McIntosh MA 6500 reliability etc....


Hi Folks,
I am considering a Mcintosh MA 6500 integrated amp. Do any of you have one? How is the reliability and how do you like the sound? How is their gear in general for the long haul? I have a Cambridge Audio 840 A V2, and am considering a move in this direction. Any thoughts would be helpful in aiding my decision. Thanks so much...Brian.

PS: How is the company with backing their products should failure occur? Any dealings that way? I would be buying new from a registered dealer.
128x128trumpetbri
Apparently you are new to the scene because McIntosh is famous for reliability and customer service. I had a 6500 for a while and it was awesome. A buddy of mine had one too and it powered his Revels in big room with surprising ease. It has a lot of power despite the modest ratings. If you have speakers with proper resolution, it will be a huge improvement over your 840 (as it should be for the extra cost). I think the 6500 is one of the best deals out there.

Arthur
Awesome Guys...thanks! I have Magnepan MG 12 speakers, and Transparent wiring throughout. Appreciate your insight/opinions VERY much.
McIntosh sets the standard for product quality, reliability, customer service and holding value over time. That, plus the involving musicality of their preamps, amps and integrated makes them a superb choice.
As others have said, McIntosh wrote the book. You can send McIntosh pretty much anything they've ever made, and they'll be able to bring it back up to original specs, if not better. Its not cheap, but you get what you pay for. Look at the Mac gear being sold here. See how well it retains its value. A lot of the stuff is far older that it seems. For info on anything Mac made, check out Roger-Russel.com. He's a former engineer.

A Mac dealer friend of mine had a customer whose house burned down. Everything was destroyed. My friend contacted McIntosh to see if the piece could be refurbished. McIntosh brought it back to original specs and cleaned it up and made it look brand new again. If that doesn't say enough about Mac, maybe this will...

They didn't charge him. It wasn't a piece anywhere near warantee. Mac told my friend 'We don't need his money. He's probably got too many other things to worry about.' It safe to say that they turned him into a customer for life. Obviously they're not going to fix everyone's stuff for free, but they're a great company who goes the extra mile.