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

@schw06 +1 for a very thoughtful post.

And I’ve said this many times on this thread, but I’ll say it once more: the main issue for me is not about McIntosh or Wilson or Magico or any specific brand. It was his presumption that he could divide those who like what they hear from those brands from "genuine" audiophiles. Remember, that was the point of bashing McIntosh -- to say that it has fooled people (e.g. with its reputation, blue lights, etc.) who don’t really know how to listen. The other brands fool people in other ways.

You cut through all that malarkey when you say,

the experience I’m looking for in music is to turn my left brain off and get lost in the music and his system didn’t do that for me.

And there we have it. There are *multiple* goals a music system can fulfill. And your goal -- and the goals of many others -- are fulfilled for you in a way which makes this youtubber’s system unsuitable. And it also proves his divisive dualism false. Q.E.D.

@schw06 You nailed it, your testimony is appreciated.

But I must add a caveat. As a small business owner myself (not the audio industry) My employees and I abide by the rule that to insult or belittle the competition or their products shows fear, intimidation, and/or resentment. I have heard more times over the last 20+ years from customers who visited another shop in town and were put off by the staff insulting my shop or my brands. So from where I sit, Mike is extremely unprofessional, and a few of the commenters on this thread confirm that. Maybe I just expect more ethics in a small business?

@schw06, nice post!

I'll be driving to pick up some gear from Mikey soon. I'm not looking forward to the many hours-long drive. To be only 10 minutes away would be convenient! 

I concur with everything you said about Mikey. I've gotten to know him very well over the last couple of months and am really looking forward to hearing his system!

Any time you have the opportunity to hear another system I think it's a great experience in relation to your own to help figure out what you might seek or confirmation of things you like about your own system.

There is no doubt that Mikey has already helped to make my existing system sound much better with his advice. The new gear will take my rig to another level in sonics and I'm very excited about that! I've spoken with a couple of long-standing dealers/manufacturers that have also confirmed that Mike Powell has an outstanding reputation in the industry. They also confirmed that the NAT gear I'll be putting in will be a dramatic improvement in my rig!

Maybe you should read the current thread about his cable company Verrastar. Some former customers don’t agree concerning his "outstanding reputation".

@schw06 You hit the nail on the head. Like you, I'm also in my late 40's and I can certainly relate to building a music system where the ultimate goal is to relax and destress after a long, often hectic, day. Perhaps, once I retire and have more time on my hands, my goals might change. But as of now, for me tube-based amplification is what brings me closer to my desired goal. This is what some dealers, including the subject of this thread, keep forgetting. Music lovers can achieve nirvana at any budget with any gear, as long as they know what they want and use a holistic approach when building a system. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.