McIntosh tube upgrade - worthwhile?

Yes, I put in inexpensive NOS RCA's into my C2700 much better then those JJ's. Even better results with better tubes as the NOS RCA's are not known to be the best NOS tubes out there but better then the JJ's. I also put in some NOS Svetlana 6550 in my MC275 and that was a much bigger difference, better to me. I'm currently looking for better NOS tubes but get those JJ's out of there they are bright, lack bass and sound lifeless. For new production I like the Gold lion tubes.  

It’s strange but why is McIntosh and inclined to tell people stock power cords and stock tubes are not worth upgrading. Most manufacturers sell mediocre tubes and power cords along with their equipment because they know people are going to upgrade it all by themselves.

But McIntosh makes an emphasis to say hey we have designed  amplifiers in a manner that doesn’t make higher quality tubes meaningful. Actually JJ tubes tend to go bad more frequently as I’ve replaced many at this point after just a few months. they Buy them by the batches and they don’t quality control the tubes. Why would they quality control tubes when it doesn’t matter what they put into their devices according to them.

Very strange attitude they have. But I have a few of their amplifiers because they are built like tanks and they’re reliable for the longer term hopefully.

In the book "for the love of music" there are commentaries about tube availability and performance that Mcintosh dealt with in their design of tube-based products.  It's an interesting read if you are into  Mcintosh.

That being said, things may have changed in recent times and with current leadership.

Bill

@wbs 

Thanks I looked for it and actually ordered it. Any chance you could share what might've been said about amplifiers effect tubes and anything else about the depth of info they go in to about McIntosh amplifier.

The book is really The Mcintosh Story.  Mr. Kessler did a lot of interviews and covered a lot of ground, so IMO there isn't a lot of real depth about circuits or individual products.  It's more of a journey than a textbook.  It did reflect the goals and directions that the company aspired to and what they were trying to achieve when developing new products, and how they perceived their customer's wants and needs.  Lots of good pictures.

It's been a few years since I read this book and I would have to research it myself to give you detailed info.  If you have ordered it you will soon be able to read and form your own opinions which will be better and more accurate than me trying to remember.

Bill