Do people buy MAC gear for the blue meters

How strange! Someone who buys gear for other reasons than the music ! For how the gear *looks* ! This is part of the motivation for high-end products whatever they are. People do not spend $10,000 on a Rolex watch to know the time, hell, they don't even EXPECT it to keep time (an $80 Timex Marathon quartz watch is actually more precise). But, for some, having a Rolex just to look at or to feel around one's wrist is beyond understanding for most people. Buying McIntosh gear just to look at the meters is no different - and is more sincere than the many here who pretend not being of the same behavior to some degree with their gear. And I bet he actually feels more satisfied compared to the lot of ''audiophiles'' who ''analyze'' the sound of their 5 to 10 favorite cd's searching for flaws with their present gear...which will pave the way to upgrade madness, of course. For some it's McIntosh meters. For others, it is abut the 1 inch-thick faceplate, or the prestige brand - yet we hide those reasons behind a smoke screen in thinking people will believe that it is about the music. For some, sure - but I haven't met many around the audio altar.

The first response by Tpreaves
''The old phrase "He's got more money than sense" seems to apply to your friend!!'' is wrong and somewhat condescending if I may add - If McIntosh meters do it and it stops there, it may actually be a cheap alternative to the endless buy-sell-buy routine for many here on Audiogon.

i can think of another company that has big blue meters.

The Name McIntosh does not have the letter "A" in it. And the amps have a market and the blue meters are a signature ingredient for the demographic that buys McIntosh. I have had several Mcintosh amps and the meters are part of the package, but not the reason I buy. I spend about 50% of the time with the meters off. Everyone spends money on what pleases themselves. I think sometime we let "audiophilia" cloud our judgement, instead of just buying what makes us happy. If looks aren't important then tell the manufactures that pend tons of money on case and face plate design. Imagine what Ayre spends having cases machined out of billet aluminum. Could they make more money and sell more product in a 6 sided box, if looks weren't part of the sales pitch? Part of our attraction to audio gear is the look, and we would be fooling ourselves it we didn't want to admit it.

nonsense. they have a fantastic value proposition:
great sonics (but admittedly not close to the best)
aesthetic value (the meters)
tremendous power to control any load
great reliabilty
resale value
zero heat output (from SS amps)

when i find an amp that has no heat output, can drive the piss out of any speaker, and sound better, i'll sell my 501s.

I bought a Squeezebox Touch and often have the "meter" setting on because I like it. It's cool and reminds me of my wasted youth spent in recording studios (now I waste my oldness in my digital, led metered studio). I also think the Appearance Factor as previously mentioned is a big part of this hobby...a very big part...and the wristwatch analogy is apt...I have a pile of mechanical watches and they have a vibe to 'em that only a watch geek can appreciate (I set my Valjoux or ETA loaded paperweights often when I'm at my computer so they're almost accurate). I refuse to buy a little "Class D" amp because they're too small (I want to put one in a large case with big meters!)...I like a nice brushed faceplate of several square inches for some reason, and the retro McIntosh stuff is hilarious to me, and most of it sounds great supposedly...certainly the Checker Car company of modern audio.