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

fascinating to me what transpires on this thread, not sure if this is what @hilde45 intended with his op

there are mcintosh bashers whose bashing is repetitive, argumentative, unnecessary... but the defensive defenders can be just as obnoxious

reality is, there are so many good choices for hifi gear, it is a wonderfully vibrant marketplace... good sound and good looks need not be mutually exclusive, some want both, some want good stuff, good brand recognition, are not 10-10ths hifi herds, others are... why do we care how other people choose to spend their money, pursue their happiness if it is not our own? some of us like this brand, the looks, so what, so what if we don’t?

i feel so much of this stems from our base instincts... jealousy, envy, frustration with our own circumstances, shallow need for external validation of our own personal choices... we should rise above all of this...

just enjoy the music, the fact that we all have the wherewithall to enjoy this hobby, participate in this forum, this discussion, and we should wish each other good luck in finding one's own version of happiness within it...

Agree.  Nice post.

McIntosh makes nice stuff that lasts over decades. They are still in business. 

Matching with the right source, speakers, cables, helps make a difference. 

Some of their amps can sound nice, particularly for fans of the signature Mc sound. 

Thanks Master M. for pointing out the relationship between the user, their room AND their gear. 

The three are as important as having 120vac @ 60hz with new equipment. 

I have been able to make just about any preamp and power amp work if I first address a clean AC source and then with a room up approach. I don't tune like Master M with perfect personal volume (Helmholtz) tuning.

It is difficult to achieve for ME I'm not that patient and wouldn't be able to clean that type of system with MY pet situation. I do have 4 14" x 84" Sono tubes though. They are well on their way to taming a 25 X 40 shop.. Helmholtz.
3 bumps 60, 80 and 120hz are tough in a single tube. I'm close. It hasn't ruined the bass either. Those bumps can become deep dips with Helmholtz, it works BOTH ways. It's just mechanical in leu of full blown PEQ. A passive EQ is actually better for MY bass system. GEQ. My contours are added analog to the bass passively not digitally by altering the signal.

Sub/bass and then integrate the main speakers in.. I have used the same type of speakers 25+ years.. Small planars and ribbons.. The only thing I've changed in the last 6 years is the 60-80hz and below. GRs servo system.

I know I could use an MC240, C20 and a couple pairs of good class D to really set up top notch SQ in a tuned room. It's 50% of the sound pretty easy. 1300.00 for the original C20 and 240. I still have them. I use 12K Behringer for bass and GRs.

I'm with Master M as the years go by it cost LESS to get great sound not more. It does cost a lot of time though..

Regards