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Why do some audiophiles beat up McIntosh?

I've been around audio my entire life. I'm 45 and I bought a decent Technics system when I was 12 with my paper route money. Genesis speakers built in New England which were actually pretty darned good. I would spin vinyl every single day to the point it drive my parents crazy. My buddies father had a McIntosh system that I was in love with and he was allowed to play it. It was haunting for me to hear his fathers system.

Fast forward 28 years later and I'm perplexed at the hatred I see posted online about McIntosh. Is it really that bad or is everyone upset that McIntosh is so successful? It doesn't make sense to me that the resale value is the best in the business yet audiophiles bash them. I personally have always loved their gear and sound. I don't own any, and probably never will. Still, I just don't get it. I've always admired McIntosh. Looks aside, I always enjoyed the music. Can someone tell me that they're junk or do you just not like the presentation?
donjr
roxy54's avatar
roxy54
8,050 posts
 
Alycat,
Every company says they are the best, and your other comments are just regurgitated drivel that others have said many times before. They are one of the many flavors out there and Mac is one of them, and one of the more reliable ones at that.
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 

Yes the big blue power meters are a bit Arnold Schwarzenegger'ish.

But to use transistors all the way through on many of their big power amps, and then to whack an output transformer at the end is just nutz, to me anyway.

Cheers George
tbg
5,263 posts
 
Georgelofi, transformers on solid state gear is much like the "safety factor" in civil engineering. But it ruins the sound of its life.
roxy54's avatar
roxy54
8,050 posts
 
Georgelofi and Tbg,
Please tell the rest of us which pieces you have owned and used in your own systems that that led you to these conclusions.
robsker
132 posts
 
as some have mentioned, McIntosh gear is not sonically the performer they once were. I currently have a 35 year old MAC SS amp and it is really quite excellent sounding. It has what Audiozen described as a "older" rounder, smoother less analytical sound than what you hear in most amps today. The newer McIntosh gear seems to me to be not as good a value as the older McIntosh gear. But old McIntosh is nice stuff.
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