Seeking Honest Opinions: Your Experience with McIntosh Audio Gear

Couple of fun facts before this falls apart: 

1. Still made in the USA. You can make an appointment to tour the factory in Binghamton, NY. Not sure, but I think tubes are still Russian.

2. They own Sonus Faber & Sumiko

3. They are owned by Highlander Partners, a private equity co out of Dallas, who owns a bunch of companies in many diversified product categories. They buy and sell companies....for profit

4. They did a deal with Jeep to put car audio systems in some models. Jeep forums seem to report they sound "pretty good" 

Have had the same (purchased used in the mid 80s) power amplifier for 40 years now. It has been mated to many different tube and solid state phono stages and preamps leading to improvement in sound quality over time. I listen to it almost every day. It has a strong yet warm sound quality and has never been serviced or repaired since the original purchase. I think this speaks volumes about the build quality and excellence of what they manufacture and continue to manufacture. As far as the value proposition is concerned, I think it is worth about 8 to 10 times more than what I paid for it when purchased used.

OP is asking us for opinions about a brand, not a product. This is a marketing issue, not an audio issue. Yes, he asks about "sound quality", but from my experience, every component, McIntosh included, sounds different from other products of the same brand and sounds different in combination with other components. The sound of my MC2775VI, for example, is highly dependent on the preamplifier with which it is paired, not to mention the speaker hooked up to it. The other questions are, as I said, marketing questions, and are best answererd by the fact that Mac has been in business continously for 75 years.

My experience with McIntosh is based on my ownership of an MA-8900 integrated amplifier.  

SOUND QUALITY:  As with all things audio, it’s what fits your ear that matters.  For me, the Mac delivers great sound.  I’m a classic rock, jazz, blues guy.  The MA8900 does a wonderful job with this type of music.  Audiophiles argue that female vocals are the acid test for sound quality and I think the Mac is very capable of reproducing well recorded female vocals that are true to the real thing.  I don’t think Mac is rolled off or laid back, but it’s also not so analytical as to be fatiguing.  I owned some Classe gear (pre bankruptcy) and it was awesome but only in shorter listening sessions (again, to my ear). 

BUILD QUALITY: This is one of their hallmarks.  My amplifier will certainly outlast me.  It is vault-like.  Fit and finish are first rate.  It exudes that classic American quality that used to define so many things made in the USA.  

VALUE FOR MONEY: When you consider that in one unit, you get an amplifier, preamplifier, MC/MM phono stage and DAC (more on that later), You would never be able to assemble separates of this quality at anywhere near the price.  And as many have said, the resale value of McIntosh is probably one of the best in the industry.

CUSTOMER SERVICE/SUPPORT: When I bought my Mac, it was installed in a moderately complex stereo/home theater system.  Using the pass through option when watching movies or TV worked well.  The only issue the installers had was getting the Mac to behave well with the remote control system.  The Mac was fussy about the sequence of various actions as programmed in the remote.  The installer got on the phone with Mac support and in about 10 minutes had the issue resolved.  Otherwise I’ve had no need to work with the company because the Mac performs as it should.  (I have since gotten rid of the HT part of my system due to a relocation.  Now the Mac is purely a two channel music system).  

OVERALL EXPERIENCE:  My Mac is 4 years old and sounds every bit as good today as it did once it was through the break in period.  I recently upgraded the DAC to the current McIntosh DAC2 board and it definitely sounds better.  More revealing and detailed but again, not fatiguing.  I have had a great experience and I would recommend McIntosh products to anyone in the market for high quality audio products.  You NEED to audition and be sure the products you’re considering fit your ear.  It is just like wine or bourbon.  Everyone’s taste buds are different and everyone will like or not like something that others rave about.  If you’re going to invest large sums of money into an audio system, be sure you spend time listening to different components with your music.  That’s the only way to know if it will work for you.  

Supposedly Jeff Rowland makes the best SS amps, although I've never stepped up to the plate for one. I'm still very happy with my 18 year old SS Plinius integrated AB amp. The OPPOSITE of McIntosh - very plain Jane, but excellent. I don't want to deal with the hassle and distortion of tubes. Would consider a tube preamp (if I didn't have an integrated) or phono stage maybe since the tubes should last a very long time, although you should always leave a phono stage or preamp on which could shorten the tube life. 

If you care about the blue lights and meters and the retro look, fine. The look of any audio equipment should not factor into the equation unless you are an interior designer. My only exception is speaker size. I prefer thin floor standers so they don't dominate/take up the whole den.