McIntosh -- good for show, not for sound, says dealer

Mikey has already helped me with getting my system to sound better with my current amp. I’m upgrading my amp and preamp, going with NAT Audio gear from him. He brings tremendous value and only cares about helping people get the best sonics as they can. Anybody that can’t appreciate that has issues with hurt feelings.

Glad you’re having a good experience.

As I see it, he’s made a very broad brush distinction between "people who just care who audio looks" with "the real audiophiles who care about sound."

We can all agree that’s a fair distinction. But his next move is to start herding people into the camp of looks (effectively calling them non-audiophiles) by dint of brand association. It becomes an "us" vs. "them" strategy that names names. That kind of tribalism -- he calls his fans/customers a "tribe" -- is reminiscent of the worst instincts we have. It turns us against one another in politics, religion, orientation, and more. Don’t we have enough of that?

He could have argued the "looks only" vs. "quality-sound" distinction without naming brands. He could have said, "listen for this" or "check these specs or build," etc. But instead, he went after a bunch of companies which make good products. Are all of them 100%, consistently, good? Probably not. (Is every Mercedes a winner?) Are all of them fairly priced? Kinda up to the buyer to decide that.

As someone above pointed out (I think), this seems desperate. It’s the YouTube version of a giant "Sale!" sign in his shop. He needs customers and he has a schtick -- the "Come to me -- I’ll hook you up with the *really* good stuff." Or, "Are you done worshipping false gods? Because I have a line on the Real Deal." He has set himself up as the authority above and beyond all influence, all marketing, all folderol. But then you realize -- he's just another seller, promising to be on your side, a "man of peace," to quote Dylan.

Give me any basically good amplifier and i will make it sound more than good...

How?

With acoustic treatment with passive materials and especially with mechanical acoustical controls...

Then bashing or celebrating a piece of gear means lttle at the end... Like the speakers, no amplifier sound the same in different room...

All amplifiers has different flavor sound for sure, but this flavor is not so much compared to the acoustic increase of their working in the acoustical environment tailor made for their speakers link in a specific room...

Bashing other gear or celebrating the gear we love is human but it is not serious audio experience...

i myself love my Sansui so what?

The most important thing is the system /room relation and this relation is always very specific andoptimized for the system and the ears of the owner...

Audiophile are ignorant focussing on the gear price tag or particularities that exist but at the end that are secondary...

i never listen McIntosh...

People who has never listened to their system in a controlled room cannot know his peak working potential S.Q.

@mahgister Right on cue! LOL! Love it.

However, once the room is optimized, then it does come down to the gear. As we've agreed on another thread -- two equally good rooms (equally optimized) will be different if the gear is different. 

Many people don't know or do enough about their room acoustics. The room is a system of acoustics and perception. But the gear is part of the system, and just as neglect of the room leads to worse acoustics, worse gear does, too, because it's all part of the system. So that leads back to gear. 

Thanks hilde for your kind words...

But remember something important also about what i called mechanical equalization... Which is different than the room treatment only...

Here the mechanical TUNING add something no room treatment is able to do alone, it bent the room to what the system is asking for, for your specific ears...

It is this ignorance about the complexities of acoustic that made people FOCUS on upgrade and piece of gear mainly to improve their experience...

Alas! Like i said the greatest solution is a dedicated room not a new amplifier if the amplifier you already own is basically good...

Then first you choose your flavored prefered system in a treated room...

Second you bent the room for it with mechanical equalization and guess what ? the S.Q. is over the roof for your ears with this system...

there is difference between any system but not so powerful to compared with an acoustic settings designed for his optimal working...

Here we speak of gear plenty of people answer...

In my new thread about acoustic almost no answer ...

Why?

Because acoustic is complex matter and it is more easy to buy gear....

You are right about some gear being not very good to begin with...

But most quality gear are basically good.... It is a taste question more than objective quality....

Then kNowing that the gear is secondary to acoustiic...

“In my new thread about acoustic almost no answer ...Why?”

@mahgister

You need to know your audience..does that ring a bell? Most folks here can’t rival or afford your level of dedication to room acoustics. I mean just look at your room, it should be a national treasure. There is something other worldly about the room and your exquisite work, have you contacted Guinness World Records?