Do true audiophiles own Mcintosh gear

Mac gear won several Editor's Choice awards from The Absolute Sound this year, including the MC402 power amp and C46 and C2200 preamps.

But of course, the editors of TAS likely don't actually own those amps, but just borrowed them from the manufacturer ;-)

I don't know any true audiophiles. My dad bought a McIntosh amp in 1974 and boasted to me at the time that it was built like a "brick sh** house". He is 90 years old now and his Mac is still going strong and sounding good after 33 years. Fast forward to 2007, and I recently listened to an all Mac setup powered by a MC 275 tube amp played through some Vienna Acoustic floor standers and they sounded great. I also listened to an old Harry Belefonte LP played through a Mac MC501 and room filling Magenpans, and it was wonderful, every bit as good as Classe, Pass Laboratories or Edge amps I have heard recently.

I do not consider myself an apologist for McIntosh, and don't own any of their equipment personally. My limited experience is that their gear lasts a long time and the current editions sound very good indeed.

09-10-07: Dave_b
Nothing innovative about Mac gear, nor is it tremendously musical. In fact it sounds like very goo old class B electronics..not particularly exceptional in any area, nor a total disaster in any either..just OK!

Absolutely NOT the case. You don't consider transformer coupling the transistors to keep them in their peak operating range innovative? Who else does it? Very musical also.
Hopefully someday you will find some pieces you like as well long term as most Mac owners do. Good luck with that. BTW, I am not a dealer, just an music lover with an recently opened mind.

Dbarger, Agree with you. Don't understand how someone could say "nothing innovative". Not musical, I can understand, as that's just their opinion and Mac may not be to their taste. It is to mine.

To the thread starter: Yeah, some of true audiophiles own Mac, some don't. Which ones own it? Why the ones that find it musical. As far as mid-fi stores selling it, Mac makes a wide range of equipment. If a store could sell Mac's $60,000 amps it would, but their customer base should dictate what they stock the most of. Krell has some expensive stuff, also their lesser KAV line. Mark Levinson called their lesser line Proceed. At least Mac doesn't call it something like "Mini-Mac".

Obviously McIntosh must be doing something right. They have been in business since 1949 and they seem to hold a pretty good resale value. I have had several pieces and can say I will probably buy more. I know that there is better out there at the same price point, but they don't have the track record. It seems that every time I see a thread on Mc that someone can always bash them. Maybe it's that old "blow your candle out and mine will burn brighter" syndrome. I am sure that someone will trash my reply here but that is their need being fullfilled. McIntosh is a good company building great products and offering exceptional service. As an audio equipment owner what more can I want?