Do true audiophiles own Mcintosh gear

I have been infected with the audio bug for the last 50 or so years. I have always had some type of a audio system; some modest and some not. I have worked in the audio industry at the dealer level and sold the McIntosh line. I have owned both SS and valve systems of all brands and countries. Here is what I think: there are two types of audio people. The first likes to listen to equipment and the second likes to listen to music! The audiophile tends to be the former of the two and before the internet, they were the mainstay of the Hi-Fi industry; always upgrading or changing for one reason or another. Pick which one you are???? My 2 cents.

To a certain extent brands like Mac and B&W are living off their reputation. At most price points, a value minded buyer can find more for the dollar.

However, it is undeniable that both companies offer products of high build quality supported by an excellent distributor and retail network.

Oh yeah, IMO of course.

Yes,

In My opinion Mac had a period not sure of the exact time line maybe mid 80-early 90's where they seemed to make good but not great ture audiophile grade great. I preferred brands like Audio Research and Conrad Johnson even Sonic Frontiers (when they worked). These companies and many other that we all know were dedicated to sonic perfection above all else.

Recently however I think it was late 90's MacIntosh took the gloves off and started designing some really great sounding gear. Awesome Massive power amplifiers that sounded as good as they looked.

Even more recently they set their mark on Preamplifiers.

I took notice of the C2200 a modern take on a revered classic the c22. I loved the look and it had all the features I wanted and more. But was this piece more sizzle than steak?

One of my friends was an ardent Mac fan, and some great press, convinced me to try one, In place of an Audio research preamp (unthinkable?)I figuired I could resell it and put this debate to rest if I did not like it.

To my surprise I love it.

The C22 is crisp detailed and has a wide sound stage. I would not call it bright but it sounded brighter than my Audio Research in a good way! There may be few if no other preamp that offer the hookup flexability and remote control that this piece offers

So Yes in my opinion Mac now makes Audiophile grear that sounds true to the music. and you can purchase a complete matching system from one manufacturer including HT , dvd, tuners..and new stuff matches cosmetics of classics like MR78-80 Tuners

PS they have the nicest people working in the sales and service department, and like Audio Research they repair almost any piece they ever made at reasonable prices! Mac even upgraded my tuner for free when they serviced it(Unlike Mark Levison's $ 1,200 plus repair minimum #$^&^#$^&# ) more on that story to follow!

No,they do not.

Just to comment a bit further on Blindjim's excellent editorial, I find that in snobbery (and this applies to any field, not just audio) there is an inverse relationship between name recognition/availability and exclusivity. As a brand becomes more widely known it begins to lose it's cache among the cognoscenti

One of my favorite stories is many years ago I was buying a suit in a wholesale type tailor in the garment district of my city. A fellow was also there buying a tux. After he got it selected and measured for fitting, the tailor looked at him and asked what brand label he wanted in the jacket. They then proceeded to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of brand recognition. The problem was the most expensive brand was a name that not many people recognized so it would fail at impressing ordinary folk. So, the tailor recommended a slightly less exclusive but more widely known expensive brand. That way the fellow would impress more people with his fine taste in clothing.

McIntosh is excellent gear. It is well crafted, has a depth of support that is unequaled, and I've certainly heard superb sound from many McIntosh powered systems over the years.

The question is: are you listening to music, or are you impressing people? If the former and you like your Mc gear, the question is settled. If you are impressing people, then you need the audio equivalent of the tux discussion. First you decide what audience you're impressing and then you select the brand that best does that.