Seeking Honest Opinions: Your Experience with McIntosh Audio Gear

The first "real" Hi-Fi system that rocked my audio world was powered by McIntosh. That was 45 years ago. Blue meters were on my bucket list for my home system for the next 40.

My interest in audio developed into a career that spanned 40+ years and, yes, we became a "Mac" dealer somewhere around 1982. I would classify the Mac experience as a dealer as one of the group of vendors I could count on one hand being in the "never let us down" category. This includes the customer/end user.

I got my wish in 2016 when I sold my business. When presenting a list of current inventory to the prospective new owner, I made it a point to tell them they can have anything they want -- EXCEPT the Mac stack on display. The separates I had at home that esthetically reassembled a mix of military surplus and vintage laboratory instruments were replaced with those beautiful faceplates and bouncing blue meters.

As one would expect, we had the opportunity for "shoot outs" on many occasions with "similarly-priced" gear. I would say overall that the Mac gear held it’s own. The inner Hi-Fi nerd in me classified the sonics of the Mac gear as "not quite as revealing" as some world-class gear.

Okay, I know the next comment is going to make some heads explode. But here goes: I found that audiophlle fuses can make a significant sound quality improvement in Mac gear (that utilize fuses). The sound becomes more "analytical", revealing, more detailed, and brings instruments and voices more into focus. For me, the sound nudges a bit closer to the agility I have experienced in other renouned high end brands. For Mac owners, with the fuse upgrade, you may find yourself in the room with a more transparent, revealing, and rewarding musical experience. For non-Mac owners who love the brand, esthetics, and build quality, but Mac doesn’t quite get you there sonically, a couple hundred buck investment may result in Mac checking ALL of your audiophile boxes.

I’ll also say that McIntosh has done an admirable job of staying relevant for many decades. It’s a balancing act that few have navigated successfully.

immatthewj,

the MAC SACD plyer i had I got in a trade deal and only tried one SACD and maybe a half doz CD's. So i can't rally talk about sound as i didn't even use the internal DAC in it. I sold it shortly after getting it as I stream now for digital. 

I think it probably depends on your other components. I have 611 monos, with B&W 802D3 speakers. My sources are an Esoteric N01XD streamer and a Clearaudio Performance turntable. That combination works well. Bold, natural, and detailed with clear separation. Heaven to my ears.

I had Mac’s most recent solid state preamp and actually preferred the $599 Topping A90D in terms of sound quality. The Topping had a significantly lower noise floor and just overall superior resolution. Of course the Mac felt and operated like a more premium product and has a good built-in DAC.

The other times I’ve experienced Mac gear I was never blown away, but in those systems I couldn’t really isolate what was contributing what. Most of those systems were rather laidback and mellow sounding which aligns with the general consensus of the Mac sound. The best systems I’ve encountered have not happened to have any Mac gear in the chain.

My overall impression is that much of what one pays for with the brand is the name and legacy.

As for resale value, it seems some pieces simply hold their value better than others. I had to take a substantial hit on the resale value of the Mac preamp even despite the fact I bought it used for thousands less than retail. 

We sold Mac audio gear in our store back in the 1970's. We also sold ARC, Halfer, B&O, Yamaha, Maggies, Klipsch, JBL, Levinson, Linn, and more. Back then Mac would come in the stores and set up a test bench with clad blanket covering the table where the equipment brought in by customers for tested. I also toured the factory. Built quality was impeccable. Sound was also very good. (MC275) 

Mac decided they needed to make everything audio. (Cassettes, CD's, turntables, Dacs, surround systems, etc) Once they started down that road, the reliability went out the window.  I now consider there amps and pre-amps to still be extremely well built, reliable, and sound good (not ampung the best, but good). The rest of there products I would never purchase.