New McIntosh amp build quality

It has been my experience that the older produced McIntosh products sounded much better than the ones produced today.

There was a time when you would hear Accuphase, Conrad Johnson and McIntosh in the same conversation.

But all that changed, especially when they turned into:
http://www.mcintoshgroup.com

Now partnered with a P/E fund Money things have never been the same... 

https://www.twice.com/product/fine-sounds-group-changes-name-mcintosh-group-62447

I home-demoed a McIntosh C2500/MC452 last week and was less impressed than I expected to be with build quality.  For some reason my expectations were higher.  The preamp felt light-ish in weight and you can feel and hear the panels vibrate and settle when setting the unit down gently.  In comparison I’ve noticed other gear at that price-point or even lower typically exudes a superior build quality with a far more solid feel.  Bryston, Simaudio are two that come to mind that just seem way more solidly presented in terms of fit and finish.  Simaudio gear seems built and presented like a supercar when inspected up-close.  Also the non flush-mounted screws on the McIntosh C2500 chassis just seems cheesy at this price - why would they have done that?  Finally I thought the spring-loaded McIntosh speaker terminals were spongy and didn’t offer the same sense of confidence and secure-ness that other brand’s terminals offered.  Of all the gear I’ve tested recently at this price point, McIntosh is the only brand which I felt like the fit and finish seemed disappointing given its price point.  Not to beat up on McIntosh too much - it’s not that I felt the build quality was bad persay, I just was expecting more given the emphasis on fit and finish other brands have.  The Mac gear looked great (some argue looks the best) and I can see how some like the sound, but ultimately it wasn’t for me.

as you should know big money people own the company now . These guys love to cut corners.  Profit is it.   But the Green Lights inside everything  sure work fine,    let's get that right 

I've found McIntosh build quality to be excellent and perhaps even better than their older products. They are a vertically integrated Company and make many of their components. However, their components are far more complex than in the past leveraging fiber optics, digital controls and and advanced logic circuits. I'm not sure these new models will age as well as their older and simpler products. This is also true of autos and almost everything else made today. The new advanced technology is great but once the chipsets are no longer available, service might not be possible.

The stuff they make in their own factory remains as solid as ever. I agree about the scary complexity of many new offerings though. And I think Mac is introducing too many new products lately. The so-called "lifestyle" pieces could well end up damaging the brand.