live with the Mac very well.

The mc275 is slower, but I love it. Heck it is a tube amp! I could probably say that it is slow, rounded, yes, midrange beauty, yess, colored, maybe a little, and I think I am going to put another record on right now. An audiophile friend said that I am listening to more music than anyone else he knows.

It is a great amp for the money. That is very hard to argue.

It is a steal for the money, if you love music.

Speaker synergy and personal taste generally guides one with electronics decisions these days. Historically, McIntosh was of great consideration in the world of Hi-Fi as there were few other choices. One can easily appreciate McIntosh for their continued level of quality and reliability right through the companies repurchase.

Nothing to do with their sound but I find their now timeless appearance and sensible visual and physical ergonomics something that simply ain't broke. Things even todays most exotic componentry fails miserably at. Lets face it, we're an older mans hobby. We don't see very well, so we can't text any more than five words a minute. Did McIntosh designers see this coming all this time?