Why do no audio enthusiasts use McIntosh?

Let's face it, "enthusiast" means that you are first into audio gear and second possibly into music, that is if your audiophile worries actually allow you to enjoy one CD or LP from beginning to end before your mind starts to wonder what it is you need to upgrade next. Yes, many McIntosh owners are very content with their gear and would not even consider anything else. Call them naive, or non-enthusiasts, but don't forget, many of them have played the gear switching game before, myself included and have stopped looking and caring after experiencing McIntosh in their system. I have played the game myself, been there, done that, got a T-shirt. While some are on their 25th amp, preamp or whatever else seems to be in style (look at the D-class amps thread) I'll be still happily listening to my 501's and smiling. To each it's own.

Since this thread isn't dying... It's not just Macs, it's just about all the "top end" that doesn't get talked about. It's a badge of honour to be obscure.

What's to talk about? Once you've arrived, you're there. There's no doubt, no questions. All that remains is gloating. Exclusive prices of this type of gear translates to a certain amount of exclusivity on forums. That's not to say that there aren't excellent bargains but bucks buys confidence. Besides, I doubt anyone wants to hear someone with 901's slam their SLAMMs or cut down thier Krells.

Our entire family has enjoyed the old man's MC7270 for no less than 20 years now. His Mac preamp/controller hasn't given a lick of trouble. The amp has pushed various speaker loads, it has backed parties and, it has enhanced our movie watching. Each morning when he wakes to fix his coffee, he flips on the Mac. Dad came over to my house the other day and listened to a little EL34 tube amp (brand name unimportant) I've been listening to recently. He was moved by the "presence". His first response, "The McIntosh has nothing on this! Sounds fantastic!" I asked if he was ready to try something new. "Nope. I love the Mac!" To me, his response said it all. His McIntosh stuff gives him all he needs or, all any of us should need from a stereo, enjoyment. As enthusiasts, we enjoy the never ending quest for the "absolute sound." The hunt is where we derive our enjoyment (or madness). I have to respect a product that is capable of giving its owner years of pride and enjoyment without fail. Cheers to McIntosh and to all the other manufacturers that keep the rest of us ENJOYING music. On a side note, I too was disappointed by my local Mac dealer's demo of their 4000 watt $200,000 system. I begged him to impress me with something normal people could afford as opposed to the mega rich and frivolous. ;)

This thread has evolved into a, "I like to listen to music, you like to listen to equipment" thread.

The original thread questioned McIntosh's ranking in equipment sorted by quality vs. reputation. Right?

Your example of not being impressed by the $200k system because you wanted to be impressed by something you can afford is like saying "I was not impressed by Porsche or Ferrari because they had nothing to show me in my price range". Also, while McIntosh does have ultra expensive amps and speakers in their line up doesn't mean you have to be able to afford them to enjoy what McIntosh has to offer. A 402/C46 combo was highly praised by TAS as being the best the reviewer has had in his system and compared to other amps/preamps many times the price. Should I remind you how well the 501's were reviewed? A comparison of 20-30 year old McIntosh gear to modern gear and using that as the standard by which it is measured is simply unfair. The new McIntosh gear has also evolved and offers many sonic advantages to the 20-30 year old stuff while still being competitively priced with modern gear of other brands. I for one am very happy that I finally built a system that allows me to simply enjoy music without all the "audiophile nervosa" that seems to go hand in hand with this hobby. I am very pleased at the fact that my investment into 501 monoblocks will last me at least 30 years and bring me daily pleasure while still retaining the highest resale value in case I decide to move up or simply upgrade to the latest model of McIntosh amps/preamps.