Why No McIntosh Recommendations?

Mc owned by d and m holdings group. That’s Denon and Marantz. Their stuff just isn’t that great at its price point. There’s much better stuff at that price point. I also feel their ss gear is too colored. I love their old tube gear but today’s goods aren’t cutting it against similarly priced gear. 

McIntosh is similar to scotch as it is an acquired taste.   I have 3.6 Maggie’s driven by MC501 mono blocks.  I bought my amps 9 years ago and if I chose to sell them, I would get ALL my money back.

How many pieces of gear can you say that about.  I ran through a bunch of amps before getting my 501s and it set me free.  I quit chasing amps and sound as I was so happy.

I also use a C220 tube pre amp that is a terrific pairing with my speakers and amp.  When I listen to Brubeck’s Take Five, it is like they are in the room.

Others may denigrate the brand, but everyone who visits and listens is enthralled with the sound.

I know it is not for everyone, but don’t call me misinformed, rich and stupid as I am none of those.  

Accept that each Mfg has fans for a reason, BTW, McIntosh has been in business since the late 40s, thY must know something about audio.

Viridian if you don't hear a soundstage in the concert hall you are either not sitting centre stage or you need a hearing check..

I went from the very well-regarded Conrad-Johnson PV-11 to the McIntosh C220 preamp.  My reason was mostly for functionality.  I wanted a remote, tone controls, and a balance control with more range.  I do not feel that this was a step down in terms of sonic quality at all.  On the contrary, the C220 sounds wonderful.  Smooth, but detailed, with a very large sound stage, and excellent timbre.  I know it is not a full tube preamp like the C-J, but I am extremely happy with it.  There are other forums with bigger McIntosh threads from fanboys.  Yes, some of that might be due to the very macho, somewhat retro appearance, but consider that McIntosh products do sound pretty good.  Of course, no one line of gear is for everyone.

I went from the very well-regarded Conrad-Johnson PV-11 to the McIntosh C220 preamp. My reason was mostly for functionality. I wanted a remote, tone controls, and a balance control with more range. I do not feel that this was a step down in terms of sonic quality at all. On the contrary, the C220 sounds wonderful. Smooth, but detailed, with a very large sound stage, and excellent timbre. I know it is not a full tube preamp like the C-J, but I am extremely happy with it.

It’s not their preamps that are being scrutinized here, they are the norm.
It’s more their solid state amps with transformer coupled output stages, that are very questionable to many.

Cheers George