Disappointing On Mcintosh......help


 3 Months ago  I went to NYC and stopped by the WOM  and auditioned several MCintosh gear...........and left a bit disappointed or not impressed...then I told myself   " lets give a second shot"  and went today to a  HIFI store and again Good room accoustics10K speakers , MC Preamp , MC Amplifier........ and again  the same disappointment I felt 3 month earlier.

Is that the "warm" sound people reffer to about Mcintosh?  
The sound is ample, base is powerfull  but the the sound is simply  not to clear, the hights are not too "crisp"  It sounds like the treble is set at 3 and needs to be adjusted at 9 or 10.
It seems like  the sound is  coming through a thin layer of paper ...that is the way I describe that sound.  

Then 20 minutes later I auditioned a Parasound A21+ and a JC5 and the sound was more clear and the highs were crispier

Whats your take on my experience?  or That is the MC "warm sound? 
128x128cydrone
As an owner of many McIntosh components, I take umbrage in saying it is a popular brand of the maga crowd. I am not nor would ever be associated with those type of people.
Mcintosh gear is terrific and a good value. May be the lowest cost of ownership in high end audio. With that being said, I have owned it in the past and may own some in the future but I presently own Audio Research. 

While it may not be to everyone’s taste, anyone who prefers something else is certainly justified in doing so. Anyone who says it is bad has another agenda. Its like someone who doesn’t like cauliflower telling everyone else it is bad for you. The McIntosh bashing is silly.
Most of the bitching about Mcintosh on this thread comes from those that dollars to donuts can’t afford it,

And to the gentleman who posted Wilson and Mac in the same thread above dollars to donuts can’t afford either and doesn’t have the proper room to put them in.

you get this a lot on the Gon.
Who really cares and does it matter whether you like McIntosh or not? Sound is subjective and the variables are many here. For whatever reason, you prefer Parasound. John Curl is one of the most legendary designers in the history of audio so whatever he designs is going to sound great. McIntosh has being making gear since 1949. How is it possible that their equipment is not clear and sounds like a thin sheet of paper and they are still in business for 70 years? Does that mean everyone who purchases Mac gear is deaf or hearing impaired? Stereophile just gave the Mc462 a class A recommendation. How is that possible if Mac gear is not clear and sounds like a thin sheet of paper?

So Since you went to 2 locations and came to the same conclusion, You should forget Mac and Sonus Faber. You seem to like Parasound so then find a dealer that supports that brand and then compare that to 2 other brands of comparable price and performance, then narrow it down to the winner. Why 3, you will get confused with too many variables. Speakers: there are too many choices and too many variables which makes them the most subjective. Sonus Faber is overall a softer sounding speaker because they have been a proponent of silk soft dome tweeters from the beginning. I know this because I own a pair of original Guarneri Homages from 1999(pair #1498) which I ran with a full Mark Levinson 300 series complete system. The designer wanted a tweeter that had very low resonance so that the sound of the violin is reproduced in its most pure state. This is why the first pair made is in the Hall of Violins in Cremona Italy to commemorate the birthday of the great violin maker Guarneri. Does this mean that it is the perfect speaker? No, but its the speaker that I chose because I like it at the time: And 20 years later, I still like them. Are they the best speakers for heavy duty rock music and drums no because tweeters are designed to be polite and polished. If you want more life in the highs, you can audition, Focal, B&W 800 series, Klipsh Heritage series.

WOM is not really a great place to audition because its a company experience center, not a store. Its goal is to display Mac, ARC, and Sonus Faber in living spaces so that the rich can see and experience this equipment in a true living space not in an audiophile sound room. Many of the 1% will purchase Sonus Faber for the looks alone because even if you don't like their sound, no other speaker is a beautiful work of art that happens to make music: Good luck in your search and don't forget to enjoy the music.