McIntosh: Here's My Opinion On This Iconic Brand!

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[mikejames-drummerreginacan]

It doesn't matter what some audiophiles think of McIntosh, they can't keep up with demand and will sell EVERY piece they make. The build quality is TOP NOTCH with McIntosh and that appeals to many people. I had a Mac C-26 Preamp built in the early 70's that I used EVERYDAY until I sold it in 2018 for what I paid they have proven they will be around for the long haul when boutique brands come and go with questionable support. The point is buy what you like and ENJOY THE MUSIC. Cheers !

[snomofilms]

Great perspective Jay. I replaced my Emotiva XPA2 with a MA352 a few months ago and let’s just say my pants still get tight every time I listen. Comparatively now I have silky smooth sound, much more detail, and no more harsh upper mid range. Not sure what the next step will be in amplification, but I’m happy for now.

[ClaudeRausch]

I am retired now. But had been for many years one of the biggest High End dealers in Europe. What I see is that certain things will NEVER change. And one of this things is, I call it : The generalizing.
This video is based on it .
Who would ever say that A Ferrari ist the best car ???
Try it out when you have a 3 child family.
Its a kind of useless in that case.
There is NO BRAND on the market which is "THE BEST".
It just depends what you wanna to achieve in your system !!
A Pre-Amp sounding fabulous in one system, sounds rather poorly in an other.
But this Generalizing will never end, since nothing is more simple minded than humans.
They seems to be in need to know that one brand is simply the best...

[jamesnelson]

I love my McIntosh MC-312 Amp & C2700 Preamp! From the day I fired it up the sound was beyond everything else I have owned for the last 45 years!!!! Does it look great yes absolutely & no other manufacturer goes puts as much into the beauty & build quality!!! Is it expensive? Yes, but they build in house, all the machining, metal fabrication, glass, silk screening, transformers etc!! That is an expensive process & the prices are justified

[dafirst]

I don't own a McIntosh but I love how honest you are. Some people have so much dislike for a product and it's only a hobby. People should learn to know that. Probably if mcinstosh had reached out to him and gave him their products to sell, he wouldn't make those comments.

[odk]

Here’s the thing. When you get into the price range of McIntosh equipment, people buy what they like, for whatever reason they choose. Some people are brand loyal, some people buy based on build quality. Some people want made in the USA. At the end of the day, there is no wrong reason. Doesn’t matter if McIntosh is not the best sounding equipment. They are made in the USA, they are iconic, they do have an extremely good build quality, and they do represent a pride of ownership. They are not for everyone, but neither is a 911 Turbo S. Neither is a Bugatti. Neither is an Aston Martin, and so on.

[robertdevoy]

I learned nothing worthwhile about McIntosh from this video other than it is an iconic brand and well made. I'm starting to get the impression that the build quality is better than the sound quality. Perhaps, on the level of 80's Pioneer or Sony.

[tg_ny]

I am not a McIntosh customer, but I have a lot of respect for the brand. It has consistently remained in the industry for my entire life. Americans have adopted an attitude with everthing - they either love it or bash it. I have heard McIntosh hardware in systems which just sound OK and others where it sounds spectacular. As with any brand amp and speaker, the pairing is very important. A user’s sonic preferences are important as well. Speakers vary in design - their impedance, phase, sensitivity, etc., and amps vary with their damping factor, power output, class, circuit design, etc. These factors will all affect how a system sounds. The key is to determine your budget and listen to as many systems as you can before selecting the combination of components which sound best to you.
What sounds great to your ears will likely differ from the preferences of the next person’s. What is so enjoyable is that we as consumers have so many choices. You will have succeeded in putting a system together if it can play music and generate the emotional experience that you desire.

[dippin]

I have had an MC275 for many years and feel no need to change. I doubt I will part with it. It always satisfies my musical needs. Are there better, probably, but I like the way this amplifier presents the music. Its truly a music lovers amp.

[joekhachoyan]

with all due respect - Mcintosh is high-fi and they do have different equipment for different speakers ; it is the Rolls Royce of Amps

[divadgnol]

Love your attitude towards audio Jay, also I admire your willingness to be open to all different price points and more importantly you're willingness to be open about the subjectivity of the hobby.

[ProfoundAV-]

I love my Mcintosh gear. Fell in love with the brand when I first heard it paired with some B&W 800 speakers several years ago and two weeks later bought their amp and ht processor. I’ve seen them paired with some extremely highend speakers and consider them as high end audiophile gear. Some of the so called audiophile gear that cost six figures are priced that way because the manufacturer can’t produce enough units to increase profit margins due to being a small companies, so they sell the few units at extremely high msrp to leverage again low production. They only need to sell a small number to keep the doors open.

[ProjectOverseer]

No doubt they (Macintosh) create well designed and beautifully built products, but in terms of sound quality the competition has caught up for much less money.
I still love the looks and sound and this alone will win many an audiophile over.

[jiyadas]

First time Mcintosh buyer and I have had 15 plus amps in the last 20 years I went with the Mcintosh mc1.25kw and it's the best I have had in my system till now. Both Sonus faber and Mcintosh have changed their voicing for the current times neither of them have rolled off top end or are warm. Both companies have evolved and their newer stuff is absolutely brilliant! The mc1.25kw are so dynamic, clean and smooth at the same time, I am done looking for another amp. I have them paired with a mcintosh c1100 and after having 3 Devialets expert pro's over the years these are equally quite, no noise, hiss etc. whatsoever.

[bhob]

I think the fact that it's McIntosh is sort of not the point, it's the generalizations. I didn't comment on OCD's channel and I don't own McIntosh gear but I would be a little pissed if I did. I think people buy audio gear for all kinds of reasons, but to level a blanket statement like that was unfair in my opinion. I'm sure some people buy it for the looks, but some people like the sound, and others may like it partly because they grew up listening to McIntosh. I'm sure some people buy Focal speakers because they look cool, and are a statement too. I also think the audio world is very subjective and it's almost impossible that something is going to be "the best" for everyone.

[georgieboy]

I guess Jay doesn't sell Mcintosh, but he will give raving opinions on what he does sell.

[jackhuang]

I love Macintosh products, I journey started with this brand. Upon till now, I still own my old Macintosh. Thanks Jay for the honest truth.

[henni]

As a tube guy, i would trust McIntosh sounding great with all of their tube stuff any day, because it is so well built 😀

[xtraflo]

Mcintosh still sounds fantastic but the ones who buy it think they're the only one who makes the Top Audio brand.
There are plenty of other options is all...

[tarichar]

McIntosh is considered high end in other countries, at the same level as Gryphon, CH Precision, etc. if you look at audiophiles in Europe and Asia, McIntosh is used with Rockports and other > 100k speakers, and is the equal or better than 20-30k amps and preamps. The better McIntosh pieces are excellent and have a degree of musicality that many brands miss, and they are priced accordingly. I have been in high end audio for 30 years and have owned everything from Krell and Classe, to VTL and Cary. Currently using Shindo. McIntosh is definitely high end.