Is McIntosh still a good choice?

I agree with Ljgj. I have a modest MA6450 integrated and love the sound. I saw a MA6850 on ebay recently which went begging at $2200 (what I paid for my MA6450 new), so you can get some great deals. MAC gives a nice full sound and maybe some bloom which I enjoy. And those big blue meters at night will really relax you. Classic looks, classic sound.

Enjoy!

I had a McIntosh 2102 in my system for about 2 weeks while I was awaiting LAMM M1.1 monoblocks. McIntosh is frequently knocked by so many "audiophiles" - those who turn their noses up and look away, in favor of more esoteric brands. I found the McIntosh 2102 tube amp to be HIGHLY enjoyable and quite frankly I am tossing around the idea of getting rid of the LAMM's in favor of a pair of MC2102's (bridged). While the LAMM is truly a spectacular amplifier - it's not that much better than the Mac 2102 - and that really says something for the current generation of Mac tube products.

I think a pair of 2102's in bridged mode, producing 200 watts per channel would give ANY amp a run for the money. Not just in listenability, musicality and resale value but nearly all the qualities we seek in music reproduction.

Plus - they look gorgeous!

While I am personally not fond of McIntosh digital or preamplifiers (in any way), I do think their amps (even the newer solid state designs - which MUST be tweaked with the right interconnect for optimal performance) sound quite good and can easily compete with the best, most esoteric brands out there.

I honestly don't know how you could go wrong with any of their products. I have been into high end audio for years and have owned several great sounding systems, my last being Krell FPB series. I then ventured into MAC equipment and bought a MC2000 amp along with C100 pre and their two piece CD play back units. How's it sound? Well let me tell you in my humble opinion, this may very well be the last equipment I need to buy...then again. Anyway, MAC still lives up to it's name and let's face it, those who don't like MAC gear are those who probably can't afford it !

I don't have a lot of experience with Mac equipment but did have an opportunity to audition the MC602 with my Thiel CS7.2s over a long weekend. Compared to the ML336, Krell FPB300, and Classe CAM350 the MC602 was easily the most powerful, relaxed, and warm sounding amp. On large scale classical works string sections were never steely or hard edged sounding, and horns had a nice colorful burnished tone. If it was my wife's decision the MC602 would be in my system today. She loved it. Perhaps its just my bias, but on more upbeat music; rock, R&B, etc., the Mac didn't get my foot tapping. YMMV.

Tom post is interesting, How do others rate McIntosh with different types of music?