Why do no audio enthusiasts use McIntosh?

Had a funny experience yesterday. Another Audiogon member with whom I speak regularly--and someone who has owned and heard some very fine audio gear--asked me if I had any familiarity with McIntosh. And the subsequent conversation went like this:

ME: "Yeah, we just bought a McIntosh amp (MC7200) a few weeks ago."

HIM: "You did?! How do you like it?"

"We love it. Now we have our SET amps for the intimate music, and the McIntosh will drive all the music we like that is more punchy. Plus, we leave it on all the time, and the power cord is captive, so I don't have to fuss with that either. I primarily listen to it, not the SET's, since the MAC is on all the time."

"But what about the sound?"

"Not as airy and textured as our SET amps, but with the tube preamp, it's pure joy. It just sounds like beautiful, rounded, dense music, perfectly balanced, never fatiguing, and completely engaging."

"Did you ever have a bias against McIntosh, you know, think of it as audiophile gear for NON-audiophiles?"

"Yep. I always thought that somehow it wouldn't be on the same level as the better audio gear out there."

"I always thought so, too," he said, "and I have no idea why. But the reason I was calling was to get your opinion since I just ordered an MC275 today!"

My wife and I cannot see ourselves WITHOUT a piece of McIntosh gear. Love it! Oh, and I called McIntosh Labs to order replacement bulbs for the amp. I was on/off the phone within three minutes, order completed. I was impressed.

Lots of good posts and lots of really misguided ones...I have owned good to great stuff all bought used here and other places...and lazy I aint...I research a alot trying to get bang for buck,,,I started out with Adcom, moved to Musical Design (great stuff), then went to the Lazarus H-1A class A hybrid, some handmade 6550 tube monos, Mcintosh Mc250, McIntosh MC40's, C26, C33, C11 preamp, Berning EA-230 triode amps and his TF-10 preamp (current setup).

I have listened to a lot of the modern Mc gear of which non I can afford. And its simply great sounding. No doubt about it. I think that maybe most McOwners simply want their good to sound good, without all the paralysis by analysis that many audiophiles go thru analyzing all the bloody details that encompasses their utopian mind.

Thats not being lazy, but simply realistic and just judging good sound (to the buyers ears). I mean, c'mmon,,,knocking Mc501's or Mc352's as not being good, or missing something is ludicrous...Just because they dont fill your cup of audiophile analysis.

How can McIntosh try to market the masses when their stuff is so expensive anyway...it just caters to music lovers with an eye for certain aesthetics.

I dont own any Mc gear anymore, but just because I didnt want so much of my limited capital tied up in a few pieces, but I did McI.

to answer tireguy's original question there is a stigma placed on mcintosh gear & it's buyer's are AUTOMATICLY dismissed as being too stupid or lazy to try gear that better suit's them or the classic accusation of being hypnotized by the big blue meter's into buying a pile of overpriced junk based on fancy look's or name recognizition.

marketing hype of other gear also plays a big factor with mac owner's not stepping up & giving review's,with the allmighty pure signal path being the king of today's hifi that it is mac owners get blasted over autoformer's & tone control's in their amp's & preamps,not many are willing to put their self into the hot seat that will surely follow.

it's become common place if not sheik for audiophile's to jump on the bash mcintosh band wagon even though most have never owned any mac gear.

mike.

I have tried many Mcintosh amps in my house & never liked any of them. They were all solid state. The way I feel they sound is very boring, no life, just dull. I had the intrgrated with Output transformers on my CLS & it did not drive them well at all. Now there new CD changer I hade at home & I could hear the disc spining from my listing seat.
The build quality on it was far from a good sony SACD player.

Howard, that's a hilarious story! Who was that guy? :-) And I wonder how the Mcintosh will work in his system. And will his audio friends ostracize him when they learn he is using Mcintosh? I really want to know the answers to these burning questions. Only time will tell...