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

But his next move is to start herding people into the camp of looks (effectively calling them non-audiophiles) by dint of brand association. It becomes an "us" vs. "them" strategy that names names. That kind of tribalism -- he calls his fans/customers a "tribe" -- is reminiscent of the worst instincts we have. It turns us against one another in politics, religion, orientation, and more. Don’t we have enough of that?

@hilde45, I apologize for using the "C" word! That's where my mind went after reading your comment. 

Regarding desperation, that's a state of mind that I wouldn't wish on anyone. I've been there many times in life before. My way to combat those feelings is to try to and be grateful and embrace humility. 

I think the real problem here is that Mikey is losing income every month because he's a Jeff Roland dealer and Not a McIntosh dealer. The beautiful and lush MAC 352 @$6500 US is a sweet spot in the MAC line.....Much more attractive and better overall sounding with it's tube pre and SS amp. And it's a beautiful piece of equipment. To each his own but bashing another brand when you represent a direct competitor is not a smart thing to do. Most on this thread see thru the "veil".

Blanket statements pro and con miss more relevant points, such as "not all Mc is created equal". Their legacy tube designs are beautifully made, and typically warm (someone said "wet blanket") :-)  Its rarely state of the art, but it is solid, backed by a solid company, etc.

Some of their newer designs, including the SS ones and hybrids, are, IMO, quite inferior. for DACs, well, its not their thing (again IMO, YMMV).

All products are trade-offs.

I recently demoed McIntosh + Wilson Alexia, vs Rockport + Gryphon Diablo, vs  SF Olympia III + Musical Fidelity.

To my ears, the McIntosh + Wilson combo was the least appealing.

That said the McIntosh amps were the only amplifiers prominently displayed. 

He better not mess with my JBL 4350's.