Why No McIntosh Recommendations?

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

I'm partial to the older Mac tube gear.   A properly serviced C22 preamp is one of the best preamps money can buy.   They also hold their value and even appreciate in value over time.

A buddy of mine used to be the Mac repair tech at San Francisco's House of Music.  The stories he told about the current line of Mac gear suggest that their reputation for build quality and reliability are based upon the older classic gear, like the C22, and not the current line.

The 275 tube power amp is also a classic, and like the C22, holds its value and appreciates over time.

There are other tube products, such as those from tubes4hifi.com, which are MUCH less costly and every bit as good, but they don't have the cache that the classic Mac gear does.   But they are highly affordable.

Firstly McIntosh is no longer owned by D & M there was a McIntosh management buyout a few years back and ownership is now McIntosh Group. They have subsequently purchased Audio Research, Wadia & Sonus Faber so now own quite a few top end brands.
I own a Mac MA8000 integrated amp (300w) and absolutely love it. I wanted to down size from my mono blocks, a separate pre amp and headphone amp. I now have everything in one box which better fits my smallish room. Also have a Mac MCD1100 CD player which has a great 8 channel DAC.
I love the sound, it’s very rich yet detailed and transparent. I adore looking the large blue VU meters dancing away and the green lettering especially at night.......with a large scotch ...ha ha. It’s beautiful eye candy.
Partners well with my Monitor Audio PL200 Mk11 speakers. (Interconnect and speaker cables are Atlas Asimi and mains conditioning is Audioquest Niagara 1000 with Audioquest NRG-10 power cables on amp and all sources).
The Mac gear suits me as I’m not into constantly trying out new stuff and constantly comparing this with that. Nothing wrong with that of course, just not me.
I did hear some amazing ARC amps a few years back but for me I’m not into all the sourcing/matching of “valves” (sorry I’m English ....ha ha ha) high maintenance and running costs.
So for me I just like to switch my gear on knowing it’s very reliable and sit back and listen to the lovely Mac sound.
(And the built in headphone amp is very good indeed not just an after thought).